Finding a seriously hurt dolphin in the Amazon near her small Colombian village and suspecting her stepfather of having wounded it, Carmenza nurses it back to health and turns to the wise old Indian Omar to appease its spirit.
Animals
Peanut
When an old lady finds a small elephant in the park, she names him Peanut. She takes him home and treat him like a pet dog. Peanut’s not like other dogs and another walk in the park reveals that he’s missing from the circus. When Peanut returns to the circus, the old lady is sad again, until she comes across a camel. She decides to treat it like a cat.
One for All – All for One
When clumsy Max Mouse isn’t tripping over himself, he’s falling flat on his whiskers. But as he venturs out on his own for the first time, he takes his mother’s advice to follow his dreams. So Max makes the best of what he’s got, just like the friends in need that he meets along the way. They create a shelter from the storm and agree to stick together.
Nilo and the Tortoise (Dinofours)
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, near the Equator, lie the, Galapagos Islands- a tropical haven for sea lion, giants tortoises, and colorful birds. Nilo has visited these islands many times with his father. But when his father’s boat break down, the stranded boy encounters these amazing animals firsthand in an adventure he never forget. Although the island is familiar, the boy feels small and alone–especially after being chased by an angry sea lion. He finds some comfort, however, in the island’s birds and in a friendly giant tortoise that keeps him company until his father returns the next day.
Fox
An injured magpie and a one-eyed dog live happily together in the forest, until a jealous fox arrives to teach them what it means to be alone.
Dolphin Song
Just as Martine is settling into life at Sawubona, the wildlife game reserve, with her grandmother and Jemmy, her white giraffe, she must leave for two weeks on a school trip off the coast of South Africa. What begins as an exciting sea adventure quickly turns perilous when Martine and five of her classmates are thrown overboard into shark-infested waters. They are saved by a pod of dolphins only to end up marooned on a deserted island. The castaways, at odds with one another, must figure out not only how to survive, but how to save the dolphins that have mysteriously beached themselves on the island’s shore. In a gripping tale of courage, friendship, and survival, Martine uses her healing gift and her bushcraft to help humans and animals alike.
St. John also wrote The White Giraffe.
Once Upon an Island
A collection of four fables which recount the adventures of various animals living on the islands of the West Indies.
The First Music
When the animals all get together in the jungle, they discover that the noise that they have been making is indeed music. Dylan Pritchett weaves a tale that helps us discover that we all have music inside just waiting to come out.
Stories of Mexico’s Independence Days and Other Bilingual Children’s Fables
This collection of six bilingual children’s stories takes a regional and historical emphases. “Sixteen” provides the background of September 16, Mexico’s day of independence from Spain. “The Little General” teaches children about Cinco de Mayo through a young boy who helps save his village from the French army. The remaining four stories are fables that impart important moral themes to young readers. In “Sweetie, the Lion that Thought He Was a Sheep,” children learn to respect different backgrounds and abilities. “A Parrot for Christmas” demonstrates the friendship children can share with animals and “Orlando, the Circus Bear” emphasizes the importance of compassion toward animals. “A Horse Called ‘Miracle’” teaches the value of helping others in need. Each story is followed with discussion questions to help children recall the story’s key details and suggestions for classroom activities designed to stimulate curiosity and expand knowledge of historical events.
Opossum and the Great Firemaker
Relates the traditional Cora Indian tale in which Opossum outwits the larger and more powerful Iguana and returns the stolen fire to the people of the earth.