Trees change through the seasons — springing to life, bearing fruit, and losing their leaves before a period of sleep. They clean the air we breathe, provide seeds and homes for creatures, and extend their shade to everyone equally.
Europe
Materials from Europe
Under the Umbrella
The weather has never been worse. The man with the stormy heart is soaked and he’s going to be late! His mood is as black as the sky. Outside a nearby patisserie, a little boy stands under the shelter of its awning, gazing at the beautiful treats on display. When the wind snatches the man’s umbrella and drops it at the child’s feet, can this hasty curmudgeon slow down long enough for an unlikely friendship to blossom?
Yokki and the Parno Gry
When a Traveller family experiences a run of bad luck, an imaginative boy called Yokki lifts their spirits with tales of a magical white horse.
Papasaurus
Babysaurus loves playing hide-and-seek with his Papasaurus. But one day, no matter where he looks, he can’t find him, so Babysaurus turns to his prehistoric friends for help. Where can his Papasaurus be?
Ossiri and the Bala Mengro
A Traveller girl creates her own musical instrument from a willow branch and lots of recycled objects. She plays it enthusiastically, but it sounds terrible! Ignoring warnings not to awaken the ogre in the hills, Ossiri goes there to practice playing her instrument.
Lesser Spotted Animals
Bison? They’re banned! Tigers? Taboo! Say good-bye to the gnu, cheerio to the cheetah, and peace to the panda. The world of Lesser Spotted Animals STARTS HERE!
Lighter Than Air
Behold the story of Sophie Blanchard, an extraordinary woman who is largely forgotten despite her claim to being the very first female pilot in history. In eighteenth-century France, “balloonomania” has fiercely gripped the nation . . . but all of the pioneering aeronauts are men.
The Whopper
This humorous, quirky story is about a little boy who tells a lie, only to be followed around by his guilt in the form of the Whopper, a hungry and persistent monster. As Percy’s guilt grows, so does the Whopper, until finally the Whopper EATS Percy! Percy at last realizes that he must tell the truth in order to keep the Whopper from growing any bigger.
Seeking Refuge
Eleven-year-old Marianne is fourntunate. She is one of the first two hundred Jewish children in the heroic rescue operation known as the Kindertransport, which arrived in London, England in December 1938.
Raymond
Raymond the dog is just your regular family pet until, one day, he has a thought: couldn’t he just sit at the table? Isn’t that what families do together? Soon Raymond begins to leave all his canine ways behind, and so do all the other dogs in town. Dogs go to the movies; dogs go out for coffee; and Raymond lands a high-powered journalism job at DOGUE magazine. But is Raymond’s new gig all work and no play? He doesn’t even have time for family dinner! Maybe, just maybe, Raymond misses the dog’s life.