There once was a bear who was very fine. He was so polished and clean and proud. And that made him the Do Not Touch bear. As time passed, he become worn and gray and much less fine. But he was also loved by a little girl. And that made him the Perfect Bear.
Fantasy
Fantasy genre
Lamplighter
Orphan Rossamünd Bookchild has been sworn into the Emperor’s service—his duty is to light the lamps along the Emperor’s highways and protect travelers from the ferocious bogles that live in the wild. But he’s found it no easier to fit in with the lamplighters than he did with the foundlings—always too small and too meek—and his loneliness continues no matter how hard he tries to succeed. But when a haughty young girl, a member of a suspiciously regarded society of all-women teratologists— monster hunters—is forced upon the lamplighters for training, Rossamünd is no longer the most despised soul around. As Rossamünd begins to make new friends in the dangerous world of the Half-Continent, he also seems to make more enemies, finding himself pushed toward a destiny that he could never have imagined.
Clinton Gregory’s Secret
A week in the life of a boy with a very active imagination. Clinton Gregory has at least seven secrets, one for each night of the week. Monday, he wrestled a dragon named Gordon; Wednesday, he was invited to dinner with giants; and Sunday, he made paper hats for a ship full of pirates and then rocketed to the moon and back.
Elephants Never Forget!
When a terrible storm scatters a group of elephants, a little elephant finds himself all alone in the jungle. Where can he turn? The water buffalo look nice enough, but he couldn’t become a part of their herd. He decides to stay with them, but when they meet up with some elephants, he must make an important decision.
Sally and Dave: A Slug Story
Sally is sleek, slim and simply stunning slug and she knows it. She can’t resist reminding her neighbor, Dave, that he’s just a common fat slug who spends his time sitting on his slimy slug bottom. But when Sally’s life is at stake, Dave steps in and saves the day!
A Babysitter for Billy Bear
It’s almost bedtime and for the first time, Mama won’t be putting Billy Bear to bed. Lucy the babysitter will be looking after him instead. They read and sing songs together, but when it’s time for bed, Billy and his stuffed rabbit just can’t fall sleep. What can be bothering them?
The Golem: A Version
A saintly rabbi miraculously brings to life a clay giant who helps him watch over the Jews of sixteenth-century Prague.
Shadow of a Hero
As Eastern Europe lurches toward chaos after the fall of communism, at last it seems possible to Letta that she and her grandfather will be able to visit his homeland, the tiny country Varina. Varina is presently split among three big neighbors, but why shouldn’t it be free? It has its own language and history, its own songs and dances, its own dogs and cheeses. Can Varina take its chance or must it go the tragic way of Bosnia and Croatia? Can one old man make any difference? And how can Letta help?
Forest of the Pygmies
Alexander Cold and Nadia Santos reunite for their final adventure in Isabel Allende’s celebrated trilogy. This time they are heading to the blazing plains of Kenya, where Alex’s grandmother Kate is writing an article about the first elephant-led safaris in Africa. Days into the tour, a Catholic missionary approaches the camp in search of companions who have mysteriously disappeared. As the group investigates, they discover a clan of Pygmies and a harsh world of corruption, slavery and poaching. Alexander and Nadia must trust in the strength of their totemic animal spirits as they launch a spectacular struggle to restore freedom to the Pygmies and return leadership to its rightful hands.
Aria
Aria is different from the other children in her village because she cannot speak. But Aria loves being with the birds around her jungle home — with them, she is free to be herself. When the village men begin to catch the birds to sell in their market-place, Aria moves out of the village to protect her friends. But then the villagers try to catch Aria. She flies away to freedom with the birds.