Children

On April 30, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase Agreement between France and the United States was formally signed. President Thomas Jefferson paid the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte approximately 18 cents per square mile for a vast wilderness territory (more than 825,000 square miles) stretching from New Orleans to the Canadian border and west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The Purchase effectively doubled the size of the young United States. On May 14, 1804, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark -- accompanied by an intrepid band of skilled hunters, carpenters, gunsmiths, and blacksmiths -- sailed up the Missouri River with a small fleet of three vessels. For the next two years, this dauntless team navigated insect- and snake-infested waterways, crossed scorching plains, scaled frigid mountain passes, battled hostile Indians, and faced near-starvation--all the while charting a vast wilderness never before glimpsed by white men. By the time of their return to civilization in September of 1806, Lewis and Clark had brought back a large collection of important scientific information, opened the unknown East to American exploration and settlement, and added credibility to the U.S. claim to the Oregon Territory. Distinguished artist Peter F. Copeland recaptures the high points of this mighty expedition. Forty-five historically accurate, precisely drawn illustrations for coloring retrace the nearly 8,000 miles of the perilous trek. Captions identify the action in each plate, provide background information, and link the plates in a continuous and informative narrative. Publisher: Dover Publications. Paperback, 45 pages. Measures 8.25" x 10.8". Weighs 6.2 oz.

Despite the banter in today's media, many Americans are still in the dark when it comes to knowing and acting upon their rights and responsibilities as citizens of a democratic society. In refreshingly candid and straight-to-the-point language author Elissa Grodin takes readers of all ages on an A-Z trip through our government's structure, from its earliest beginnings to definitions of basic components and concepts (including immigration and taxation). Engaging, disarming, and frequently thought-provoking artwork from illustrator Victor Juhasz emphasizes the magnitude of the subject. From founding fathers, first ladies, and the First Amendment to the presidential oath of office, D is for Democracy details the political processes, parties, and people of democracy, American-style. Elissa D. Grodin grew up in a large family in Kansas City, Missouri, and was fifteen years old when she started to write short stories. While living in London in the late '70s, she wrote for the Times Literary Supplement and New Statesman. After moving to New York, she studied at the School of Visual Arts and met her husband, actor Charles Grodin, while interviewing him for American Film magazine. D is for Democracy is her second children's book with Sleeping Bear Press. She also wrote N is for Nutmeg: A Connecticut Alphabet. Elissa lives with her family in Wilton, Connecticut. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, Victor Juhasz began illustrating in 1974. His humorous illustrations and caricatures have been commissioned by major magazines, newspapers, advertising agencies, and book publishers both national and international, and his clients include Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and GQ. Victor lives in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press. Paperback, 40 pages. Measures 11" x 10". Weighs 7.3 oz.

Few Americans have had as much impact on this nation as Frederick Douglass. Born on a plantation, he later escaped slavery and helped others to freedom via the Underground Railroad. In time he became a bestselling author, an outspoken newspaper editor, a brilliant orator, a tireless abolitionist, and a brave civil rights leader. He was famous on both sides of the Atlantic in the years leading up to the Civil War, and when war broke out, Abraham Lincoln invited him to the White House for counsel and advice. Frederick Douglass for Kids follows the footsteps of a true hero, one of the leading African Americans of his day. And to better appreciate Douglass and his times, readers will: - form a debating club - create asailor's tarpaulin hat and cravat that Douglass wore during his escape - make a Civil War haversack - participate in a microlending program Ages 9+. Publisher: Chicago Review Press. Paperback, 145 pages. Measures 11" x 8" x 0.3". Weighs 1 lb. 2.8 oz. 

Celebrate America's national parks while you play the classic JENGA game of block stacking. Players remove and stack custom blocks, each featuring a fact about the national park. Ages 6+. 1 or more players. Box measures 11.25" x 3" x 3". Weighs 2 lb 1.1 oz.