Barbara has a secret friend who lives in the garden. It’s her twin sister, Lalla-Lee, and Barbara doesn’t have to share her with her papa or mama or brother. What’s even better is that Lalla-Lee calls Barbara her “Most Beloved Sister.” Together, the girls bravely ride their horses through the Great Horrible Forest, where the nasty Frights live, to visit the Kind Ones in the meadow. The Kind Ones always give them cookies and caramels. And best of all, Barbara and Lalla-Lee go to the Most Beautiful Valley in the World, where the trees and the flowers sing. At the end of this particular adventure, Barbara knows that she must say goodbye to Lalla-Lee for the final time. But when she arrives home, there is a wonderful surprise waiting for her.
Sweden
Materials from Sweden
The Midsummer Tomte And The Little Rabbits
It’s summer in the forest and the rabbit children are looking forward to their first Midsummer party. Owl, who knows everything, says Midsummer is a time for dancing, love and magic. What a fun time they will have!
Animals
From a star of children’s design in Sweden comes an exquisite array of animals rendered with whimsy and stylish splendor. Every oversized page highlights a different specimen, from an adorable sheep to an elegant flamingo, from an endearing hippo to a silly-looking snake. Each animal’s name appears in a different eye-catching type treatment, making for an attractive graphic keepsake sure to find a prominent place in nurseries and bookshelves everywhere.
When I Am Happiest
A standalone follow-up to My Happy Life and My Heart is Laughing. Dani is very happy it is the last day of school, and summer is about to start. But then there’s a knock on the classroom door, and Dani is told her father has been in an accident. He’s in the hospital! How can she possibly be happy now? A warm and heartfelt story about Dani’s love for her dad and her ongoing friendship with Ella. It’s a story about sorrow and joy and how life really is.
Deep Sea
Three years ago, Stephie and her younger sister, Nellie, escaped the Nazis in Vienna and fled to an island in Sweden, where they were taken in by different families. Now sixteen-year-old Stephie is going to school on the mainland. Stephie enjoys her studies, and rooming with her school friend, May. But life is only getting more complicated as she gets older.
Ninja Timmy
In the city of Elyzandrium, an intrepid cat and his animal friends meet an inventor of magical toys, investigate the case of the stolen laughter, and ultimately become a successful crime fighting gang of ninjas.
Astrid the Fly
A small insect learns that even though she can walk on the ceiling and fly superfast, there are dangers lurking everywhere.
My Heart Is Laughing
This is a story about Dani, who’s always happy. She’s unhappy too, now and then, but she doesn’t count those times. But she does miss her best friend Ella who moved to another town. Since then no one is allowed to sit at Ella’s desk. She’s not one to give up hope, even when everything seems hopeless.
The Diamond Mystery
Somebody is stealing diamonds from the jeweler Mohammed Carat! It looks like the culprit is someone on his staff, but who? Is it Luke Smith, the recently hired fitness fanatic with a taste for the finer things in life? It surely can’t be Vivian Leander, the loyal shop assistant who is now short of money . . . The police in the little town of Valleby are stuck, so they contact young detectives Jerry and Maya, classmates who run their own detective agency. Will Jerry and Maya be able to use their detective skills to find the thief? As they well know, even a tiny clue is worth its weight in gold.
The Hotel Mystery
It is Christmas Eve, and the grand Braeburn family has come to stay in the luxury suite of Valleby’s hotel. With them, they have brought their extremely valuable dog. The hotel manager promises the family that he’ll take great care of their dog—but before they know it, the dog has gone missing without a trace! Jerry and Maya, the local young detectives, are brought in to help sniff out the missing hound.