When her dog becomes lovesick for the moon, a young Cuban girl and her uncle call the moon down to give the dog a kiss, with surprising results.
The Dog Who Loved the Moon
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
The Mozart Question
Like any young boy, Paolo becomes obsessed with what he can’t have — in his case, a violin. Hidden away in his parents’ room, it beckons the boy to release the music inside it. The music leads Paolo to a family secret, a story of World War II that changed the course of his parents’ lives. But once the truth is told, the family is reunited in a way no one had thought possible.
Black Stars In A White Night Sky
Black Stars in a White Night Sky, Lawson’s second book of poetry for children, includes fractonyms, concretes, as well as short lyrics and poems that don’t rhyme. Lawson stretches the boundaries of what is normally thought of as children’s poetry, but not at the expense of the books entertainment value or clarity. The poems are written within hearing of both children and adults; philosophy and tomfoolery are equally at home in this exemplary new tome.
The Best Beak In Boonaroo Bay
The birds of Australia’s Boonaroo Bay hold a contest to determine which of them has the best beak.
Josephine Wants To Dance
Josephine loves to dance, but everyone reminds her that kangaroos don’t dance—they hop! Kangaroos don’t wear tutus, and they never wear ballet shoes! So Josephine sneaks into town, where the ballet rehearses, and watches for hours as the dancers spin and swirl and pirouette and curtsy. But on the day of the ballet performance, the prima ballerina twists her ankle and a new dancer is needed for the lead role, a dancer who can jump higher than all the rest. Will Josephine be able to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true?
The Twin Giants
When twin giants set out in search of happiness, the result is a comedy of errors that is doubly clever and enormously funny.”Isn’t he e-nor-mous!” says the giant father when his first twin son is born. “There’s a-lot-uv-’im!” notes the giant mother when the second twin boy arrives. And as Normus (a vegetarian) and Lottavim (a carnivore) grow and grow, the two are hugely happy — playing Roll the Boulder, singing badly, and doing everything together. But when the day comes for the hulking lads to seek the giantesses of their dreams, will going their separate ways only lead them into double trouble?
Wombat & Fox: Tales of the City
In the big city, Wombat and Fox have many adventures. They don’t go looking for trouble, but the city is a surprising place and trouble and mishaps have a way of finding them, changing the course of the day for Wombat and Fox, Croc, Bandicoot, the Hippo Sisters and the mischievous Five Monkeys. These are their stories.
Magic Night
Magic Nights is the story of a cat who finds something that does not belong in his people’s house—something flittery and skittery that turns the rest of the night mysterious and magical. What could it want? Hurricane the cat is going to find out!
Ruby Sings the Blues
Ruby’s voice is so loud, it’s driving everyone crazy! Then Ruby’s jazz-playing neighbors come up with a plan to help her control her volume. Ruby finally learns to sing to her heart’s content without everyone needing earplugs!
Stories at the Door
Cleverly threaded together by verses describing the arrival of stories that enter boldly through the door and stay just long enough to have their say, these tales have been rendered anew by a master storyteller. In “Jesper and the Jackrabbits,” simple wits add up to wonderful wisdom — and rich reward. “Jacinth Wins Words” will spark hilarity, as two sisters compete with surprising and malodorous weapons. The cumulative “Cat and Mouse Tale” is nonsensical fun while “Jacinth Finds Fear” points up what is really important and worth dwelling on. “Jane Saves the Day” is one-upmanship at its best and demonstrates just how powerful underdogs can be. The stories point out our human faults and remind us not to take ourselves too seriously.