Rescue on the Oregon Trail

By Kate Messner, Kelley McMorris (illustrator),

Book cover of Rescue on the Oregon Trail

Book description

Meet Ranger! He's a time-traveling golden retriever who has a nose for trouble . . . and always saves the day!

Ranger has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog, but can't officially pass the test because he's always getting distracted by squirrels during exercises. One day, he finds a mysterious…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Rescue on the Oregon Trail as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I love books that mix fact and fiction, mystery and adventure, and include real-life settings and history. Kate Messner’s great Ranger in Time series, starting with Rescue on the Oregon Trail does all of this incredibly well. These books do a terrific job of making history both personal and present to today’s readers. Interested readers can delve deeper by locating landmarks mentioned in the book on a map, in person, or via the internet. Add on top of the fact that the main character is a time-traveling golden retriever, and young readers can’t lose anything but time otherwise spent in…

I love it because it’s a time-traveling dog! What’s not to like? Ranger proves to himself and the friends he encounters that a scrappy, impulse-challenged dog can help you through the worst of times. Plus, it’s a series, so you know Ranger will live so that he can make it to the next book.

From Margaret's list on where the dog lives.

The Thing to Remember about Stargazing

By Matt Forrest Esenwine, Sonia Maria Luce Possentini (illustrator),

Book cover of The Thing to Remember about Stargazing

Matt Forrest Esenwine Author Of Once Upon Another Time

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since my parents gave me a copy of Dorothy Aldis’ The Secret Place and Other Poems, I have enjoyed a lifelong love of poetry. Now, as a traditionally-published children’s author, I have had numerous books and poems published over the years, including books that began as poems, like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) and Once Upon Another Time (Beaming Books, 2021). My poems can be found in various anthologies including The National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry (N.G. Children’s Books, 2015) and Construction People (Wordsong, 2020) as well as Highlights for Children magazine.

Matt's book list on children’s poetry collections about animals

What is my book about?

What is the most important thing to remember about stargazing? When to do it, who to do it with, what to look for? It’s none of those! This picture book’s spare, lyrical text offers many suggestions for enjoying stargazing – but there’s really only ONE thing you need to remember, which is saved for the end.

Magical illustrations show kids and animals enjoying the night sky, and back matter about constellations completes this bedtime story with its underlying message of being in the moment.

The Thing to Remember about Stargazing

By Matt Forrest Esenwine, Sonia Maria Luce Possentini (illustrator),

What is this book about?

What is the most important thing to remember about stargazing? When to do it, who to do it with, what to look for? It's none of those! This picture book's spare, lyrical text offers many possible ways to do stargazing: with a friend, with family or alone; on a moonless night, or with a full moon, or even with some clouds; on the beach, lying in the grass or standing on a snowy hill. There is only one rule of stargazing, which is saved for the end, and that is just to do it! Magical illustrations show polar bears, whales…


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