Willow S Smiles

Willow is worried that she won't smile right for her school picture. She chooses the perfect outfit and practices her smiles, but at the sight of the big lights and the camera's flash Willow's smile disappears! When an understanding teacher gives her the job of shaking a rubber chicken to help make her classmates laugh, Willow discovers that no two smiles are the same. And when itÕs her turn, she delivers a picture-perfect expression all her own. Parents and teachers will welcome this third story in the Willow series as a lead-in to Picture Day and to discussions about feelings. Willow's experience will help bring a level of comfort and familiarity to this sometimes-intimidating annual event. Charmingly told and illustrated, Willow's Smile will leave readers grinning from ear to ear.

Natural wonders were Leon Hale’s lifetime subject matter. He looked for them wherever he went, and found them surprisingly often. In the lives of plain people and eccentrics, in the brilliant smile of a tiny 100-year-old black lady, or the hi-jinks of his cousin C.T., in what happened on a dirt farm in 1930 or why he found value in chiseling brick, he revealed truths and wonders we might not have noticed on our own. When published in 1982, A Smile from Katie Hattan was Leon Hale’s first column collection after nearly thirty years of writing for The Houston Post. It was widely celebrated for presenting the delightful daily work of this writer, at last, to a wider audience. What is remarkable, now, forty years later, is how fresh and interesting the 155 columns remain, as we roam with the author through a Texas that remains as vivid and enjoyable as the day he wrote about it.

Willow is thrilled the whole class - including her! - is invited to classmate Kristabelle’s fantastic birthday party, until the bossy birthday girl starts crossing guests off the list when they dare cross her. There are many books on bullying, but Willow’s story offers a unique look at how to handle the situation as a bystander.

When twelve-year-old Izzy invents a master-prankster brother, her popularity soars at Camp Foxtail until her neglected best friend Mackenzie snaps and reveals her secret.

A captivating picture book about a very soft-spoken little girl’s ultimately successful struggle to find her own voice.

The accidental death of her father, a prominent citizen of Corona, leaves Victoria Moreno full of doubt, questions and anger. Suicide rumors heighten her grief. Why would her father, a devout Catholic kill himself? Was the death accidental? Struggling to cope with his actions, the 17-year old, finds solace in the inspiring and calming presence of Father John Collins rather than Ricardo, her betrothed childhood match. The bond between Victoria and Father John strengthens and evolves into a deep friendship riddled with confusion, complications, challenged beliefs and the discovery of a compelling, tender and sensual love that holds them captive and others in consternation. With mounting passion, they strive to reconcile the desires of the heart, mind and soul as they struggle with a culture defined by duty, tradition and religion, and a family saga steeped in secrets, guilt and greed. This is a strong, human story of a panorama of relationships of real people with hopes and fears that brings out the magic and beauty within us all besides the dark secrets that haunt us. Will their love prevail or will "duty and reputation" dictate its course? The intrigue entwines the relationship of an imperfect mankind to something higher, as it poses difficult questions, defies convention, and yet affirms age-old truths. Moving, original and provocative the tale turns and twists deepening our understanding of the vicissitudes of our humanity. Set in South Texas, in cinematic, vibrant and imaginative settings, the Texas/Hispanic culture gives the narrative its direction. Heartbreaking and soaringly uplifting, The Willows of Corona is told with candor, sensitivity and a perceptive observation as it treads delicately in one of the more complex paths of life.