Once upon a time, a young prince lost his smile.
It seemed nothing would make Prince Donald smile, not songs from the musician or cakes from the baker. The court magician tried to make a new magical beast for the prince, but it was so frightening he let it go. Still determined to help Donald, the magician’s granddaughter, Hana, invents a majestic creature with the body of a horse and the horn of a gazelle, and calls him ‘a unicorn’.
Hana and Donald playfully chase the unicorn through the forest, and it seems that this magical animal might hold the key to the prince’s smile. But then they discover a darker beast, lurking in the trees.
This is a sparkling origin tale from the creators of The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster
Europe
Materials from Europe
The Sand Elephant
Paul has no one to play with. The sandbox is empty. Or is it?
As he digs and pats the sand, a shape appears: an elephant. Curling up under the elephant’s warm, sandy trunk, Paul drifts off to sleep. But then something amazing happens. The sand elephant stands up, and lifts Paul onto its back!
The sand elephant takes Paul to a wonderful land where incredible sand animals and their children are laughing and playing together. But what will happen when the wind starts to blow and the rain starts to fall?
Little Pearl
A unique story of sibling love and wonder from a USBBY honored author and illustrator team, with echoes of Alice in Wonderland.
Poo Bum
Once there was a little rabbit who could only say one thing . . . In the morning his mother would say, “Time to get up, my little rabbit!” He’d reply: “Poo bum!” At lunchtime his father would say, “Eat your spinach, my little rabbit!” He’d reply: “Poo bum!” One day, he meets a hungry wolf. Will the little rabbit learn his lesson once and for all?
Brenda Is A Sheep
Brenda is exactly like all the other sheep. Well, except for the sharp teeth, gray fur, sharp claws, and orange sweater. All the sheep think that Brenda is just the best! Despite Brenda’s best efforts to enjoy the ultimate sheep feast, Brenda realizes that she is, after all, a sheep. A funny reminder that what you look like doesn’t dictate who you are.
My Mama
A naughty baby elephant tells all about his mother in this lovingly drawn story―familiar and funny for both parents and children.
All The Dear Little Animals
“One summer’s day we started a business called Funerals Ltd., to help all the poor dead animals in the world. Esther did the digging, I wrote the poems, and Esther’s little brother, Puttie, cried.”
Early readers will love the dry humor and wonderfully rounded story of All the Dear Little Animals. Nilsson perfectly captures the child’s perspective, balancing compassion and humor. This is a very funny story about a topic that touches all of us.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 2.
The Potato King
Once upon a time there was a Prussian King, Frederick, also known as Fritz, who saw potential in the lowly potato — a newly introduced crop from South America — and decided to plant it for his people. However, it quickly became clear that his subjects didn’t like being told what to eat. Determined to see the potato thrive, Fritz cleverly used reverse psychology to pique his people’s curiosity and make the crop popular, and the potato has flourished ever since. Potato-stamp illustrations throughout are simple and effective, exhibiting Niemann’s trademark wit and playfulness. The book includes a short informational note on the historical background to the story. Readers will be interested to discover how one of today’s most common foods likely rose to popularity and may also be inspired by the king’s creative problem solving
The Last Train- A Holocaust Story
The Last Train is the harrowing true story about young brothers Paul and Oscar Arato and their mother, Lenke, surviving the Nazi occupation during the final years of World War II.
Emmy Noether- The Most Important Matheematician You’ve Never Heard of
Emmy Noether is not pretty, quiet, good at housework or eager to marry — all the things a German girl is expected to be in her time. What she is, though, is a genius at math. When she grows up, she finds a way to first study math at a university (by sitting in, not actually enrolling) and then to teach it (by doing so for free). She also manages to do her own research into some of the most pressing math and physics problems of the day. And though she doesn’t get much credit during her lifetime, her discoveries continue to influence how we understand the world today.