At her home in Vietnam, a girl rescues ants from the sugar water set out to trap them. Later, when the girl’s family flees war-torn Vietnam, ants lead them through the moonlit jungle to the boat that will take them to safety. Before boarding, the girl folds a paper boat from a bun wrapper and drops it into the water, and the ants climb on. Their perilous journey, besieged by punishing weather, predatory birds, and dehydration, before reaching a new beginning, mirrors the family’s own. Impressionistic collages and a moving, Own Voices narrative make this a one-of-a-kind tale of courage, resilience, and hope.
Picture Book
Bone Man: A Native American Modoc Tale
“On the day that you were born, Kokolimalayas, the Bone Man, drank the river dry and devoured all the people except you and me. When you are old enough to be a warrior, you will bring the waters back and people will live here once again”.Ever since he was a young boy, Nulwee has been told the frightening story of the Bone Man by his Grandmother. She has always warned him that if he was to wake the enormous skeletal creature, that he would then have to defeat him in battle to save their village. Nulwee lives in dread of that moment. How will a small boy be able to destroy the fearless Bone Man?
The Old Man And The Penguin: A True Story Of True Friendship
Told in rhyming verse, this is the touching true story of an oil-soaked penguin, the man who rescues him and an unlikely friendship.
Little Wise Wolf
Little Wise Wolf spends all his time reading big books and discovering new stars. So, naturally, he’s much too busy to help his neighbors. Then, one day, he’s summoned to the castle to heal the ailing king. It’s a long way, and Little Wise Wolf is unprepared for the arduous journey. Tired and hungry, he begins to doubt how wise he is, as there are many things he doesn’t know about the world. Things his neighbors know all about. But will they help him?
Aaalligator!
When a hungry alligator moves to their town, the residents want him out . . . until they get to know him (and learn what he’s actually hungry for!). A timely tale about empathy, acceptance and a community’s response to injustice.
The Nut That Fell From The Tree
A playful, lively story about one acorn’s difficult path to becoming a tree.
The Whispering Cloth
A Hmong girl in a Thai refugee camp learns to embroider the pa’ndau or story cloth from her grandmother to tell the story of her life.
Hockey In The Wild (Life In The Wild)
It’s wintertime, and the bear, the moose and the beaver can’t wait for hockey season to start. They’re so eager, in fact, they head out onto the ice before it’s thick enough, and they all fall through. Twice. While they wait for the lake to freeze, they try to take their minds off hockey. There’s competitive napping. Karaoke. Lots of comfort food. Until, at last, the day arrives when the ice is ready. But, after all that time not being active, are they ready?
The Potato King
Once upon a time there was a Prussian King, Frederick, also known as Fritz, who saw potential in the lowly potato — a newly introduced crop from South America — and decided to plant it for his people. However, it quickly became clear that his subjects didn’t like being told what to eat. Determined to see the potato thrive, Fritz cleverly used reverse psychology to pique his people’s curiosity and make the crop popular, and the potato has flourished ever since. Potato-stamp illustrations throughout are simple and effective, exhibiting Niemann’s trademark wit and playfulness. The book includes a short informational note on the historical background to the story. Readers will be interested to discover how one of today’s most common foods likely rose to popularity and may also be inspired by the king’s creative problem solving
Alice And Gert
It’s high summer in the meadow where Alice the ant and Gert the grasshopper live. Alice is hard at work preparing for winter, harvesting heavy loads of seeds. Meanwhile, Gert prefers to play, since winter is ages away. Gert dances through the long days of summer, singing, performing, and creating art out of flowers and leaves. Alice tries to convince Gert to work, but Gert wants to have fun―and to entertain Alice, too! She hates to see Alice work so hard.