A boy helps an injured crane, and the good deed is rewarded with the arrival of a mysterious guest who weaves beautiful silk for the family. Includes author’s note about Japanese folktales and poetry, information about red-crowned cranes, and pronunciations.
Asia
Materials from Asia
The Wise Fool
The riotous adventures and misadventures of Mulla Nasruddin introduce a new generation to one of the most-loved characters in the Muslim world. Nasruddin always has a twinkle in his eye, a sliver of wisdom in his ramblings, and a few good surprises up his sleeve!
Book Uncle and Me
Every day, nine-year-old Yasmin borrows a book from Book Uncle, a retired teacher who has set up a free lending library next to her apartment building. But when the mayor tries to shut down the rickety bookstand, Yasmin has to take her nose out of her book and do something. But what can she do?
Book Uncle and Me is featured in A Dozen Books on Activism.
Mango & Bambang: The Not-a-Pig
Mango Allsorts is good at all sorts of things, but she is lonely. Bambang is a talking tapir from Malaysia and is now lost in a very busy city. When the two meet, a friendship begins.
The Blue Jackal
Juno the jackal is suddenly treated like a king after he inadvertently dyes his fur blue.
The Shady Tree
In this new Chinese fable, Ping returns and deals with the selfish and greedy Tan Tan, who owns a beautiful house and a beautiful shady tree, but who does not share. Ping turns Tan Tan’s greed into his own gain, but even with his new-found wealth, Ping is true to his generous nature there is room for everyone.
Chee-Kee
Chee-Kee, a young panda, moves with his parents to a new land of opportunity. Just when he’s resigned to never fit in, Chee-Kee finds a way to use his own experience and ingenuity to save the day and show that he’s one of a kind in all the best ways.
Lost And Found
When Adele and Simon take a tour of China in 1905, Simon misplaces his belongings, one by one but they all show up later, revealing their hiding places in Adele’s souvenir photographs of the trip.
Up From The Sea
On the day the tsunami strikes, Kai loses nearly everyone and everything he cares about. But a trip to New York to meet kids whose lives were changed by 9/11 gives him new hope and the chance to look for his estranged American father. Visiting Ground Zero on its tenth anniversary, Kai learns that the only way to make something good come out of disaster is to return and rebuild.
Chloe In India
Though they’re divided by class, language, appearance—you name it—Chloe and Lakshmi have a lot in common. Both girls are new to Class Five at Premium Academy in New Delhi, India, and neither seems to fit in. But they soon discover how extraordinary an ordinary friendship can be and how celebrating our individuality can change the world.