Science Fair!

Getting ready for Science Fair? Need some unique creative ideas?

Check out Science Bob website with lots of ideas and explanations on science experiments and more! Its never too early to start thinking and planning ahead.

http://www.sciencebob.com/index.php

Also come on in the Library for plenty of Science Fair books filled with great ideas!

Need a place for homework and some help?

Looking for a place to do some homework after school?

Come to the library for:

• encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and more
• free Internet access and a page with links to great homework help websites
• databases with information on science, history, current events, and more - they’re accurate, up-to-date, and better than Google
• computers for typing and printing
• quiet work space
• friendly librarians to help you find what you need!

Come visit us soon!

Welcome Back!

Hello Everyone and Welcome back to School!
Fall is almost officially here and I am sure the homework is piling up.
Check back here to your friendly neighborhood homework help blog for all your school needs and feel free to post any questions you may have.
- Librarian Lizzy ;)

Animal Books Martha Jones 5th Grade

There are many kinds of stories that have animals in them, some are about characters who love animals or have a special connection to animals, like horseback riding; others are fantasy and are about animals that can talk like humans and have the same problems as humans.
There is such a wide variety that I implore you to come to the library (the main or the branch) and take a look through our fiction that are labeled with animal stickers.
Here are a few examples of animal books:
(but remember there are plenty more at the library!)
J Fiction
Adler, CS- One Unhappy Horse
Breathed, Berke-Flawed Dogs
Byng, Georgia- Molly Moon
Corder, Zizou- LionBoy
Dahl, Roald- Fantastic Mr. Fox
DiCamillo, Kate- Tale of Desperaux
Graham, Kenneth- Wind in the Willows
Jacques, Brian- Redwall
London, Jack- Call of the Wild
London, Jack- White Fang
Sewell, Anna- Black Beauty
Voigt, Cynthia- Young Fredle
White, EB- Charlotte's Web
White, EB- Stuart Little

As always please post any questions! I'm always happy to help.

Martha Jones 5th Grade- Multicultural Book Report

Below you will find a list of the selection of multicultural books we have at the library. If you have any questions, post them on the blog or come into the library!

Multicultural Books

Alvarez How Tia Lola Came to Stay (Dominican Republic)

Avi Beyond the Western Sea (Ireland)

Bosse Tusk and Stone (India)

Bradby Some Friend (African-American)

Budhos Ask Me No Questions (Bangladesh)

Cameron Colibri (Guatemala)

Carmi Samir and Yonatan (Israel)

Carvell Sweetgrass Basket (Native American)

Chen Peiling and the Chicken Fried Christmas (Taiwan)

Cheng The Lace Dowry (Hungary)

Cheng Honeysuckle House (China)

Choi Year of Impossible Goodbyes (Korea)

Choi Echoes of the White Giraffe (Korea)

Clinton A Stone in My Hand (Gaza Strip)

Cofer Call Me Maria (Puerto Rico)

Cowley Hunter (New Zealand)

D’Adamo Iqbal (Pakistan)

Dhami Bollywood Babes (India)

Dhami Bhangra Babes (India)

Doherty The Girl Who Saw Lions (Tanzania)

Ellis The Breadwinner series (Afghanistan)

Filipovic Zlata’s Diary (Sarajevo)

Flake The Skin I’m in (African-American)

Fletcher Shadow Spinner (Iran)

Fletcher Alphabet of Dreams (Iran)

Forrester Dust from Old Bones (African-American)

Forrester Sound the Jubilee (African-American)

George Julie of the Wolves (Eskimo)

Giff Nory Ryan’s Song (Ireland)

Glatshtein Emil and Karl (Austria/Holocaust)

Hansen The Heart Calls Home (African-American)

Hamilton numerous titles (African-American)

Hausman The Jacob Ladder (Jamaica)

Herrera Downtown Boy (Mexico)

Hesse Letters from Rifka (Russia)

Ho Rice without Rain (Thailand)

Hossack Green Mango Magic (Hawaii)

Hurst Torchlight (Ireland)

Jimenez The Circuit (Mexico)

Jimenez Breaking Through (Mexico)

Johnson Bird (African-American)

Johnston Any Small Goodness (Mexico)

Kimmel Sword of the Samurai (Japan)

Levine Dave at Night (African-American)

Levitin Journey to America (Germany/Holocaust)

Ly Home is East (Cambodia)

McCaughrean The Kite Rider (China)

Mah Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (China)

Matas Daniel’s Story (Germany/Holocaust)

Mead Girl of Kosovo (Albania)

Monjo Porcelain Pagoda (China)

Morpurgo Kensuke’s Kingdom (Japan)

Mwangi The Mzungu Boy (Kenya)

Namioka numerous titles (China)

Naidoo Web of Lies (Nigeria)

Naidoo No Turning Back (South Africa)

Napoli The King of Mulberry Street (Italy)

O’Dell My Name is Not Angelica (Senegal)

Orlev Run, Boy, Run (Poland/Holocaust)

Orlev The Man from the Other Side (Poland/Holocaust)

Park numerous titles (Korea)

Parkinson Kathleen, The Celtic Knot (Ireland)

Pearsall Trouble Don’t Last (African-American)

Pearsall Crooked River (Native American)

Ryan Esperanza Rising (Mexico)

Ryan Becoming Naomi Leon (Mexico)

Sachs Call Me Ruth (Russia)

Salisbury Eyes of the Emperor (Japan)

Salisbury Under the Blood Red Sun (Japan)

Schanzer Escaping to America (Poland)

Skrypuch Aram’s Choice (Turkey)

Tate The Secret of Gumbo Grove (African-American)

Taylor numerous titles (African-American)

Uchida A Jar of Dreams (Japan)

Uchida The Invisible Thread (Japan)

Watkins So Far from the Bamboo Grove (Japan)

Whelan Goodbye Vietnam (Vietnam)

Whelan Homeless Bird (India)

Whelan The Turning (Soviet Union)

Wood Daughter of Madrugada (Mexico)

Woodruff The Orphan of Ellis Island (Italy)

Woodson numerous titles (African-American)

Wyss Bear Dancer, The Story of a Ute Girl (Native American)

Yee Tales from Gold Mountain: Stories of the Chinese in the New World (China)

Martha Jones 5th Grade- Historical Fiction

Books or stories in the historical fiction genre blend actual historical facts with fiction. A story could be a fictional account of a character but during a real historical period in time ( for example Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson). There are many stories to choose from, because there are many different periods of time that you can find a story in. Look here for to see an interesting chart that explains the different kinds stories in historical fiction.
Here is a very detailed list of some of the historical fiction books we have in the library. There are so many, that if you want to come to the library we can help you find the kind your looking for.

Historical Fiction

600 A.D. – 1599 A.D.

Medieval Worlds

J Fiction

Armstrong- Raleigh’s Page (1500’s/England)

Armstrong -Whittington (1423/Black Plague)

Avi -Crispin: Cross of Lead and At the Edge of the World (England)

Bulla- The Sword in the Tree (King Arthur)

Camelot- Camelot (King Arthur)

Crossley-Holland Arthur Trilogy (King Arthur)

Cushman -Catherine Called Birdy (England)

Cushman -Matilda Bone (England)

Dana -Young Joan (France)

Davis -Future Knight (1409)

DeAngeli -The Door in the Wall (England)

Dorris -Sees Behind Trees (America)

Edwards- Dragon: Hound of Honor (France)

Grant -Blood Red Horse (Crusades)

Jinks -Pagan Series (France)

Kelly -Trumpeter of Krakow (Poland)

Konigsburg -A Proud Taste for Scarlet & Miniver

McGovern -Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest (England)

McKinley- The Outlaws of Sherwood (England)

Mitgutsch- A Knight’s Book (/Germany)

O’Dell -The Captive (1500’s/Mexico)

Picard- Stories of King Arthur & his Knights (King Arthur)

Pope- The Perilous Gard (England)

Snow - Sisters of the Sword (Feudal Japan)

Spradlin -Youngest Templar series (Europe/Crusades)

Stolz - Bartholomew Fair (England)

Sutcliff- Tristan and Iseult (Ireland)

Treece - Splintered Sword (Vikings)

Vanderwal -The Battle for Duncragglin (Scotland)

Westall - The Wind Eye (England)

Yolen- Dragon’s Boy (King Arthur)

Yolen - Sword of the Rightful King (King Arthur)

1600 A.D. – 1799 A.D.

U.S. Colonial/Revolutionary Times

J Fiction

Anderson - Chains (Revolutionary War)

Anderson- Forge (Revolutionary War and sequel to Chains)

Anderson - Fever 1793

Avi -Captain Grey (Pirates)

Carlson - Attack of the Turtle (1776/Revolutionary War)

Collier - My Brother Sam Is Dead (Revolutionary War)

Cooney- Ransom of Mercy Carter (Colonial America)

Duble -The Sacrifice (Salem Witch Trials)

Duey- Hoofbeats: Silence & Lily, 1773 (Revolutionary War, Boston)

Field -Calico Bush (Colonial America)

Forbes - Johnny Tremain (Revolutionary War)

Gallico- Miracle in the Wilderness (Colonial America)

Giblin -The Boy Who Saved Cleveland (1798/Cleveland, Ohio)

Holmes- Cross of Gold (New Mexico)

Howard - The Crimson Cap (1687/Exploring America)

Hudson - Dawn Rider (Plains’ Indians)

Hurst -A Killing in Plymouth Colony (Colonial America)

Keehn - I Am Regina (French and Indian War)

Kerr -Worlds Apart (Carolinas)

Krensky- The Printer’s Apprentice (New York City)

Laird - Water Rat (Delaware)

Lawson -Ben and Me (Ben Franklin)

Myers -Spy! (Revolutionary War)

Myers -Time of the Witches (Salem Witch Trials)

Nixon - Maria’s Story (Williamsburg)

O’Dell- Sarah Bishop (Revolutionary War)

Petry - Tituba of Salem Village (Salem Witch Trials)

Rees -Witch Child (Witchcraft)

Speare -The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Witchcraft)

Stevenson - Treasure Island (Pirates)

Wyss -The Swiss Family Robinson (Shipwreck)

1800 - 1899 A.D.

U.S. Pioneers, Civil War, Slavery, Reconstruction

J Fiction

Avi -Hard Gold (1859/California Gold Rush)

Avi - Iron Thunder (1862/Civil War)

Avi - The Seer of Shadows (1872 / New York City)

Barker -A Difficult Boy (1839 / Indentured Servitude)

Blos - Letters From the Corrugated Castle (1850’s/California Gold Rush)

Calvert- Bigger (1860’s/Frontier Life)

Calvert- Sooner (1860’s/Reconstruction)

Clark -Hattie on Her Way (1800’s/New York)

Clark - Secrets of Greymoor (1800’s/New York)

Collins -Daughter of Winter (1849/ Massachusetts)

Couloumbis -Maude March on the Run! (1800’s/Frontier Life)

Curtis -Elijah of Buxton (1859/Slavery)

Cushman -The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (1849/California Gold Rush)

Erdrich -The Birchbark House (1850’s/Native Americans)

Erdrich -The Game of Silence (1850’s/Native Americans)

Erdrich -The Porcupine Year (1850’s/Native Americans)

Fleischman - Bandit’s Moon (1853/California Gold Rush)

Gregory -Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express (1800’s/Pony Express)

Hahn -Hear the Wind Blow (1860’s/Civil War)

Hart- Bell’s Star (1853/Vermont)

Hart - Racing to Freedom trilogy (1864/Civil War)

Helgerson -Crows and Cards (1849/St. Louis)

Hemphill -The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones (The West)

Hunt -Across Five Aprils (1860’s/Civil War)

Kelly -The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (1899/Texas)

Ketchum -Newsgirl (1851/Gold Rush)

Kimmel - Mary Ingalls on Her Own (1881/Iowa)

Lawlor -The School at Crooked Creek (1820’s/Frontier Life)

Lyons -Letters from a Slave Boy (1829/Slavery)

MacLachlan -Sarah, Plain and Tall (1800’s/Frontier Life)

McMullan -When I Crossed No-Bob (1870’s / Reconstruction)

Mazer -My Brother Abe (1816/Kentucky)

Paterson -Jip: His Story (1855/Slavery)

Paulsen - A Soldier’s Heart (1860’s/Civil War)

Philbrick -The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg (Civil War)

Rinaldi - The Ever-After Bird (1850’s/Slavery/Underground Railroad)

Ritter -The Desperado Who Stole Baseball (1881/California)

Ruby -Soon Be Free (1857/Slavery/Underground Railroad)

Sanchez -The Invasion of Sandy Bay (War of 1812)

Wells -Lincoln and His Boys (1860’s/Civil War)

Wilder -Little House on the Prairie (Late 1800’s/Frontier Life)

Wisler - Red Cap (1860’s/Civil War)

Zimmer -The Floating Circus (1850’s/Pittsburgh)

1900 A.D. – Recent History

World Wars, Depressions, Modern Times

J Fiction

Armstrong - Sounder (African-American/Sharecroppers)

Blume -Tennyson (The Great Depression / New Orleans)

Brown -The Train Jumper (The Great Depression)

Bunting -Spying on Miss Muller (WWII/USA)

Burg - A Thousand Never Evers (1963/Civil Rights)

Burnett -The Secret Garden (early 1900’s/England)

Casanova -The Klipfish Cause (WWII/Norway)

Cheng - Eclipse (1952 / Hungarian Immigrants)

Cleaver - Where the Lilies Bloom (1960/Smoky Mountains)

Cohen -Mimmy & Sophie: All Around the Town (1920’s/Brooklyn)

Compestine- Revolution is Not a Dinner Party (1972/Chinese Revolution)

Curtis -The Watsons Go to Birmingham (1963)

Cushman -The Loud Silence of Francine Green (1949/McCarthy Era)

Doucet -Fiddle Fever (1914/Louisiana)

Dowell -Shooting the Moon (1960’s/Vietnam War)

Estevis - Chicken Foot Farm (1940’s/Texas)

Goldin- Fire! The Beginnings of the Labor Movement (1911)

Greene -Summer of my German Soldier (WWII/Arkansas)

Gutman - Race for the Sky: The Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore (1900/North Carolina)

Hahn -Stepping on the Cracks (WWII)

Harlowe -Blown Away! (1935/Florida Keys)

Hesse - Brooklyn Bridge (1903/Brooklyn)

Hesse - Letters from Rifka (Russian Revolution)

Hesse- Out of the Dust (1929/Depression/Dust Bowl)

Hill -The Year of Miss Agnes (1948/Alaska)

Hobbs -The Big Wander (1950)

Kinsey--Warnock Lumber Camp Library (1920’s/Vermont)

Lemna - When the Sergeant Came Marching Home (1946/Montana)

Levine - Catch a Tiger by the Toe (1950’s/McCarthy Era)

Levine- Dave at Night (1920’s/Harlem Renaissance)

Levitin - Journey to America (1940)

Lieurance - The Locket: Surviving the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911/NYC)

Lord - In the Year of the Boar & Jackie Robinson (1940)

Lowry -Number the Stars (WWII/Denmark)

Madden - Gentle’s Holler (1960’s/North Carolina)

Madden -Jessie’s Mountain (1960’s/North Carolina)

Madden- Louisiana’s Song (1960’s/North Carolina)

Matas- Lisa’s War (WWII/Denmark)

Morpurgo -War Horse (England/WWI)

Orlev -The Man from the Other Side (WWII/Poland)

Orlev -Run, Boy, Run

Paterson- Jacob Have I Loved (WWII/USA)

Reiss - The Upstairs Room (WWII/Netherlands)

Robinet - Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues (1956/Civil Rights)

Salisbury- Night of the Howling Dogs (1975/Hawaii)

Salisbury- Under the Blood Red Sun (WWII Pearl Harbor)

Schmidt -The Wednesday Wars (1960’s/Vietnam War)

Skurzynski -Good-Bye Billy Radish (WWI/Pennsylvania)

Smith- Elephant Run (WWII/Burma)

Snyder- Cat Running (Depression)

Sullivan- Annie’s War (1946/Washington)

Taylor -All-of-a-Kind Family (early 1900’s/New York City)

Taylor -Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry (1930/Mississippi)

Testa -Almost Forever (Vietnam War)

Toksvis- Hitler’s Canary (WWII/Holland)

Uchida -A Jar of Dreams (1935/San Francisco)

Watkins -So Far from the Bamboo Grove (WWII/Korea)

Westall -The Kingdom by the Sea (WWII/England)

White -Belle Prater’s Boy (1953/Virginia)

Williams -Titanic Crossing (1912)

Woodruff- The Orphan of Ellis Island (1908/Italian Immigration)

Wynne-Jones Rex Zero and the End of the World (1962/Canada)

Wynne-Jones Rex Zero the King of Nothing (1962/Canada)

Yep The Dragon’s Child (1922/Chinese Immigration)

Yep The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

Yep The Star Fisher (1920)

Yolen -The Devil’s Arithmetic (Holocaust)

Poetry Book Report- 5th Grade Martha Jones

Poetry is a kind of writing, usually in verse. Poetry verse is set out in short lines with words put together in rhythm or rhyme or both. Poetry is about a writer sharing with the reader an experience or strong feelings. Poems are written with words chosen for their sounds and beauty as well as their meaning.

Poetry began in prehistoric times when people passed down their oral history in poetic language and song. Through the years, three main kinds of poetry have developed: lyric, narrative, and dramatic. Lyric poetry is any short poem. Narrative poems are ones that tell stories, an epic or ballad. Dramatic poetry also tells a story, but in this case one or more of the poem's characters acts out the story, like a play.

The list below is filled with books that combine poems on a certain subject, books filled with a particular poet's (Shel Silverstein for example) poems on various things, and novels that are told through a series of poems called verse. There are many ways to present poetry, so if you are looking for something specific like a certain topic or format, please post your question, or call, or come into the library. Let me know if your teacher has given you specific kinds of format for this book report. We have so many books on poetry, so if you know of a famous poet, we can definitely find you a book of their poems. We will have a cart in the library set aside with some books of poems for you to look through when you come in. Have fun with this project and as always let me know any way I can help you find what your looking for.

Books of Poems:

Animal sense / by Diane Ackerman -J 811.5 Ackerman -In this delightfully witty collection of poems, bestselling author Diane Ackerman shows how the senses shape and enrich the experiences of all living beings.

Poems from Homeroom: A Writer's Place to Start by Kathi Appelt- YA 811.54 Appelt
The first half of this pre-teen poetry writing guide offers thought-provoking free verse; the second digs into the motivation behind each poem and practical writing advice.

Voices: Poetry and Art From Around the World selected by Barbara Brenner
Journey to different continents for this artistic celebration of diversity and a shared humanity.

Robert Browning / edited by Eileen Gillooly- J 821.8 Browning

Robert Browning's poetry has mysteries and a beauty of language that youngsters will love exploring, from the classic and beloved "Pied Piper of Hamelin" to the charming verse play "Pippa Passes".

The earth under Sky Bear's feet: Native American poems of the land / Joseph Bruchac- J 811.5 Bruchac

A retelling of twelve tales from various North American Indian cultures describing how Sky Bear, the Big Dipper, sees the earth from the sky.

The Oxford treasury of classic poems / Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark. - J 811 Oxford

All kinds of poems are collected together: old and new, short and long, funny and sad. Many of the poems are very famous and well-loved, but there are also some surprises and a few "classics-in-the-making."

I'm Nobody. Who Are You? by Emily Dickinson
A great introduction to the poems of Emily Dickinson.

Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems by Kristine O'Connell George- J 811.54 George
From humorous to angst-ridden, this collection offers verses that will captivate your students.

Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art edited by Jan Greenberg
Featuring the work of acclaimed authors, this compilation of poetry explores the often surprising relationship between words and visual art.

Exploding gravy: poems to make you laugh / X.J. Kennedy- J 811.5 Kennedy

Do you like to laugh? To smile? Do you like poetry? If you like one, two or all of the above, this is the book for you. Inside these covers you'll find the best funny poems of X. J. Kennedy, a poet who knows what tickles us, all combined in a collection that pleases the car and delights the mind.

Why am I grown so cold? : poems of the unknowable / edited by Myra Cohn Livingston.- J 808.81 Why

An anthology of poetry dealing with strange phenomena for which there is no rational explanation.

Call down the moon: poems of music / selected by Myra Cohn Livingston.- J 811.5 Call Divided into 12 sections, these poems range in mood from amusing to moving, serious to sublime. The authors featured include William Blake, Gwendolyn Brooks, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Eve Merriam, and many others.

Bone poems / by Jeff Moss- J 811.5 Moss

A collection of poems about dinosaurs, Ice Age mammals, prehistoric people, and other ancient creatures.

19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye- J 811.5 Nye
Expand your students' minds with this compilation of 60 thought- and discussion-provoking poems.

Poetry for Young People/ Edgar Allen Poe- edited by Brod Bagert- J 811.3 Poe

The Raven and Other Poems and Stories by Edgar Allan Poe- YA 811 Poe
A collection of dramatic classics, including "The Bells," "The Tell-Tale Heart," and "The Pit and the Pendulum."

Words With Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art selected by Belinda Rochelle
Spanning two centuries of artistic achievement, this stunning collection pairs the work of 20 poets.

Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, Runny Babbit- Shel Silverstein.- J 811.5 Silverstein

A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two of the characters in a collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author's own drawings.

Rimshots: Basketball Pix, Rolls, and Rhythms by Charles R. Smith Jr. - J 808.8 Smith
Hook your sports fans on poetry with this dynamic collection of basketball verses and visual artists to explore the African-American experience.

Wallace Stevens / edited by John N. Serio- J 811.54 Stevens

Delightful harmony and boundless imagination: these characteristics make Wallace Stevens' work very special.

The animal rescue store / by Elizabeth Swado- J 811.54 Swados

Cats, dogs, turtles, emus -- there's a place and poem in SIDNEY'S ANIMAL RESCUE STORE for every kind of critter. Meet heavy metal cockatoos who like to rock and roll, snooty llamas speaking French, alley cats with attitude, and even a batch of baby alligators.Kids will tweet, howl or hiss along to the romping rhythms of Liz Swados's poems.

Whisper and shout : poems to memorize / edited by Patrice Vecchione. J 811.008 Whisper

A collection of poems on different subjects and in different styles that lend themselves to memorization.

The mermaid and other sea poems / compiled and illustrated by Sophie Windham. - J 811.5 Mermaid

This fully illustrated anthology features 18 poems, including verse by Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, Ogden Nash, Jack Prelutsky, and X. J. Kennedy. Each short poem explores the world of a sea creature, from mermaid to oyster, and most have an element of fantasy in subject or imagery.

Animal poems / Valerie Worth- J 811.54 Worth

Each of the exquisite twenty-three poems in this posthumous collection by Valerie Worth carefully distinguishes one animal from all other creatures and captures it in all of its wonderful singularity - from wasp to snake to wren.

Novels in Verse:

Home of the brave / Katherine Applegate- J FICTION Applegate

A story told in verse is about Kek, an African refugee, is confronted by many strange things at the Minneapolis home of his aunt and cousin, as well as in his fifth grade classroom, and longs for his missing mother, but finds comfort in the company of a cow and her owner.

All the broken pieces: a novel in verse / by Ann E. Burg- J FICTION Burg

Two years after being airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975, Matt Pin is haunted by the terrible secret he left behind and, now, in a loving adoptive home in the United States, a series of profound events forces him to confront his past.

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost - J FICTION Frost
Willow loves her dogs, which happily mush with her through the snow in her Alaskan hometown. After something that was supposed to be fun leads to an accident, Willow must deal with the consequences of her actions. This verse novel is dominated by diamond-shaped poems written from Willow's point of view, with the occasional piece of prose from some surprising and wise older narrators.

Becoming Joe DiMaggio / Maria Testa - J 811.5 Testa

A novel told in verse, meaning that spare, simple poems tell a boy’s moving story in this short novel about baseball, family, and the American dream. It’s 1936, and the Yankees have just hired a star center fielder whose name sounds like music. What could be a better time for Papa-Angelo’s grandson to be born? Christened after the legendary ballplayer, young Joseph Paul learns much at his Italian grandfather’s knee - about holding your breath in front of the radio during a 3-2 count with the bases loaded and having the audacity to dream big dreams. It is Papa-Angelo’s job to teach his grandson what it means to be a hero.