Materials from Sweden
Frances Dean loves to dance. She feels the wind and she dances. She hears singing birds and she dances. In her every waking moment, she is inspired to move. But as soon as anyone is around, Frances Dean’s knees begin to tremble, butterflies start to flutter in her tummy, and she forgets how to dance.
On the eve of Princess Sophia’s wedding, the Scandinavian city of Skyggehavn prepares to fete the occasion with a sumptuous display of riches: brocade and satin and jewels, feasts of sugar fruit and sweet spiced wine. Yet beneath the veneer of celebration, a shiver of darkness creeps through the palace halls. A mysterious illness plagues the royal family, threatening the lives of the throne’s heirs, and a courtier’s wolfish hunger for the king’s favors sets a devious plot in motion. Here in the palace at Skyggehavn, things are seldom as they seem — and when a single errant prick of a needle sets off a series of events that will alter the course of history, the fates of seamstress Ava Bingen and mute nursemaid Midi Sorte become irrevocably intertwined with that of mad Queen Isabel. As they navigate a tangled web of palace intrigue, power-lust, and deception, Ava and Midi must carve out their own survival any way they can.
A delightful picture book about a father and daughter’ s trip into the wilderness, and how children can help parents see the world in a different way.
Pig was the loneliest pig in the world, locked in his pen while the children played in the schoolyard behind him. But suddenly, Pig can’t believe his own curly tail! The children have disguised him in a sweater, pants, and a hat; and he’s made it inside their preschool classroom. Everyone is having a blast, but how can Pig’s new friends keep the teachers from finding out about him?
Readers will be astounded and amused by this introduction to the strange and amazing world of seeing, hearing, and smelling in the animal kingdom.
A Swedish family faces many hardships when they immigrate to America in search of a better life.
An old musician, who has gained more and more recognition for his playing on different instruments, sets out for the King’s music competition and eventually winds up back home with a knowledge of what he really wants.
Ronia, who lives with her father and his band of robbers in a castle in the woods, causes trouble when she befriends the son of a rival robber chieftain.
While Jonatan lies comatose in the emergency room, his father tells him stories of his meeting with Jonatan’s mother, their life as a family, and the events that caused them to be separated for more than a decade.
A tale about the power of a mother’s love tells how a Swedish mother’s cherished baby is returned to her after she nurtures the ugly troll child that took its place.