Telephone Tales

Reminiscent of Scheherazade and One Thousand and One Nights, Gianni Rodari's Telephone Tales is many stories within a story. Every night, a traveling father must finish a bedtime story in the time that a single coin will buy. One night, it's a carousel that adults cannot comprehend, but whose operator must be some sort of magician, the next, it's a land filled with butter men who melt in the sunshine Awarded the Hans Christian Anderson Award in 1970, Gianni Rodari is widely considered to be Italy's most important children's author of the 20th century. Newly re-illustrated by Italian artist Valerio Vidali​ (The Forest)​, Telephone Tales​ entertains, while questioning and imagining other worlds.

A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2022 ★ Everyone knows how "Little Red Riding Hood" goes. But Grandpa keeps getting the story all wrong, with hilarious results! "Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Little Yellow Riding Hood—" "Not yellow! It's Red Riding Hood!" So begins the story of a grandpa playfully recounting the well-known fairytale—or his version, at least—to his granddaughter. Try as she might to get him back on track, Grandpa keeps on adding things to the mix, both outlandish and mundane! The end result is an unpredictable tale that comes alive as it's being told, born out of imaginative play and familial affection. This spirited picture book will surprise and delight from start to finish, while reminding readers that storytelling is not only a creative act of improvisation and interaction, but also a powerful pathway for connection and love. Telling Stories Wrong was written by Gianni Rodari, widely regarded as the father of modern Italian children's literature. It exemplifies his great respect for the intelligence of children and the kind of work he did as an educator, developing numerous games and exercises for children to engage and think beyond the status quo, imagining what happens after the end of a familiar story, or what possibilities open up when a new ingredient is introduced. This book is illustrated with great affection by the illustrious artist Beatrice Alemagna (Child of Glass), who counts Gianni Rodari as one of her "spiritual fathers."

College students graduating now, probably never cranked a phone to get an operator to complete a call for them. Many may not have even heard of it. Many talk of dialing a telephone when they push buttons to make a telephone call, but don't know why its called dialing. Rotary dials that we use to dial to make a call have all but faded in to history. First ladies and losing nominees quickly fade in to a black hole. Telephone history, the people and the equipment is headed the same way. Books, not even history books, do not mention the great works of telephone men and women. Consequently, the history of telephony, its equipment and people are being forgotten. The purpose of this book is to create a history of these gallant people and their equipment. It is composed of short stories that describe the equipment and how unexpected predicaments affected their workday. Don worked over fifty years in telecommunications. Working with many telephone employees in both Bell System and the independent telephone industry. He enjoyed, not only the work, but also the fellowship he encountered through his association with the personnel in both groups. He found them all to be like one big family, which believed in good service to the telephone subscribers. With divesture, he took an early retirement from Ohio Bell. But, worked at other communication companies. During his employment, he told young engineers about the employees and equipment of the telephone system prior to Divesture. Occasionally, he would be told that he should write a book. He took it as a joke. When he was laid off from the last company, he decided to write a book so that the many conscientious telephone employees would not be forgotten.

Marinda and Miranda have been best friends since school. But they could not have been more different too. A princess becomes a basketball star, a nice old lady casts magic spells on household appliances, a police captain becomes invisible.... These stories are so full of fun and fantasy that you can easily catch the bug and try making up some stories of your own. Kathryn Thompson did a great job transferring this popular book from Russian into English. And the illustrations by Natalya Korsunskaya won the "Image of the Book" international competition in 2013.

One child is portrayed as seven children from all parts of the world. Although each child is different they all laugh in the same language. The story unifies all the children in the end into one man and because of that they can no longer declare war against one another. Essentially, a story of peace.

“A shining story of a young girl who struggles to come of age and find her place in a world fraught with danger.” —Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Newbery Honor-winning author of Hitler Youth * Winner of the Youth Prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival (voted by readers) * Winner of the Artémisia Prize for Historical Fiction * Winner of the Andersen Premio Prize * A magnificent narrative inspired by a true survival story that asks universal questions about a young girl’s coming of age story, her identity, her passions, and her first loves. At the Sèvres Children’s Home outside Paris, Rachel Cohen has discovered her passion—photography. Although she hasn’t heard from her parents in months, she loves the people at her school, adores capturing what she sees in pictures, and tries not to worry too much about Hitler’s war. But as France buckles under the Nazi regime, danger closes in, and Rachel must change her name and go into hiding. As Catherine Colin, Rachel Cohen is faced with leaving the Sèvres Home—and the friends she made there—behind. But with her beautiful camera, Catherine possesses an object with the power to remember. For the rest of the war, Catherine bears witness to her own journey, and to the countless heroes whose courage and generosity saved the lives of many, including her own. Based on the author’s mother’s own experiences as a hidden child in France during World War II, Catherine’s War is one of the most accessible historical graphic novels featuring a powerful girl since Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi—perfect for fans of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, Anne Frank, or Helen Keller. Includes a map and photographs of the real Catherine and her wartime experiences, as well as an interview with author Julia Billet. “Many of the settings are beautifully detailed, and the characters undeniably expressive. Catherine’s ability to find beauty in the world makes for a forward-looking read.” —Booklist *(starred review)* “This story will make readers want to join the Resistance. Characters are drawn so vividly that, long afterward, readers will remember their names.” —Kirkus An Indie Next List Pick! *A Junior Library Guild selection*

A lyrical and heartfelt collection by an award-winning writer that connects the lives of young people from small towns in Alaska and the American west. Each story is unique, yet universal. In this book, the impact of wildfire, a wayward priest, or a mysterious disappearance ricochet across communities, threading through stories. Here, ordinary actions such as ice skating or going to church reveal hidden truths. One choice threatens a lifelong friendship. Siblings save each other. Rescue and second chances are possible, and so is revenge. On the surface, it seems that nothing ever happens in these towns. But Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock shows that underneath that surface, teenagers' lives blaze with fury, with secrets, and with love so strong it burns a path to the future.

A fable for children and adults: a story of life, death, and terrorism—in the grand tradition of Exupéry’s The Little Prince When we first meet 93-year-old millionaire Baron Lamberto, he has been diagnosed with 24 life-threatening ailments—one for each of the 24 banks he owns. But when he takes the advice of an Egyptian mystic and hires servants to chant his name over and over again, he seems to not only get better, but younger. Except then a terrorist group lays siege to his island villa, his team of bank managers has to be bussed in to help with the ransom negotiations, and a media spectacle breaks out . . . A hilarious and strangely moving tale that seems ripped from the headlines—although actually written during the time the Red Brigades were terrorizing Italy—Gianni Rodari’s Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto has become one of Italy’s most beloved fables. Never before translated into English, the novel is a reminder, as Rodari writes, that “there are things that only happen in fairytales.”