Mouse Celebrates the Winter Solstice


Book Description

It is winter. The land lies still, quiet and stark beneath a blanket of snow. The tiny footprints of a mouse can be seen in the light of the moon. Wrapped in the quiet, and there in the bleak, there stood a wise mouse, preparing to speak. The words that mouse chose were from many years past. She spoke them into the cold night air. So begins the enchanting story of a very special Winter Solstice celebration. Kwakwaka’wakw author Terri Mack and Tsimshian artist Bill Helin have collaborated to bring us this story of strength, friendship and celebration. The lyrical text and engaging illustrations will appeal to readers of all ages.




The Shortest Day


Book Description

In this seasonal treasure, Newbery Medalist Susan Cooper’s beloved poem heralds the winter solstice, illuminated by Caldecott Honoree Carson Ellis’s strikingly resonant illustrations. So the shortest day came, and the year died . . . As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. They built fires and lit candles. They played music, bringing their own light to the darkness, while wondering if the sun would ever rise again. Written for a theatrical production that has become a ritual in itself, Susan Cooper’s poem "The Shortest Day" captures the magic behind the returning of the light, the yearning for traditions that connect us with generations that have gone before — and the hope for peace that we carry into the future. Richly illustrated by Carson Ellis with a universality that spans the centuries, this beautiful book evokes the joy and community found in the ongoing mystery of life when we celebrate light, thankfulness, and festivity at a time of rebirth. Welcome Yule!




The Shortest Day


Book Description

Describes how and why daylight grows shorter as winter approaches, the effect of shorter days on animals and people, and how the winter solstice has been celebrated throughout history. Includes activities.




Lord of Hawkfell Island


Book Description

The first novel in #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter's Vikings series. Rorik is a Viking warrior, as fierce and savage as the North Sea during the winter solstice. Mirana is a Viking woman who loves birds, is more ingenious than most men, and loyal down to her toes. Her life changes utterly one fateful day when Rorik and his men come to Clontarf, a Viking fortress on the eastern coast of Ireland, to kill her half-brother. But she is the one taken as a hostage to use as a pawn against him. Rorik is the Lord of Hawkfell, an island off the east coast of Britain. The moment he brings his captive home, it seems that everything begins to fly out of his control. The women are out to teach the men a lesson, Rorik’s family is out for Mirana’s blood, a murderer is on the loose, and a huge mongrel, Kerzog, dotes not only on his master but also on his master’s captive. Rorik and Mirana are two strong-willed people, ardent in their opinions, who will have you rooting for both of them equally.




Supernatural beings from Slovenian myth and folktales


Book Description

Focusing on Slovenian mythology the book contains a review of Slovenian mythological, historical, and narrative material. Over 150 supernatural beings are presented, both lexically and according to the role that they have in Slovenian folklore. They are classified by type, characteristic, features, and by the message conveyed in their motifs and contents. The material has been analysed in the context of European and some non-European mythological concepts, and the author deals with theory and interpretations as well as the conclusions of domestic and foreign researchers. The book forms new starting points and a classification of supernatural beings within a frame of a number of sources, some of which have been published for the first time in this book.




Shi-shi-etko


Book Description

Winner of the Anskohk Aboriginal Children's Book of the Year Award. Finalist for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Ruth Schwartz Award In just four days young Shi-shi-etko will have to leave her family and all that she knows to attend residential school. She spends her last days at home treasuring the beauty of her world -- the dancing sunlight, the tall grass, each shiny rock, the tadpoles in the creek, her grandfather's paddle song. Her mother, father and grandmother, each in turn, share valuable teachings that they want her to remember. And so Shi-shi-etko carefully gathers her memories for safekeeping. Richly hued illustrations complement this gently moving and poetic account of a child who finds solace all around her, even though she is on the verge of great loss -- a loss that Indigenous Peoples have endured for generations because of the residential schools system. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.




Tipiskawi Kisik


Book Description

"View the night sky through an Indigenous perspective with this collection of Ininew (Cree) constellations and mythologies. These stories present a brief glimpse of the knowledge held by Indigenous people prior to first contact. Fly inside the Milky Way with Niska (the Goose). Chase Mista Muskwa (the Great Bear) along with Tepahkoop Pinesisuk (the Seven Birds). Above all else, pass these stories on to the next generation, so they will know the rich history, science and culture of the Ininew people."--




You Can't Taste a Pickle With Your Ear


Book Description

Seeing, smelling, hearing, touching, tasting-is there a child who doesn't wonder how the five senses work? Kids' curiosity about their bodies is limitless. Using a combination of clear information and gentle humor, Harriet Ziefert introduces children to their five senses. Written in playful verse, yet scientifically accurate (the text has been fact-checked by a science educator), and illustrated with fresh art and simple diagrams, young readers will come away from this book with most, if not all, of their questions about the five senses answered.




Little Glow


Book Description




Parlour Games for Modern Families


Book Description

WINNER OF THE 2010 AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARDS BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR OLDER CHILDREN (AGE RANGE 8 TO 14 YEARS) Parlour Games for Modern Families sets out to revive the tradition of indoor family games: push aside the consoles, turn off the telly, and bring some mental stimulation, silliness and laughter, joy and connection back into your living room. This book is bursting with games of logic and memory, wordplay, card games, role-play, and rough and tumble. Not a single game requires equipment that you won’t find in your average home: a pack of cards, a dictionary, an hourglass, dice, paper and pen. Games are organised thematically and referenced for age appropriateness. All are set out with clear rules and instructions. There are games that will challenge and stimulate you, and games that will have you in fits; games that can last all night, and games to fill that empty half-hour before tea; games for adults and older children, and games for your four-year-old’s birthday party. Parlour Games for Modern Families, a book for fun-lovers aged four to 104, winds back the clock to remind you of games you’d forgotten and then a whole lot more. Whether you dip into it as the urge takes you or read it from cover to cover, a very good time is guaranteed. PRAISE FOR MYFANWY JONES AND SPIRI TSINTZIRAS ‘In this day and age, it's hard to prise the kids away from their electronic equipment (TV, computers, game consoles and on the list goes), not to mention you, the parent from your chores. But this little corker of a book should help you out. Written by two mothers, it's packed full of fabulous games that families used to play years ago ... Gather up the clan into one room, choose a game (Farkle, Pontoon, Flip the Kipper or Picture Consequences, perhaps) and have a bit of genuine fun, and family time.’ The Herald Sun ‘Wink Murder, Memory, Charades, Twenty Questions - the authors of this book sat musing over all the forgotten parlour games they used to play as children and decided they wanted a book of games, so they wrote it. With a passionate introduction that calls for the reintroduction of parlour games into family life, the authors put forward a case for family members connecting with each other via old-fashioned unplugged fun.’ The Sunday Mail