Sam loves to play games—but he doesn’t like to lose. So when his soccer team is playing against a team of bigger kids, Sam decides not to play. But if he doesn’t even play, how can he ever win?
Sam Is Not a Loser
Europe
Materials from Europe
Canned
Fergal Bamfield doesn’t collect stamps like normal kids. He’s an oddball (his mother prefers to call him “clever”), and his collection is as strange as everything else about him. Fergal Bamfield collects tin cans. Then one day he finds a can without a label. What could be in it? Peaches, soup, perhaps revolting spam? But instead it’s something gruesome: a human finger. Then Fergal finds another can, this time containing a one-word message, HELP! Now Fergal and his friend Charlotte are knee-deep in an adventure, and they’re about to learn something horrible: Everybody has an expiration date.
Greater Than Angels
In 1940, Anna Hirsch and her family are captured by the Nazis and deported to a refugee camp in the south of France. The children held in the camp are sent to Le Chambon, a tiny village whose citizens have agreed to care for deported children. There, in the face of escalating dominance and threats from the Nazi party, the good people of Le Chambon protect the refugees.
The Smugglers
Young John is charmed by the Dragon, the schooner he is planning to sail to London and use for the honest wool trade. But a mysterious gentleman delivers an ominous warning to “steer clear of that ship,” because the ship was “christened with blood.” The ship looks clever and quick, and the crew seems to know what to do, but with such a warning John is left to wonder how well he really knows what lies ahead.
A companion book to the adventure, The Wreckers.
Pippi Longstocking
In 1950, Viking published the original English version of Pippi Longstocking, the story of an irrepressible red-haired, freckle-faced girl who lived with a monkey and a horse, slept with her feet on the pillow, and found her way into the hearts of children all over the world. Now, Astrid Lindgren’s best-selling book has been given a sparkling new translation by the awardwinning Tiina Nunnally and delightful full-color illustrations by the critically acclaimed Lauren Child. This large-format gift book is sure to become the definitive edition of a favorite classic.
Finland
This book provides comprehensive information on the geogrpahy, history, wildlife, governmental structure, economy, cultural diversity, peoples, religion, and culture of Finland.
Monaco
Provides comprehensive information on the geography, history, governmental structure, economy, cultural diversity, peoples, religion, and culture of the Monaco.
How the Ladies Stopped the Wind
Iceland is a very windy place.Going for a walk can be challenging. The ladies in one village, with the help of the chickens, set out to stop the wind. But the hungry sheep have other plans. Why aren’t there any trees in the Icelandic countryside? This original tale will tell you why and leave you smiling at the determination of the ever singing Icelandic ladies and their steadfast chickens.
Stories by Firelight
The magic of winter is captured perfectly in this collection of prose, lyrical poetry, and dramatic pictures. The festive spirit of the winter season is captured in stories dealing with cold weather, winter nights, and Christmas.
William Blake: The Gates Of Paradise
Journey back to the 1700s to meet one of the most fascinating people in history. Dreamer, craftsman, poet, madman, and genius — William Blake. Born in 1757 in London, as a boy he apprenticed as an engraver and began a career that would include masterpieces of art.Blake lived during times of incredible change and upheaval, including the Gordon Riots and the French Revolution. Spiritualism and the allure of magic were being replaced by a belief in rationalism. Blake celebrated the beauty of small things. His work showed, “…a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower….” [William Blake] Yet, with the noise and dirt of mills (factories), the Industrial Revolution was drowning out a quiet, rural way of life. The value of things made carefully by hand was being lost.At the same time, the printing press was making it possible for more and more people to read. The rise of printed books and book illustration was revolutionary and Blake was part of it.On the 250th anniversary of Blake’s birth, master storyteller Michael Bedard brings this Renaissance man and his times to vivid life in this biography that is lavishly illustrated with Blake’s work.