Ty Chapman

Hearing the beat helps James discover the courage to use his voice and find his community. James is great at tests and homework, but speaking up in class? No way. Just the thought fills his chest with bumblebees. The one thing that makes the bees calm down is music. James can't bring music with him to class, though, or to the second worse place in school: the lunchroom. Everyone already has their friends; James is the odd one out. Until one day, he goes to lunch and hears something familiar. BOOM, TAP, BOOM, TAP, BOOM, TAP, TAP! Kids are rapping in a cypher! When the girl rapping passes the beat to James, he hesitates . . . until he gets lost in the music and finds his voice. Bringing together a celebration of rap and an empowering mental health awareness message, James Finds the Beat features a young boy who struggles with social anxiety and who finds his voice and his community through music. An endnote includes discussion questions inviting children to explore the story and its ideas further.

Stokes tells the story of the NBA's first Black superstar, Maurice Stokes, who is not as well known as he should be in part because of a career-ending injury. Coauthors and basketball enthusiasts John Coy and Ty Chapman highlight what a standout Stokes was: he was 6'7" and as they write, "nobody had ever seen a guy his size score, defend, rebound, dribble, and pass so well." In a 1958 game against the Minneapolis Lakers, Stokes, went down hard and hit his head, losing consciousness. At the time, there was no concussion protocol, and Stokes went back into the game. A few days later, he went into a coma and woke up unable to move his body from the neck down. Players did not have any sort of financial support in situations like this, and Stokes's teammate Jack Twyman worked with other players and Milton Kutsher to put on a benefit game during the summer at Kutsher's hotel in the Catskills. This game became an annual tradition, and Stokes was eventually able to travel and watch the game. Wilt Chamberlain said of Stokes, "He had something transcending as a person. . . . Everybody loved him." Back matter includes some great historical photos as well as further information about Stokes, who was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004, and about the NBA's Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.This picture book biography provides a fascinating look at basketball history, accompanied by Lonnie Ollivierre's action-packed illustrations.

Tartarus marks author Ty Chapman's bold entrance into poetry. Between three sections of Basquiat-inspired vignettes, Tartarus offers the reader an unflinching look into Chapman's emerging understanding of his relationship to Black masculinity through familial ties, the oscillation between nihilism and hope, and the ever present tensions felt moving through a state which sees the existence of your body as an inherent danger.

Explore the obstacles humans would face if they were to try living on Mars. People have long dreamed of traveling to Mars to explore. That dream may soon become a reality. Scientists have been learning everything they can about the Red Planet so that they can safely send astronauts to explore there. Our neighboring planet is full of mysteries, and humans can help solve them by living on Mars.Those who've wondered how we'd eat or breathe on the Red Planet will want to dig in

Space-lovers who wonder what Mars rovers are, what they discover, and why they are important are in for a treat with this book all about the fascinating Mars exploration vehicles. Rovers roam Mars to help scientists explore the mysterious planet. They drill into rocks, test the air, and even take selfies. Rovers with names like Curiosity and Perseverance have become famous and unforgettable. Exploring the surface of Mars would be impossible without them.

Did you know there's water on Mars? Scientists only recently found out Knowing about Mars's water will help scientists learn even more about our neighboring planet. If there is water, then was there once life? Could human explorers survive on Mars? See what other questions scientists have and how they plan to answer them.