What mysteries hide inside this ancient Cambodian temple? When local children lead the author through the ruins, he discovers a little-known secret. In 1100 CE, the mighty Khmer people of Cambodia built the world’s largest religious monument: the sprawling stone temple of Angkor Wat. Now, thousands visit the crumbling ruins each year to see the last remains of the ancient and mysterious Khmer civilization. Photographer Richard Sobol explored these fascinating ruins, searching among the fallen, moss-covered stone slabs and wall carvings for clues that might link the ancient Khmer people to present-day Cambodian culture. A personal narrative and illustrative photography document his pilgrimage, capturing the historical legacy and mystery contained within the walls of Angkor Wat.
Author: Book Importer
Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto
Paul B. Janeczko’s stirring new collection of poems goes inside the walls of the notorious camp to portray the indomitable spirit of those incarcerated there. Hitler hailed Terezin (Theresienstadt) as a haven for artistic Jews, when in reality the Czech concentration camp was little more than a way station to the gas chambers. In his second book inspired by devastating history, acclaimed poet Paul B. Janeczko gives voice to this heartrending creative community: its dignity, resilience, and commitment to art and music in the face of great brutality. The many memorable characters he conjures include a child who performs in the camp’s now famed production of Brundibar, a man who lectures on bedbugs, and a boy known as “Professor,” who keeps a notebook hidden in his shoe. Accented with dramatic illustrations by the inmates, found after WW II, Janeczko’s spare and powerful poems convey Terezin’s tragic legacy on an intimate, profoundly moving scale.
Call Me Maria
Fifteen-year-old Mara leaves her mother and their Puerto Rican home to live in the barrio of New York with her father, feeling torn between the two cultures in which she has been raised.
Old Dog
Perro Viejo was taken away from his mother at birth and has known no other life than that of servitude on a sugar plantation. His name, which means “Old Dog,” was given to him by the plantation master because, like the bloodhounds that chased fugitive slaves, Perro Viejo is always searching for the scent of his long lost mother. The only thing that keeps him alive is the memory of Asunción, a beautiful girl he once met while washing his master’s horses at a river. Never to see her again, he closes his heart to all forms of love. Nearing the end of his life, Perro Viejo meets Beira, an old slave who is avoided by the other slaves because they think she is a witch. She warms Perro Viejo’s heart, and together they hatch a plan to escape from slavery. Young readers join Perro Viejo as he finally learns what it is to love — and to feel free.
When I Was Puerto Rican
Esmeralda Santiago’s story begins in rural Puerto Rico, where her childhood was full of both tenderness and domestic strife, tropical sounds and sights as well as poverty. Growing up, she learned the proper way to eat a guava, the sound of tree frogs in the mango groves at night, the taste of the delectable sausage called morcilla, and the formula for ushering a dead baby’s soul to heaven. As she enters school we see the clash, both hilarious and fierce, of Puerto Rican and Yankee culture. When her mother, Mami, a force of nature, takes off to New York with her seven, soon to be eleven children, Esmeralda, the oldest, must learn new rules, a new language, and eventually take on a new identity.
Cleopatra Confesses
The last of the pharaohs before the beginning of the Common Era, Cleopatra ascended the throne at age eighteen following the death of her father. Charming as well as smart and ambitious, she made two Roman leaders fall madly in love with her. Her greatest challenge was not her kingdom but her own sisters, blinded by their ambition. The tale of her teenage years is a story of power and romance that stands the test of time—centuries later, Cleopatra remains a figure of mystery and intrigue.
Explorers: Rainforests
Readers can dive into one of the most biologically diverse environments in the world, and explore the plants, animals, and people of the rainforest through a series of story scenes designed to highlight key topics in rainforest education. From the towering trees, to life in the canopy, dwelling in the dark on the forest floor, and the role the river plays in the rainforest environment.
Lifecycles: Rainforest
The rainforest is one of the most bio-diverse environments on the planet with some of the most amazing creatures on earth. In this first introduction to lifecycles in three different rainforests, young readers learn how animals they might not expect-like the Amazon’s leaf cutter ant and the jaguar, or Borneo’s butterflies and saltwater crocodiles-are part of the same food chain. At the end of each spread, readers use a picture clue to guess which predator is about to pounce. At the end of the book, young scientists explore how the three chains interact to form a food web, the basis for all life in an ecosystem. Age appropriate text and dynamic photographs make this a perfect introduction to this core scientific concept.
Ones and Twos
This concept book explores numeracy, sorting, and pairing. Each brightly illustrated page invites children to identify familiar objects ranging from kites to socks, from one nest to the two birds sitting in it. Ones and Twos gives little toddlers and their caregivers much to discuss and to enjoy together, and it introduces an exciting new creative team.
The Wish Pony
When the balloon was born I was going to tell it exactly what I thought about it, how sick it had made my mother and how it had ruined my life. Ruby’s mum is having a baby, but why does she need one of those when she’s already got a Ruby? To make matters worse, her best friend Sarah has just found another, BETTER friend. It seems like everyone is abandoning her. But when Ruby meets the mysterious Magda, who gives her a very special gift that might, just MIGHT even be a bit magical, everything begins to change.
The Wish Pony was Catherine’s first exploration of magic realism. It was partly inspired by a small ornamental horse she once saw in a relatives display cabinet.