The Cat Who Decided

Margaret Forrester

Softbound

$11.95

Why doesn’t anyone want the mixter-maxter kitten? The little striped cat is on a journey—sent from the farm to the city and passed from owner to owner. No one seems to love him just as he is.

Finally, he moves into the tall house in Edinburgh and finds his name—Mac— and life gets more interesting. He makes friends with two musical ladies next door and discovers he likes Bach, as well as cat treats. He has many adventures as he explores. Then, just when he begins to feel settled, unsettling things start to happen. Will he ever find someone to love him for always?

A sweet tale for ages 6–8

Goldie at the Orphanage

Martha Sandwall-Bergström

Illustrated by Eva Stålsjö

Hardbound

$16.95

Shipwrecked as a baby, Goldie goes to live in an orphanage where her golden hair gets her into trouble. Then a new girl called Lotta arrives and Goldie starts to have more fun, until the time comes for them to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. What will happen to the two friends now that Lotta is going away with a stern older couple, while Goldie is to go with a kindly farmer?

The lively illustrations bring out the warmth and vivacity of Goldie. This story is sure to enchant children ages 6-8

Goldie at the Farm

Martha Sandwall-Bergström

Illustrated by Eva Stålsjö

Hardbound

$17.95

At the end of Goldie at the Orphanage, Goldie was sold to a farmer, the highest bidder at auction. What would happen to her?

In this much-awaited sequel, Goldie settles into life on the farm as a maid to the family that lives there. She longs to go to school, however, just like the other children. Will she get her wish, or will she be only a maid? Ages 6-8.

The Swiss Family Robinson

Johann D Wyss

Unabridged

Softbound

$3.50

Here's a story that can bring an element of adventure and fantasy to the "house building" theme of the Waldorf third grade. Between the ninth year (age 8) and about age 10, children experience a sense of uncertainty when they look about the world. A lot is changing for them, and one of the biggest changes is that they now feel separated from the world in a way that is new to them.

The themes of the Waldorf third grade answer that uncertainty by focusing first on the Old Testament stories of wandering in the desert followed by the entry into the Promised Land and the ultimate "house building," that of the Temple in Jerusalem. Then, house building and farming become more concrete and personal within the theme: often, actual houses are built, garden plots tended and books such as Farmer Boy are read.

It is somewhere during or after this second half of the year that a book like Swiss Family Robinson can be a real treat. Here is a family who is shipwrecked and must start from scratch with no one but themselves on a desert island. Their resourcefulness and adventures are just the ticket for any child during this time. I can remember nearly devouring the book when I was about nine - I must have read it three or four times that year. Even the parts that are a bit far-fetched (how did Mother manage to put everything they'd need into that one bag, anyway?) make perfect sense to a child (after all, doesn't God always provide?), and the characters are all admirable and vigorous.

This is another favorite from my own childhood - I hope your children enjoy it as much.

Dragon Baked Bread

Warren Lee Cohen

Hardbound

$24.00

This is a tale of bravery and bread
One of delight, of daring and dread
In which I befriend our dear Princess Alice
And help her to save this wonderful palace.

On the day of the Fall Harvest Feast, the baker’s old cart collapses and falls into the moat, turning his flour and yeast into a doughy mess. How is the royal feast to be saved? The King calls on his advisers to solve the problem, but only the young Princess Alice has a solution. To the astonishment of those gathered round, she proposes to call on the dragon to bake the bread dough with its flaming roar.

A really interesting, rhymed story that the entire family will enjoy. Ages 4–8

The Ice Horse

Renne

Hardbound

$17.95

Renne’s wintry tale follows the rite of passage of a little skewbald horse. After enjoying the winning combination of snow and horses, children will certainly want the extra information provided in unobtrusive ‘fact boxes’ about the adaptation of this special breed to the harsh Icelandic climate.

—Gillian Lathey, the School Librarian journal

Evocative illustrations convey the beauty and chill of the Icelandic landscape.

—Child Education

One day the little Icelandic horse is chased away from the herd by a black stallion. He is forced to roam the grasslands on his own. As winter comes and the snow starts to fall, will the little skewbald horse save the day when the herd of Icelandic horses is endangered by the snow and ice?

Along with the beautiful illustrations and gripping story, this book is full of interesting facts about Icelandic horses—their history, appearance, and how they live—which will appeal to all animal-loving children.

For more information on Icelandic horses, visit the website of Pentland Hills Icelandics in Carlops, Scotland, at www.phicelandics.co.uk. They have the largest herd of Icelandic horses in Britain.

Pudding and Chips

Penny Matthews
Janine Dawson

Hardbound

$17.95

Pudding is a cranky goose. She is as fierce as a tiger and as prickly as barbed wire. And she’s as noisy as a street full of fire engines. Nobody tells Pudding what to do—not even Chips the sheepdog. Things are never quiet on Annie’s farm!

But one warm, windy night, a big red fox comes creeping through the paddocks, dreaming of chicken dinners, and things start to change.

(Age 5–8)

The Little Sower of the Night

Anke Weihs-Nederhoed

$19.95

Anke Weihs-Nederhoed was a founding member of the Camphill Schools. Her stories sprang to life in response to the needs of the children she cared for, who, as all children do, gained much nourishment from them. Anke had a rare gift for weaving the threads of fantasy so finely about her listeners that they could journey with her into realms filled with the truths all fairy tales touch upon. Many of her tales begin in quite ordinary, even modern, surroundings but then turn a corner into new and magical vistas which all children so love because they recognize their own world in them. For children of all ages, especially between 7 and 12.

A beautiful, very special collection of stories.

Henrietta and the Golden Eggs

Hanna Johansen

Pictures by Käthi Bhend

Translated by John S. Barrett

Hardbound

$16.95

This is the perfect fable for our times! I hope every child gets to hear the story of Henrietta and her indomitable spirit.

Henrietta lives in a place where despair is a perfectly reasonable response to the situation. She is one of three thousand three hundred thirty three chickens in a great big chicken house that smells like chicken droppings and fortified chicken feed and where there is just enough room for each chicken's feet, but no more. Of course, all the chickens have a cough and constantly pull each other's feathers out. Things are not good, not good at all.

But Henrietta is going to lay golden eggs -- she just knows she will. And learn to fly and to swim and to sing! In between coughing, the other chickens laugh at her. Henrietta is too busy scratching her way out of the chicken house to pay much attention to them, though, and eventually she gets out and then all the other chickens have a day in the sun, too.

Of course, the farmer has his men round them all up and put them back in the chicken house and boards up the hole Henrietta created. So, she starts making a new one! The ending is a joyous triumph that will fill your heart and make you smile for days.

You'll love this story, your child(ren) will love this story and, I promise you, when things look bleak, if you remember Henrietta, you'll find a way past the obstacles.

Treasure Forest

Book One of the Forest Inside Trilogy

Winner of the NAPRA 2004 Nautilus Award for Young Adult Fiction

Cat Bordhi

Hardbound

$21.95

Treasure Forest is flat-out the best juvenile fiction I have read in years and years. It has the page-turning adventure of the Harry Potter books (the difference being that it is carefully written and well-edited) combined with the heart-warm depth of C. S. Lewis's Narnia series. In the midst of all this depth and excitement, Cat Bordhi brings something more: a crystalline clarity, a sparkling delight with the World and Creation, an understanding of nature and of people that shines with great love. This is a story not to be missed, one destined to nourish generations of children and adults -- a story that ripples outward, like the rings after a pebble penetrates the water.

It begins with a question, the bequest of beloved departed grandparents:

How can you retrieve a treasure from the bottom of a pond without disturbing the water?

The question is Ben's, but his quest for the answer involves his sister Sarah as well.

Immediately on the heels of the bequest, which also includes Grandmother's house by the forest, the villain of the story creeps into the scene, disrupting and destroying as he goes. Daggett is one of the most complex, modern villains to ever intrude upon the lives of fictional characters. Daggett knows, loves and understands nature, but can't in the least comprehend the world of people. As a result, he frightens and harms even those people whose love he longs for -- a villain for the 21st century, to be sure.

The mystery and magic which follow take us into the nooks, crannies and catacombs of life; into Nature as it exists in the Forest, and into the nature of the human heart. On the way, there are memorable characters, exhilarating discoveries, courageous deeds, and a treasure more precious than gold.

I would recommend this book for all children and adults over the age of seven. Even teenagers love this book, and I know that you will be as melancholy as I was to turn the last page. (The good news is that Book Two is underway!)

Cat Bordhi is also the author of A Treasury of Magical Knitting and Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles. Although she promised to behave herself and leave knitting out of Treasure Forest, she didn't quite manage it. On her website, you can find patterns for the forest socks her mother knits Sarah and the knitted treehouse (really!) Ben learns to make www.catbordhi.com

The Tale of Alain

Arnold Zimmermann

Softbound

$10.00

Alain Souris was an adventurous sort of mouse who came from a long line of seafaring mice from Marseilles, France. His was that long-ago age when full-rigged ships and frigates and barkentines and threemasted schooners plied the oceans -- and he lived for the smell of the salt air and the rhythmic roll of the tides.

One day as he walked along the piers of Marseilles, he spotted squarerigger bearing the name Count of Monte Cristo. Being as well-read as he was well-travelled, he knew and loved Dumas' story -- and a ship of the same name? Well, it was too much to resist. Alain was on board when the Count of Monte Cristo set sail -- to America of the 1900s, where his real adventures begin!

Arnold Zimmermann brings us this fascinating 'coming to America' story that weaves seafaring lore and nature stories with life along the Mississippi from Cajun New Orleans to Lakota territory in Wisconsin.

Along the way, there are helpful animals, French-speaking Lakotas, wizards and dragons, dwarves, root children and Mother Earth -- and a plot to foil and a life to save. In short -- this is the sort of story that moves from one wonder to the next and holds both children and adults in rapt attention.

And there's more: at the back there are instructions for erecting a tipi; a glossary of nautical terms and complete instructions for knitting Alain's striped sweater, courtesy of Elizabeth Zimmermann.

Our children loved this book when they were young and played many of Alain's adventures. It's lovely to be able to pass it along to new children!

Puck the Gnome

Jakob Streit

Softbound

$15.00

Written by master storyteller, Jacob Streit, Puck the Gnome is one of the most delightful children’s stories to appear in quite awhile. Puck is a hard-working fellow whose one foot faces forward while the other faces backward (something many of us can relate to, I suspect). Streit's delightful tale illuminates the world of the hard-working gnomes through the courage and antics of the one who's literally coming and going at the same time. The moral insights, wisdom, humor, and true goodness found in Puck’s adventures will delight both children and adults. The illustrations by Georges Feldmann are truly magical.

Mr. Goethe's Garden

Diana Cohn

Illustrated by Paul Mirocha

Hardbound, dust jacketed, large format

$17.95

"Mr. Goethe, How did you ever learn to paint these plants so they look so alive?"

Mr. Goethe turned his kind face to me. "First," he said, "I listen with my eyes. I give each plant my full attention, as I do you. Like friends, plants tell you their secrets only when they know you care."

Mr. Goethe's Garden is one of those rare books that is a classic upon first printing. A beautifully illustrated book whose tale will captivate and inspire both children adults, its story is so timeless and so multifaceted that I predict it will live for a lifetime in the hearts its readers. This is the sort of book that will be saved to be passed along to future generations of children - and will uplift and gladden them as it does us now.

Mr. Goethe's Garden is the story of the friendhsip between an inquisitive young girl and her elderly neighbor, Johann von Goethe. Set in the 1830s as Goethe was finishing (at last!) his play Faust, Anna sees Mr. Goethe painting in his garden and decides to go paint with him. Theirs is that very special friendship between the very old and the very young - as they spend their days together, Mr. Goethe teaches Anna how to listen to plants with her eyes and see them with her heart. The plants and their cycles spring to life within Anna and blossom within her heart with a sun-drenched beauty.

*My review is based on an actual reading of a prepublication review copy, not on publisher's blurbs. I have seen this book, read it several times, and loved it - it is among the best children's books I've ever read.

Finn Family Moomintroll
Hats off to the adventures of spring!

Tove Jansson

Softbound

$6.95

It is spring in the valley and the Moomins are ready for adventure! Moomintroll and his friends Snufkin and Sniff find the Hobgoblin's top hat, all shiny and new and just waiting to be taken home. They soon realize that this is no ordinary hat; it can turn anything - or anyone - into something else!

Enhanced with Tove Jansson's simple, sprightly drawings, this series of delightful stories about life in Moomin Valley has enchanted families around the world for more than forty years. A wonderful read-to-me for ages 7 and over; a read-by-myself around ages 9-10.

Comet in Moominland
Can Moomintroll save his beloved valley?

Tove Jansson

Softbound

$6.95

When Moomintroll learns that a comet will be passing by, he and his friend Sniff travel to the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains to consult the Professors. Along the way, they have many adventures, but the greatest adventure of all awaits them when they learn that the comet is headed straight for their beloved Moominvalley.

It's more than 40 years since Jansson's Moomintrolls first appeared. I found the writing and invention as appealing as ever. She has a thistledown touch.

- Michel Landsberg, The Washington Post Book World

Moominland Midwinter
It's a brave new world for Moomintroll!

Tove Jansson

Softbound

$6.95

Everyone knows that Moomins sleep through the winter. But this year, Moomintroll has woken up early. So while the rest of the family slumber, he decides to visit his favorite summer haunts. But all he finds is this strange white stuff. Even the sun is gone! Moomintroll is angry: whoever Winter is, she has some nerve. Determined to discover the truth about this most mysterious of all seasons, Moomintroll goes where no Moomin has gone before.

Moominpappa at Sea
Anchors aweigh for adventure!

Tove Jansson

Softbound

$6.95

Even the Moomin family need a change of scenery sometimes, so they're off to live in a lighthouse on a tiny island. As Pappa, Mamma, Moomintroll, Little My, and the icy Groke discover their new home - facing wind, wave, and weather of all sorts - they also discover surprising, and surprisingly funny things about themselves.

Moominpappa's Memoirs
Moominpappa tells all!

Tove Jansson

Softbound

$6.95

At last it can be told! The true story of Moominpappa's youth - his triumphs, his tribulations, and his momentous meetings with the Joxter and the Muddler (the fathers of Snufkin and Sniff, respectively), and, of course, Moominmamma.

Tales from Moominvalley
Hemulens, Hattifatteners, Moomins, and more

Tove Jansson

Softbound

$6.95

Here are nine delightfully funny stories about the citizens of Moominvalley. From Ninny's bout with invisibility to the Moomin family's first Christmas out of hibernation, these tales are warming, funny stories the entire family will love.

Moominvalley in November

Tove Jansson

Softbound

$5.95

Remembering the geniality of Moominpappa and Moominmamma, six lonely friends find their separate ways back to the loving household. But the Finn family Moomintroll is gone, and the November gloom of the visitors deepens. Although none of the six is a sociable creature, they more or less put up with each other, and, perhaps recalling the warmth of the family, they eventually learn how pleasant communal life can be.

"The highly subtle narrative is frequently pure poetry."

- The Horn Book

The Star-Child
A Fable

Oscar Wilde

$19.99
Hardbound

A star falls from the winter sky into a wood, and there two shepherds find a strange infant. One of them takes the baby home and raises it as his own. Though exquisitely beautiful of face and form, the Star-Child turns out to be a cruel and selfish boy. One day he taunts a poor beggar-woman who, to his horror, then claims to be his mother. He rejects her and from that moment his beauty forsakes him and he becomes a despised and shunned outcast. What follows is the story of his struggle through to the crowning glory of his redemption. A beautiful, beautiful story! For ages 8-12.

Dragon
Part 1 of the DragonFire Trilogy

Written and Illustrated by
Jody Bergsma

$15.95

During his twelfth year, Langilor stands before his parents and the Royal Advisors, who will judge his worthiness to be the future king. There are enemies to the north as well as a fire-breathing dragon - how can Langilor ever be strong enough to protect his kingdom? Alone in the palace garden, a white swan tells him to "go in search of the dragon alone." The future of his kingdom hangs in the balance of this encounter in which we see that there are many ways, including the way of friendship, to conquer a fierce enemy. A great and exciting tale, with beautiful watercolor illustrations that match its spirit. Ages 5 and older.

The Apple Cake

Nienke van Hichtum

Illustrated by Marjan van Zeyl

$14.95

A rich and beautiful story, this one. An old lady sets off to market to buy some apples for her cake, taking a basket of plums to trade along the way. As she travels, she meets one person after another to whom she gives what she has brought and from whom she receives a gift in return. At last, it is too late to reach the market - besides she no longer has the plums to trade! How she comes to have apples for her cake is a story that will inspire warm faith in the goodness of the world. A warming, inspiring story for ages 5-8. Includes a recipe for a delicious apple cake!

In Blue Mountains
An Artist's Return to America's First Wilderness

Thomas Locker

Hardbound, dust jacketed

$9.95

In Blue Mountains is about the love of nature and the importance of beauty. It tells the story of an artist who sets out to explore wilderness and discovers a new way of seeing. Bewildered at first by the profusion of nature, he gradually learns to see its wholeness and to trust his feelings. The story itself is a beautiful portrayal of nature, light and color. The juxtaposition of Locker's luminous paintings with the artist's experiences inspire a deep appreciation for the beauties of the world and for our human awareness in percieving them. A book for all ages, I recommend it especial for children 7 to 10 years old.

The Way to the Stable
A Christmas Story

Max Bolliger

Illustrated by Arcadio Lobato

$15.95
Hardbound

A lame, surly-tongued shepherd lives near Bethlehem. When a choir of angels appears bringing good news of a child, he turns away. When the other shepherds set out to find the child, he just watches them go. Why bother - they are just chasing a dream. At last, he sets out to follow them, not to find the child but to gloat at their folly. What happens when he finally reaches the stable? A miracle, of course!! A wonderful Christmas tale for ages 3 - 9.

Pico the Gnome

Retold and Illustrated by Martina Müller

Hardbound

$15.95

Pico the Gnome falls asleep in the forest. While he sleeps, a giant comes from behind the mountains and frightens all the animals and birds. Pico wakes up and decides to take action. What begins as a fierce confrontation resolves in understanding and peace. This beautifully illustrated book tells a warm and lively story that children from 4 to 9 will love to dream about.

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple

Karen Cushman

$5.99

The author of those great Medieval tales, Catherine, Called Birdie and The Midwife's Apprentice has created another great story - this time set in California during the Gold Rush. California doesn't suit Lucy Whipple - not the name, not the place. But moving out West to Lucky Diggins, California, was her mama's dream-come-true. And now her brother, Butte, and sisters Prairie and Sierra, seem to be Westerners at heart, too. For Lucy, Lucky Diggins is hardly a town at all - just a bunch of ramshackle tents and tobacco-spitting miners. Even the gold her mama claimed was just lying around in the fields isn't panning out. Worst of all, there's no lending library! Lucy vows to be plain miserable until she can hightail it back East where she belongs. But Lucy California Morning Whipple may be in for a surprise - home is a lot closer than she thinks. Ages 8 - 12.

Byrd Baylor Special

Purchase both Everybody Needs a Rock and The Table Where Rich People Sit

Rebular Price $13.98

Special Price $11.98

Everybody Needs a Rock

Byrd Baylor
pictures by Peter Parnall

Paper

$6.99

Everybody needs a rock for a friend, and they need to know how to care for it. "If somebody says, ‘What’s so special about that rock?’ don’t even tell them. I don’t. Nobody is supposed to know what’s special about another person’s rock." Once he’s sure we have learned that simple truth, the Native boy telling this story takes us on a journey through the Ten Rules for Finding a Rock. We don’t want to spill all the beans, but so that you know what a special treasure this book is, we will share Rule Number One. "If you can, go to a mountain made out of nothing but a hundred million small, shiny, beautiful, roundish rocks. But if you can’t, anyplace will do. Even an alley. Even a sandy road." May this book lead you to your rock. Age 3 and up for read-aloud. Age 6-7 for read-alone.

The Table Where Rich People Sit

Byrd Baylor

Illustrated by
Peter Parnall

$6.99

Mountain Girl can see that her family is poor - and she can see that her parents aren't even sensible enough to notice. So, she calls a family meeting to discuss the problem. As her family sits around their homemade (from discarded lumber) kitchen table, her parents say they are rich. They begin to count up the value of the things they have. How much is it worth to be able to see the sky all day and feel the wind and smell the coming rain? Or to watch a cactus bloom or to sleep outside under the stars? After a while, Mountain Girl begins to realize that money may not be a important as she thought. A wonderful story that beautiful shows the difference between freely-chosen simplicity and poverty - ages 7 and up.

Hawk, I'm Your Brother

Byrd Baylor

Illustrated by Peter Parnall

Caldecott Honor Book

Softbound

$6.99

Another classic from Byrd Baylor. In this tale which is part Prometheus and part coming-of-age, a Native American boy captures a young hawk hoping to also capture the hawk's ability to fly. In spare yet panoramic images, we follow the boy as he comes to truly learn something of the nature of flight, and of staying on the ground. Really lovely, especially around ages 8 and 9.