"How do you get people to appreciate what is right in front of them? In The Tale of the Mandarin Duck, it takes a mysterious, beautiful duck and a clear-eyed kid to point out the obvious! Bette Midler's distinctive voice joins striking photos of the real duck by Michiko Kakutani and charming black-and-white drawings by Joana Avillez. This book will have readers of all ages coming back to visit the fantastical interpretation of New York City and its odd ducks--both feathered and human."--Amazon.

In Russia, Molly and her mother didn't celebrate birthdays the way they do in America. When Molly's invited to a birthday party, she's excited to be able to taste a pink and white cake. Then something happens at Emma's party that Molly won't ever forget. She knows it's the week of Passover and she knows she shouldn't eat the cake. What should Molly do?

A collection of five bite-size myths from across the globe, Tricks and Transformations by Anthony Horowitz includes astonishing tales from Greek, Japanese and Chinese mythology. Part of the Legends series of six books, Tricks and Transformations includes the greatest stories of metamorphosis from across the globe, including the fate of Greek hunter Actaeon, and the Monkey King from Chinese myth. Featuring black and white illustrations, the Legends series by Anthony Horowitz, the author of the phenomenally successful Alex Rider series, brings classic stories to life with thrilling imagination.

It does not pay to anger the gods ... If you're lucky, you might just end up being transformed into a spider, falling hopelessly in love with your reflection or being hunted by your own hounds. And if you're unlucky? Well ... read on ...

In the cold, dead eyes of the Banshee, and the hissing, spitting fangs of the Gorgon; in the fiery breath of the dragon and the razor sharp claws of the Sphinx - there is a thirst for blood and a murderous hunger. But it is a time of heroes, and the teeth and claws of these hideous beasts are no match for the lethal blades of such men.

In a time of war, of death and destruction, the world needs heroes. Arthur. Theseus. Geriguiaguiatugo. Their names are whispered on the wind - tales of epic quests, of furious battles, beasts slain and the glory of victory.

Sixteen-year-old Erin Misrahe just wants to be like everyone else in her new school. But Erin has more to worry about than passing AP Chemistry or making friends. In times of stress, she has always been overcome by her alter ego, Shevaun, whose violent behavior wreaks havoc on those around her. Erin can never remember anything about these episodes, and she’s grateful to have been spared them for a while. But when a protective friend comes back into Erin’s life, he insists that Shevaun is a vampire who actually exists apart from Erin. Shevaun has dangerous allies, like the handsome witch Adjila—and they’re determined to sever Shevaun’s connection to Erin once and for all.

"When a mercenary from the vampires' inner circle proposes a daring plan to bring down the empire of Midnight, Malachi must feign support for his unstable sister so his prophecy can be fulfilled. He must do it for his family, for his people--and for their freedom"--

It's 1944 in New York City. Alan Silverman doesn't want to give up his stickball game for anyone-especially not for crazy-acting Naomi Kirshenbaum. But when he hears about her horrifying experience during the war in France, Alan changes his mind. Slowly, he struggles to befriend her, and one day-miraculously-she begins to trust him. Alan finds she is not only intelligent, but also fun to be with. But the scars of war are still very much with Naomi. ALA-Best of the Best for Children New York Times -Best Books for Children YALSA-Best of the Best List

A Radical Rethinking of Sexuality and Schooling: Status Quo or Status Queer? offers a startling and original critique of unexamined assumptions and liberal notions about sexuality and education in the United States. Professor and long-time community activist Eric Rofes argues that liberal approaches to gay issues and public schooling are inherently doomed to fail and that a radical approach is needed that addresses core issues of power in education in a meaningful way. Tackling issues ranging from anti-gay harassment in school to children's literature on gay themes, gender performances of teachers to HIV education, graduate school programs in education to gay men's sexual cultures, Rofes presents a compelling argument for the creation of a second generation of activism focused on queers, schools, and education, one that truly empowers young people and educators and one that has the potential to truly transform power relations in our nation.

No teacher has ever appreciated Jackie's excessive enthusiasm, until Ms. Sugarman. When Ms. Sugarman leaves the fourth grade to become principal, Jackie is devastated. "The honest and caring relationship between [Jackie] and Ms. Sugarman is one that every student and teacher might envy. Solid characterizations, with good insight into the difference an understanding teacher can make." —SLJ. "A funny, heartwarming story with a very real little girl at it heart. Any student who has ever idolized a wonderful teacher will sympathize with Jackie." —ALA Booklist 1995 Charlie May Simon Children's Book Honor Award (AR)

"Eleanor Farjeon is probably best known for her powerfully imaginative children's books, so it is not surprising to discover that her own childhood, recalled here in quite astonishing detail, was a happy and creative one. 'Nellie' was born in 1881, the daughter of the irrepressible Ben Farjeon, a writer of popular novels, and the sweet-natured Margaret Jefferson, of the famous American acting family. Their own fascinating stories, which take us as far as the New Zealand bush and a Louisiana plantation, occupy almost half the book. Being a girl, Nellie was never sent to school, and she was miserably self-conscious at parties or in the company of strangers. The nursery, therefore, was the only world she knew for more than sisxteen years. It was here that she read, wrote stories, and with her three brothers evolved the rituals and games that dominated their lives. Her imagination flourished in this hothouse atmosphere to such an extent that her fantasy life became more important and more exciting to her than the real world of Victorian London outside the nursery. She later admitted that this was unhealthy and seriously delayed her maturity, but readers of A nursery in the nineties can only be grateful for the passionate involvement in the nursery that inspired one of the most striking accounts of childhood ever written." - Back cover.

Dame Edna Everage - housewife, megastar, investigative journalist, social anthropologist, children's book illustrator, chanteuse, swami, monstre sacre, polymath, adviser to British royalty, grief counselor, spin doctor, and gifted woman in the world today. The seeds of stardom were planted in Melbourne, Australia when her career as a performing artiste was strictly a cult following. In the 1960's, she did a series of one-woman shows and occasional stage and TV appearances in England with Barry Humphries. She spends her time visiting world leaders and jet-setting between her homes in Malibu, London, Sydney, and Switzerland. Her hobbies are having afternoon tea with Stephen Hwking and doing compassionate photography.

Now in Paperback!In a companion book to the acclaimed ARLENE ALDA’S ABC, the author turns her sharp photographer's eye on nature and the everyday objects around us, finding numerals in the most surprising places. Some photographs may require a closer look, while others are as plain as the nose on your face—or a curl of hair that makes a perfect 6! It's fun to see the number 4 made by a flamingo’s legs or the natural 9 of a spiral seashell in this unique counting book that goes from 1 to 10 . . . and back again! 1999 ALA Notable Children's Book. 1999 Hornbook Fanfare Title.

"The third edition, updated and expanded. Discover the newest cutting-edge research about the wonderful healing properties of niacin! Vitamin B3-or niacin-is a small molecule made of only fourteen atoms, smaller even than the simplest sugar. But this one molecule has profound effects on health: it plays a role in more than five hundred reactions in the body. Many illnesses are caused by too little niacin, and many illnesses can be cured with high doses of niacin. Niacin: The Real Story takes an orthomolecular (nutrition-based) approach to medicine, supporting wellness with substances that naturally occur in the human body. Here the most prominent minds in orthomolecular medicine discuss the widespread use of niacin for the prevention and treatment of health problems. With newly-updated recommendations and on forms and therapeutic doses, we find all of the best ways to take niacin for conditions like arthritis, children's learning and behavioral disorders, mental illness, cardiovascular disease, and much more"--

Human beings have long imagined their subjectivity, ethics, and ancestry with and through animals, yet not until the mid-twentieth century did contemporary thought reflect critically on animals' significance in human self-conception. Thinkers such as French philosopher Jacques Derrida, South African novelist J. M. Coetzee, and American theorist Donna Haraway have initiated rigorous inquiries into the question of the animal, now blossoming in a number of directions. It is no longer strange to say that if animals did not exist, we would have to invent them.This interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collection reflects the growth of animal studies as an independent field and the rise of "animality" as a critical lens through which to analyze society and culture, on a par with race and gender. Essays consider the role of animals in the human imagination and the imagination of the human; the worldviews of indigenous peoples; animal-human mythology in early modern China; and political uses of the animal in postcolonial India. They engage with the theoretical underpinnings of the animal protection movement, representations of animals in children's literature, depictions of animals in contemporary art, and the philosophical positioning of the animal from Aristotle to Derrida. The strength of this companion lies in its timeliness and contextual diversity, which makes it essential reading for students and researchers while further developing the parameters of the discipline.

Jack Zipes develops a social history of the fairy tale and shows how educated writers purposefully appropriated the oral folk tale in the eighteenth century and made it into a discourse about mores, values, and manners.

Outlines a step-by-step plan for parents designed to raise childhood obesity awareness and establish life-long healthy eating patterns, in a guide that covers such topics as allergies, eating disorders, and exercise.

When Marek Halter's award-winning international bestseller The Book of Abraham was published here in 1986, it was greeted with unanimous praise and compared with Roots, War and Peace, and the works of James Michener. That epic portrayal of a Jewish family through history -- based in large part on the records of the Halters themselves -- ended in the midst of World War II, with the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto. Here the author picks up the thread of the family saga in the postwar period. Like most of European Jewry, the Halter family is decimated and dispersed: Sidney and his family in New York; the Lerners in Moscow; Don Israel and Dona Regina in Buenos Aires; Mordecai and his family in Israel. At the heart of the new epic is Hugo Halter, an elusive and haunting figure who, as a young man in the late 1930s, had warned of the coming Holocaust. Most had not listened and perished in the conflagration. As this book opens, Hugo and his German wife, Sigrid, are driving from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in March 1961. Hugo parks to gaze in wonder at the magic city spread before him. Suddenly a military truck approaches, and as it passes submachine-gun fire erupts from it, killing both Hugo and Sigrid. Why were they assassinated in cold blood, presumably by Arab terrorists? Who exactly was Hugo: an agent? A double agent? Working for whom and to what ends? In Paris, Marek Halter, the self-appointed family scribe, sets out to find the answer. At the same time, another cousin, an officer in the Israeli secret service, begins his own official investigation. Their paths, and lines of inquiry, sometimes cross, often diverge, as different versions of the same episode appear in oddly varying lights. The result is a suspense novel of high intrigue, but also a panorama of contemporary Judaism, with its conflicts and contradictions, its struggles and achievements, its heady victories and discouraging defeats. - Jacket flap.