Where Teddy Bears Come From

In the middle of a deep, dark forest, all the creatures are fast asleep. Except for a little gray wolf who can’t sleep a wink. But the little wolf knows just what he needs to get a good night’s sleep: a teddy bear to cuddle, just like in his favorite story book. So the next morning little wolf sets off on an adventure to find a teddy bear. But exactly where do teddy bears come from? The little wolf asks the Wise Owl, but he doesn’t know. He asks the Three Little Pigs, but they suggest he speak to Little Red Riding Hood. Finally, when he is very tired the little wolf stumbles upon a kindly man with a bright red suit and a long white beard who needs a helping hand. But good deeds never go unrewarded. So when the little wolf wakes up the next morning there is a soft, cuddly surprise at the foot of his bed…and the answer to his question. Author Mark Burgess has woven an amusing, satisfying story that features a steadfast character and a memorable cast of familiar faces and story elements from favorite fairytales. While Russell Ayto’s distinctively quirky illustrations offer surprising perspectives and colorfully capture the delightful humor of the story.

Dragon’s Boy

“In order to gain wisdom, you must learn to read inter linea, between the lines.” Artos doesn’t know who his parents are, just that kindly Sir Ector and Lady Marion took him into their castle when he was a baby. Though Sir Ector raises him as one of his sons, Artos never feels he truly belongs. The other boys of the castle — Cai, Bedvere, and Lancot — make fun of him and never invite him to join in their games. One day, while searching for Sir Ector’s missing brachet hound in the fens around the castle, Artos stumbles across a musty cave in a hill where a very old dragon lives. Though he is afraid, he is drawn to the beast by both the dragon’s knowledge and his promise to teach Artos the game of wisdom. With the dragon’s guidance, Artos begins the slow journey to his destiny-one that he never dreamed could belong to him. Notable 1990 Children’s Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)

Merlin

In flight from the magic visions that plague him, Merlin falls into the hands of the wodewose–wild folk who, according to legend, live in the company of wolves and devour children. But far from being wild, the wodewose are an enormous family of the unwanted, the abandoned, and the homeless. For once Merlin has found a place where an orphan like himself belongs.

This is the third book in  the “Young Merlin Trilogy.”

TimeRiders: The Eternal War

“A time wave has altered the entire history of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln followed Liam into the present from 1831 and now the world is in a dangerous state of limbo. If the TimeRiders can’t return Lincoln to the past, the Civil War will never end.”–