The beautiful Martina Josefina Catalina Cucaracha doesn't know coffee beans about love and marriage, so when suitors come calling, what is she to do? Luckily, she has her Cuban family to help! While some of the Cucarachas offer Martina gifts to make her more attractive, only Abuela, her grandmother, gives her some useful advice: spill coffee on his shoes to see how he handles anger. At first, Martina is skeptical of her Abuela's suggestion, but when suitor after suitor fails the Coffee Test, she wonders if a little green cockroach can ever find true love. After reading this award-winning retelling of the Cuban folktale, readers will never look at a cockroach the same way again. Carmen Agra Deedy delivers a delightfully inventive Cuban twist on the beloved Martina folktale, complete with a dash of café Cubano.

Children's Storybook Features: • 32 pages, 8 inches x 8 inches • Ages 4-8, PreK-Grade 3 Level Readers, Lexile 660L • Simple, easy-to-read pages with vibrant illustrations • Features side-by-side bilingual text to develop vocabulary • Includes after-reading crafts, writing prompts, and comprehension questions The Magic Of Reading: Introduce your child to the world of literature with this inspiring folktale, Martina the Beautiful Cockroach. This 32-page book features striking illustrations that excite kids and bilingual text to create a love for reading in two languages. Hands On Learning: Martina is a beautiful young cockroach on a quest to find true love. Follow her as she takes her grandmother’s advice on how to find the perfect husband and learns how she deserves to be treated! Bilingual Learning: More than just a heartwarming folktale, this children’s book features side-by-side bilingual text in English and Spanish, as well as many before and after-reading activities like crafts, comprehension questions, and writing prompts. Leveled Reading: This early reading book engages preschoolers to third graders with leveled reading text, while telling an enlightening story that fosters reading comprehension and teaches new vocabulary in two languages. Why Rourke Educational Media: Since 1980, Rourke Publishing Company has specialized in publishing engaging and diverse non-fiction and fiction books for children in a wide range of subjects that support reading success on a level that has no limits.

Audio disc includes Carmen Deedy telling her own version of the folktale and English and Spanish versions of the story with promts to turn the pages.

This New York Times bestseller recounts the true story of the touching gift bestowed on the US by the Maasai people in the wake of the September 11 attacks. In June of 2002, a mere nine months since the September 11 attacks, a very unusual ceremony begins in a far-flung village in western Kenya. An American diplomat is surrounded by hundreds of Maasai people. A gift is about to be bestowed upon the American men, women, and children, and he is there to accept it. The gift is as unexpected as it is extraordinary. Hearts are raw as these legendary Maasai warriors offer their gift to a grieving people half a world away. Word of the gift will travel newswires around the globe, and for the heartsick American nation, the gift of fourteen cows emerges from the choking dust and darkness as a soft light of hope―and friendship. With stunning paintings from Thomas Gonzalez, master storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy (in collaboration with Naiyomah) hits all the right notes in this elegant story of generosity that crosses boundaries, nations, and cultures.

Have you ever been REALLY mad at your best friend? * "This well-crafted story is an excellent choice for those seeking books featuring conflict-resolution." -- Booklist, starred reviewIn two little houses,on two little hills,lived two best friends...So begins the story of Rita and Ralph. Every day they meet to play beneath the apple tree. It's always fun and games -- until one roundly rotten day when a new game means someone ends up crying. Who knew it could be so hard to say "I'm sorry?"Just when it seems nothing will ever be right again, a surprising thing happens. The old friends try something new, that isn't new at all. Something they've done a hundred times...Carmen Agra Deedy's brilliant storytelling combined with Pete Oswald's spirited illustrations make for a comforting tale of healing and true friendship.

A classic children's book.

During the early years of the Great Depression, New York City's first Puerto Rican library, Pura Belpre, introduces the public library to immigrants living in El Barrio and hosts the neighborhood's first Three Kings' Day fiesta.