KID'S BOOKS!

DON’T CALL ME PIG! A Javelina Story by Conrad J. Storad

What exactly is a “javelina”? This hairy little creature is shaped like a pig, has a snout like a pig, and makes grunting noises like a pig. But is it really a pig? Nope. Not at all! Not even close! “Javelina” is just one name for a rowdy little critter that lives in large families and roams in herds across the Southwestern deserts. “Collard peccary” is another name. One thing for certain – after reading DON’T CALL ME PIG!, readers of all ages will know why they should NEVER, EVER call them pigs!

Conrad J. Storad is editor of the award winning Arizona State University Research Magazine, and founding editor of Chain Reaction, a science magazine for young readers. He is also the author of many science and nature books for children and young adults. Storad serves as editor and chief operating officer for Beck Press, Inc., a Tempe, Arizona based publishing company.

$14.95

JUST LIKE MY PAPA by Pamela Haught-Stuart

This delightful rhyming book makes a unique, fun read-a-loud for youngsters of all ages. It includes family lore and insight into a cowboy's life, and makes you want to holler "Yipee Kai Yea! Round 'em up partners!" It's a real treasure for those who enjoy reading regional books to their children, and offers a special tribute to a fine cowboy and his grandson. The author's father, Hubert Haught, was a tall, skinny cowboy who was thrilled to have grandkids - and THEY thought HE was something mighty special!

When Pamela's oldest son, David, was 6 years old, he brought home a drawing labeled "when I grow up I want to be a tall, skinny cowboy". She saved the drawing for over twenty years and one day that drawing inspired a poem, "When I grow up I want to be a tall, skinny cowboy just like my papa." The poem eventually evolved into a book . When David's wife, Ana, saw the book, she said, "I want to do the illustrations!" Thus, JUST LIKE MY PAPA pulled one more family member into this heart-warming project!

$15.95

THE ADVENTURES OF FLAT CACTUS JACK by Don Wells and Jean Groen

Don Wells is an expert at identifying desert plants. He can tell us where to find them, how each plant is unique, and the traditional food or medicinal uses of each plant, seed, or fruit. Jean Groen specializes in finding traditional recipes for each plant specimen and developing “modern” recipes that can be used in 21st century kitchens. Together, their goal is to teach us all that the Sonoran Desert is one of nature’s very special places and that we need to love and respect it as we would our own back yards.

Together, Don and Jean have produced a wonderful book for children, narrated by Flat Cactus Jack, in which "Jack" leads a group of youngsters along the "Lost Goldmine Trail". Along the way, Flat Cactus Jack reminds his charges that the very survival of our fragile desert depends on them. First, he teaches them how to be safe in the desert. Second, he explains how to treat the desert to keep it safe from their activities. And then they’re off to meet desert wildlife and look for desert plants. In the end, Flat Cactus Jack gives the children recipes for some of the desert plants they’ve found along the way.

$14.95

AMAZING GIRLS OF ARIZONA: True Stories of Young Pioneers by Jan Cleere

Early Arizona girls were expected to care for younger children, cook and clean, wash clothes, milk cows, tend gardens, and round up wandering herds in the harsh, unfamiliar desert landscape. Some of the more headstrong young women strained against the confines of their chores, choosing instead to explore and embrace this wildly beautiful land, even if it meant disobeying elders or risking their lives.

Author Jan Cleere has compiled an inspiring collection of the truly spell-binding stories of 11 these energetic young women in her latest book. Here you’ll meet Olive Oatman, who spent five years as an Indian captive; Laurette Lovell, born with a severe leg deformity, who went on to become one of the first great painters of western scenes; and Edith Bass, born in 1896, who was wrangling mules before the age of nine. This lively read is illustrated with historic photographs. You’ll never forget these real girls of Arizona who conquered the West in their own special style!

$12.95