Rachel Berger needs twenty-five cents to make her dream come true. But for Rachel, twenty-five cents is a fortune--and she's running out of time.

A Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Title

Third-grader Rachel Berger longs to be different. At the very least, she'd like to be set apart from her copycat little sister, Hannah. The second Rachel spots the glass rose buttons at Mr. Solomon's button shop, her heart stops. They'll be the perfect, unique touch on the skirt her mother is making her for Rosh Hashanah. There's just one problem: Rachel can't afford them. With her focus set on earning enough to buy them before the holiday, will Rachel lose sight of what's really important?

Themes of sisterhood, sibling rivalry, and strong family values are organically woven in to this charmingly illustrated chapter book set on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the early twentieth century.
Ferida Wolff worked as a teacher and a journalist before becoming a writer. She has written more than a dozen books, including It Is the Wind, illustrated by James Ransome. Ferida lives in New Jersey.

Margeaux Lucas began drawing at age four and never stopped. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, where easy access to the enormous historical riches of Manhattan's Lower East Side allowed her to truly immerse herself in her illustration research for this story.
"This is a sweet story that will resonate with readers who have siblings and knowledge of hand-me-downs. Rachel is annoyed by her little sister, Hannah, who wants to be just like her. . . . Rachel pines for anything that stands apart from Hannah’s apparel and discovers three glass buttons with red roses that she must have. After haggling with the shopkeeper the buttons are laid-away and Rachel demonstrates both motivation and discipline in saving her pennies to pay off the cost of the buttons. Rachel’s self-discovery of what matters—spoiler: it isn’t buttons—is treated naturally, without resorting to moralizing. Syntax is tight and well-constructed throughout and Grandma Bubbie’s wise sayings add a sparkle to the text." —School Library Connection

"Wolff has constructed a sweet, nostalgic vignette of early-20th-century immigrant New York City, alluding to the difficulties but stressing the goodness. Rachel and her family, friends, and neighbors are not anachronisms or caricatures but are entirely accessible to modern readers. Lucas' lovely black-and-white drawings, reminiscent of Helen John's in Sydney Taylor's All of a Kind Family (1951), are perfectly in sync with the spirit of the text. Hope, love, determination, and kindness abound."—Kirkus Reviews 

"A gentle and accessible slice of historical fiction to give to readers moving on from chapter books, or to offer as a gentle read-aloud for younger children."—School Library Journal

About

Rachel Berger needs twenty-five cents to make her dream come true. But for Rachel, twenty-five cents is a fortune--and she's running out of time.

A Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Title

Third-grader Rachel Berger longs to be different. At the very least, she'd like to be set apart from her copycat little sister, Hannah. The second Rachel spots the glass rose buttons at Mr. Solomon's button shop, her heart stops. They'll be the perfect, unique touch on the skirt her mother is making her for Rosh Hashanah. There's just one problem: Rachel can't afford them. With her focus set on earning enough to buy them before the holiday, will Rachel lose sight of what's really important?

Themes of sisterhood, sibling rivalry, and strong family values are organically woven in to this charmingly illustrated chapter book set on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the early twentieth century.

Author

Ferida Wolff worked as a teacher and a journalist before becoming a writer. She has written more than a dozen books, including It Is the Wind, illustrated by James Ransome. Ferida lives in New Jersey.

Margeaux Lucas began drawing at age four and never stopped. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, where easy access to the enormous historical riches of Manhattan's Lower East Side allowed her to truly immerse herself in her illustration research for this story.

Praise

"This is a sweet story that will resonate with readers who have siblings and knowledge of hand-me-downs. Rachel is annoyed by her little sister, Hannah, who wants to be just like her. . . . Rachel pines for anything that stands apart from Hannah’s apparel and discovers three glass buttons with red roses that she must have. After haggling with the shopkeeper the buttons are laid-away and Rachel demonstrates both motivation and discipline in saving her pennies to pay off the cost of the buttons. Rachel’s self-discovery of what matters—spoiler: it isn’t buttons—is treated naturally, without resorting to moralizing. Syntax is tight and well-constructed throughout and Grandma Bubbie’s wise sayings add a sparkle to the text." —School Library Connection

"Wolff has constructed a sweet, nostalgic vignette of early-20th-century immigrant New York City, alluding to the difficulties but stressing the goodness. Rachel and her family, friends, and neighbors are not anachronisms or caricatures but are entirely accessible to modern readers. Lucas' lovely black-and-white drawings, reminiscent of Helen John's in Sydney Taylor's All of a Kind Family (1951), are perfectly in sync with the spirit of the text. Hope, love, determination, and kindness abound."—Kirkus Reviews 

"A gentle and accessible slice of historical fiction to give to readers moving on from chapter books, or to offer as a gentle read-aloud for younger children."—School Library Journal

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more