The Danék is a wild, treacherous river, and the Fobisher family has tended it for generations clearing it of ice and weed, making sure boats can get through, and fishing corpses from its bleak depths. Wulliam’s father, the current Riverkeep, is proud of this work. Wull dreads it. And in one week, when he comes of age, he will have to take over.
Winnie wants a monster! Some monsters smell like pirate feet and some might read your diary, but they are so darn cute! All Winnie’s friends have one.
The world of Philip Pullman’s internationally bestselling His Dark Materials saga is brought to visual life in book 1 of a three-volume graphic adaptation of The Golden Compass. Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her dæmon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle–a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, and a mysterious substance known as Dust. As she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win–or to lose–this more-than-mortal battle. The stunning full-color art offers both new and returning readers a chance to experience the story of Lyra, an ordinary girl with an extraordinary role to play in the fates of multiple worlds, in an entirely new way.
Amanda’s ordinary day has her riding to school with a Tyrannosaurus rex, talking after lunch with an alien, sailing a pirate ship at the school library, and riding home on an elephant.
Tune in as a father reads his children a bedtime story about the exploits of two villains, Filth and Vacuum, and their wicked plan to suck all the money out of the banks and cover everything with muck and slime. Who is strong enough to save the world? Not Steel Man, nor Flying Through the Air Very Fast Man, nor even Incredible Big Strong Green Man. It may just be a job for clever young Brad Forty, who transforms himself into . . . Extremely Boring Man! His superpower is making people fall asleep — but will it work on the children listening to this story?
His father comes up with a way for Christoph to have the party he wants for his fifth birthday, despite the smallness of their apartment.
Jess is sick in bed, and to make her feel better, Granddad promises her a brand-new teddy bear. But before she drifts off to sleep, Jess notices a small door that magically opens. Jess unties the ribbon around a brown paper bag and finds a careworn old teddy bear inside. He takes Jess on a wonderful adventure through the night sky to a place where toys come to life. Jess marches with toy soldiers, rides a toy train, and dances with a porcelain doll before she returns home to her loving grandfather.
The Man in the Moon and his Little Moon Dog live peacefully on the moon. Until a busload of rowdy tourists fairies!arrives. Moon Dog ventures out to meet them and has marvelous fun. But one day, he wakes to find the fickle fairies have led him astray, far from his cozy home and dearest friend. Will he ever find his way back to the moon? Under the luminous beauty of a fantastic moon, a little dogs quest for adventure sparks a quirky, heartwarming tale of friendship and the true meaning of home . . . wherever it may be.
Eleven classic tales are retold with an injection of Latino culture, providing a twist on the traditional forms while sustaining a freshness all their own. The title story, “Red Ridin’ in the Hood,” moves the setting to the barrio, where Red decides to brave dangerous Forest Street in order to reach her abuelita and encounters the menacing wolf in a thumping Chevy lowrider. Some stories are set in the Mexican countryside; in “Belleza y La Bestia,” the beautiful heroine is a defender of the Revolution and teaches the beast about the righteousness of the freedom fighters. “El Día de los Muertos,” a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, takes place in the time of the Aztecs and casts Orpheus as the feather-maker Nochehuatl.
These and the other cuentos in this book are further brought to life by abundant illustrations, by turns comical and poignant.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s novels were strongly influenced by his childhood both in South Africa, where lions prowled and wild beasts roamed, and in the English countryside, where he imagined that elves and gnomes dwelled. J. R. R. Tolkien wrote many stories, studied languages–even inventing one of his own–and founght bravely in World War I. He wrote The Hobbit, a children’s book about a courageous creature with pointed ears and furry feet, which was an instant success. His next book, The Lord of the Rings, made Tolkien, an ordinary man with an extraordinary imagination, one of the world’s most beloved authors.