Emily decides that the town of Pitchfork needs a library, and comes up with a plan to make it happen. Can she make her dream come true?

Can imaginative Emily make her biggest dream come true? Spunky Emily Bartlett lives in an old farmhouse in Pitchfork, Oregon'at a time when automobiles are brand-new inventions and libraries are a luxury few small towns can afford. Her runaway imagination leads her to bleach a horse, hold a very scary sleepover, and feed the hogs an unusual treat. But can she use her lively mind to help bring a library to Pitchfork? Adventure is pretty scarce in Pitchfork, Oregon. So why shouldn't Emily bleach Dad's old plow horse or try some of her other ideas? "Written with Cleary's customary warmth and humor...The time of the story, about 1920, is delightfully brought to life."-BooklistAdventure is pretty scarce in Pitchfork, Oregon. So why shouldn't Emily bleach Dad's old plow horse or try some of her other ideas? "Written with Cleary's customary warmth and humor...The time of the story, about 1920, is delightfully brought to life."-Booklist

A story, set in rural Oregon in the 1920's, about a fourth grade girl who wants a library for her town of Pitchfork.

Engaging discussion questions, vocabulary lists, and activities help students appreciate the novels of Beverly Cleary. Cross-curricular before-, during-, and after-reading activities provide a comprehensive study of Emily's Runaway Imagination.

Cleary drew from her experience as a children's librarian to write the Newbery Award-winning Ramona and Ralph S. Mouse books.

Ancient names come to rich and fascinating life in this lavishly illustrated book for mythology fans and word lovers.Did you know that “museums” were initially temples built to worship the nine muses, the goddesses of the arts? That “Janus” was the god of the doorways and hallways, and we have named our janitors after him? Where did these words — and other words, such as chaos, genius, nemesis, panic, echo, and narcissus — come from? From the ancient stories of the Greeks — stories that rang so true and wise that the names of the characters have survived for centuries as words we use every day. The brief stories here not only impart the subtle wisdom of these ancient tales, but make us understand the words, and our own world, more deeply.

This classroom resource provides teachers with a strong foundation in the elements of persuasive writing. In the 21st century classroom, the skills and strategies required to effectively evaluate and compose opinions has never been greater. This book discusses why teaching persuasive writing is relevant and beneficial to the target age groups, and includes resources to help grades K-2 students examine multiple views on a topic and write their own informed, effective opinions and arguments. Persuasive writing provides students with an avenue to examine a topic, develop informed views, express their opinions, and defend their ideas with logical, evidence-based reasoning. This resource takes a unique approach to the topic of teaching persuasive writing with an effective combination of tips, strategies, and resources. With mentor texts, student writing samples, rubrics, lesson plans, and questions to assess professional growth at the end of each section, teachers will learn why persuasive writing is so important in today's classrooms, and how to tackle the challenge of teaching it. This book includes: 21 persuasive writing strategies; 10 lesson plans; student writing samples; mentor texts; anchor charts.

Briefly traces Beverly Cleary's life, discusses her major novels, and examines the themes of her work

Includes audio versions, and annual title-author index.