The incredible story of the world’s largest visionary environment: the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, kept secret by outsider artist Nek Chand for fifteen years.
The Secret Kingdom has been discussed in My Take/Your Take for July 2021.
So begins Jan Thornhill’s riveting, beautifully illustrated story of the House Sparrow. She traces the history of this perky little bird, one of the most adaptable creatures on Earth, from its beginnings in the Middle East to its spread with the growth of agriculture into India, North Africa and Europe. Everywhere the House Sparrow went, it competed with humans for grain, becoming such a pest that in some places “sparrow catcher” became an actual job and bounties were paid to those who got rid of it.
In this spare and powerful story set in the Old West, people in a small town live in constant worry of another visit from the Outlaw. Then the Outlaw suddenly and mysteriously disappears. Time passes, and one day a stranger rides into town. He takes it upon himself to fix everything that is in disrepair — the clapboard schoolhouse, the train station platform. He even builds a horse trough. But when someone recognizes him as the Outlaw, the crowd turns on him. It takes the courage of a small boy to change the course of events.
Featured in WOW Review Volume X, Issue 4.
Let’s build a tree fort,” Russell says to his dad when they move into a house with a big maple tree in the backyard. His dad doesn’t know much about building, but he gamely follows Russell’s plan. Several trips to the lumber store later, the tree fort is done. There is no slide, balcony or skylight like Russell imagined, but it is perfect ― right up until he notices another tree fort going up three houses over.
Abelardo defies his father’s instructions and sets out to free a whale caught in their tangled fishing net.
A little girl conjures increasingly destructive animals using Chinese martial arts poses.
Two children plan a camping adventure and set up a tent in their own backyard, but when the pickles run out and mosquitos arrive, they are ready to find Dad.
Getting dressed and undressed can be difficult, especially for little ones. While getting ready for a bath one evening, a little boy gets stuck in his clothes. He panics and starts to fear what life would be like if he never got unstuck. How will he play outside? How will he stop the cat from tickling his tummy? It’s good thing that Mom is around to help. But when it’s time to put on his pajamas, the boy finds himself with a whole new problem. This fresh, laugh-out-loud funny picture book shows a young boy’s feelings of frustration—and his determination to do things himself. With this whimsical and highly original tale, young readers can imagine what life would be like if they got stuck in their clothes but still kept on going.
From one of the great creative teams in picture books, On the Other Side of the Garden is about a city girl learning to accept the change brought about by her parents’ separation when she is taken to her grandmother’s house in the country and befriended by an owl, a frog and a mouse.
The wordsmith Lewis Carroll is famed for the freewheeling world of Wonderland in his beloved classics Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. In this gloriously illustrated picture book, Carroll’s childlike love of life is showcased alongside his brilliance at creating and adapting playful words and phrases. From brillig and uglification to frumious and chortle, the award-winning author Kathleen Krull uses many of Carroll’s own words to tell the story of a man who wanted to make children laugh and whose legacy continues to entertain and delight.