Books listed in this issue of Talking Book Topics were recently sent to cooperating libraries. The complete collection contains books by many authors on fiction and nonfiction subjects, including animals, geography, nature, mystery, sports, and others. Contact your cooperating library to learn more about the wide range of books available in the collection. Cassette books, labeled with the code RC, play at 15/16 ips. To order books, contact your cooperating library.
Valentine's Day: Stories and Poems RC 39902
Living with Learning Disabilities: A Guide for Students RC
39925
by David E. Hall
read by Marilyn Gleason
1 cassette
The author, a pediatrician, describes a learning disability as a
"wiring problem in the brain that makes learning certain skills
very difficult." Many people with learning disabilities have had
successful careers, including author Hans Christian Andersen,
inventor Thomas Edison, and actor Tom Cruise. Dr. Hall describes
various learning disabilities and offers advice on how to cope.
For grades 5-8 and older readers. 1993.
Cy Young Award Winners RC 39932
by Ken Young
read by Jeff Halberstadt
1 cassette
A sportswriter describes how ten baseball players made it into
the big leagues and won the Cy Young Award, the most coveted
honor a pitcher can receive. Cameo portraits sketch biographical
and statistical details about Whitey Ford, Sandy Koufax, Denny
McLain, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Steve Carlton,
Fernando Valenzuela, Dwight Gooden, and Roger Clemens and reveal
the motivations that led to success. For grades 5-8. 1994.
The Hidden Children RC 40001
by Howard Greenfeld
read by Barbara Rappaport
1 cassette
Tells the stories of Jewish children who survived the Holocaust
by hiding: sometimes passing as Gentiles in orphanages and
private homes; sometimes literally hiding--in barns, attics, and
even the woods. These interviews with survivors convey the loss
of childhood and the profound emotional and psychological toll
on those who were "lucky" despite their suffering. For grades
5-8 and older readers. 1993.
Louis Braille: The Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind RC
41325
by Margaret Davidson
read by Brian Conn
1 cassette
Louis Braille was blinded in an accident at the age of three in
the early 1800s. His desire to learn earned him a place at the
Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. Young Louis's
excitement at being in the school was dampened by the tedious
method of using raised letters to read. Louis developed the dot
alphabet now called braille. For grades 3-6. 1971.
Dare to Dream: Coretta Scott King and the Civil Rights
Movement RC 41326
by Angela Shelf Medearis
read by Carole Jordan Stewart
1 cassette
Medearis uses Mrs. King's autobiography as the main source for
this account. She discusses Mrs. King's early childhood, school
days, and ambition to be an opera singer; her marriage to Martin
Luther King Jr.; their work in the civil rights movement; and
finally Mrs. King's continuation of that work after Dr. King was
killed. For grades 3-6. 1994.
The Road Back: Living with a Physical Disability RC
41327
by Harriet Sirof
read by Patricia McDermott
1 cassette
The author picks three young people to show how life can "change
in a minute." Steven was skateboarding when a fall left him
partially paralyzed. Trisha was sleeping in the backseat of a
car when it was hit by a truck. Christopher was applying for
colleges when blurry vision led to a diagnosis of multiple
sclerosis. Physical and emotional adjustments each encountered
are described. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 1993.
Two Tickets to Freedom: The True Story of Ellen and William
Craft, Fugitive Slaves RC 41328
by Florence B. Freedman
read by Randy Atcher
1 cassette (Reissue)
On December 21, 1848, William Craft and his wife, Ellen, make a
daring attempt to escape from slavery in Georgia. Although both
have been treated better than most slaves, they do not want to
have children in slavery. Ellen disguises herself as a Southern
planter, and William acts as "his" manservant. This account of
their escape is based on William Craft's own narrative. For
grades 4-7. 1971.
Anno's Magic Seeds RC 41329
by Mitsumasa Anno
read by John Polk
1 cassette
A wizard gives young Jack two large golden seeds. He tells Jack
to bake one seed to eat, and he won't be hungry all year. If
Jack plants the other seed, it will grow into a plant and give
him two more seeds to start over with next year. What happens
when Jack plants both seeds one year? For grades K-3. 1992.
Mom Can't See Me RC 41379
by Sally Hobart Alexander
read by Madelyn Buzzard
1 cassette
Nine-year-old Leslie Alexander provides a candid, insightful,
and upbeat account of life with her mother, who is blind. "Mom
does some things differently, but mostly she's like other
mothers." Leslie talks about the similarities--her mom cooks;
enjoys dancing, reading, movies, and sports; and works as a
writer--and differences: she uses a guide dog, does not drive,
and depends a lot on sound. For grades K-3. 1990.
I Love Guinea Pigs RC 41435
by Dick King-Smith
read by Christopher Hurt
1 cassette
Guinea pigs are "piggy-looking" rodents that make good pets.
Learn how they got their name, how to take care of them, and the
different sounds they make when they talk. For preschool-grade
2. 1994.
Sod Houses on the Great Plains RC 41493
by Glen Rounds
read by Bob Askey
1 cassette
The author, who was born in a sod house in South Dakota,
explains how the settlers on the Great Plains built houses of
sod (earth) because they did not have trees to build log cabins.
For grades K-3. 1995.
Marie Curie RC 41521
by Leonard Everett Fisher
read by Laura Giannarelli
1 cassette
Chronicles the life of Marie Sklodowska Curie, who was born in
Warsaw, Poland, in 1867. Best remembered for her discovery of
radium, Curie was the first woman to be accepted at the Sorbonne
in Paris, as well as the first person to receive two Nobel
Prizes, each for a different science. For grades 2-4 and older
readers. 1994.
The Respiratory System RC 41595
by Alvin Silverstein and others
read by Patricia McDermott
1 cassette (Reissue)
Discusses the structure and functions of the respiratory system,
including the chemical and physical processes involved in
breathing. Covers aids to breathing, as well as hazards that
exist around us. Also explores the respiration of insects, fish,
plants, and skin-breathing organisms. Contains a glossary of
related terms. For grades 5-8. 1994.
A Year on Monhegan Island RC 41682
by Julia Dean
read by Barbara Caruso
1 cassette
Dean describes a year in the life of the residents of an island
located ten miles out to sea from the coast of Maine. In the
summer, many people visit Monhegan, but during the winter fewer
than one hundred people remain there. The author discusses the
natives, lobster trapping, the island's isolation, and its
one-room schoolhouse and the many activites it is used for. For
grades 4-7 and older readers. 1995.
The Story of Ruby Bridges RC 41709
by Robert Coles
read by Laura Giannarelli
1 cassette
In 1960, when Ruby Bridges was six, a judge ordered that she be
allowed to attend an all-white school in New Orleans. Prayer
helped her stay calm when angry crowds followed her to school
and when all her classmates were kept home by their parents. For
grades K-3. 1995.
Mighty Tree RC 41715
by Dick Gackenbach
read by Laura Giannarelli
1 cassette
A long time ago, the wind blew three tiny seeds to earth, and
three trees began to grow. The author explains what happens to
the first two trees, and why the third tree becomes the most
important one of all. For grades K-3. 1992.
Woody Guthrie: American Balladeer RC 41721
by Janelle Yates
read by Margaret Strom
1 cassette
The life of folksinger Woody Guthrie mirrored the West in the
1930s. He moved out of the dust bowl, raised a family on a
musician's earnings during the depression, and supported the
rights of workers. Lyrics of his songs, which reflect the hard
life of the era and the courage of the people, are woven into
this biography. His best-known ballad is "This Land Is Your
Land." For grades 6-9. 1995.
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