When the train arrived in Cottondale, the summer at Bigmama's house in Florida began. Donald Crews brilliantly evokes the sights, sounds, and emotions of a memorable childhood experience. "A very special book by a superb artist and storyteller."--Horn Book.

Activities to expand children's favorite books. Primary grades.

The train tracks ran right by Bigmama's house in Cottondale, and the children were warned to stay off the tracks. But one night they were late, and the tracks were a shortcut, so they started off. And when there was no turning back, they heard the train coming.

In ''Big Green Mama Falls in Love,'' Big Green Mama duplicates herself and discovers just how life-threatening a Big-Mama-sized case of love can be while the skwork learn that one cannot train a microbe to be patriotic. In ''Big Red Mama in Time and Morris, Minnesota,'' Big Red Mama is annoyed big-time when she discovers the Cretaceous has been invaded by an obnoxious human who has stolen a time-machine and decides that some information probably shouldn't be free, particularly since as a group, humans underestimated the damage they did and rarely took responsibility for anything. On the basis of these stories, the one thing you can say for sure is that Big Mamas' lives are never dull.

In 2009, Allisiana felt that she needed to share her poetry and creative talents with the world to see. With very little experience and only a high school diploma at the time, Allisiana began to write and craft her story into a novel. After three failed publishing companies, Allisiana locked away her book and closed the idea of ever becoming an author again. In 2018, Allisiana revisited the idea after tragically losing her grandmother suddenly. ""I just felt she wanted me to release my work, she always told me to follow my dreams,"" Allisiana wrote in a recent interview. ""Like a Diamond in Black Oil,"" is a compelling story of a young woman who faced the unthinkable... but became the unexpected. Allisiana gained the attention of surrounding cities and local peers when she first released LADIBO late 2018. Now, feeling more confident than ever -- Allisiana wants her readers from near and far to just know... ""...you are and will always be a diamond. Find your light."" Enjoy.

Four lively youngsters enjoy activities on a typical day at school.

Sunny Nash was Bigmamma's granddaughter, and through her young eyes she saw not only the indignities and economic hardships her family and friends suffered - unpaved roads, mosquito-infested drainage ditches and outdoor toilets, back stairs to balcony seating in the movies - but also the love and warmth of everyday life in the segregated neighborhood.