Materials from Europe
When Dad tucks Daisy into bed, he says, “If I were you . . . I’d go to sleep.” But Daisy doesn’t want to go to sleep. In fact, if she could trade places with him, she’d read her dad a story, dress him in a pink tutu, feed him oatmeal . . . and that’s only the beginning. Because just wait until you hear what Dad would do!
Many years have passed since the Occitanian knights killed Richard the Lionheart in a courageous battle to keep the Blue Flame–sparked at the moment of Christ’s death–from falling into the wrong hands. Now it is in danger once again, as enemies from the north draw near. In the midst of this looming battle, lifelong friends Raimon, son of a Cathar weaver, and Yolanda, daughter of a Catholic Count, are falling in love. But a new religious crusade is about to begin, setting boy against girl, family against family, neighbor against neighbor, south against north. Though many seek to possess the Blue Flame, only one person is destined to wield its power to save the people and the sovereignty of the Occitan.
Millie’s new job as a mail cow keeps her very busy. Christmastime is especially hectic, and she can barely wait for the milking to be done before she’s out delivering presents. On Christmas Eve, at the end of a long day, the mail carrier sends Millie home with all the presents she’s made for the farmer and the other animals. Only, Millie gets a bit confused by the snow-covered landscape. Suddenly everything looks the same, and the farm is nowhere in sight.
After his family moves into their new house, Louis the fox discovers a very frightened monster living under his bed, and when he takes the monster to the park with him, the monster helps him make new friends.
In this twist on the “boy finds lost pet” tale, a young dragon discovers a Benjamin in Dragonwood. The dragon takes the boy home, to school and the playground. The Benjamin is a fascinating creature. He doesn’t have claws or scales and can’t even fly. When the Benjamin gets homesick, the dragon decides to help him get home. How will the other Benjamins react to finding a dragon in their world?
Lysander thought he left his roots as a Helot slave far behind when he discovered his true identity as the descendant of a Spartan warrior. His training at the academy has been ruthless, but now he must face his toughest challenge yet: being sent to the mountains with two other boys to prove they can survive the harsh conditions on nothing but their Spartan strength and wits. Facing starvation, wild animals, and the elements, Lysander discovers that his real enemy is in fact one of the other boys, who’s bent on sabotaging him. And when war with Persia threatens, Lysander must decide where his allegiance truly lies. This sweeping, dramatic adventure story is an exciting follow-up to The Fire of Ares, and its action and intrigue will not disappoint.
The sun and the wind test their strength by seeing which of them can cause a man to remove his coat, demonstrating the value of using gentle persuasion rather than force as a means of achieving a goal. In this retelling of a classic fable from Aesop, we learn that being the most forceful does not make you the strongest. Sometimes the greatest strength comes from a place of gentleness.
The creators of THE RUNAWAY DINNER and PREVIOUSLY team up to imagine the comical world that comes to life when a lonely pencil starts to draw.
“One day that little pencil made a move, shivered slightly, quivered somewhat . . . and began to draw.”
Welcome back Banjo, the boy from THE RUNAWAY DINNER! Once a pencil draws him, there’s no telling what will come next — a dog, a cat, a chase (of course), and a paintbrush to color in an ever-expanding group of family and friends. But it’s not long before the complaints begin — “This hat looks silly!” “My ears are too big!” — until the poor pencil has no choice but to draw . . . an eraser. Oh no! In the hands of Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman, can anything but havoc and hilarity ensue?
Across the lush, emerald green mountains and through the alphabet, the ABCs of Scotland are explored in beautiful rhyme, imagery, and history. A stands for Saint Andrew’s Day, named for the brother of St. Peter and the patron saint of Scotland. I is for Iona, the ancient burial ground and abbey that holds the remains of early kings of Scotland, such as Macbeth and Donald II.
THE FIRST THING I remember is waking up in the woods. I didn’t know where I was, or how I got there. I didn’t know my own name. All I knew was that the little silver key hung round my neck had always been there.This is how Lexi’s story begins. She is taken into a shelter where there are clean clothes, warm food, and, most importantly, a woman who remembers her. Safe from the wars and the dangers of the street, Lexi begins to rebuild her identity with the small pieces of the past she can fit together. Then the silver key around her neck unlocks the secrets of a life she never knew she had.This is Lexi’s story. This is how she finds her way home.