by Abreona, Darrin, Rochelle, and Temil of Reach Incorporated

Closing Day is coming to the animal shelter, and “All Dogs Must Go.” Spanky, who was born with just three legs, is both excited and terrified: Does this mean he will finally be adopted? Spanky’s abandonment as a pup have left him with a deep desire to be loved, and his worries sometimes make him feel hopeless. While Pepper the mean chihuahua tries to tear him down, Dorothy the friendly pit bull tries to cheer him up. Can she help Spanky learn to be his own lovable self and finally get adopted?

• ISBN: 978-1945434013

• Age: 2-4

• Lexile: 530L

• Page Count: 46

• Published: Fall 2016

by Marc, Darrin, and Makayla of Reach Incorporated

Story: Mariah really wants to take over her parents’ fruit shop one day, but they don’t think she can do it. Why? Because she’s blind. When her parents leave on vacation, Mariah gets her hands on the keys to the store. With the help of her parrot sidekick, Blue, Mariah must find a way to get the job done.

Story Behind the Story: Inspired by the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, which promotes diversity not only of race but of religion, orientation, culture, and ability, these teen authors chose to tell an empowering story about a protagonist who was blind.

• ISBN: 978-0692300824

• Age: 4-9

• Lexile: 600L

• Page Count: 36

• Published: Fall 2014

by Ashley, De’Asia, and Romel of Reach Incorporated

It’s Amaya’s first month at a new school in a new state, and she's too scared to speak. Amaya has a stutter. At her old school she got bullied for how she talked, but she had finally just started making friends. And then her mom got a new job and moved them to DC, where she had to start all over again! Now Amaya is mad at her mom and scared at school. The only friend she shares her feelings with is her dog, Journey, who can talk back! If Amaya doesn’t start speaking soon, she’ll keep getting in trouble and will never make friends. Can Journey and her classmates help Amaya find her voice?

• ISBN: 978-1945434051

• Age: 4-9

• Lexile: 500L

• Page Count: 38

• Published: Fall 2017

by Destiney, Kairon, and Aderemi of Reach Incorporated

Kendra the Kangaroo is getting ready for her hockey team’s big game against their rival. The only problem? Her team doesn’t think that kangaroos belong in hockey. And even worse, Kendra is afraid they’ll kick her off the team if they find out that she has asthma. So she keeps a big secret, and tries to prove that she belongs on the ice. Can her friend Rahim the Rabbit convince her to be herself and tell the truth before she puts herself in danger?

• ISBN: 978-1945434020

• Age: 4-9

• Lexile: 600L

• Page Count: 44

• Published: Fall 2016