Growing Fish

Rusty-James wants to be just like his big brother, the Motorcycle Boy. He wants to be the toughest streetfighter on this side of the city, to keep his cool when things get dangerous, and to laugh when gang members challenge him to fight. Rusty-James isn't book-smart; he depends on his fists more often than his brains. So far, the Motorcycle Boy has bailed him out when his fists have gotten him into trouble.

A collection of short stories from The Big Garage on Clear Shot chronicles the offbeat lives of the colorful inhabitants of The End of the Road, a small town in Alaska.

Hermit Crab lives in a little shell house on the ocean floor. Wherever he crawls, he carries the shell on his back. He feels safe and snug in his cozy house. But in January, the shell begins to feel tight. Hermit Crab steps out of his safe house into the open sea. Without his shell, the ocean floor seems frightening. Large, hungry fish swim all around. When Hermit Crab finds a bigger, empty shell, he wiggles into it. It feels just right. But it’s so plain. Will he ever feel at home in his new house?

Stella Diaz loves marine animals, especially her betta fish, Pancho. But Stella Diaz is not a betta fish. Betta fish like to be alone, while Stella loves spending time with her mom and brother and her best friend, Jenny. Trouble is, Jenny is in another class this year, and Stella feels very lonely. When a new boy arrives in Stella's class, she really wants to be his friend, but sometimes Stella accidentally speaks Spanish instead of English and pronounces words wrong, which makes her turn roja. Plus, she has to speak in front of her whole class for a big presentation at school!

Deborah Diesen's 5-Minute Pout-Pout Fish Stories is a treasury of 12 short stories starring the New York Times best-selling Mr. Fish and all his friends, perfect for bedtime or on the go!

Deep in the water, Mr. Fish swims about with his fish face stuck in a permanent pout. Can his pals cheer him up? Will his pout ever end? Is there something he can learn from an unexpected friend?

Stella is happy as a clam in fourth grade. She's the president of the Sea Musketeers conservation club, she starts taking swim lessons, and she joins a new art club at school. But as her schedule fills up, school gets harder, too. Suddenly the tides have turned, and she is way too busy! Stella will be in an ocean of trouble if she can't keep her head above water. But with her trusty Sea Musketeers by her side, she hops to make her big dreams come true!

Maggie is finding it harder and harder to get along with her stepmother and stepsiblings while her father is away. It doesn't help that every time Maggie finishes cleaning laundry, flying pigs swoop in to muddy everything up and get her into trouble! One day while she's out collecting berries and her stepbrother is fishing, Maggie catches a magical fish herself. The fish promises to make one of her wishes come true, but only if she frees him. Maggie wants a new family more than anything, but how much faith can she put into a talking fish?

Newbery Medal winner Cynthia Rylant pens the enchanting tale of Whistler and Lila’s adventures during the low tide of the full moon. The mice children set off to meet new creatures before the tide comes back in and washes the creatures back to sea. Suddenly, a young octopus named Cleo startles the children, but the three soon become good friends. Yet as the tide comes back in, Lila discovers her feet are stuck in the mud. Will Cleo be able to help her in time and save the day?

Odder spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she’s known. She’s a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself—and about the humans who hope to save her.

On a lovely summer day, the lighthouse family hears the bell on the fog buoy ringing. It is an otter whose sister is trapped in an old fishing net! With the help of some friendly dolphins and sawfish, the lighthouse family devises a plan to free the trapped otter - and makes two new friends along the way.

When a baby beluga whale loses his mama and is heard crying out for her, Whistler and Lila are reminded of how lucky they are to have such a wonderful family in their lighthouse home. Their great adventures begin when they team up with a cranky old cormorant named Huck to bring the mother and child together again. Acclaimed author Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery Medal winner and has penned more than 60 heartwarming books for children. This sweet tale is filled with warm, caring characters.

One morning, the lighthouse family wakes up to find a baby sea lion asleep in their kitchen! The baby, whose name is Topper, explains that his mother left him here and instructed him to wait for her return. Pandora the cat and Seabold the dog are happy to care for Topper, and mouse children Lila, Whistler, and Tiny are excited to make a new friend.

The colorful cast of characters in End of the Road, Alaska, congregate around the coffeepot at the Big Garage to share wit and wisdom.

Even if you’ve not got the slightest clue as to how to put together an aquaponic system, or what you want to grow, this book will teach you everything you need to know to go from complete beginner to being the best aquaponic grower in your city or state.

Hardy's name means "brave," but this little puffer fish is scared of everything. When a shark comes close, Hardy knows he cannot puff up, or he will be eaten for sure. How can Hardy learn to be brave?

After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory - even if it means traveling the globe alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.

Peter and his best friend, Tommy, have a goal for their last summer before middle school: finish their Discovery Journal, a catalog of the wildlife around their Florida town. When they spot a manatee in a canal, Peter knows they’ve found something special—and when the manatee is injured by a boat, something to protect! As Peter joins the fight to save Florida manatees, he also finds himself taking care of his ailing grandfather and facing an unwelcome surprise that jeopardizes his friendship with Tommy.

When 12-year-old Zinnia Manning's older brother, Gabriel, is diagnosed with a mental illness, the family's world is turned upside down. Mom and Dad want Zinny; her 16-year-old sister, Scarlett; and her eight-year-old brother, Aiden, to keep Gabriel's condition "private" - and to Zinny, that sounds the same as "secret". Which means she can't talk about it to her two best friends, who don't understand why Zinny keeps pushing them away, turning everything into a joke.

Alan Watts, beloved for bringing a childlike wonder to the spiritual journey, once wrote a story for children. The Fish Who Found the Sea brings this delightful and wise parable to life for a new generation. In this tale of a tail, we meet a fish with a curiously familiar problem - he’s gotten himself so mixed up that he spends all his time chasing himself in circles! Only the Great Sea knows how to help our poor fish get out of the mess he’s created with his own runaway thoughts.