Angela Katz-McNair has never felt quite right as a girl, but it’s a shock to everyone when she cuts her hair short, buys some men’s clothes, and announces she’d like to be called by a new name, Grady. Grady is happy about his decision to finally be true to himself, despite the practical complications, like which gym locker room to use. And though he didn’t expect his family and friends to be happy about his decision, he also didn’t expect kids at school to be downright nasty about it. But as the victim of some cruel jokes, Grady also finds unexpected allies in this thought-provoking novel that explores struggles any reader can relate to.

Essays by popular children's authors reveal the books that shaped their personal and literary lives, explaining how the stories they loved influenced them creatively, politically, and intellectually.

Why does a colorful parrotfish spend the night in a bubble of slime? And how does the fish produce its slimy sleeping bag? In this brand-new title, learn the answers to these questions and more—and prepare to get slimed! This new Science Slam! title will introduce readers to the fascinating, slimy world of parrotfish. The book is expertly crafted to meet early elementary and science curriculum standards, as well as introduce children to bizarre and interesting facts. Innovative, grade-appropriate activities and experiments, critical-thinking questions, and fascinating fact boxes will hold readers’ interests with a viselike grip. And, best of all, the activities are gooey and fun!

Presents the features of a coral reef, eight types of coral, and more than seventy-five fish.

Parrotfish are found on almost every coral reef in the world. This ubiquity and uniqueness of their feeding action make them one of the most important groups of fishes within coral reef ecosystems. But why, exactly, are parrotfish so important to reefs? Can the evolution of a particular jaw morphology and feeding action really have had such a large impact on the health and functioning of the world's coral reefs? This book introduces the reader to this fascinating group of fishes (Labridae, Scarinae), from the morphological innovation of a jaw that has the power to bite through solid calcium carbonate, to the threats currently faced by parrotfish populations around the world. It contains new insights into their diet and food processing ability, and lifehistories, and concludes with an overview of emerging and future research directions.

With Parrotfish: Coral Reef Cleaners, kids will discover how parrotfish influence their ecosystems. Young readers will learn where parrotfish live and how they affect their environment, their role in the food web, and the dangers they face. The book ends with a Fun Facts page, a quiz, and a glossary. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Super Sandcastle is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Parrotfishes are caught primarily by fish traps and spearfishing (targeted and incidental) for personal and commercial consumption. Over half (65 percent) of the responding countries and overseas territories indicated that they have either a complete harvesting ban or fishing regulations in place to promote the protection of parrotfishes to some extent. About half (56 percent) of the responding countries have fishery-independent surveys for parrotfishes, but the metrics evaluated by these surveys are not the same. Similarly, parrotfish-related outreach and education was varied throughout the Caribbean. Twelve countries (32 percent) report having specific parrotfish outreach campaigns or materials, while in other countries campaigns and materials were geared towards marine conservation in general. Most countries agree that long-term protection for parrotfishes is critical, but consensus about the specific measures required to achieve this is lacking.