People Of Corn: A Mayan Story

From the time they lived in jungle cities with huge stone pyramids, the Mayan people have believed that corn is the spirit of life. This story tells how the first people on earth were actually made from corn. Beginning in the present-day, this lively story explains how important corn is and has always been to the Mayan people of Central America.

Trick of the Tale: A Collection of Trickster Tales

An illustrated collection of tales featuring notable trickster characters such as Raven and Hare, from the folk traditions of many countries.

A Completely Different Place

When Johnny Nesbit wakes up in a pink bedroom that is inside a glass bottle, he soon realizes that he is battling the Strangers, the fairies that had stolen his baby sister a year earlier. Johnny returns to the Stranger country with his former classmate, Cheryl to try to save a group of kidnapped children from the nasty fairies.

This book is a sequel to The Same Place but Different.

Faraway Home

As her father prepares for a trip back to his childhood home in Ethiopia, Desta begins to worry. Where does her father truly belong–in the village of his youth or here in America with her? What was growing up in Ethiopia like? And will her father’s love for his family be enough to bridge these two worlds and bring him back to her?

Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa

Emily is a Jewish girl from the suburbs of New York, end of story. Her mother has family in Puerto Rico, but Emily has never had any contact with them–not until she’s forced to go to the Caribbean for her grandmother’s funeral. Pampered Emily wants nothing to do with her Puerto Rican heritage– until a very special person shows her that that uncovering her roots is like discovering a secret part of her own heart.

In the Land of the Jaguar: South America and Its People

South America’s story is as varied as its geography of soaring mountains, scorching deserts, and lush rainforests.  This  book combines an often tragic history with the problems and triumphs of the present. The information ranges from “the Requirement” (a document read out by the conquistadors each time they came upon a new group of indigenous people to justify their actions) to drug cartels, from the hidden and secretive Elders (a civilization that retreated to the mountains to preserve its customs) to Gabriel García Márquez. Includes maps, an index, and bibliography.

Around the World in 80 Tales

This illustrated book takes readers on a journey across six continents, with entertaining folktales from eighty different storytelling traditions. An excellent introduction to foreign countries, these beautifully told stories are perfect for reading aloud and encouraging children to learn about different cultures and other parts of the world.

My Life with the Wave

A classic Diana Wynne Jones gem is available again. “All three [fantasies] overflow with the kind of slapstick humor children love, involving ordinary household objects brought to life by magic.”–“School Library Journal.”