Asia

Materials from Asia

Five Nice Mice

Five nice mice are sitting in the garden one night when Baba hears faint music in the distance. What can this wonderful sound be? They decide to go and find out, and they discover a fabulous frog concert. But mice aren’t allowed in. So they return home and decide to form an orchestra of their own—no frogs allowed. They practice and practice, and finally put on a great show. When all the cheers die down, the mice are shocked to see an audience full of frogs! It turns out that you can’t keep good music to yourself after all.

Shooting Kabul

Escaping from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the summer of 2001, eleven-year-old Fadi and his family immigrate to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Fadi schemes to return to the Pakistani refugee camp where his little sister was accidentally left behind.

The Seven Keys Of Balabad

Welcome to Balabad, birthplace of the international secret society known as the Brotherhood of Arachosia. And rumored hiding place of the grandest riches the world has ever known. Balabad is also the country Oliver Finch calls home ever since his father was reassigned to this dull, war-torn dust bowl.Each day runs into the next for Oliver until a 500-year-old sacred carpet is stolen. Then one of the few friends he has disappears. Oliver is determined to figure out what exactly is going on. But in order to do that he’ll have consult with a one-eyed warrior, track down the far-flung members of the Brotherhood, and unlock a centuries-old secret! Suddenly, life in Balabad for Oliver has become a whole lot more interesting . . . and dangerous.

Tales Told In Tents

Retells folktales from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, and includes several stories that cross regional lines, proverbs, riddles, and poems.

Why are some carpets magic? What is a wish-tree? And where can the fountain of eternal life be found? The answers to these and many other intriguing questions can be found in Sally Pomme Clayton’s enchanted storytelling journey through Central Asia. On her travels in the region, Sally has accumulated a wealth of folklore and knowledge of nomadic cultures. The 12 exotic retellings of stories related to the author in storytelling tents are linked by a mix of memories spiced with homespun wisdom, as she retraces her steps through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan and Afghanistan. Sophie Herxheimer’s brilliantly-patterned artwork, together with a glossary and brief notes, combine to reveal the richness of these little-known, faraway lands of Central Asia.

The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan With Doctors Without Borders

In 1986, Afghanistan was torn apart by a war with the Soviet Union. This graphic novel/photo-journal is a record of one reporter’s arduous and dangerous journey through Afghanistan, accompanying the Doctors Without Borders. Didier Lefevre’s photography, paired with the art of Emmanuel Guibert, tells the powerful story of a mission undertaken by men and women dedicated to mending the wounds of war. Didier Lefevre was a French photojournalist who traveled the world extensively, often reporting from the most remote and harrowing situations imaginable. At the end of July 1986, Didier Lefevre left Paris for Afghanistan. He barely returned to tell the tale. It was his first major assignment as a photojournalist, documenting a Doctors Without Borders mission. Camera in hand, the traveled with a band of doctors and nurses into the heart of Northern Afghanistan, where the war between the Soviet Union and the Afghan Mujahideen was raging. The mission affected Lefevre as profoundly as the war affected contemporary history. His photographs, paired with the art of Emmanuel Guibert, tell the story of an arduous journey undertaken by men and women intent on mending what others destroyed.

The Ocean Of Story

A twelfth-century Sanskrit parallel to “The Princess and the Pea” is just one of the surprises in this unusual collection, in which wily peasants, scheming rajahs, and saintly brahmans mingle in stories full of spice and wit. “An intriguing collection of 18 stories….skillfully retold….Vibrant, richly patterned full-page paintings and delightful spot illustrations transport children to a magical country of long ago.”–School Library Journal.

Exploration Into India

Exploration Into India is part of a series describing the history of chosen regions before and after their exploration by Europeans. This book is about exploring the whole story of India from the earliest times, through the periods of its invasion, to the days of its exploration by merchants and explorers. Read about the adventures of Alexander the Great as he travels to the Indus River. See the fabulous wealth of the Mogul Emperor Akbar and follow in the footsteps of the European missionaries and traders who became fascinated by India.