George Washington was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. He was never afraid to be the first to try something, from exploring the woods around his childhood home to founding a brand new nation, the United States of America. With his faith in the American people and tremendous bravery, he helped win the Revolutionary War and became the country’s first president. Each picture book in this series is a biography of a significant historical figure, told in a simple, conversational, vivacious way, and always focusing on a character trait that makes the person a role model for kids. The heroes are depicted as children throughout, telling their life stories in first-person present tense, which keeps the books playful and accessible to young children. And each book ends with a line of encouragement, a direct quote, photos, a timeline, and a source list.
Age
Catalog sorted by age group
The King’s Drum
What is the king’s drum made of? He who answerss that question correctly wins the princess’s hand in marrige. Ans so, a poor young man named Beto sets off for the castle to test his luck. However, he faces a long, tough road ahead of him. And just when he manages to overcome the obstacles before him, he finds three strangers who wish to lend him their hands. Will Beto be able to answer the question correectly? And where did the three strangers come from? Everyone has a chance to be happy. That is what this touching story teaches us all.
Return from the Slaughterhouse
A small passenger train slowly slips the tracks, pulled by an old machine to steam. It is night, the wagons have windows, seem to passengers, but the only visible light is that of the sparks machine. The Ghost Train moves …. Night in, night out …. So this train was a weird episode even more weird ..
Farewell to the Old Horse
Everyday, the young boy watches horses going the same route back and forth, back and forth, carrying loads of bread for a bakery. Their feelings seem dried up by the long years of monotonous, tiring lives. One day, overhearing that one of the old horses is about to be sold off to a slaughterhouse, the boy decides to set it free. Will he succeed?
Who Built That? Bridges
Ten of the most important bridges in the world, from the world’s first cast-iron bridge (The Iron Bridge) to the longest pre-stressed concrete bridge in the southern hemisphere (The Rio-Niteroi Bridge) to the tallest bridge in the world (the Millau Viduct). Introducing each engineer or architect, the main concepts of their work, as well as some of their most important projects in charming drawings and accessible text, Bridges is a fun primer for anyone interested in learning more about these incredible structures. Didier’s step-by-step drawings of bridges ranging from the Brooklyn Bridge (1883) and the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932) to Santiago Calatrava’s Peace Bridge (2012) and Rudy Ricciotti’s MUCEM Footbridge (2013), provide original insight into the development of the engineering and architectural concepts behind each bridge.
Featured in WOW Review Volume IX, Issue 4.
Withering-By-Sea
High on a cliff above the gloomy Victorian town of Withering-by-Sea stands the Hotel Majestic. Inside the walls of the damp, dull hotel, eleven-year-old orphan Stella Montgomery leads a miserable life with her three dreadful aunts.
Lines, Squiggles, Letters, Words
A child who has not yet learned how to read looks out at the world and sees language as such a child would: as lines and squiggles that don’t exactly make pictures but don’t seem to make anything else either.
Mango & Bambang: The Not-a-Pig
Mango Allsorts is good at all sorts of things, but she is lonely. Bambang is a talking tapir from Malaysia and is now lost in a very busy city. When the two meet, a friendship begins.
Book Uncle and Me
Every day, nine-year-old Yasmin borrows a book from Book Uncle, a retired teacher who has set up a free lending library next to her apartment building. But when the mayor tries to shut down the rickety bookstand, Yasmin has to take her nose out of her book and do something. But what can she do?
Book Uncle and Me is featured in A Dozen Books on Activism.
Don’t Cross the Line!
This slapstick postmodern tale is also a profound statement about dictatorship and peaceful revolution, from an award-winning author/illustrator team.
Featured in WOW Review Volume IX, Issue 4.