Showing results by narrator "Maria Pendolino" in All Categories

When Ashley Shew became a self-described "hard-of-hearing chemobrained amputee with Crohn's disease and tinnitus," there was no returning to "normal." Suddenly well-meaning people called her an "inspiration" while grocery shopping or viewed her as a needy recipient of technological wizardry. Most disabled people don't want what the abled assume they want—nor are they generally asked. In vibrant prose, Shew shows how we can create better narratives and more accessible futures by drawing from the insights of the cross-disability community.

One of the most well-known constellations in the night sky, the Big Dipper, traces its origins to a Native American legend. Many animals attempted to break through Sky in order to spread light and warmth onto the Earth. Only one of them, a Great Bear—also known as Ursa Major—succeeds. How does Great Spirit reward him?

What does it take to fuel a rocket to space? Rocket scientists use hydrogen and liquid oxygen, but could anti-matter engines and black-hole drives fuel our spacecraft of the future?

When the henhouse becomes haunted by a ghost, it's up to one brave chicken named Carmenella to get to the bottom of things. The farmer doesn’t understand her, and the cat doesn’t want to get involved. Carmenella wants to sleep in the nice warm henhouse instead of outside. What will she do to fix this dilemma?

Sarah and Mama visit the zoo to see Sarah's favorite animal: the polar bear. Sarah tries to squeeze through the crowd to see the bear up close.

Some everyday problems can be solved using a series of steps called the Engineering Design Process.

Have you ever ridden a roller coaster? They’re a lot of fun, but a lot of physics is involved in making those rides work. The momentum built up by energy and speed keep those trains on their tracks and riders in their seats, even when they’re upside-down!

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to babysit 100 brothers and sisters? Ribburta doesn't think that it will be that hard but what she doesn't realize is just how much trouble 100 siblings can get into. After a long day of babysitting, Ribburta decides to take a nap. What will happen when she takes her eyes off her younger siblings and danger approaches?

Since ancient times, people have been recording information. Books—as we know them today—took many centuries to evolve.

Samantha Smith hopes to shed her troubled past and reinvent herself as a freshman at San Diego University. When she crosses paths with a handsome tattoo-clad bad boy, her life is turned upside down, and Samantha finds herself with more adventure than she ever dreamed possible.

Despite the Great Depression leaving many students poverty-stricken, Delores’s elementary school class participates in a Secret Santa gift exchange at Christmastime. She is disappointed to find out the poorest girl in class drew her name and learns a lesson in humility when the day of the exchange finally comes.

You'll love this collection of folktales from China. In "The Magic Paintbrush", Liang is given a magical paintbrush that has the power to turn anything he paints into real life. Liang must be clever, using both his brain and painting power to escape the greedy emperor. Also included are five other Chinese folktales: "The Water Bucket", "Song Dingbo and the Hungry Ghost", "Money Problems", "The Terrible Kites of Len Yo", and "The Divine Tortoise."

When your fairy godmother is the most proper person in the entire kingdom you had better be on your best behavior, especially if you want dessert! What’s a girl with an itchy nose to do? Until she learns proper sneezing manners, she can’t have any cake. Of course, this isn’t just any cake—it’s the best chocolate cake in the entire kingdom. Perhaps there’s a spell book around that can help.

Have you ever wondered how war machines were created? Or the origin of beauty salons? Or maybe even how rubber is used in tires, and rubber shoes? Learn more about these renowned inventors and how their inventions helped shape modern life into the way we know it now!

The First People had only four lights to illuminate the world. The First People asked First Man and First Woman to give them more daylight. In this traditional Navajo story, learn how First Man and First Woman created the sun, moon, and stars to give light to the First People.

Humans are such experts at laughing that we can distinguish a fake laugh from a real one. But why do we laugh?

A violent storm shakes a lakeside house. In the morning, the family finds that many trees were knocked down, including one very special tree. The swimming tree had helped guide Sammy back to shore ever since she first learned how to swim. Now without it to guide her, Sammy feels unsure until she sees something right next to where the swimming tree used to be.

If you want to be an on-camera TV host, this book will help you to take that desire and mix it with goals, an action plan, training, and discipline to become good at hosting on camera and ultimately paid to do it or to drive your business.

Yolando's grandfather has a new dominoes partner—it's Yolanda! She plays her first game in the park.

Hyun Mi travels with her family to witness a miracle of nature—a land pass between islands!