The spotlight is on American History this month, so let story time inspire accordingly! Celebrate our founding fathers with these patriotic stories from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing this President’s Day!

FILIGREE’S MIDNIGHT RIDE Join Filigree, a five-pound Pomeranian, as he stows away on Paul Revere’s midnight ride in this first book of the At the Heels of History series, inspired by important events and told through the eyes, ears, and noses of dogs. By Pam Berkman and Dorothy Hearst Illustrated by Claire Powell (Ages 6-9)

PRESIDENTS Fine artist Leah Tinari, turns her formidable and singular talents to the presidents of the United States. Each engaging portrait— and the accompanying facts— paint a powerful and playful picture of the presidents, introduce readers to the personable side of these leaders and make them more relatable, approachable, human, and even fun!

By Leah Tinari (Ages 10+)

OUR FLAG WAS STILL THERE From beloved author-illustrator Jessie Hartland comes a whimsical nonfiction picture book that tells the story of the American flag that inspired the poem and our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Jessie Hartland (Ages 4-8)

FIGHTING FOR THE FOREST In an inspiring middle grade nonfiction work, P. O’Conell Pearson tells the story of the Civilian Conservation Corps—one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal projects that helped save a generation of Americans.

By P. O’Connell Pearson (Ages 10+)

THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE PHOTO Discover the incredible life of Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet and the mastermind behind Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, in this fascinating picture book biography that’s perfect for fans of “I Dissent.”

By Alexandra Bye (Ages 4-8) (All ages)

DANCING HANDS In soaring words and stunning illustrations, Margarita Engle and Rafael López tell the story of Teresa Carreño, a child prodigy who played piano for Abraham Lincoln.

By Rafael López (Ages 4-8) YOU ARE HOME Award-winning author and illustrator Evan Turk showcases the beauty and importance of the National Parks in this gorgeous picture book that takes readers on an amazing tour across the United States.

By Evan Turk (Ages 4-8)

BY MAY KATTARIA By May Kattaria, a Staten Island mom of three who’s all about the frugal and fun!

Irecently visited a popular indoor waterpark resort in the Poconos with my kids, 10, 6, and 18 months. The excitement of 20-foot slides and buckets of water cascading down the larger-than-life Splash Playground had us in awe from the moment we walked into the resort, and the floor to ceiling window of the water park across from check-in had the kids ready to strip down to their bathing suits and run. As parents we are willing to pay for moments like this, so the average $400 a night water park stay has to score us some major brownie points with our kids. Granted $400 is, in my opinion, a pretty hefty

The tickets I snagged from Groupon for mini golf, mini bowling, and laser tag was the highlight of our stay. They have the same package available at the resort for $35 per person. Getting them for free with Groupon made me feel like a winner. amount to put down for a single night. What I did, the frugal person I am, was purchase a Saturday night stay directly from the resort’s website and our Sunday night stay from Groupon. Not only was Groupon about $75 cheaper than the website but it also offered four tickets to mini bowling, mini golf, and laser tag. I simply explained that I had two reservations when checking in and asked to combine them so we wouldn’t have to change rooms. They were

happy to accommodate us.

Although check-in was at 4pm, my family didn’t arrive until 7pm. Yes, I am forever running late. Since the water park was open until 10pm we decided to dive right in and explore.

I did not expect to be greeted by a strategically located, colorfully lit, full arcade. My kids were in a whirlwind, begging me for dollar to play every machine. Luckily they bought my “wallet is upstairs” excuse and we proceeded towards the heavily The next morning we ventured outside of the resort for breakfast, easily passing up $23 per adult and $16 per child breakfast buffet on the main floor. We ate at a nearby restaurant, where the food was just as comforting as the price was to my pockets.

chlorinated aroma. We scanned our wristbands at the gate and instantaneously it was 85 degrees, completely unbothered by the snow falling outside. Now where to park all our stuff? We opted to be near the hot jacuzzi rather then the wave pool, or the kiddie and big kiddie sections. It was well lit and near a swim-up bar with many employees around, so I rationalized this to be the perfect place where no one would steal my stuff. Because sure, we all know that hiding our stuff under a towel will outsmart any perpetrator

At first my husband and I split up with the kids; he took the baby and went far right past the lazy river into her section. I

took the other two towards all the geometrically attractive slides that can be seen from the highways nearby. As I reached the top step of the slide I realized two things; one, I am out of shape--no one should breathe this heavily, and two, there was barely a line or a wait for the slide. Apparently arriving in the evening means less people and less wait time. Score!

By 11pm we are all showered and ready for bed. But we were STARVING! We called in to order pizza, which is literally your only option for food at that time. When placing my order, I was informed unsarcastically that there weren’t any more veggies but did I still want the veggie pie? I was too hungry to enjoy this irony so I just asked for a cheese pie. About 30 or so minutes later our pie finally arrived, looking and tasting like actual plastic. Maybe I am a spoiled Staten Islander, but it might have ruined pizza outside of NYC for me altogether.

The next morning we ventured outside of the resort for breakfast, easily passing up the $23 per adult and $16 per child breakfast buffet on the main floor. We ate at a nearby restaurant, where the food was just as comforting as the price was to my pockets. If you aren’t a local you wouldn’t even know about this place, so shout out to the employee at the resort for recommending! On our way home we also found another out-of-the-way restaurant about five miles from the resort with mouthwatering cheesesteaks to die for.

The tickets I snagged from Groupon for mini golf, mini bowling, and laser tag was the highlight of our stay. They have the same package available at the resort for $35 per person. Getting them for free with Groupon made me feel like a winner. We did all three activities one after the other. The mini golf was glow in the dark and each hole was fluorescently decorated with all types of animals from the jungle. The mini bowling was most enjoyed by my 18 month old. It was Goldie Locks perfect with 6 mini lanes spread across what would be three regular bowling lanes. Lastly - no one puts baby in a corner, except for Mommy so she gets to play laser tag. I logged into the free guest WiFi to offer up some distracting YouTube for the baby, then dramatically beamed my laser gun at every kid in sight. My team won. A victory for all parents, one might say. After that, the kids decorated some free cookies in the lobby while I gloated over my big laser tag win.

Stepping off the elevator with prune-like fingers at the end the weekend, I’d truly come to appreciate the image of stomachdropping slides, the animal décor and the history lining the hallways. Moreover, I was glad I didn’t purchase the wristband designated for additional purchases. Instead we went out to eat and explore what the Poconos had to offer.

But the biggest lesson of all? Never bring more than $50 to the arcade.