Little Antonio introduces his extended family and explains that Mama is the biggest because “she is going to have a baby any day now.” Everyday she sends the boy to gather the family for their midday meal. On Monday, Papa can’t leave his busy carpentry shop. On Tuesday, his sister Alicia is learning to dance the sevillanas for the summer fiesta. Day after day, when there is an empty seat at the table that Papa built and Mama has filled with inviting food, she sighs, “Ay, que pena! What a pity.” Eventually, it is Mama herself who is missing because it’s time for her to have baby Rosa.
Love
Seeds of Struggle, Songs of Hope
This is a collection of poetry written by Chicano/Latino youths about their dreams, struggles, identity, hope and love.
Prince William, Maximilian Minsky and Me
In Berlin, thirteen-year-old Nelly Sue Edelmeister–a self-described nerd and aspiring astronomer–gains a greater understanding of herself and those around her as she develops her first crush, considers whether to go through with her bat mitzvah, and tries out for the basketball team.
Cinderella
Kind Cinderella, forced to wait hand and foot on her cruel stepsisters and stepmother, has almost forgotten that she, too, was once a lady with fine clothes and a soft bed to sleep in. But when Cinderella is left at home on the night of the royal ball, her fairy godmother turns pumpkin into coach, mice into horses, lizards into coachmen, and Cinderella’s rags into a beautiful ball gown. At the ball, Cinderella captures the prince’s heart, but must flee before the stroke of midnight. Now the prince must find the true owner of the delicate glass slipper Cinderella has left behind.
Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure
Margaret has a brave heart. She dreams of adventure and longs to travel to distant lands, so when a tall ship appears in the harbor, headed north to the Kingdoms of the Cold, Margaret won’t be left behind. But adventures are perilous things. Soon Margaret must face a ferocious sea serpent and even worse dangers. And she must discover the truth about an old woman with strange powers and mysterious plans, or she’ll never find a way to bring herself and her true love safely home.
The Seal Prince
When it comes time for Grainne, the beautiful daughter of the Lord and Lady of Skye, to marry, she rejects the island suitors to be with Deodatus, a seal-man she once rescued from death.
The Lady & the Lion
To save her father, a young woman must go to the castle of a menacing lion. She fears for her life, but finds kindness rather than danger there, for the lion by day is a gentle young man by night-a prince under the spell of a wicked enchantress. Soon the lady and the lion fall in love. Unlike the more familiar tale, however, this story has only just begun. The prince is not yet safe from the enchantress, and it will take all of the lady’s strength and courage, through a seven-year quest, to rescue him.
Cupid and Psyche
Psyche falls in love with her wonderful, yet invisible, host as she finds herself locked away in a castle, but when she betrays his love, she is forced to perform three impossible tasks to win back his trust, in a classic Greek myth of romance and love.
The Mightiest Heart
Who can resist a story about a dog who so loved his master that he gave up his life? This exquisitely illustrated tale, based on the legend of Llywelyn, a thirteenth-century Welsh prince, and his loyal hound, Gelert, will keep young readers and listeners spellbound. Laurel Long joins the ranks of today’s premier illustrators in her debut, adding incredible power to Lynn Cullen’s spare but emotionally charged text. Each picture is like a precious treasure, revealing painstaking attention to detail, breathtaking color, and characters whose mutual love transcends the pages of this marvelous book. The Mightiest Heart is sure to be one of the best gifts to give young readers this fall. Lynn Cullen, author of several popular middle-grade novels, researched this story in Wales, where a monument to Gelert still stands. Laurel Long makes an outstanding debut as a picture book illustrator.
The Squirrel Wife
A kind young man is rewarded with a bride who is kin to the wild in this beautiful, original fairy tale.The green people in the woods are feared by all — all except swineherd Jack, who dares to venture into the forest to answer a cry for help. Jack’s heroism unveils the true nature of the green people and earns him an idyllic life with a woman he loves. But can they survive the ignorance around them? Magical storytelling and luminous woodland scenes easily transport readers to another time and place.