Brother and sister

Silent Observer

“I was born, like my seven brothers and sisters, in a house atop a hill overlooking lovely Bras d’Or Lake”. So begins Christy MacKinnon’s story of life as a little girl in 19th-century Nova Scotia, Canada. Through wonderful images created with her own words and her watercolors, she tells of a simple, charming life on the family farm; of learning with her father, the master of her town’s one-room schoolhouse; and of her eventual travel to Halifax to attend a “special” school. As with many children in the 1800s, Christy became deaf after a “seige of whooping cough”, a sickness common then, which she barely survived.

Silent Observer opens to young readers a world rarely seen today. They will be thrilled by her family’s ride in a horse-drawn sleigh over a frozen northern lake, and her close encounters with a noisy bull and a “gentleman” ram. Children and adults alike will warm to her cheerful memories of the simple pleasure of playing in a flower-filled field with her brothers and sisters. They will discover, too, that young Christy crossed paths with many vital figures of the day, beginning with frequent visits by Alexander Graham Bell, and later with a momentous meeting with Helen Keller.

Silent Observer is a delightful memoir told as it was seen through the eyes of a lively child. It is also a meaningful record of life for a deaf child and her family in the far reaches of Canada at the end of an era. Silent Observer is a beautiful, sensitive story that is sure to be enjoyed by everyone.

Always Come Home to Me

This is a tale of two children and their parents, and the beloved pet doves that help them to understand one another. Twins Mei-Mei and her brother, DiDi  leave for school each morning with their mother’s words ringing in their ears: Fei, fei—fly little birds,”Fei, fei — fly, fly, little birds, but always come home to me!” Mei-Mei and Di-Di are head-over-heels in love with their new doves. Like devoted parents, the siblings tenderly nurture Butterfly and Squeaky as they grow from chicks to fledglings to birds. But when Mei-Mei and Di-Di arrive home to find that the doves have disappeared, their young hearts break into a thousand pieces — and they run away, determined to reclaim their beloved birds.

Zen Shorts

When Stillwater the giant panda moves into the neighborhood, the stories he tells to three siblings teach them to look at the world in new ways.

The Wildest Brother

Wanting to keep his sister safe from all the elements that could do her harm, like monsters and beasts, young Ben fearlessly takes on all the challenges of the day to complete his task and live up to his courageous reputation.

Mama Elizabeti

When her mother has a new baby, Elizabeti is given charge of her younger brother and finds it more difficult to take care him than it was to care for her rock doll. Sequel to Elizabeti’s doll, and followed by Elizabeti’s school.

Rhymes for Annie Rose

A collection of more than twenty poems about young Annie Rose and the daily activities of a child.

Elizabeti’s Doll

When a young Tanzanian girl gets a new baby brother, she finds a rock, which she names Eva, and makes it her baby doll.