Between The Stepping Stones

Rama and her family, are forced to flee their once-peaceful village to escape the ravages of the civil war raging ever closer to their home With only what they can carry on their backs, Rama and her mother, father, grandfather and brother, Sami, set out to walk to freedom in Europe. This unique picture book was inspired by the stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr, discovered by chance by Canadian children’s writer Margriet Ruurs. The author was immediately impressed by the strong narrative quality of Mr. Badr’s work, and, using many of Mr. Badr’s already-created pieces, she set out to create a story about the Syrian refugee crisis. Orca Book Publishers is pleased to offer this book as a dual-language (English and Arabic) edition.

Great-Aunt Chris had begun Helens story, but her death left Helen alone to scribble and scratch out a life now deprived of her deepest friend, whose greatest gift to Helen was a garden, a magical moonlit dance of crystal and gold and silver faeries. The stories of three girls verging on the precipice of womanhood intertwine. Each girl is a victim to brutality, and each was somehow dragged down into servitude and humiliation, yet each life is briefly illuminated by flashes of magic along her journey. The world is full of magicnot that witching magic of sorcery and spells, but the subtle glimpses of magic found in the wrinkles and smiles of those whose wisdom and affection illuminate our journeys. Theyre like fireflies flitting and dancing along a country road at night or the moonlit lace of branches along the forest floor. Magic is sometimes found in the fleeting passing of someone whose momentary flare of kindness and beauty enriches our hearts and souls. And that kind of magic can only be found between the stepping stones in those places where people dare not tread because they are so afraid of the unknown. Helen, Miramund, and Kathleen find themselves in places deep and dark and seemingly hopeless, and only the kind intervention of another can lift them back into the light. Shall each heroine be destined to be a laundress all her life, or can each break with destiny and become a magician in her own right? The stories seek to merge at a place and time preordained by the efforts and struggles of each girl, not by a fickle destiny, and hopefully, each girl will have earned through her own heroic efforts and at that time and place the gift of true balance and insight.

Long-held garden myths are revealed in Coffee for Roses as horticulture expert C.L. Fornari uncovers the truth behind common garden practices - the good, the bad, and the just plain silly. This fun, informative book will save you time, money and lots of unnecessary garden chores. --

This colorful cross section of families introduces readers to fourteen real children from around the world and the people they love the most, from Sanne in the Netherlands, who has two moms; to Gilad, whose parents and siblings live on a kibbutz with other families in Israel; to Ji Eun in South Korea, whose parents both work outside the home. An engaging book about different cultures and what they share: the importance of family, and the familiar ways people care for one another.

“The next best thing to actually seeing the prehistoric cave art of southern Franc[e] . . . A rapturous guide through five major Ice Age sites” (Archaeology). The cave art of France’s Dordogne region is world-famous for the mythology and beauty of its remarkable drawings and paintings. These ancient images of lively bison, horses, and mammoths, as well as symbols of all kinds, are fascinating touchstones in the development of human culture, demonstrating how far humankind has come and reminding us of the ties that bind us across the ages. Over more than twenty-five years of teaching and research, Christine Desdemaines-Hugon has become an unrivaled expert in the cave art and artists of the Dordogne region. In Stepping-Stones she combines her expertise in both art and archaeology to convey an intimate understanding of the “cave experience.” Her keen insights communicate not only the incomparable artistic value of these works but also the near-spiritual impact of viewing them for oneself. Focusing on five fascinating sites, including the famed Font de Gaume and others that still remain open to the public, this book reveals striking similarities between art forms of the Paleolithic and works of modern artists and gives us a unique pathway toward understanding the culture of the Dordogne Paleolithic peoples and how it still touches our lives today. “Her vivid descriptions help readers visualize the Cro-Magnon man or woman painting the beautiful bison, horses, mammoths, and other symbols. [A] fine reading experience.” —Library Journal

Many people know more about the planets Venus and Mars than they do about our home planet, Earth. Unique in our solar system, and so far as we know in the Universe itself, the Earth has been evolving for the past five billion years, and is the result of the dynamic interplay of astronomical,physical, and chemical forces ranging from the vast to the barely perceptible. The evolution of the Earth has never been predictable. Life has come very close to being extinguished many times. After each such crisis, the survivors and their genes have diversified and grown in number to exploit allopportunities. Without such traumas it is hardly likely that evolution's pace could have reached its present advanced level; that of conscious life capable of changing the world, contemplating it, and in doing so changing itself at geologically stupendous rates. In Stepping Stones, Stephen Druryexplores how such a seemingly fragile world could have been formed and developed. Looking at the astonishing leaps, and near catastrophes that have occurred along the way, intermingled with inexorable but slow change, the book interweaves the evidence from geology, physics, biology, and chemistry,to tell an extraordinary story of the Earth's evolution spanning nearly five billion years.

Pathways around your home can be the most striking outdoor element, providing a visual and physical guide through your surroundings. Instead of settling for boring straight-line sidewalks, why not create your own geography with paths that add art to necessity! Let this lush visual resource for gardeners and garden designers inspire you with its 125 different paths that feature styles from very casual to natural trails to elegantly formal walkways. Do-it-yourself installation instructions cover materials, elements of design, each step of construction, and maintenance tips. The value of your home will increase, and so will the pleasure you receive from walking outdoors, as the ordinary activity of going from one place to another reveals your sense of beauty and character. A Selection of the Crafters Choice Book Club & the Homestyle Book Club.