The Button War

Patryk and Jurek are as much friends as rivals in the small Russian-occupied Polish village where they live. When, in August 1914, Patryk finds an old button on the forest floor, Jurek becomes wildly jealous. Not long after, World War I comes to Poland, bringing one invading army after another to the village. Jurek devises an exciting dare among the seven boys in their pack: whoever steals the best military button will be Button King. The boys agree. The contest is on. The competition escalates from stealing uniform buttons on a wash line to looting the bodies of dead soldiers to setting up an ambush. Leading the charge is Jurek, who will do anything to be Button King. It’s only Patryk who tries to stop Jurek’s increasingly dangerous game before it leads to deadly consequences.

The Lie Tree

On an island off the south coast of Victorian England, fourteen-year-old Faith investigates the mysterious death of her father, who was involved in a scandal, and discovers a tree that feeds upon lies and gives those who eat its fruit visions of truth.

Featured in WOW Review Volume IX, Issue 3.

Thank You, Jackson

Jackson the donkey works very hard, carrying loads of mielies, carrots and potatoes up the hill to market every week, from the little farm where he lives with the farmer, his wife Beauty and his son Goodwill. But one day Jackson just stops, halfway up the hill. The farmer pushes him, pulls him, shouts at him. But Jackson WILL NOT BUDGE. Just as the farmer is about to beat his donkey, little Goodwill comes running up the hill. Quickly he whispers something in the donkey’s ear – and, straightaway, the old donkey gets to his feet. The farmer is astonished. What could be the secret of the boy’s message? “Well,” says Goodwill, “Mama told me it’s the little things like saying please and thank you, that make a big difference in this world.” And from that day on, the farmer remembers to thank his old donkey for helping him, and Jackson does his work willingly.

This book has been included in WOW’s Kids Taking Action Booklist. For our current list, visit our Boolist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.

Lion And The Ostrich Chicks, And Other African Folk Tales

Includes four traditional tales told by the Hausa, Angolan, Masai, and Bushmen people of Africa.

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.

Fables Aesop Never Wrote

Fifteen original fables, including “Sour Crepes,” “Fox in Chicken Feathers,” and “The Dressy Wolf.”

Fables

Twenty original fables about an array of animal characters from crocodile to ostrich.

Aesop’s Fables

In this elegantly designed volume, more than sixty of Aesop’s timeless fables have been carefully selected, humorously retold, and brought gloriously to life by four-time Caldecott Honor-winner Jerry Pinkney. Included are the Shepherd Boy and The Wolf, the Lion and the Mouse, the Tortoise and the Hare, plus many other characters—and morals—that have inspired countless readers for centuries. With more than fifty magnificent full-color illustrations, this handsome edition is a must for every bookshelf.

Worlds of Words

International Collection of Children’s and Adolescent Literature

Morals