Cynthia J. McGean

Tyrannosaurus Test: A young child describes the terrifying test monster that awaits at school and the useless advice of parents and teachers. Transforming into a warrior, the child faces fear head on and emerges victorious. This simple picture book, told from the child’s point of view, honors the very real fears and anxieties children face in the age of standardized tests and the warrior spirit they need to battle that anxiety.

A Yard In the City: When Zack’s family has to move from their house into a city apartment, they leave behind his dog, his tree with the tire swing and his big back yard. On a walk with his parents through the city park, Zack discovers the city has a beauty of its own. Using simple language accessible to emerging readers, A Yard in the City captures the mixture of loss and discovery that comes with moving to a new place while celebrating the wonders of an urban community’s back yard - the city park.

Children’s short Stories

Smashing Castles On the last day of his summer visit with his father, nine-year-old David doesn’t want to say good-bye.

Waterlogged In a future world where the wealthy live underwater while the poor must fend for themselves against the raging, changeable elements, Jonah Belodis makes his first-ever solo visit to the surface to buy fresh water, and meets a daring girl who teaches him the joys of braving a storm.