Noah and the Devil: A Legend of Noah’s Ark from Romania

In this Romanian folk version of the Noah story, getting the animals to march, two by two, onto the ark is the easy part–it was persuading his wife to come aboard that gave Noah a headache. And when he snapped, “Oh, you devil, come in!,” that gave the Devil himself just the invitation he needed. Once aboard, in the shape of a mouse, the Devil gnawed a hole in the ark, to sink it beneath the flood.

The Storyteller’s Beads

During the political strife and famine of the 1980s, two Ethiopian girls, one Christian and the other Jewish and blind, struggle to overcome many difficulties, including their prejudices about each other, as they make the dangerous journey out of Ethiopia.

Kings And Queens Of The Bible

Kings and queens can be kind or cruel, greedy or generous, wise or foolish. Some of the best stories in the Bible are about ancient rulers who became famous for their deeds. From King Solomon’s wisdom to Queen Esther’s bravery,Mary Hoffman retells seven biblical stories, brought to life by Christina Balit’s vibrant art.  

Sawdust Carpets

The Lau family travels to Antigua, Guatemala to visit their cousins. Although the Laus are Chinese and Buddhist, they adore the pageantry of Easter, and Easter in Antigua is exciting, with long, elaborate processions of penitents wreathed in incense and carrying colonial Spanish statues down the cobblestone streets of the city. The best part is seeing the elaborate carpets made of colored sawdust, which the processions walk over and destroy. On the morning of the most important procession, the heroine is invited to make her very own sawdust carpet. But why, she wonders, make something so beautiful, only to have it be ruined? Guatemalan and Chinese religious observances, dragon boat races and Easter processions, piñatas, baptisms, and Chinese tamales all weave in and out of this story, which celebrates beauty, religious celebration, and tolerance.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

The Twenty-third Psalm, one of the world’s most cherished prayers, is paired with some of the most exquisite illustrations in this inspirational picture book by New York Times Best Illustrator Gennady Spirin. This never-before-created format, made from one large, magnificent painting, gives parents and children an opportunity to share the experience, making prayer time even more profound.