Once upon a time, there was a sweet cowgirl named Cindy Ellen, who lived with the orneriest stepmother west of the Mississippi and two stepsisters who were so nasty, they made rattlesnakes look nice! But when a fast-talkin' fairy godmother teaches Cindy Ellen a little lesson about gumption, Cindy lassos first place at the rodeo and the heart of Joe Prince.... You may think you've heard the story before-but you'll get a side-splittin' bellyache after you're through with this hilarious rendition told Wild West-style!

This practical handbook provides more than 30 ready-to-use lesson plans that connect picture books to the national language arts standards set forth by NCTE and IRA. Designed for the primary grades, all lessons have been classroom tested and come with dozens of reproducible patterns and worksheets. Each lesson plan includes bibliographic information, a description of the standards applied in the lesson, skills and objectives, grade level, lists of props and materials, costume ideas, a step-by-step lesson description, comprehension questions, and follow-up activities. A wonderful tool for anyone who works with young students, this guide will generate hours of creative exploration, learning, and delight. Grades K-3

From "Oh, Suzanna" to "Buffalo Gals," children will sing, dance, and learn with these songs about the legendary Wild West. The CD is accompanied by a book with over 250 activities that teach children about colors, creativity, and cowboys and cowgirls. Each of the eight CD/book combinations will provide hours of learning fun. 128 pages plus CD.

The third volume of Using Picture Storybooks to Teach Literary Devices joins volumes 1 and 2 of this best-selling series to give teachers and librarians the perfect tool to teach literary devices to students in grades K-12. In this volume, 120 well-reviewed picture storybooks, published mainly in the last few years, are listed (sometimes more than once) under 41 literary devices. All-ages picture storybooks, which can be enjoyed by adults, as well as children, are included. For each device, a definition is given, and descriptions of appropriate storybooks, with information on how to use them, the art style used in the book, and a curriculum tie-in, are provided. Among the literary devices included are alliteration, analogy, flashback, irony, metaphor, paradox, tone, and 34 more. Indexes by author, title, art style, and curriculum tie-in add to this outstanding book's great value. Grades 4-12.

Use these 100 handy reproducible book lists to instantly create hand-outs for teachers and parents (as well as for older readers), to add to your newsletter, or to post on your Web site or bulletin board. Based on the most common needs of educators and librarians who work with young readers, these lists focus on new titles, as well as classics that are still in print and readily available for purchase. Fiction and nonfiction titles for ages 5-14 are covered. Bibliographic information and a brief description are given for each title. A dozen bookmarks are also included. This is a great time-saving tool and a good source for finding extended reading lists and read-alikes! Looking for folktales from China for elementary children? An informational children's book for a middle school science class? A list of books on the topic of compassion? A sampling of ABC books? These lists and more can be found in Nancy Keane's treasury of great reading lists for children. This versatile guide provides reproducible book lists based on the most common needs of educators and librarians who work with young readers. There are lists for standard curriculum areas (e.g., math, social studies, science), other areas of study such as character education and values, genres (e.g., pop-up, memoirs, ABC books), themes (e.g., animals, food, sports), and read-alikes (on bookmarks). You'll find 100 reproducible lists of fiction and nonfiction books for ages 5-14 (elementary/middle) that you can use to create hand-outs for teachers and parents (as well as for older readers), put in your newsletter, or post on your Web site or bulletin board. Focus is on new titles and classics that are still in print and readily available for purchase. On each list, titles are grouped according to grade level. Room to customize with your library logo or clipart is provided on each reproducible sheet. Bibliographic information and a brief description are given for each title. A dozen bookmarks are also included. This is a great time-saving tool and a good source for finding extended reading lists and read-alikes! Grades K-8.