Patience

Ann’s Seed

This is the story of three little monks, each given a very old lotus seed to care for. The first one planted his seed in winter, the second planted his seed in a pot of good soil and kept it in his house, the third one waited for warm weather and planted his seed near a pond. Only Ann’s seed grows because he was patient and followed the laws of nature. A “character formation” book about waiting. Written in Mandarin.

Mango, Abuela, and Me

Mia’s abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. The night she arrives, Mia tries to share her favorite book with Abuela before they go to sleep and discovers that Abuela can’t read the words inside. So while they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English (“Dough. Masa”), and Mia learns some Spanish too, but it’s still hard for Abuela to learn the words she needs to tell Mia all her stories.

Babushka’s Doll

Natasha isn’t really a bad girl. It’s just that she wants to play on the swing now, not after the wash has been hung up to dry. And she wants her soup now, not after the goats have been fed. Looking after Natasha keeps Babushka, Natasha’s grandmother, very busy.Then, after lunch, Natasha notices a doll sitting on Babushka’s shelf…a doll Babushka tells Natasha she played with just once when she was a little girl. When Natasha plays with the doll while Babushka goes to the store for groceries, she discovers why once is enough with Babushka’s doll…and finds out just how tiring it can be to take care of a child who wants everything now.

The Conference of the Birds

This magical and inspiring story of the adventures of a flock of wayfaring birds in search of their king will delight children with its tales of overcoming fear, physical hardship, and inner limitations. Based on an 800 year old classical parable.

An Elephant in the Garden

Lizzie and Karl’s mother is a zoo keeper; the family has become attached to an orphaned elephant named Marlene, who will be destroyed as a precautionary measure so she and the other animals don’t run wild should the zoo be hit by bombs. The family persuades the zoo director to let Marlene stay in their garden instead. When the city is bombed, the family flees with thousands of others, but how can they walk the same route when they have an elephant in tow, and keep themselves safe? Along the way, they meet Peter, a Canadian navigator who risks his own capture to save the family. As Michael Morpurgo writes in an author’s note, An Elephant in the Garden is inspired by historical truths, and by his admiration for elephants, “the noblest and wisest and most sensitive of all creatures.” Here is a story that brings together an unlikely group of survivors whose faith in kindness and love proves the best weapon of all.

Big Wolf and Little Wolf: The Little Leaf that Wouldn’t Fall

The second book about Big Wolf and Little Wolf. The book begins, “High up in a tall tree was a little leaf,” and it is Little Wolf’s need to touch this leaf and the fact that it will not fall that create the drama. Big Wolf refuses Little Wolf’s request that he climb up and get the leaf several times. “Wait,” he tells him. “Eventually it will fall.” But the leaf doesn’t fall. Winter arrives and the leaf is still there, high up in the tree. Then one morning Big Wolf wakes up, stretches and says, “I’m going up.” He says it just like that, simply to see Little Wolf’s eyes sparkle. At first his climb up the big tree goes well, but the higher he goes the more slippery it gets and the more dangerous. Little Wolf waits below wondering whether such a little leaf is worth such trouble after all. To climb to the top of a frost covered tree isn’t easy, and what if something should happen to Big Wolf? A lovely story about two friends and the many ways in which friendship teaches patience, boldness and love.

C’mere, Boy!

In a charming twist on the “boy wants dog” story, this time it’s a dog who begs his mama for a boy, promising to feed it, play with it and walk it; Mama points out that boys are very difficult to train, but Dog knows what he wants and in the end, the determined little canine’s perseverance pays off.

The Cat Who Went To Heaven

In ancient Japan, a struggling artist is angered when his housekeeper brings home a tiny white cat he can barely afford to feed. But when the village’s head priest commissions a painting of the Buddha for a healthy sum, the artist softens toward the animal he believes has brought him luck.

According to legend, the proud and haughty cat was denied the Buddha’s blessing for refusing to accept his teachings and pay him homage. So when the artist, moved by compassion for his pet, includes the cat in his painting, the priest rejects the work and decrees that it must be destroyed. It seems the artist’s life is ruined as well — until he is rewarded for his act of love by a Buddhist miracle.

This timeless fable has been a classic since its first publication in 1930, and this beautifully reillustrated edition brings the magic and wonder of the tale to a new generation of readers.