Shipwrecks, Monsters, and Mysteries of the Great Lakes

In 1679, a French ship called the Griffon left Green Bay on Lake Michigan, bound for Niagara with a cargo of furs. Neither the Griffon or the five-man crew was ever seen again. Though the Griffon’s fate remains a mystery, its disappearance was probably the result of the first shipwreck on a Great Lake. Since then, more than six thousand vessels, large and small, have met tragic ends on the Great Lakes. For many years, saltwater mariners scoffed at the freshwater sailors of the Great Lakes, “puddles” compared to the vast oceans. But those who actually worked on the Great Lakes ships knew differently. Shoals and reefs, uncharted rocks, and sandbars could snare a ship or rip open a hull. Unpredictable winds could capsize a vessel at any moment. A ship caught in a storm had much less room to maneuver than did one at sea. The wreckage of ships and the bones of the people who sail them litter the bottoms of the five lakes: Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Ed Butts has gathered stories and lake lore in this fascinating, frightening volume. For anyone living on the shores of the Great Lakes, these tales will inspire a new interest and respect for their storied past.

When Martha’s Away

Martha may think her cat, Lionel, merely naps while she is at school, but she is quite mistaken. Lionel has a jam-packed schedule. He busies himself during the day by catching up on current affairs, weightlifting, cooking, painting, and most important socializing. This award-winning tale of a cat’s private life is presented with humor and panache by the talented Bruce Ingman.

Big Wolf and Little Wolf: The Little Leaf that Wouldn’t Fall

The second book about Big Wolf and Little Wolf. The book begins, “High up in a tall tree was a little leaf,” and it is Little Wolf’s need to touch this leaf and the fact that it will not fall that create the drama. Big Wolf refuses Little Wolf’s request that he climb up and get the leaf several times. “Wait,” he tells him. “Eventually it will fall.” But the leaf doesn’t fall. Winter arrives and the leaf is still there, high up in the tree. Then one morning Big Wolf wakes up, stretches and says, “I’m going up.” He says it just like that, simply to see Little Wolf’s eyes sparkle. At first his climb up the big tree goes well, but the higher he goes the more slippery it gets and the more dangerous. Little Wolf waits below wondering whether such a little leaf is worth such trouble after all. To climb to the top of a frost covered tree isn’t easy, and what if something should happen to Big Wolf? A lovely story about two friends and the many ways in which friendship teaches patience, boldness and love.

Big Wolf and Little Wolf

Big Wolf has always lived alone at the top of a hill under a tree, so when a little wolf suddenly arrives one day, he does not know what to think. Everytime, he turns around, there is little wolf, until one day he is missing and Big Wolf gets worried.

The Elephant’s Tale

Martine and her grandmother discover that they might lose Sawubona, their African game reserve, to the sinister Reuben James. But a prophecy from Grace rouses Martine and her best friend, Ben, into action. To find the truth and save the reserve, Martine and Ben must stow away in an airplane, which strands them in the desert, thwart Mr. JamesA’s creepy henchman, and rescue a herd of very special elephants from the dangerous Moon Valley. The adventure also leads the kids to answers about MartineA’s destiny. Jemmy, the white giraffe, and Khan, the last leopard, are alongside Martine and Ben as the Secret Valley reveals its mysteries in this satisfying conclusion to the series that began with the #1 ChildrenA’s BookSense Pick, The White Giraffe.