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.
Imagination
A Daisy Is a Daisy Is a Daisy (Except When It’s a Girl’s Name)
Many girls are named after flowers (or even forms of the word “flower,” such as Flora). Girls’ names in different languages accompany her imaginative illustrations of flowers, so that the reader discovers, for example, that Gul means rose in Turkish, but that it is Rosa in Spanish and Rodanthe in Greek. Flowers named in the book include rose, heather, buttercup, sunflower, lily of the valley, daisy, bluebell, snowdrop, hyacinth, myrtle, camomile, cherry blossom, jasmine, violet, tulip, poppy. This can be used in the classroom to talk about culture, language and botany.
Broucci
Broučci is a classic children’s book by Jan Karafiát published in the Czech language in the early 1870s. The title is the Czech word for beetles, and the word is also used for “traditional Czech figures of fairylike insect people”[2] such as the characters in the book. In English, the title is often translated as Fireflies.
Chickerella
When Chickerella’s new step mother and step sisters, Ovumelda and Cholestera, move in, life in the chicken coop takes a turn for the worst. Forced to cook and clean for her new family, Chickerella won’t even be able to attend the Fowl Ball, that is, until her Fairy Goosemother appears. The unusually stylish Chickerella dazzles the prince in her eggsquisite gown but at the stroke of midnight, she must race home before the spell is over. Will the prince ever be able to find his love? Only a glass egg remains a clue to her identity.
Demi’s Dragons and Fantastic Creatures
Presents, in rhymed text and illustrations (some of them on fold-out pages), a gallery of dragons and other mythical creatures.
Kimbo’s Marble
When her brother Willy is stolen by the troll Grimpoke, Princess Kimbo follows them across the Tiger Bridge on a daring rescue mission.
I Feel a Foot!
Between two trees, high above grass and ground, Turtle, Bat, Octopus, Bird and Buck are sleeping in a hammock. Suddenly, Turtle opens his eyes. ‘Hey,’ he whispers. ‘Do you hear what I hear?’ Each animal’s imagination runs wild with what wild creature may be making the sound they all hear. Is it a giant turtle? Or a bird with a giant beak? Perhaps it is Bat-Tur-Octo-Bird-Buck. Luckily for the small animals, it isn’t any of these creatures. It is just their old friend Elephant who was out wandering around. The animals invite him to join them in the hammock and soon the wild imaginings about the night noises begin all over again.
You Shall Be King!
A young boy is slowly drawn into the imaginative game of a girl who appears outside his grandfather’s house.
Lola Loves Stories
Lola loves to hear Daddy read a new library book each night, an activity that spurs her imagination and results in inventive play the next day.
Nora’s Surprise
Nora’s outdoor tea party with her toys at the home of some friendly geese is disrupted by Benji, the greedy sheep from next door, but he eventually makes amends.