Picture Book

Dancing on Grapes

It’s September, time for the annual grape harvest, one of the happiest times in Tuscany.

On the first day of the harvest, Claudia’s aunts, uncles, and cousins have come to her home to gather the grapes from the vineyard. Harvesting grapes is hard work, but Claudia knows it can be fun, too. At the end of the day, her family will celebrate with pizzas filled with ricotta cheese and sausages and olives.

But the most fun of all will be what Claudia has been dreaming about all year: crushing the grapes. Now she is old enough to join her cousins and stomp the grapes in the big tub. But the tub is on top of the cantina, and Claudia is afraid of heights. Will she muster the courage to climb the ladder to the top? Or will she wait until next year to join in the fun?

Mouse & Lion

On a ridge above the Kalihari, Lion naps, until Mouse bumbles into him, willy-nilly, startling him awake. After a show of teeth, Lion is softened by Mouse’s pledge of loyalty and sets him free. When a cold moon brings a humbling lesson, Lion comes to recognize Mouse’s keen skill, and deeper kindness.

The White Ballets

The term Ballet Blancs, or white ballets refers to the identical white costumes worn by the dancers in the corps de ballet.  There are several white ballets, but the most significant among them are Swan Lake, Giselle, and La bayadere.  Lucky indeed, is the yong dancer who performs in some of them during her career.

Rajka Kupesic was one such ballerina.  Now she is an author, artist, and dance school director who love to introduce young people to the magic of performance, staging, music, and artistry of this Romantic style.  Here, she tells the stories behind the ballets, and as well, adds her own experiences and thoughts on her art, to bring readers onto the state and into the studio with her.  Four years in the making, The White Ballets is a keepsake edition for anyone, especially aspiring dancers, first-time theatergoers, and recital debutants.

I Will Come Back For You

What was it like to grow up Jewish in Italy during World War II? Sit with a little girl as her grandmother tells the story of her childhood in Rome, of being separated from her father, and of going into hiding in the mountains. Based on the experiences of the author’s own family, this deeply moving book set during the Holocaust deals with a difficult subject in a way that is accessible and appropriate for young readers. I Will Come Back for You is an incredible story of bravery and kindness in the face of danger.

The Tomten

On a bitterly cold winter night at a lonely farm in the woods, when all the people are asleep, the Tomten comes out from the hayloft and talks to the animals in Tomten language which they can understand of summer that will come again.

The Little Mermaid

A little sea princess, longing to be human, trades her mermaid’s tail for legs, hoping to win the love of a prince and earn an immortal soul for herself.