Fiction
Fiction genre
The People of Twelve Thousand Winters
Ten-year-old Walking Turtle is of the Lenni-Lenape tribe. He lives with his family in a small village alongside the Passaic River in what will become northeastern New Jersey. They have a relatively peaceful life, with nature offering up a bounty of resources for food and shelter, amply meeting their needs.
Walking Turtle is close to his younger cousin, Little Talk, who has difficulty walking. He feels protective of him. Together they roam the forests near their village, with Walking Turtle carrying his cousin on his back.
But in the autumn of Walking Turtle’s tenth year, his father tells him that soon he must leave childhood friends behind and begin warrior school. Walking Turtle worries about what will become of Little Talk when he leaves for his training.
Stephen and the Beetle
When Stephen spots a beetle he takes off his shoe and raises his arm, ready to strike… but then he has second thoughts. He lays his head down on the ground and the beetle walks right up to him. At the last moment the beetle turns aside and each can go on with the day, having avoided the worst.In this very simple story Jorge Luján presents the kind of deep moral questions that can occur even in the smallest child’s day. Chiara Carrer’s very original etched and painted illustrations perfectly complement the story, and are in and of themselves beautiful works of art.
Take Me Out to the Yakyu
A little boy’s grandfathers, one in America and one in Japan, teach him about baseball and its rich, varying cultural traditions.
Mommy! Mommy!
Follow two chicks on a search through the barnyard for their mother hen.
You Are a Star!
A young girl takes a trip from her bedroom into the sky, past the moon, and through the universe, learning that she is made of stars.
Shadows Cast By Stars
To escape a government that needs antigens in aboriginal blood to stop a plague, sixteen-year-old Cassandra and her family flee to the Island, where she not only gets help in communicating with the spirit world, she learns she has been chosen to be their voice and instrument.
The Canoe’s Story
Told from the perspective of a giant Wawa tree, Meshack Asare describe the peacefulness of the forest before the arrival of man.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 5, Issue 2
The Princess of 8th Street
A shy little princess, on an outing with her mother, gets a royal treat when she makes a new friend.
The Forgiveness Garden
A long time ago and far away–although it could be here, and it could be now–a boy threw a stone and injured a girl. For as long as anyone could remember, their families had been enemies, and their towns as well, so it was no surprise that something bad had happened. Hate had happened. Revenge had happened. And that inspired more hate and more calls for revenge. But this time, a young girl decided to try something different…Inspired by the original Garden of Forgiveness in Beirut, Lebanon, and the movement that has grown up around it, Lauren Thompson has created a timeless parable for all ages that shows readers a better way to resolve conflicts and emphasizes the importance of moving forward together.