Adventure

Mrs. Harkness and the Panda

In 1934, Ruth Harkness had never seen a panda bear.  Not many people in the world had.

But soon the young Mrs. Harkness would inherit an expedition from her explorer husband: the hunt for a panda.  She knew that bringing back a panda would be hard. Impossible, even.  But she intended to try.

So she went to China, where she found a guide, built traps, gathered supplies, and had explorers’ clothes made—unheard of for a woman in those days.  Then she set out up the Yangtze River and into the wilderness.  What she discovered would awe America: an adorable baby panda she named Su Lin, which means “a little bit of something very cute.”

Rude Ramsay And The Roaring Radishes

In Rude Ramsay and the Roaring Radishes, bestselling author Margaret Atwood offers a delightfully ridiculous tale about the virtues of resisting restrictions.  Rude Ramsay has reached the end of his rope!  Sick of dining on rock-hard rice, rubbery ribs, wrinkled ravioli, and raw rhinoceros, Ramsay and Ralph the red- nosed rat resolve to leave their rectangular residence (and Ramsay’s revolting relatives) on a quest for more refreshing repast.  Along the way they encounter the raven-haired Rillah, a romantic rectory, and a patch of roaring radishes.  Together Ramsay, Ralph and Rillah reveal that sometimes the grass truly is greener on the other side of the rampart.

With renowned author Margaret Atwood’s rollicking text and Dusan Petricic’s devilish and insightful illustrations, Rude Ramsay and the Roaring Radishes is a rare and rewarding treat for readers of all ages.

What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?

This delightfully illustrated book introduces children to the concept of time through the mishaps and misdaventures of Mr. Wolf. The Story traces the escapades of the bumbling Mr. Wolf as he pursues Mouse and Squirrel through their daily activities. A large clock accompanies each activity, representing the passage of time. Bob Beeson’s vivid pen and marker illustrations captivate the eye and capture the imagination with ever-changing details. With its wonderfully entertaining story and pictures, What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf? is the perfect book for children just beginning to learn about clocks and telling time.

The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard

A comic romp through Shakespeare’s London featuring an intrepid little boy, a friendly bear, and-in the role of dastardly villain-the Bard himself. What happens when a boy bursts through the curtain of a deserted theatre and onto the world’s most famous stage? He lands on the Bard himself and the chase is on-through the streets of Shakespeare’s London. This is a rare and inventive visual feast-a runaway story about a curious boy, a magic cloak, a grumpy bard, a captive bear and a baron bound for the chopping block. It is also a richly illustrated, dramatic and very funny tale of adventure and friendship.

The Best Restaurant in the World

The next time you go to the beach, look out at the horizon, and you just might see the Super Sailing Sea Restaurant bobbing along. Climb aboard and Chef Peppi will treat you to cotton-candy clouds, introduce you to the flying Spotted Sea Singers, and much more. Maritime magic and scrumptious treats waft on every tropical breeze in this delicious, ice-cream-colored adventure.

Ranger’s Apprentice: Erak’s Ransom

What does it mean to earn the Silver Oakleaf? So few men have done so. For Will, a mere boy, that symbol of honor has long felt out of reach. Now, in the wake of Araluen’s uneasy truce with the raiding Skandians comes word that the Skandian leader has been captured by a dangerous desert tribe. The Rangers are sent to free him. But the desert is like nothing these warriors have seen before. Strangers in a strange land, they are brutalized by sandstorms, beaten by the unrelenting heat, tricked by one tribe that plays by its own rules, and surprisingly befriended by another. Like a desert mirage, nothing is as it seems. Yet one thing is constant: the bravery of the Rangers. In this red-hot adventure, winner of the Australian Book of the Year Award for Older Children, John Flanagan raises the stakes on the series that has already sold millions of copies worldwide.

Little Devils

Robert J. Blake shines a light on a little-known animal.Burnie, Winnie and Big Stanley are three Tasmanian devil pups growing up in the wild. Along with their mother, they make one happy family. Since the pups are still so small, Mum does all the hunting. But one night, Mum doesnt come home and the pups are getting hungry . . . and worried. They need food, but more importantly, they need Mum. Big Stanley is the first to leave the den. Then Burnie. And finally Winnie. Together they set out with one goal in mind: find Mum.

Herbert

A boy never gives up hope when his little dog vanishes at sea in this suspenseful and heartwarming true-life adventure. Herbert was a small dog who lived by the sea. Everybody loved him, but the person who loved him best of all was Tim. One fine day, Herbert sets off on a boat with Tim’s father. But without warning, a storm crashes in — and so begins the biggest adventure of Herbert’s life. This stirring true story, written and illustrated by Robyn Belton, tells the remarkable tale of a young boy’s beloved dog and his real-life adventure at sea.

Belle’s Song

Fifteen-year-old Belle is a dreamer with a sharp tongue and an aching burden: her carelessness has crippled her father. A chance meeting with bespectacled Luke has her decide to join the pilgrimage to Canterbury made famous by Geoffrey Chaucer’s beloved tales. There she befriends the famous writer and Walter, a handsome squire with a secret of his own. Growing to love her fellow travelers dearly, Belle is thrilled by the attention from both Luke and Walter. But casting its shadow over the pilgrims is the threat to England posed by an unreliable king anxious to keep his throne at any cost. When Belle discovers that Master Chaucer is embroiled in dangerous politics, she is forced to make a choice that will turn her pilgrimage into a gamble with a deadly price. K. M. Grant’s epic story will introduce the world of Chaucer to a whole new group of readers.