France

Materials from France

Truce

On July 29th 1914, the world’s peace was shattered as the artillery of the Austria-Hungary Empire began shelling the troops of the country to its south. What followed was like a row of falling dominoes as one European country after another rushed into war. Soon most of Europe was fighting in this calamitous war that could have been avoided. This was, of course, the First World War.

But who could have guessed that on December 25 the troops would openly defy their commanding officers by stopping the fighting and having a spontaneous celebration of Christmas with their “enemies”?

 

Madame Pamplemousse And Her Incredible Edibles

Madeleine must work in her horrible Uncle Lard’s restaurant, The Squealing Pig, every summer. Though a fairly good cook herself, Madeleine is only allowed to wash dishes and stay out of the way. But one evening while on an errand for the chef, her luck changes. As she wanders through the streets of Paris, she happens upon a tiny shop. Not just any shop, but Edibles owned by Madame Pamplemousse.  When Uncle Lard learns of the extraordinary and delicious ingredients brewing in Madame Pamplemousse’s kitchen, he decides to steal her recipes and he’ll use his niece to do it. Lucky for Madeleine, Madame Pamplemousse may not be the only chef capable of culinary magic….

Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons

Lilly is a spunky little girl who delights in the unexpected pleasures of each season, peering inside shells in the summer and tasting different kinds of apples in the fall. In this book, Lilly learns more about the outdoors, and introduces the youngest readers to the colors, words, and shapes that arise in nature.

Toby Alone

Toby Lolness may be just one and a half millimeters tall, but he’s the most wanted person in his world — the world of the great oak Tree. Toby’s father has made a groundbreaking discovery: the Tree itself is alive, lowing with vital energy, and there may even be a world beyond it. Greedy developers itch to exploit this forbidden knowledge, risking permanent damage to their natural world. But Toby’s father has refused to reveal his findings, causing the family to be exiled to the lower branches. Only Toby has managed to escape.

On The Road Again!: More Travels With My Family

Charlie and his family are taking another trip — this time to spend a year in a tiny village in southern France. Typically suspicious and resentful at first (they’re going all the way to France, and they’re not even going to be living in Paris!), big brother Charlie soon finds himself drawn into life in sleepy Celeriac. The family experiences the spring migration of sheep up to the mountain pastures, Dad is threatened by a raging bull, a spring flood makes a mess, and everyone forages for snails and mushrooms and has other adventures large and small. Most of all, though, Charlie and his little brother, Max, make friends of their eccentric new neighbors — the man who steals ducks from the local river, the neighbor’s dog who sleeps in the middle of the street, and their new pals Rachid and Ahmed, who teach them how to play soccer using the open front door of the Catholic church as the goal! It’s enough to make Charlie wonder if it’s really so important to get to Paris. On the Road Again’s mix of rollicking humor, comic characters, and universal concerns like making new friends and living in a new place are a welcome addition for Gay’s many fans.

Panorama: A Foldout Book

Illustrations and simple text invite the reader to visit different places around the world, then to view the same scenes at night on the reverse of the fanfolded page.

I Is Someone Else

It is 1966, and the times, they are a-changin’. Fifteen-year-old Stephen is on his way to a summer program in France when he meets two glamorous new friends of his older brother, Rob, who has been missing for 18 months. They persuade Stephen to travel to Istanbul with them, to find his brother. And what a world opens up to him: a world of beautiful girls, drug busts, fascinating cultures, fast-moving friendships, and betrayals. As he travels further into Asia, the nature of Stephen’s journey changes: The search for his brother is replaced by an inner exploration, in which he must confront his own past, and his own dark secret.

Thank You, World

Eight very different kids, from eight different continents, all go about their day and experience the same moments of happiness: greeting the sun in the morning, swinging on a swing, flying a kite, being tucked in by Mommy at bedtime.

The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews during the Holocaust

When the Nazis occupied Paris, no Jew was safe from arrest and deportation. Few Parisians were willing to risk their own lives to help. Yet during that perilous time, many Jews found refuge in an unlikely place–the sprawling complex of the Grand Mosque of Paris. Not just a place of worship but a community center, this hive of activity was an ideal temporary hiding place for escaped prisoners of war and Jews of all ages, especially children.