A collection of short stories for children by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Table of Contents:
1. The Story of Prince Fairyfoot
2. The Proud Little Grain of Wheat
3. My Robin
4. Sara Crewe
The Story of Prince Fairyfoot
Prince Fairyfoot is born into a society, even though he is royal...where large feet are a sign of specialness...all his family...king, Queen and other children have large feet...so he is an embarassment and is sent away to live with the family of a sheepherder. After such a sad start, Prince Fairyfoot finds adventure and falls in love with a beautiful girl, Princess Goldenhair, will they find happiness?
The Proud Little Grain of Wheat
There once was a little grain of wheat which was very proud indeed. The proud little grain of wheat grows through all stages of development from seed to wheat finally being ground into flour...always think that it was better than being what it was. Finally the ultimate triumph is to be used for a cake and this is truly a special place for the grain of wheat...the height of being somebody.... and the wife bakes the cake...and...
My Robin
Frances befriends a lonely little robin and shares the joyous experience with the readers. It is quite evident that Frances understood the value of life and the importance of caring for every creature we share our earth with.
Sara Crewe
Sara Crewe is the 1888 serialized story Frances Hodgson Burnett eventually turned into the popular novel ""A Little Princess"", which was published in 1915.
Much of the plot is the same, a little girl with a wealthy father is left at a boarding school in London, while he goes abroad. Sara is a charming and popular girl who's fortunes reverse when her father dies, apparently without money. Sarah is treated cruelly by the headmistress of the school, but her fortunes take another turn when a watchful neighbor takes an interest in her.
AUTHOR
Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924) was an English-born author of romances and books for children. After moving to America in 1865 she established a popular reputation with the publication of That Lass o’Lowries in 1877. She is best known for such stories as Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Little Princess, and The Secret Garden. "
Tova lives with her family on a small farm in the famous town of Chelm, a mythical village populated, according to Jewish folklore, by fools. Tova's farm has hens and even a rooster, but no cow. Her mother, Rivka, wishes they could afford to buy a cow, so they could have fresh milk and butter every day. One night Tova's father has a dream about how to get milk without actually owning a cow. He asks Tova to help him find a way to get milk from their hens, and the results are hilarious. Finally, to the family's joy and the hens' relief, the problem is solved by none other than the wise Rabbi of Chelm himself, and a little extra help from Tova.
In this retelling of a Jewish folktale, Jacob tries to stump Rachel with his best riddles but fails repeatedly. When a young woman in need of help presents Rachel and Jacob with the trickiest riddles of all, they discover the only way to solve them is to work together.
With a long list of activities and events to attend, cousin Thomas paints a picture of city life that makes Jessie’s world seem a little dull in comparison. When her mother suggests they invite Thomas to visit their island, Jessie wonders glumly what she could possibly write in her letter that would sound as exciting as zoos, planetariums or video arcades.
But as Jessie looks out over her island home, she sees a world of endless variety, from killer whales in the strait and bald eagles soaring overhead to anemones in tide pools and tiny hermit crabs on the shore. She thinks of countless days spent exploring, fishing, swimming and canoeing.
This reissue of Jessie’s Island, which was originally published over twenty years ago, will introduce a whole new generation of children to the joy of unstructured play and the pleasures to be found in the natural world.
In this fresh take on a classic tale, a magic meat grinder helps a poor Jewish couple learn a little gratitude after the three wishes it grants them go awry. A cautionary story that questions today's consumerism and excessiveness, Kishka for Koppel, like the best folktales, can help children and adults alike to look both beyond and within.
Mooncakes is the lyrical story of a young girl who shares the special celebration of the Chinese Moon Festival with her parents. As they eat mooncakes, drink tea and watch the night sky together, Mama and Baba tell ancient tales of a magical tree that can never be cut down, the Jade Rabbit who came to live on the moon and one brave woman's journey to eternal life. With a gentle focus on the importance of family, Mooncakes is both a perfect book for parent and child to read together and an ideal choice for schools and libraries.
This is a paperback edition of a beloved and bestselling Orca title.
Theo is brokenhearted when he accidentally lets go of the string of his party balloon. As he watches it float out of sight, Theo wonders where his balloon might have gone. Luckily, his older brother Zeke knows everything about everything. Zeke explains that it is a little-known fact that all lost balloons end up in Chicago, the Windy City. Then he tells Theo about Frank, who is responsible for collecting all the balloons in the world. Theo is so touched by Frank's story that he decides to send him a message of hope the only way he knows how.
A unique story filled with the magic and whimsy of childhood imagination, Once Upon a Balloon will delight young readers and reawaken the child in all of us.
Michael Maxwell McCallum lives in a world just like ours, but peopled by superheroes. When Michael's hero, Perfect Man, quits his job without warning, Michael isn't worried. He knows that Perfect Man will come back. He always does.
So that September, when a new teacher shows up in his classroom, a teacher with a number of special powers, Michael figures it out right away. Mr. Clark is Perfect Man. Mr. Clark doesn't say yes and he doesn't say no to Michael's endless questions, but he does encourage Michael to find his own super powers.
Daisy has more toys than she knows what to do with. In this story, inspired by an Eastern European folktale about a house that's too small, Daisy thinks she needs a bigger bedroom for all the gifts on her birthday list.
Her clever mom helps her realize less is more, and Daisy decides to donate many of her things to a Mitzvah Day rummage sale. In the process, Daisy learns about sharing and the satisfaction that comes from choosing what's important.
Yankel loves to tell stories, as long as they are someone else's. He does not see the hurt that his stories cause, the way they spread and change. Then the rabbi hands him a bag of feathers and tells him to place one on every doorstep in the village. Yankel is changed by what happens and finds himself with his best story yet, one of his very own.
Finn loves to swim with the seals in a secret cove. He arrives at the cove one day and rescues a young seal tangled in netting. Finn wishes the seal could live on land. That night the seals sing. "No good comes from seal songs," says Finn's father. When Sheila, a mysterious girl no one has ever seen before, appears on the cannery docks, the fisher folk are uneasy. They believe the newcomer is a magical selkie, a shape changer.
Kioko has been watching the matatus come and go for as long as he can remember. On his fifth birthday, he gets the chance to climb aboard one with his grandfather. As the matatu pulls away from the market, several village dogs chase after it. Kioko wonders why the dogs always bark and chase after matatus. When he asks his grandfather about it, his grandfather tells Kioko an entertaining tale about a dog, a goat and a sheep. Set in East Africa and inspired by a Kamba folktale, The Matatu is a colorful story filled with unexpected twists and turns.
