How do you listen with your heart? For one small boy, the heart’s language is the only one he knows. With his heart he can speak to animals, trees, and creatures of the sea. But he cannot be understood by the people around him, even those who love him most — his mother and father. One day, when he is feeling sad and alone, he is visited by a magical blue bird. With the bird’s encouragement, the boy finds a way to make himself heard. And when his parents try to speak the boy’s language, they are finally able to express their love, and truly communicate with the shared language of the heart. This lyrical story of love and understanding will speak to anyone whose life has been touched by an exceptional child.
Oceania
Materials from Oceania
Koala Hospital
Koala Hospital features a koala rescue center in Australia. It shows why koalas are in danger, how they come to be in the sanctuary, and the process of healing and rehabilitating koalas for return to the wild. Koala Hospital also focuses on the people who work at the rescue center and how they aid the animals.
Ihimaera
A selection by Witi Ihimaera of his best short stories from throughout his career. Beginning with A Game of Cards from his now-classic Pounamu Pounamu (1972) and finishing with Going to the Heights of Abraham, a story by a mature Witi about his relationship with his father. Included are 11 stories previously unpublished in an author’s anthology.
Blu’s Hanging
On the Hawaiian island of Molokai, life goes on for the three young Ogata children after the death of their mother and subsequent emotional withdrawal of their grief and guilt-stricken “Poppy.” The eldest at 13, Ivah is now responsible for the safety and well-being of tiny Maisie, vulnerable and mute since their mother’s passing; and for Blu, her uncontainable brother whose desperate need for love has made him vulnerable to the most insidious of relationships.
Black Rainbow
Set in a future New Zealand where only the Citizen who asks no questions can achieve happiness, a renegade hero seeks to rescue his family in the State-sponsored Game of Life.
Potiki (Talanoa)
This compelling novel will resonate for people everywhere who find their livelihood threatened by “Dollarmen” – property speculators advocating golf courses, high rises, shopping malls, and tourist attractions. In ‘Potiki’, one community’s response to attacks on their ancestral values and symbols provides moving affirmation of the relationship between land the the people who live on it.
The Whale Rider
As her beloved grandfather, chief of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, struggles to lead in difficult times and to find a male successor, young Kahu is developing a mysterious relationship with whales, particularly the ancient bull whale.
Across The Wall: A Tale Of The Abhorsen And Other Stories
A collection of fantasy short stories plus a novella that is set in the world of the Abhorsen trilogy. Thoughts of Lirael and Sam haunt his dreams, and he has come to realize that his destiny lies there, along with all those he cares for. But here in Ancelstierre, far south of the Wall, the Charter is dormant, and among the obstacles Nick faces is one that is not entirely human, and which has a strange power that seems to come from Nicholas himself.
The House That Jack Built
The familiar cumulative nursery rhyme is illustrated with scenes placing the characters in an Aotearoa, New Zealand, setting during the early 19th century.
Henry and Amy: (Right-Way-Round and Upside Down)
Any child who has ever experienced a moment of self-doubt will be both reassured and delighted by this heartwarming tale of two very different friends and their ability to help one another feel more complete.