International

Disappearing Acts

Disappearing Acts is a beautifully illustrated search-and-find book. Each page features a densely detailed landscape: rainforest, savannah, coral reef, and more. Within these landscapes are hiding threatened species such as the Adelie penguin, elephant, panda, and snow leopard, and children are invited to search the picture to find each one. Alongside each illustration run descriptions of the animals, their numbers, their habitats, and why they are endangered. At the back of the book an index of animals provides further context. Isabella Bunnell’s warm, intricate watercolors provide a delightful way to learn about our planet’s rich diversity and fragile ecosystems.eco

Flying Colors

By exploring the designs of flags, we can learn all about the histories and aspirations of the countries they represent. Did you know that only the flag of Nepal has more than four sides? Or that the flag of Mozambique features a book, a hoe and an AK47? Robert Fresson’s vintage-inflected illustrations shed fresh light on the wonders of vexillology.

Impossible Inventors

This book collects ancient and modern inventions. Some are revolutionary, others comical, others simply impossible. But each testifies to the extraordinary imagination of its inventor. You’ll find a flying bicycle, a bubble telegraph, passenger clouds and passenger birds, mechanical chess players, a water clock, a concentration hood, and many more incredible ideas.

Here And There

Explore the amazing dieversity of our planet’s people and cultures in full technicolor. Find out how people celebrate the New Year in Thailand, discover Iran’s incredible Fire Festival, and much, much more.

What a Wonderful Word

This handpicked collection of untranslatable words from all over the world celebrates the magic of language, with gorgeous original artwork and fascinating facts about each word and the culture it comes from.

Featured in Volume XIII, Issue 2 of WOW Review.

The Triumphant Tale Of The House Sparrow

So begins Jan Thornhill’s riveting, beautifully illustrated story of the House Sparrow. She traces the history of this perky little bird, one of the most adaptable creatures on Earth, from its beginnings in the Middle East to its spread with the growth of agriculture into India, North Africa and Europe. Everywhere the House Sparrow went, it competed with humans for grain, becoming such a pest that in some places “sparrow catcher” became an actual job and bounties were paid to those who got rid of it.

Story Worlds A Moment In Time

This book invites readers to explore the mysterious world of time zones. The illustrations on each page depict the same single moment in time, presenting the reader with a vast array of interwoven human stories from around the world. Readers are introduced to a number of different people and activities, from to a nomad leading his camels through the Sahara Desert to a pod of humpback whales traveling through the Pacific Ocean.

Endless Path

The jataka tales—stories of the Buddha’s past lives (in both human and animal form)—were first said to have been told by the Buddha himself 2,500 years ago. In print since the 5th century BCE, 550 jataka tales comprise part of the oldest Buddhist text, the Pali Canon. From this wealth of folklore, award-winning author and storyteller Rafe Martin has chosen ten tales that illustrate the ideals of the Buddhist paramitas, or “perfections” of character: giving, morality, forbearance, vitality, focused meditation, wisdom, compassionate skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge.Endless Path presents these ancient stories, usually reduced to children’s tales in the West, for adults, reconnecting modern seekers with the more imaginative roots of Buddhism. The jatakas help readers see their own lives, their failures and renewed efforts, in the same light as the challenges the Buddha faced—not as obstacles but as opportunities for developing character and self-understanding. Endless Path demonstrates the relevance of these tales to Buddhist lay practitioners today, as well as to those more broadly interested in Buddhist teaching and the ancient art of storytelling.