Europe

Materials from Europe

Mr. Lightbulb

In this electrifying graphic novel debut, Polish animator and cartoonist Wojtek Wawszczyk uses magical realism to tell a moving tale of finding light in a life full of darkness. Mirroring the world we live in, the protagonist of this graphic novel comes from a broken home. However, in this case, the term is quite literal. Due to freak accidents at the steelworks where his parents work, his mom is snapped, his dad is flattened. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, one day, he suffers his own life changing experience: mistakenly swallowing a glob of molten metal gives him the strange power to radiate heat and light like a lightbulb. As he grows up, evolving from Bulb Boy to Mr. Lightbulb, he finds that his unique abilities can be a curse and a blessing; while they alienate him from others, they also allow him to shine.

All Shining In The Spring

This child-centred book focuses on SIDS and helps children and families cope with the loss of a baby. Written by Ireland’s first Children’s Laureate.

Heroines, Rescuers, Rabbis, Spies: Unsung Women Of The Holocaust

Discover nine ordinary women who took extraordinary measures to save lives during the Holocaust, resisting terror and torture while undercover or in hiding, in concentration camps, in forests, and in exile.

The Secrets Of Cricket Karlsson

Eleven-year-old Cricket Karlsson is a warm and complex character with an artistic soul. Written as a diary, tween readers will fall in love with Cricket’s tough yet charming voice as she shares her secret thoughts about her best friend break-up, her Aunt’s breakdown and experimental chewing gum sculptures. Punkish and surprising comic-style illustrations perfectly compliment this coming of age story

Noor And Bobby

“In a besieged city, Noor watches as his neighbors pack their bags and flee their homes-but a dog named Bobby is left behind. As Noor sets out across the ravaged city to save him, he discovers pockets of life and hope in this moving story of friendship in the face of adversity”–

Ratty’s Big Adventure

“Ratty is an enormous rat who lives deep inside the crater of an extinct volcano nestled in the rain forest. One day, he spies a particularly delicious-looking fruit high in the treetops and sets out to reach it. From this high vantage point a spectacular view stretches before him-the world outside his mountain crater. In this big outside world, Ratty imagines, the fruit must be much sweeter, the bird songs more beautiful, and the other animals far more interesting and sophisticated. So he sets off in search of better things. But when is he is asked to attend a dinner party by a crocodile who seems just a bit too friendly, Ratty realizes that perhaps there is no place like home after all”–

Grandad’s Pink Trousers

The grandfather of our story isn’t like other grandparents. He wears pink trousers! And that’s not all that’s strange about him. People say that he’s a strange old codger altogether. Some even think that he’s grumpy. But as his grandson grows up, he comes to understand why Grandad does strange things like refusing to give up his silly trousers. The child reader of this thought-provoking story will learn that quiet heroism can be more effective than a thousand grand gestures.