Seven-year-old Polina lives in St. Petersburg with her parents; her grandparents live next door. This book shows one day in her life and delivers plenty of cultural information
A Child’s Day in a Russian City
Europe
Materials from Europe
The Chocolate Cat
In a drab village nestled between the mountains and the sea, an old chocolate maker lives alone with his cat, making uninspired chocolates to display in his dusty shop. One day he does something different and makes chocolate mice with crunchy pink-sugar tails—but he won’t eat them. Cat soon discovers there’s something truly special about these little mice, and everyone who tastes them is inspired to create something new and different, something the little village has never seen.
Paddington Here and Now
With trouble apparently following him everywhere he roams, lovable Paddington Bear must use his charm and wit to straighten out dilemmas involving a grouchy neighbor and a strange mishap that lands him center stage at a concert.
Frontier Wolf
As punishment for his poor judgment, a young, inexperienced Roman army officer is sent to Northern England to assume the command of a motley group known as the Frontier Wolves.
The Inferior
Stopmouth and his family know of no other life than the daily battle to survive. To live, they must hunt rival species, or negotiate flesh-trade with those who crave meat of the freshest human kind. It is a savage, desperate existence. And for Stopmouth, considered slow-witted hunt-fodder by his tribe due in part to his stutter, the future looks especially bleak. But then, on the day he is callously betrayed by his brother, a strange and beautiful woman falls from the sky. It is a moment that will change his destiny, and that of all humanity, forever.
Forging Freedom: A True Story of Heroism during the Holocaust
Jaap Penraat can’t understand the Germans’ hatred of his Jewish neighbors in his hometown of Amsterdam. As the restrictions multiply and the violence escalates, Jaap knows he must take action to help his friends. He begins by using his father’s printing press to forge identification cards and papers for Jewish neighbors and refugees, but as the Nazi grasp tightens, he is forced to take a more drastic path leading twenty Jews on the dangerous first leg of a journey to Paris, the start of the underground pipeline to safety.This initial group of twenty men is only the beginning; the number eventually grows to over four hundred Jews saved from certain death by Jaap Penraat’s heroic efforts, brought to life in this vivid retelling.
Theo
When the Nazis announce that all orphans in Athens are to be rounded up and sent to Germany, Theo and his older brother Soc travel to a small village where they can hide and join the resistance movement. But Soc is executed for sabotage, leaving Theo to be taken in by the resistance fighters Patir Alex and his wife. Now Theo’s only companion from before the war is his shadow puppet, Karagiozis, a beloved and heroic character in Greek puppet theater. The young puppeteer puts on shows with Karagiozis, depicting scenes of Nazi defeat and re-enacting tales about the history of Greece, as he struggles to understand the meaning of heroism and to make sense of what is happening in the world around him. Against the bleak backdrop of the fiercely beautiful Greek landscape, this moving, dramatic story is about kindness, bravery, and the perseverance of humanity even in the most devastating of times.
Ian Penney’s Abc
Young readers have fun learning their ABCs by finding the objects beginning with the letter for each page. Colorful borders on each page show the entire alphabet.
One for All – All for One
When clumsy Max Mouse isn’t tripping over himself, he’s falling flat on his whiskers. But as he venturs out on his own for the first time, he takes his mother’s advice to follow his dreams. So Max makes the best of what he’s got, just like the friends in need that he meets along the way. They create a shelter from the storm and agree to stick together.
Once Upon 1001 Stories
There’s nothing usual about what happens when favorite fairy tales are put together in a book, and the reader is asked to decide what happens next. It’s an entertaining and exciting adventure through the intermingled paths of a fairy tale maze.