Then -- amazingly -- he actually meets his idol, and begs Houdini to explain himself. A mysterious locked box is the magician's only answer, and Victor is left to wonder: Does the box contain the secrets to the most famous magic tricks ever performed?

    To their surprise, villager after villager refuses to share, each one closing the door with a bang. As they sit to rest beside a well, one of the travelers observes that if the townspeople have no food to share, they must be "in greater need than we are." With that, the travelers demonstrate their special recipe for a magical soup, using a stone as a starter. All they need is a carrot, which a young girl volunteers. Not to be outdone, another villager contributes a potato, and the soup grows as others bring corn, celery, and other vegetables and seasonings. In this cumulative retelling of an ancient and widely circulated legend, author Heather Forest shows us that when each person makes a small contribution, "the collective impact can be huge." Susan Gaber's paintings portray the optimism and timelessness of a story that celebrates teamwork and generosity. This story about community teaches readers the importance of sharing, generosity and vegetables!Winner of Parents' Choice Award & Bank Street College: Best Children's Books of the Year

    The more than 175 tales culled from a centuries-old Russian storytelling tradition by the outstanding Russian ethnographer Aleksandr Afanas’ev reveal a rich, robust world of the imagination that will fascinate readers both young and old.With black-and-white drawings throughoutPart of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library

    But then she overhears passersby talking about something that gives her hope-something called a Friend Ship! Hedgehog imagines a ship filled with friends of all kinds, and soon she's ready to hit the open seas in a boat of her own to track it down. Along the way, she meets other lonely animals eager to join her quest.They search north. They search south. They search east. But Hedgehog and her new friends can't find the Ship anywhere! Until she realizes she knows just where the Friend Ship is. . . This heartwarming tale by Kat Yeh, with charming illustrations by Chuck Groenink, proves that sometimes, what you're searching for is right in front of you.

    Approx 1,550 words and 6 chapters. The man who looked after the weather said to his son, “Tom, it’s time you learnt how to do my job. I’m going into town tomorrow and I want you to look after the weather huts.” “Yes, Father, I can do that,” Tom said with a smile. So the next morning Tom waved bye to his Father as he got into his van. His father called out, “Watch out for the bears!” “Watch out for the what?” Tom called back. “The bears that live in the forest!” his father shouted. Tom shook his head. Bears that lived in the forest! He’d never seen any bears. What was his father talking about? Tom soon finds out ...

    Gathered from around the world, from regions as diverse as sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe, from North and South American Indian cultures and New World settlers, from Asia and the Middle East, these 100 folktales celebrate strong female heroines.Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters is for all women who are searching to define who they are, to redefine the world and shape their collective sensibility. It is for men who want to know more about what it means to be a woman. It is for our daughters and our sons, so that they can learn to value all kinds of courage, courage in battle and the courage of love. It is for all of us to help build a more just vision of woman.

    Ooh la la!Nancy is utterly fascinated by movie stars—and everybody knows that movie stars don't go to bed early!

    When a magic trick goes awry, the magician M. Lapin becomes a sad rabbit while his rabbit assistant, Houdini, becomes the star of the show. After trying increasingly spectacular tricks, Houdini realizes that someone else wants and deserves the spotlight, and in his most amazing trick ever, he restores M. Lapin to his former self. Generosity and teamwork—and of course magic—take center stage in this delightful debut.

    Through several simple steps, you will learn the best way to ask for what you want, how to ask for more of what you want, and the importance of not overreaching. With helpful illustrations and a complete glossary, there is no end to what these skills can get you.Straight out of the pages of the New York Times bestselling Trail of the Spellmans, authors David Spellman and Lisa Lutz and illustrator Jaime Temairik show you that it is possible to negotiate for everything. Even an elephant!

    When a terrible storm rages across the valley, Pattan wonders if perhaps his pumpkin can save the seeds and grains and saplings, the goats and birds and bison, and protect them all as the storm clouds burst and the waters rise. Frane Lessac's brilliantly hued artwork is a feast for the eyes, while Chitra Soundar's thoughtful retelling is a fascinating example of the kinds of stories told the world over -- and the differences that make each version unique.

    Instead, it's full of zip, zilch, diddly-squat, bupkus.But don't worry, reading this book isn't all for nothing, because sometimes nothing is actually something.Like if you pick up all the toys in your room, what will be on the floor? NOTHING. When you take a bath, what are you wearing? NOTHING. And when you shut the lights off to go to bed, what do you see? NOTHING.Mike Bender and Hugh Murphy stop at nothing to explore the key concepts of nothing and zero using playful language and hilarious illustrations.

    He's landed at the bottom of his school's popularity ladder, and bully Randy Stanford seems to be waiting around every corner.The troubled teen thinks he's found a way to escape his real-world problems when he stumbles upon strange doorways in Astoria's local library that seem to lead into the extraordinary worlds from all his favorite books. Oz, Neverland, Wonderland -- they're all a reality with Wesley's new discovery. Wesley teams with best friend Taylor Williams to embark on a great adventure, both ready to leave the drama of middle school behind.But the two kids quickly find themselves embroiled in a centuries-old battle for the library and the magic hiding within. Now, fighting alongside the eccentric old man who's vowed to protect the building's power, the pair must help ward off an attack by a shadowy group with a strange tie to Wesley's nemesis, forcing Wesley to face the fears he's been dodging... and one of the most terrifying bullies of all time!

    "Hall-O-Ween!" is a spooky little rhyming book about all the sweet bites and fun frights on Halloween day and night.

    Through this engaging book, kids will understand the reasons that today, 200 years later, she is still remembered and immortalized on a golden dollar coin.

    . . b ossy . . . c uddly cat.He is everything from i ntelligent and l oyal to n aughty and v ocal! But most of all, the bookstore cat is a well-loved (and well-read) kitty. Follow his funny antics from A to Z through a day in his bustling, book-filled shop.The Bookstore Cat is based on a Victorian parlor game, The Minister’s Cat, in which players try to think of adjectives to describe the cat in alphabetical order. Readers can extend the fun of the book by playing their own version of the game.