How I Learned Geography

A 2009 Caldecott Honor Book. Having fled from war in their troubled homeland, a boy and his family are living in poverty in a strange country. Food is scarce, so when the boy’s father brings home a map instead of bread for supper, at first the boy is furious. But when the map is hung on the wall, it floods their cheerless room with color. As the boy studies its every detail, he is transported to exotic places without ever leaving the room, and he eventually comes to realize that the map feeds him in a way that bread never could. Based on the artist’s childhood memories of World War II.

The Mermaid of Warsaw

Enchanting, wicked and often very funny, Poland’s folk tales are one of the great treasures of Central Europe. Crowned by the story of The Mermaid of Warsaw, the eight colourful tales in this collection include Skarbnik’s Second Breakfast, set deep in the Wieliczka salt mines, The Turnip-Counter from Karkonosze and The Copper Coin of Wineta, alongside stories from Poznan and the Polish lakes.

I Am Fifteen-And I Don’t Want To Die

Christine is only fifteen, and she’s caught in the middle of a war-torn city. Huddled in the cold, dark cellar of their bombed-out apartment building, Christine and her family listen in fear as the battle rages over their heads. They must get out of the city–but where will they go and how will they escape? Christine is learning some hard lessons about life–and death–as she struggles to stay alive amidst the horrors of war.

My First Garden

Inspired by hearing that a garden used to grow in the yard in front of his house, a boy recreates it with loving care.

The Story Of A Blue Bird

A baby bird discovers the joy of flying despite his initial fears.

Cat And Mouse In The Night

Their inattentiveness strands a little mouse and a little cat in the meadow after dark, where their fear turns into a wonderful discovery, in a fable that confronts children’s fear of the dark.

Cat And Mouse In The Rain

Despite the warnings of their sisters and brothers, a little mouse and a little cat enjoy playing in the rain with a frog.

The Way Meat Loves Salt: A Cinderella Tale From The Jewish Tradition

In this Eastern European Jewish variant of the Cinderella story, the youngest daughter of a rabbi is sent away from home in disgrace, but thanks to the help of the prophet Elijah, marries the son of a renowned scholar and is reunited with her family. Includes words and music to a traditional Yiddish wedding song.

Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto

This is the only biography for children about the remarkable Holocaust heroine Irena Sendler, who smuggled over 400 children out of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Who Is My Neighbor?

A young boy discovers that his upstairs neighbor has some very special talents.

Worlds of Words

International Collection of Children’s and Adolescent Literature

Poland