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Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by...

Robert Frost’s classic poem, The Road Not Taken, comes to life like never before with this beautiful and touching companion presentation. Heartwarming illustrations accompany the original text, as we follow a young boy on his journey through a yellow wood. When a fork in the road arises, the boy is faced with a choice–the first of many in life. By journey’s end, the boy (now an old man) reflects on the sweet satisfaction of a life fully lived. 

The first children's book ever made of Frost's famous poem, this moving presentation is wonderfully illustrated by Vivian Mineker and proudly published by Familius, a values-driven publisher on a mission to teach, inspire, and bring families together.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by…

The Road Not Taken

Be Brave

Be Creative

Be Caring and Kind

Early Childhood

Storytime Favorites

Sick Day Stories

Be Resilient

And the People Stayed Home tells the story of the global Coronavirus pandemic, from a very different point of view. In a time of uncertainty and fear, this thought provoking story focuses instead on hope and beauty. This thoughtful poem about the pandemic, quarantine, and the future suggests there is meaning to be found in our shared experience of the Coronavirus. It also joyfully conveys an optimistic message about the possibility of profound healing for people and the planet.

And the People Stayed Home is the uplifting poem that swept the world during the global Coronavirus pandemic. Written by Kitty O’Meara in March of 2020, the poem immediately went viral. In a time where millions of people were undergoing quarantine, many feeling distant and unsure, O’Meara’s interesting perspective helped many see a brighter side. The poem has been so widely shared through social media, news media, and by influencers such as Deepak Chopra, Kate Winslet, O, The Oprah Magazine, and many others, that O’Meara, a former teacher and chaplain and currently a spiritual director, has been called “the poet laureate of the pandemic.”

And the People Stayed Home is written by Kitty O’Meara and voiced by Kate Winslet. The best selling book is illustrated by Stephano Di Cristofaro and Paul Pereda, and published by Tra Publishing.

In a time of uncertainty, this story focuses on the hope and beauty of our shared experiences.

And the People Stayed Home

Nature

Bedtime

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage

One of us is a wind bird, a sky skipper, a diamond dipper, dancing on your string. Another is red, delicious—with a quick twist of your wrist, you free it from the tree. You gasp when one of us roars, mane exploding, sizzling—a lion of the sky. Two of us are knitted twins, soft as kittens, warm as hugs, waiting to hold your hands.

Who are we? Do you think you might already know? Come along for a colorful guessing game that features all four seasons. The answers hide in haikus, masked in riddles. Some are easy, some are hard to guess—but each one loves to be discovered just as much as the rest.

Beautiful and creative, Lion of the Sky manages to make poetry, haikus, and riddles accessible to young readers. The book explores all four seasons with striking visuals, adding an extra hint for each riddle’s answer. Written by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Mercè López, and published by Millbrook Press.

ANSWER KEY: 
SPRING: kite, umbrella, nest, flower bud, earthworm, puddle
SUMMER: dandelion, mosquito, sandcastle, baseball, fireflies, fireworks
FALL: school, pencil, apple, leaf pile, jack-o'-lantern, squirrel
WINTER: mittens, snow, ice skates, snow angel, star, snoozing bear

Sky skippers, tasty treasures, cold confetti, meadows of stars, and more—can you guess who we all are?

Lion of the Sky

Animals

This is the story of the hiccupotamus: A hippo with a never-ending case of the hiccups. One day, the hippo sees an elephant. He tries to say hello, but his hiccups get in the way. Soon, instead of a new friend, he’s got an angry elephant chasing after him—right through a poor centipede’s newly poured cement. When a flossing rhinoceros gets involved, it’s decided: The hiccups must come to an end.

Come along for a wild, wacky, unexpectedly startling quest to rid the hippo of his hiccups. Will the elephant, centipede, and rhinoceros find a solution? What if there is no cure? Maybe fixing the problem will be easier than they think. Or maybe the hiccups are here to stay.

The Hiccupotamus is an adorable story about making new friends, working together, and using both creativity and critical thinking to solve a challenging problem. Written and illustrated by Aaron Zenz and published by Dogs in Hats Children’s Publishing.

What’s worse than always having the hiccups? How about being a hippo who falls on his bottom every time he’s got ‘em?

The Hiccupotamus

On the Farm

Food and Cooking

Language and Vocabulary

There is a gaggle of hens that live on Jack’s farm. They’re fluffy and feathered, and they lay eggs in the chicken coop every day. Jack’s kids collect those eggs and bring them home in a basket. What do they do with those eggs?

Well, the eggs get cooked in a bunch of different ways—scrambled, fried, sunny-side up. The yolks can be separated from the whites, and the whites get whipped into a meringue. (That’s a kind of dessert.) The eggs are used as an important ingredient for cake and other pastries. And the eggshells get crushed and used to feed the soil. And isn’t there something else that eggs are used for—a holiday that’s all about eggs?

The Hens That Live on Jack’s Farm explains the many uses for our foods, from nutrition to fertilizer to holiday fun. It also helps connect the circle of consumption, showing gratitude for the plants, animals, and people who nurture our lives. Written by Margo Linn, illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald, and published by Blue Apple Books.

What can you do with the eggs from the hens that live on Jack’s farm? Dye them, hide them, fry them, and more!

The Hens That Live on Jack's Farm

Foundational Reading

"The day has gone, the soft moon is high in the sky, and all the animals around a sleepy farm house settle in for a peaceful night. Cozy up and drift off, as this beautiful bedtime story gently lulls you to sleep.   

With soft dreamy music, slow pacing and gentle comforting visuals, At the Stroke of Goodnight is the perfect way to bring clam and peace at the end a busy day. At the Stroke of Goodnight comes from world-renowned paper-cut artist Clay Rice, and is published by Familius."

The perfect end to a busy day. Cozy up and drift off, as this bedtime story lulls you to sleep. 

At the Stroke of Goodnight

Vooks at a Glance

Celebrate Black History

Sweet people can be found all over the globe—from Canada to Congo to Cuba, from Afghanistan to Australia, from Ireland to Iraq—there are sweet people in the thirty-seven places listed in these pages, and all over the entire planet. Take a trip through the lines of this large-hearted poem by Alice Walker and meet some of them!

An ode to humanity, Walker’s heartening message is celebrated through Quim Torres’ deeply felt illustrations. Walker’s beautiful poem locates the “sweet people” who can be found all over the world. The poem addresses a young boy getting his first passport, then taking the boy—and the reader—on a journey around the globe in a powerful celebration of humanity and generosity of spirit that is inspiring, timely, and timeless.

Sweet People Are Everywhere features a poem by Internationally renowned writer and activist Alice Walker. She was the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her novel The Color Purple. The best selling book is illustrated by award-winning illustrator Quim Torres, and published by Tra Publishing.

Take a journey around the globe to discover different countries and the sweet people in them.

Sweet People Are Everywhere

Everyone's Reading

Using lilting, rhyming couplets, this book explores the many items that are made from trees. But it doesn’t stop there! Learn about the many uses of live trees – and the environmental danger to trees posed by forest fires, floods, and deforestation. You will be encouraged to be kind, not only to one another, but to the environment as well. View your backyards and parks in a whole new light after going on an arboreal eco-tour in this gorgeous tribute to trees.

Seven sections describe the individual characteristics of trees and how they relate to the lives of humans, animals, and the environment. Cheerful couplets and repetitive phrases, excellent for reading aloud, explain how trees serve as food, comfort, music, and more. Written by Harriet Ziefert and illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald, Be Thankful for Trees is published by Blue Apple Books and print edition published by Red Comet Press. 

A celebratory ode to one of nature’s wonders: trees! 

Be Thankful for Trees

Dreamscape

We know her today as Harriet Tubman, but in her lifetime she was called by many names. As General Tubman she was a Union spy. As Moses she led hundreds to freedom on the Underground Railroad. As Minty she was a slave whose spirit could not be broken. 

An evocative poem and iconographic animation come together to honor a woman of humble origins whose courage and compassion make her larger than life.

People know her today as Harriet Tubman, but in her lifetime she was called by many names. This video honors a woman of humble origins whose courage and compassion make her larger than life.

Before She Was Harriet

There’s a dairy cow on Jack’s farm. She’s spotted and strong, and she likes to chew the grass that grows in Jack’s pasture. Every day, Jack milks the dairy cow—and the cow gives him eight gallons of milk. What does he do with all that milk?

Well, kids drink the milk and pour it on their cereal. The milk is boiled into yogurt or whipped up with vanilla and sugar to make whipped cream. It’s even an ingredient in ice cream. Kittens like to eat the milk’s cream—and the cream can be churned into butter. There’s something else the milk is used for too. Something that just about everybody loves.

The Cow that Jack Milked is a charmingly simple tale of how one dairy cow can provide food for an entire community. Written by Margo Linn, illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald, and published by Blue Apple Books.

Where do the milk, the butter, the yogurt, the whipped cream, and even the ice cream come from? Better ask Jack.

The Cow that Jack Milked

In 1994, twenty-five-year-old Yuyi Morales traveled from her home in Yelapa, Mexico, to the San Francisco Bay Area with her two-month-old son, Kelly, in order to secure permanent residency in this country. Her passage was not easy, and she spoke no English whatsoever. But due in large measure to help and guidance provided by area children's librarians, she learned English the same way her young son learned to read: through the picture books they shared together. 

In spare, lyrical verse and with the vibrant images for which she has become legendary, Yuyi has created a lasting testament to the journeys, both physical and metaphorical, that she and Kelly have taken together in the intervening years. Beautiful and powerful at any time-but given particular urgency as the status of our own Dreamers becomes uncertain-this is a story that is both topical and timeless.

The incredible true story of a Caldecott Honor & Pura Belpré award-winning author & illustrator’s immigration to America is a lasting testament to the immigrant’s journey.

Dreamers

S.T.E.A.M.

5 Minutes or Less

Brightly Storytime Presents

A young, rhythmic read-aloud about a girl who solves a windy problem with an environmentally sound solution: planting trees.

A wild wind blows on the tippy-top of a steep hill, turning everything upside down for the man who lives there. Luckily, Kate comes up with a plan to tame the wind. With an old wheelbarrow full of young trees, she journeys up the steep hill to add a little green to the man’s life, and to protect the house from the howling wind. From award-winning author Liz Garton Scanlon and whimsical illustrator Lee White comes a delightfully simple, lyrical story about the important role trees play in our lives, and caring for the world in which we live.

Join Ms. Linda to read about a wild wind blows on the tippy-top of a steep hill, turning everything upside down for the man who lives there. Luckily, Kate comes up with a plan to tame the wind.

Kate, Who Tamed The Wind

As slaves relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when, at least for half a day, they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. There, they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance, and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles, and their oppression. 

This poetic, nonfiction story about this little-known piece of African American history chronicles the daily duties of such slaves-from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday-and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square, capturing humanity's capacity to find hope and joy even in the most difficult of circumstances and demonstrating how New Orleans' Congo Square was truly freedom's heart.

This poetic non-fiction story about a little known piece of African American history captures humanity’s capacity to find hope and joy even in difficult circumstances.

Freedom in Congo Square

Vooks Originals

Norb is about to have a snack but a speedy critter swipes his grub! Iz thinks it was a Blub. What are Blubs? As they search for these squishy little mysteries, Iz and Norb learn how their actions impact others, how to take care of nature and the importance of generosity. This is the third book in the Iz and Norb Series.

Iz and Norb go on a journey to learn more about a mysterious group of adorable creatures that live in the woods.

What Are Blubs?

Celebrate the role of poets and poetry in our culture with this collection of poems and poetic stories.