Big and Small, Room for All

A captivating look at how a child, fits into the great, big universe around us. “Big sky, big sky, what is bigger than the sky? ”In this clever concept book for young readers, award-winning author Jo Ellen Bogart explores the size of animate and inanimate objects and their place in the universe. She introduces children to the concept of “we” — that humans are a big part of the world, but a small part of existence. In the vastness of the universe, with galaxies swirling through space, the book begins with simple words printed on the darkness. Moving closer to our world, we see the solar system, our sun at the center. Closer still, we see the huge ball of fire, which is the sun, and the third planet out from it — our blue Earth. From Earth looming huge on the page, young readers view smaller and smaller objects, from mountain to tree to man to child to kitten to mouse to flea to microscopic beings, amazing in their complexity. Accompanied by artist Gillian Newland’s lavish watercolor paintings, Big and Small, Room for All places the immensity and wonder of space in perspective so young readers comprehend they are part of creation, but a small part of all that exists.

Don Quixote

Don Quixote has forever memorialized the story of a Spanish gentleman who reads so many books about chivalric knighthood that he is convinced his own destiny is to become a knight-errant. And so he embarks upon a series of fantastical adventures across sixteenth-century Spain, accompanied by his faithful and philosophical squire, Sancho Panza.

Our Corner Grocery Store

A picture book that celebrates local shops and building communities.Anna Maria takes great pleasure and pride in her grandparents’ corner grocery store. Every Saturday she spends the day helping to arrange fruits and vegetables, greet the customers, and keep things neat and tidy. Through her day we meet the neighbors and learn what an important part the corner grocery store plays in the community. Nonno Domenico, Nonna Rosa, and Anna Maria supply more than goods as the steady stream of customers arrives. Lunches are made, news is shared, bargains are purchased, recipes are traded, and cheerful ciaos are called. By the end of a long day, Anna Maria has a true sense of just how wonderful the sights and smells within the store are and how much they mean to everyone.Charmingly illustrated in great detail, Our Corner Grocery Store pays tribute to the small independent grocers who supply color and atmosphere to city streets. Young readers will particularly enjoy finding and naming the wide array of produce, breads, candies, and dry goods that abound in this friendly establishment.

Wink! The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed

The happiest day of Wink’s life was when he was accepted to the Summer Moon School for Young Ninjas. He is sure that he will be a great ninja. Silence is the first lesson and everyone is very very silent except for Wink. Stealth is the second lesson and everyone is very very stealthy except for Wink. Finally, Wink decides that he will be silent and stealthy, but he realizes that no one can realize that he is a great ninja. Eventually, he finds that his acrobatic skills are a perfect match to be a circus performer.

Diogenes

Most dogs in this world are content with their doggy lives, playing dead and burying bones, but Diogenes was a dog of a different sort – he wanted to become his own master. So he buried his collar and leash, left his cozy doghouse, and ran off to the great city of Athens, Greece. There he took upon himself the role of “watchdog” to those around him, warning of life’s moral pitfalls and showing by his own surprising example the path to an enlightened way of being.

The Cow That Was The Best Moo-Ther

Marjorie the cow proudly enters her baby, Daisy, into a farmyard beauty contest strictly for cows. But Daisy isn\’t quite like the other baby cows—she\’s small and feathery, she has a beak, and she hatched from an egg! So there\’s no surprise that Daisy catches the judge\’s eye! But she\’s not the only one who attracts attention in this hilarious follow-up to the cow that laid an egg. Proud mom Marjorie is in store for an award of her own.

How To Scratch a Wombat: where to find it…what to feed it…why it sleeps all day

For more than thirty years, author Jackie French has lived in the Australian bush, coexisting with wild wombats. In this cross between memoir and natural history, Jackie shares her often hilarious adventures with her wombats neighbors and describes their physiology, history, and habits. Bruce Whatley adds pencil drawings in both comic and realistic styles.

Open The Door To Liberty

The story of revolution leader Toussaint L’Ouverture of St. Domingue (now Haiti).The island now known as Haiti was once a French colony called St. Domingue, where white plantation owners forced hundreds of thousands of African slaves to farm sugar cane. Toussaint L’Ouverture was one of those slaves . . . but not for long. The day would come when L’Ouverture would lead his island’s slaves into a revolution for freedom, and his efforts would influence the course of world history.

Erika-San

Allen Say creates a beautiful story about an American girl who seeks adventure in Japan and discovers more than she could have imagined. In her grandmother’s house there is one Japanese print of a small house with lighted windows. Even as a small girl, Erika loved that picture. It will pull her through childhood, across vast oceans and modern cities, then into towns—older, quieter places—she has only ever dreamed about. But Erika cannot truly know what she will find there, among the rocky seacoasts, the rice paddies, the circle of mountains, and the class of children.

Old Bird

One day Papa buys Bird, an old horse that can carry Archie and his brother to school every day. And the two boys are delighted with the gentle mare, which follows them around as they do their chores on the farm. It isn’t long, however, before Bird reveals another side to her personality. Despite Papa’s efforts to keep her out of the barn, Bird manages to open the latch and let herself in every time. And when she doesn’t get her own way, Bird develops a habit of bucking off the boys along the trail to and from school. A despairing Papa finally decides that Bird has to be returned. There’s no place on a farm for an animal that doesn’t earn its keep. But Bird isn’t ready to leave. The stubborn old mare does have a place on the farm despite her age. All she has to do is seize the opportunity and show everyone what she’s been capable of all along. Based on a true story, Irene Morck’s new picture book is a delightful tale that children will love. But it is the subtle, deeper message – old does not mean useless – which will have a lasting impact on readers of all ages. Artist Muriel Wood accompanies the text with exquisite paintings that are deeply coloured and full of character, leaving their own heartfelt signature on this moving story.