A Boy Called Dickens

For years Dickens kept the story of his own childhood a secret. Yet it is a story worth telling. For it helps us remember how much we all might lose when a child’s dreams don’t come true. As a child, Dickens was forced to live on his own and work long hours in a rat-infested blacking factory. Readers will be drawn into the winding streets of London, where they will learn how Dickens got the inspiration for many of his characters. This tale of his little-known boyhood is the perfect way to introduce kids to the great author.

The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape Of Margret and H.A. Rey

In 1940, Hans and Margret Rey fled their Paris home as the German army advanced. They began their harrowing journey on bicycles, pedaling to Southern France with children’s book manuscripts among their few possessions. Louise Borden combed primary resources, including Hans Rey’s pocket diaries, to tell this dramatic true story. Archival materials introduce readers to the world of Hans and Margret Rey while Allan Drummond dramatically and colorfully illustrates their wartime trek to a new home. Follow the Rey’s amazing story in this unique large format book that resembles a travel journal and includes full-color illustrations, original photos, actual ticket stubs and more. A perfect book for Curious George fans of all ages.

American Fairy Tales: From Rip Van Winkle To The Rootabaga Stories

Includes works and discussion of Washington Irving, Horace E. Scudder, M.S.B., Frank Stockton, Howard Pyle, Louisa May Alcott, L. Frank Baum, Laura E. Richards, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Will Bradley, Carl Sandburg, and Neil Philip.

Paris in the Spring with Picasso

This book describes how some of Paris’s famous artists and writers, such as Pablo Picasso, Max Jacob, and Guillaume Appollinaire, spend their day before preparing to attend a party at Gertrude Stein’s apartment.

Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude

This picture book is about two huge supporters of modern art and literature, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude. And Alice is Alice. And Gertrude and Alice are Gertrude and Alice. And you are welcome to join them for tea. But beware, for there you will find a bear in a chair, just barely scary. And here is a beard with a man attached to it. And then, of course, some words might appear, uninvited , but delighted in spite of their lightbulbs. But that doesn’t make any sense.

A Gift from Childhood: Memories of an African Boyhood

Baba Wagué is only four years old when he is sent to the tiny Malian village of Kassaro to be raised by his paternal grandparents, according to the family tradition. He is most unhappy about this at first, but under his grandmother’s patient and wise tutelage he comes to love his close-knit village community. He learns how to catch a catfish with his bare hands, flees from an army of bees, and mistakes a hungry albino cobra snake for a pink inner tube. Finally, Grandma Sabou decides that Baba is educated enough to go to school, and he moves back to the city, where his family struggles to provide him with a formal education. But he brings his village stories with him, and in the process of sharing them with his neighborhood uncovers his immense artistic and storytelling talents.

My Special Day at Third Street School

A school visit from children’s book author Amanda Drake brings a day full of fun. A boy tells how his class prepares for author Amanda Drake’s arrival: reading her books, decorating the room, making lemonade, baking a cake and discussing what questions to ask (and not to ask). The writer makes a terrific impression and motivates the children to write their own stories later. Meanwhile the narrator has made a suggestion to Miss Drake that inspires her next book , My Special Day in Third Street School.

My Name is Gabriela/Me Llamo Gabriela (Bilingual): The Life of Gabriela Mistral/La Vida de Gabriela Mistral

Gabriela Mistral loved words and sounds and stories. Born in Chile, she would grow to become the first Nobel Prize-winning Latina woman in the world. As a poet and a teacher, she inspired children across many countries to let their voices be heard. This beautifully crafted story, where words literally come to life, is told with the rhythm and melody of a poem. The second in Luna Rising’s bilingual storybook biography series. My Name is Gabriela/Me llamo Gabriela is beautiful tribute to a woman who taught us the power of words and the importance of following our dreams. The story of Gabriela Mistral will continue to inspire children everywhere.

Zora Hurston Y El Arbol Sonador / Zora Hurston And The Chinaberry Tree (Spanish Edition)

Zora’s father thinks she should wear dresses instead of overalls and leave tree climbing and dreaming of big cities to boys. But her mother teaches Zora that dreams, like new tree branches, are always within reach. “Emphasizes the awareness of family, nature, and community that is reflected in [Hurston’s] writing.” — The New York Times Book Review

Isabel Allende: Recuerdos Para Un Cuento / Isabel Allende: Memories For A Story

A simple description of the childhood and youth of the Chilean author Isabel Allende.