Starlight Sailor

Sail away to dreamland! Follow a small boy and his dog as they navigate the land of dreams in a paper boat. As you journey through the night, you will see all kinds of curious and magical creatures. Ages: 2-6 AUTHOR: James Mayhew is an author and artist.. He starts his art workshops for children by telling them a story then asking them to illustrate the story, guiding them on the style of dress and architecture of the period. James has illustrated Shakespeare's Storybook and Stories from the Opera for Barefoot Books. Jackie Morris has illustrated several books for Barefoot, including The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems. SELLING POINTS: * Award-winning artist Jackie Morris's dreamy, fanciful illustrations pair perfectly with the lyrical text to create a handsome gift board book. * Text builds on familiar "Star light, star bright" refrain for soothing bedtime reading. * Includes instructions for making and decorating your own paper boat REVIEW: "At bedtime a young child reading the 'star light, star bright' nursery rhyme with his mother drifts off to sleep and floats in a paper boat to a charming dreamland populated with welcoming playmates and a vast array of alluring fantasy creatures . . . . "Although fantasy icons galore inhabit the dream (a pirate ship, unicorn, juggler, castles, hot-air balloons, and much more), the figures are small and either peek from the horizon or drift in and out of the action, so neither the ethereal watercolour illustrations nor the story told in a short, rhyming text feel overstuffed" -- Booklist ILLUSTRATIONS: Colour illustrations

It is 2065 and Earth continues its downward spiral. It is more polluted, overcrowded and, most of all, more desperate. Then Charley shows up in an alien spaceship and offers an escape: a chance for a new life on a new world, in a colony currently under construction. Everyone is skeptical. Who is this guy who claims to be just an ordinary man? How did he come to possess such a ship? Just what is the deal here? Is the offer for real? It is, but of course there's a catch; there is always a catch. This is the story of that colony and what Charley did to earn it, what consequential task he undertook for an alien species that resulted in being rewarded with an entire planet. That part of the tale is not so pretty. It is also, however, a story about interstellar love, of the romance between Charley and the beautiful Clarity of Purpose, human but not of Earth. She, at least, is far more appealing. Primarily, this is the story of one man's indomitable will and the consequences of his personal desperation. Possible annihilation of the human race was merely an unforeseen consequence. That could not possibly happen, could it?

Five years have passed and the colony on the planet of Junction in the Iota Horologii System - commonly called Iron Horse - is thriving. Charley and Clarity of Purpose rule through a combination of indulgent compassion and benign neglect. The original ten thousand colonists are well ensconced but no more have, as yet, been brought from Earth. A Constitutional Congress is held. A second shipload of colonists is to be transported so matters must be settled and whatever form of government decided upon codified. George Esterman and Catharine Virginia Petersen express their expected opinions, as do many others. This middle volume of the Forbearance Trilogy documents the state of the colony and follows its progress for the next several years, describing the settlements flowering diversity as well as its continuing struggles. Rules are almost nonexistent and individualism is openly encouraged. However, the Han are still around and the paternal but autocratic Quanck present challenges of their own. Earth also has demands. Whatever anyones interpretation of an ideal society, that vision can be accommodated on Junction but every form of sanctuary has its price. Freedom is never free and liberty requires constant attention and continual involvement. Anarchy can lead to its own dissolution and, at the very least, paradoxically requires planning and oversight. Day-to-day life is hardly rigorous or demanding, though, and that may very well constitute the colonys biggest challenge.

Five more years have passed. Everything is spiraling out of control and that is the good news. With each new shipload of colonists, the focus shifts and clarity diminishes. What was once a tight-knit community is gradually becoming something else, something more diffuse, something harder to pin down and categorize easily. Fifty thousand more inhabitants mean fifty thousand more variables in the overall equation that constitutes Junction, and almost everyone sees that as a good thing. The colony is blossoming and spreading outward. Five more years also means another full cycle of togetherness and separation for Charley and Clarity of Purpose. Five more years means another couple of layers of hope and despair added to the strata of Charleys struggles. On the plus side, he now also has a daughter. On the negative, Clarity has returned to Arden with both her and her older brother to, pointedly, more fully inculcate them into Quanck society. Charleys son now has a name, he has reached the naming age of six (Earth years.) That is the earliest that Quanck society deigns to notice the existence of another human soul in their midst. He and his mother have compromised on the name of Bridge Spanner but Charley, most often, still calls him Junior. The story has progressed in other areas as well but the war seems to be in something of a lull. The Han have not put in a single appearance in all that time but their threat flavors everyones lives. They will have to be dealt with, another duty Charley reluctantly assumes. His success or failure will determine the ultimate fate of the colony, and Earth as well. How hard can saving the human race be?

Join the adventures of a young sailor boy in "A Sailor Boy with Dewey" by Edward Stratemeyer. Set against the backdrop of the Spanish-American War, this tale captures the valor and challenges faced by sailors in the late 19th century. Stratemeyer's vivid storytelling, combined with historical events, offers a captivating blend of fiction and history, showcasing the spirit of adventure and camaraderie among sailors.