Simply tie the front and back covers of this 14-page board book together, and get ready to celebrate! The two envelopes inside contain everything you need to decorate: sheets of stickers, shiny paper, and ornaments to cut out and color, plus tips for creating even more decorations for your very own tree.
Oceania
Materials from Oceania
I Love to Sing
Ollie loves to sing. He loves to sing in his bed or in the park. He loves to sing with his dog, Fred. In this sweet, engaging picture book, Ollie celebrates singing, friendship and fun.
Who Cares?
Rhys loves to tap dance. Knowing how his peers may react, Rhys keeps his passion to himself. Sam spends his days surfing, yet when Rhys spends the weekend at Lorne with him, he seems really keen on Rhys’s tap. Maybe Sam has a secret too.
Troubletwisters
When their house mysteriously explodes and they are sent to live with an unknown relative named Grandma X, twelve-year-old twins Jaide and Jack Shield learn that they are troubletwisters, young Wardens just coming into their powers, who must protect humanity from The Evil trying to break into Earth’s dimension.
Dying to Tell Me
Sasha didn’t think her life could get any worse. She was wrong. Her dad decided to move she and her brother to a new town whose residents didn’t seem very glad to have a new policeman – never mind his kids – in town.
Butterflies
Katherine is almost eighteen. Severely burned when she was three, she dreams that one day she will look like everyone else. Be like everyone else. Achieve her dreams. But Katherine won’t be seen as a victim. Her life is filled with fun and humor and friendship, as she faces her first “real” date, arguments with her mum, and decisions about her future.
An extraordinary story of a journey where pain and trauma become triumph and a passion for living, “Butterflies” is a coming-of-age story that celebrates the fighter in all of us.
Who Dares?
A surfing competition, some serious skateboarding and several puzzling mysteries are the ingredients for an awesome beach vacation. While Rhys is totally focused on winning the Junior Surf Championship, Toby just wants to win his dare with Rhys. But things have a habit of not working out as planned, and the boys learn that it doesn’t pay to assume anything, about anyone, ever!
The Garden of Empress Cassia
Mimi lives with her parents above her father’s herbalist shop. She hates being Chinese and being teased at school. More than anything she loves to draw, so when her art teacher gives her a box of pastels Mimi is thrilled. These are no ordinary pastels for the inscription on the box warns that they are “A treasure for some, a curse for others”. Mimi is able to draw amazing scenes on the footpath outside her father’s shop and the pastels breathe life into the pictures for those able to see it. When Gemma, her tormentor at school, steals the pastels, Mimi knows she must get them back – not only to keep them safe and their magic intact, but to save Gemma from the pastel’s curse.
The Returning
An engrossing epic tale with a cast of characters that will hijack your heart. Cam Attling, having lost an arm, is the only one from his town of Kayforl to return after twelve years of war. All his fellow soldiers were slain, and suspicion surrounds him. When his betrothal to Graceful Fenister is called off and his role in the community questioned, Cam leaves to find the lord who maimed him but spared his life, seeking answers and a new place in the world. But this is not just Cam’s story, itÕs about all those whose fates entwine with his. Set in a medieval world that is entirely the author’s creation, this is an ingenious, exquisite story about what happens after the battle. When sisters, sons, friends, parents, and lovers are left to deal with the subtle aftermaths and unimagined repercussions of war.
The Visconti House
Two lonely grade-eight kids in rural Australia develop a friendship as they work together to unlock a mystery. Laura feels like an outcast because of her family’s artist lifestyle, her curly hair and bushy eyebrows, and the decaying mansion she calls home. Leon, newer to the area, is ostracized for living with his grandmother, the rumors about his father being in prison, and his shabby appearance. The friendship between the two progresses slowly because Laura, desperate to fit in, is embarrassed to be seen with Leon. As they work together to uncover the history of Laura’s house and Mr. Visconti-its original owner-and his tragic love story, Laura learns to understand the value of friendship.