Jo Louis dreads her first day in her new school because she is sure that the other children will make fun of her name. “This will be an effective prompt for many families and how-you-got-your-name stories, and many youngsters, especially reading with relatives, will appreciate the loving evocation of bonds to kin and history.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Author: Book Importer
The Umbrella Queen
When Noot is finally allowed to paint umbrellas like the other women and girls in her village, she secretly hopes that she might be chosen as this year’s Umbrella Queen. Carefully, she creates serene flowers and butterflies- exactly as she has seen her mother and grandmother do for years.
But soon her imagination takes over, and Noot finds herself straying from the old patterns to the dismay of her family, who depend on the traditionally painted umbrellas for their livelihood.
Her parents tell her she must go back to the old designs and Noot obeys, knowing that the King is coming soon to name the one who has painted the most beautiful umbrella. After all, the King would never choose a queen who breaks from tradition…would he?
A Is for Africa
The author, a member of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, presents text and her own photographs of twenty-six things, from A to Z, representative of all African peoples.
Get Out of Bed!
Amy’s mother, father, brother, and the school principal use very unusual measures to try to get the sleepy girl out of bed.
The Queen’s Progress
This book offers readers a factual and in-depth guide to the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth I through rhyming verses, anecdotes, historical details, and brilliant illustrations, while also using the letters of the alphabet to provide an account of Queen Elizabeth’s annual holiday, known as a “royal progress.”
The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard
A comic romp through Shakespeare’s London featuring an intrepid little boy, a friendly bear, and-in the role of dastardly villain-the Bard himself. What happens when a boy bursts through the curtain of a deserted theatre and onto the world’s most famous stage? He lands on the Bard himself and the chase is on-through the streets of Shakespeare’s London. This is a rare and inventive visual feast-a runaway story about a curious boy, a magic cloak, a grumpy bard, a captive bear and a baron bound for the chopping block. It is also a richly illustrated, dramatic and very funny tale of adventure and friendship.
Wombat Divine
Wombat loves everything about Christmas–especially the Nativity play. He’s wanted to be in it for as long as he can remember. At last he’s old enough to try out. But at the auditions, the first part goes to someone else. So does the next. And the next … Will there be a part left for Wombat?
Wombats
This story presents, in text and photographs, the habits, life cycle, and natural environment of the Australian wombat, one of the world’s largest burrowing animals.
Zoo-Looking
Flora loves looking at all the animals in the zoo, but what a surprise–she isn’t the only one doing the looking! Flora looks at the giraffe, and the giraffe looks back. She looks at the ostrich, and the ostrich looks back, too. But when Flora looks at her dad, she gets the best surprise of all.
Beloved storyteller Mem Fox has created a lively rhyme for zoo-loving children to read and chant out loud. Candace Whitman’s enchanting torn paper pictures add to the joyous fun of the story.
Whoever You Are
Despite the differences between people around the world, there are similarities that join us together, such as pain, joy and love.