Europe

Materials from Europe

Bridget Fidget and the Most Perfect Pet

When a big box arrives one morning, Bridget Fidget leaps out of bed and spins down the stairs. She knows what’s inside—a unicorn! After all, she’s always wanted a pet unicorn, so it must be a pet unicorn. But inside the box is just another . . . smaller . . . box. And it’s buzzing. This is no unicorn. But could it possibly be something even better? For all kids who’ve ever wanted what they couldn’t have (because it’s a mythical creature or just beyond the family budget), here’s Bridget Fidget—the girl in a whirl who finally sees that even better things can come in unexpectedly small packages. Like Eloise and Olivia before her, Bridget’s got moxie to spare.

Hamlet And The Tales Of Sniggery Woods

Young Hamlet loves to cook, but so far he’s only dabbled with dishes like Invisible Worm Tart with dandelion cream. As luck would have it, Hamlet inherits a café from his uncle Alf. Heralding the advice of King Heron—To Bake the Best Biscuit, A Young Pig Should Risk It—Hamlet takes the plunge and becomes the new owner of Hamlet’s Pantry. Together, his friends help him prepare the menu and get ready for opening day. Set in the enchanting world of Sniggery Woods, these three winning tales bring to life the adventures of an imaginative pig destined to follow his dream.

I Love Chocolate

I love chocolates because each one can be a surprise — you have to taste them all to find out what’s inside. It smells good and tastes even better. In I Love Chocolate, readers will experience the taste, smell, and color of the world’s most beloved treat through the eyes of a child. Whether you savor this book slowly or devour it with gusto, readers will appreciate — and crave — the content in this book that is perfect for children and grown-ups, too.

Mouton’s Impossible Dream

The year is 1783. On a cozy French farm, there lives a sheep with an impossible dream: She wants to fly. Mouton’s friend Canard the duck is sympathetic, but Cocorico the rooster insists that, without wings, Mouton will never take off. Still, Mouton is full of hope and determination—perhaps just enough to make her impossible dream come true.

The Darkest Evening

Jake’s life is turned upside down when his father gets caught up in the Socialist fervor washing over their Finnish mining community in Minnesota. His father decides to move their family to a new, Finnish state inside the Soviet Union, a change that fills Jake with dread. Where his father dreams of creating a worker’s paradise, Jake and his family find disappointment and hardship. The story culminates with a thrilling escape–on skis–from Russia to Finland.

Martyn Pig

Meet Martyn Pig, a boy with a terrible name, trapped in a terrible life. His mother has left him. His father is a belligerent, abusive alcoholic. It seems like his life can’t get any worse. And then it does.Faced with the sudden, accidental death of his father, Martyn realizes that for the first time ever, he has a choice. He can tell the police what happened — or he can get rid of the body and go on with the rest of his life. Deciding on the latter, Martyn and his pretty new neighbor come up with a seemingly foolproof plan. Then, just as Martyn begins to think his life is finally under control, a twisted turn of events leaves him stunned beyond belief.

The Odd Egg

Each of the birds has an egg except for Duck. So when Duck finds a beautiful egg of his own he’s delighted — even though the other birds make fun of it. But everyone’s in for a BIG surprise when his egg finally hatches!

Dancing through the Shadows

Into the pattern of Ellen’s days, filled with dance practice and vacation plans, comes an unwelcome surprise: her mother has breast cancer. Suddenly her family’s life hinges on endless rounds of hospital visits and support groups, cancer nurses and chemotherapy. Ellen learns to cope with her mother’s illness as she helps uncover an ancient secret that holds special meaning for her. As they work and learn together, her friends and teachers guide her through her own healing process shaped by life-giving water and life-affirming dance. In Dancing Through the Shadows, Theresa Tomlinson describes a family faced with a devastating crisis.

The Patchwork People

Privileged, isolated Helena and impoverished, unemployed Hugh find some fulfillment in their love, but they are still trapped in this dismal Wales of the future — until they meet an unusual group of “patchwork people,” who are working carefully and thoughtfully with what remains of the Earth’s resources.