Disguised in servant’s clothes, an Afghani shah slips out of his palace to learn more about his people. When he encounters a poor Jewish shoemaker full of faith that everything will turn out just as it should, the shah grows curious. Vowing that no harm will befall the poor man, he decides to test that faith, only to find that the shoemaker’s cheerful optimism cannot be shaken. But the biggest challenge of the poor man’s life is yet to come!
An old and tired winter wind is searching for a place to rest. But wherever he goes, the wind is turned away, until his pain fuels a raging storm. Then he meets a good-hearted child who offers him a place to stay, and in gratitude the old wind leaves the child a lasting legacy. From Sheldon Oberman, author of the award-winning The Always Prayer Shawl, comes a timeless tale about the good that flows from kindness and understanding. Neil Waldman’s stunnign art evokes the world of old Russia, where the story originated.
Benjamin Zephaniah’s cutting-edge poetry gets to the heart of what all these people do for a living. What will you be when you grow up?
Did you know that crocodiles cry while they eat? Or that polar bears turn green if they stay hot for too long? Or that bees do a dance to speak to one another? See wildlife as you’ve never seen it before with Paul Thurlby’s menagerie of curious animals. With unique and humorous artwork that’s so stylish you’ll want to remove it from the book and hang it on your wall, Paul Thurlby brings to life twenty-three animals in a way that will appeal to readers of all ages.
Mr. Wolf’s day is packed, not only with his own activities and errands, but with such characters as three giggling pigs and a fiddling cat continually asking him what time it is, until, at last, it is bedtime.
Tiny Troll is very unhappy that his mother is leaving him with a babysitter while she goes to a party for grown-ups.
Archie, a fashion-loving dog with a faithful pet of his own, leads a quiet life until he gets a sewing machine and begins creating canine couture that captures attention all over town, even from a queen and her two royal corgis.
It starts out as a regular trip to the store with Mom, but then Lily does a dreadful thing: she flings her beloved stuffed toy, Bobbo, high in the air, only to have him land on top of a school bus just as it’s pulling away! Lily is inconsolable. What if she never sees Bobbo again? Little does she know (though the reader can see) that Bobbo is having an exciting adventure at school — and will be well cared for until he finds his way back to Lily. In her deft portrayal of a preschooler’s worries, Shirley Hughes offers a comforting peek into an appealing world to come.
The year is 1453 and all signs point to it being the end of the world. Accused of heresy and expelled from his monastery, handsome seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is recruited by a mysterious stranger to record the end of times across Europe. Commanded by sealed orders, Luca is sent to map the fears of Christendom and travel to the very frontier of good and evil.
Seventeen-year-old Isolde, a Lady Abbess, is trapped in a nunnery to prevent her from claiming her rich inheritance. As the nuns in her care are driven mad by strange visions, walking in their sleep, and showing bleeding wounds, Luca is sent to investigate and driven to accuse her.
Forced to face the greatest fears of the dark ages—witchcraft, werewolves, madness—Luca and Isolde embark on a search for truth, their own destinies, and even love as they take the unknown ways to the real historical figure who defends the boundaries of Christendom and holds the secrets of the Order of Darkness.
When her parents can’t afford a new pet, seven-year-old Janie invents one. Her new pretend dog is Henry, an invisible Great Dane who eats invisible food bought with invisible money. Then some mysterious events–and perhaps a touch of magic–bring the invisible Henry to life.