Amu Nowruz And His Violets

A FOLKLORIC CELEBRATION OF THE SEASONS AND NEW BEGINNINGSAn enchanting story of the Persian New Year and moment when winter turns to spring, based on the Iranian folktale of Naneh Sarma and Amu NowruzIn the land of Winter, queenly Naneh Sarma coats the mountains and valleys in ice and snow and when she is tired she rests in her spiky snow castle. But with no one to talk to, Naneh Sarma gets lonely. In this gentle story based on a household Iranian folktale, Naneh Sarma journeys to the far off land of Spring to seek Amu Nowruz, Spring’s herald, who sows the meadows with the seeds and flowers that fill his enormous knapsack. At the border between Winter and Spring, Naneh Sarma waits patiently for Amu Nowruz but by the time he arrives, she has fallen fast asleep. Gently, in her outstretched hands, Amu Nowruz plants violets.In the land of Winter, wide expanses of white snow and craggy mountains rise against backdrops of pale pink, blue, and gray while in the land of Spring, a profusion of green leaves and intricate flowers climb across the pages. Illustrated with Nooshin Safakhoo’s precisely inked lines and enchanting colors, this tale of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, rejoices in each pale wintersweet flower, icy gust of snow, and fresh tulip blossom alike.

Taming Papa

Mélie doesn’t know how to relate to her father, a political prisoner in another country whom she has never met, when he is released and immigrates to join her family in Montreal.“Where I come from, you have to say the same things as everyone else or keep quiet,” Mélie’s mother tells her. “And your father is not someone who knows how to keep quiet. Or say the same thing as everyone else. So that got him in trouble.”However, ever since he came into Mélie’s life, keeping quiet is the only thing her father has done. Partly because Sami doesn’t speak the same language as his daughter, and partly because he doesn’t know how to live as a free man anymore. Mélie has to tame him, like the kitten that she just found, and like Mr. Xavier and his partner seem to be doing with Mei-Li, the little girl they recently adopted. Things that are worthwhile aren’t always easy.Key Text Featureschapters;dialogueCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone

An Unexpected Light

Nobel Prize winner José Saramago tells a quiet and poetic story, an excerpt from his book Small Memories, of a lasting childhood experience of simple, soulful joy.The narrator’s memories of a lost childhood paradise focus on two glorious days when he helped his uncle take some piglets to the market in Santarém. They traverse dusty roads, sleep in a barn and awake to a miraculous moonglow, and hear the animals in their “infinite conversations.” The journey, the night, the wind, the light. . . . This poetic story is an unforgettable adventure narrated by José Saramago and presented alongside Armando Fonseca’s fanciful and evocative illustrations.A very special gift for readers of all ages.

The Legend Of Tiger And Tail-Flower

The #1 bestselling picture book in Korea . . . a laugh-out-loud blend of joyous comics and lush full spread illustrations!Tiger is a bit grumpy. Why won’t the other forest animals give him food…even when he yells at them? Why doesn’t anyone want to be his friend?Then a talking Dandelion shoots down from space and attaches permanently to his tail. (Don’t ask how). *shake shake shake* Why won’t Tail-Flower come off?! Why does everyone in the forest seem to like her better?Stuck with each other, and against all odds, Tiger and Tail-Flower become fast friends and set off on a series of adventures. Rescuing Mother Hen and her lost egg from a cliff. Fording a river for Rabbit, Hedgehog, and Raccoon. Throwing a big party with everyone in the forest!Tiger and Tail-Flower even grow old together. And though they don’t realize it, one day their last adventure arrives. When they decide to travel through the forest and climb the big mountain in the sky, a hunter’s net snares them deep in the forest. But Tail-Flower gets an idea, and with a twinkle in her eye, she asks:“Tiger, we’ll always be best friends, right?”Lee Gee Eun is the most beloved picture book artist working in Korea today. The Legend of Tiger and Tail-Flower is her magnum opus: a ridiculously exuberant picture book—with a surprisingly moving ending—that spans 80 pages of breathtaking comics and full spread illustrations. Readers young and old will delight in and become fast friends with the legend of this irrepressible pair.

The Duel: A Story About Peace

An international award-winning picture book with increasingly detailed water-color art begins as a story about quarrels and conflicts, but is, above all, about making and finding peace.Loosely based on the duel scene from War & Peace, this story will help spark conversations about what can happen when you turn away from violence.Two men argue in a distant and cold country. Words pierce and injure their hearts. In order to resolve the problem once and for all, two men decide to fight a duel. They start back to back, each one counting a hundred paces before turning to shoot.1, 2, 3, 4 . . . There they go, walking away. So many steps separating them. 5, 6, 7, 8. . . .One keeps walking, and walking, and walking some more, and his surroundings become more animated and vibrant, each page burgeoning with color and activity, circuses and marching bands and more. But what, he wonders, is the other one thinking? What lies ahead for them both? How far do you go before your anger dissipates and you crave the company of a friend? A story with a suprising turn of events, The Duel will help young readers see what can happen when you choose to turn away from violence and in the direction of curiosity and friendship and an open heart.

Vigdis: A Book About The World’s First Female President

★ “In this winningly informal introduction, a budding young writer sits with Vigdís to enjoy her famous Bessastaðir cookies and chat about her early years…” – Booklist (STARRED review)The heartwarming story of the world’s first female president proves that change happens one person at a time.From the acclaimed winner of the 2023 Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature PrizeVigdis Finnbogadóttir made history in 1980 when she became the world’s first woman to be democratically elected president. Her rise to Iceland’s highest office caused ripples around the world, challenging the conservative ideas of older generations and inspiring girls and women to think big.In this acclaimed picture book by Rán Flygenring, readers are invited to join a young and imaginative writer-in-the-making, who pays an unforgettable visit to Vigdis and learns that Vigdis was also was the first single woman in Iceland to adopt a child and became a trailblazer in protecting the environment. The result is a touching story of the world becoming a better place, perfect for election year.Winner of the Reykjavík Children’s Book Award

Look! Look!

When a young girl in India discovers a slab of stone, she brings together her community to help dig around the stones, which reveals steps leading down to an ancient well–one that will cause an much-needed underground spring to flow once again.

Loud: Stories To Make Your Voice Heard

“No one can do it for you, but you don’t have to do it alone.”Big names in Italian comics gathered in a unique and powerful anthology to say enough to gender-based violence.Ellie, Sabrina, Rose, Laura, Liz, Camilla. Their stories touch us deeply because they happened and they happen to us too, to our sisters, friends, neighbors.Sometimes we don’t even realize it, we minimize it, we don’t have the tools to understand, react, talk about it out loud. And that’s exactly why this book was born: to break the silence and fill it in our stories and our words, to ensure that situations like this never happen again.Gender-based violence takes many forms, from subtle manipulation to outright physical abuse, and it knows no boundaries. Loud: Stories to Make Your Voice Heard is a powerful anthology curated by a feminist collective of Italian comics creators working in solidarity to unite, support, and empower others in the fight against toxic masculinity, both in the comics industry and beyond.