Adam and Thomas, two nine-year-old Jewish boys who survive World War II, take refuge in the forest where they learn to forage and survive, soon meeting and helping other fugitives fleeing for their lives.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XIII, Issue 3.
Comprised of fun and playfully surprising contemporary illustrations and a satisfying tall tale, Why Dogs Have Wet Noses is a refreshing and memorable take on an old story. Told with dry humor, this is a secular story of how, not long after the world began, it started to rain, and it was the kind of rain that pounds down and never stops. Wise as he was, a man named Noah decided to build a lifeboat, and he set about gathering as many kinds of creatures as he could think of. And he had the good sense to invite slugs, spiders, and the other slimy, creepy-crawly creatures that most people try to get rid of by spraying or stepping on. He also let a funny looking dog with a big soft nose trudge on board all by himself. Had he not done so, the Ark, as you may not know, would definitely have sunk.
My name is Edith, but my friends call me Eddie. I’m five-and-a-half years old. My dad speaks five languages, my mom sings like a bird, my sister is an ice-skating queen, but me-I don’t know how to do anything
“When Henrietta’s mother gives her a box of colored pencils, she sets out to draw a terrifying and fantastic adventure”–
As a boy, Henry Friston dreamed of traveling the world. He thought he was signing up for a lifetime of adventure when he joined the Royal Navy. But when World War I begins, it launches the world, and Henry, into turmoil. While facing enemy fire at Gallipoli, Henry discovers the strength he needs to survive in an unexpected source: a tortoise. And so begins the friendship of a lifetime. Based on true events, and with charming illustrations, this story of war, courage, and friendship will win the hearts of readers.
Featured in WOW Review Volume IX, Issue 1.
In the early 1900s, Robert Miller, a.k.a. “Count Victor Lustig,” moved to Paris hoping to be an artist. A con artist, that is. He used his ingenious scams on unsuspecting marks all over the world, from the Czech Republic, to Atlantic ocean liners, and across America. Tricky Vic pulled off his most daring con in 1925, when he managed to “sell” the Eiffel Tower to one of the city’s most successful scrap metal dealers! Six weeks later, he tried to sell the Eiffel Tower all over again. Vic was never caught. For that particular scam, anyway. . . .
A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 8, Issue 4
A lively, intelligent, and witty survey of the world’s major religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism). Dutch comics artist De Heer is openly curious and questioning but remains respectful in this entertaining, informative, and provocative overview.
Jackson the donkey works very hard, carrying loads of mielies, carrots and potatoes up the hill to market every week, from the little farm where he lives with the farmer, his wife Beauty and his son Goodwill. But one day Jackson just stops, halfway up the hill. The farmer pushes him, pulls him, shouts at him. But Jackson WILL NOT BUDGE. Just as the farmer is about to beat his donkey, little Goodwill comes running up the hill. Quickly he whispers something in the donkey’s ear – and, straightaway, the old donkey gets to his feet. The farmer is astonished. What could be the secret of the boy’s message? “Well,” says Goodwill, “Mama told me it’s the little things like saying please and thank you, that make a big difference in this world.” And from that day on, the farmer remembers to thank his old donkey for helping him, and Jackson does his work willingly.
This book has been included in WOW’s Kids Taking Action Booklist. For our current list, visit our Boolist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.
In this important graphic novel, two Aboriginal brothers — both gang members — surrounded by poverty and drug abuse, try to overcome centuries of historic trauma in very different ways to bring about positive change in their lives. Pete, a young Aboriginal man wrapped up in gang violence, lives with his younger brother, Joey, and his mother who is a heroin addict. After returning home one evening, Pete and his mother’s boyfriend, Dennis, get into a violent struggle, which sends Dennis to the morgue and Pete to jail. Initially maintaining his gang ties, a jail brawl forces Pete to realize the negative influence he has become on Joey and encourages him to begin a process of rehabilitation through a traditional Native healing circle.