In this book, the award winning author shares humorous childhood memories of Christmas with his family in rural Appalachia.
Bubbling with beautiful princesses, dragon-slaying underdogs, and crafty tricksters, these Franco-American stories explore a heritage that has become known as "a quiet presence". Co-authors, Parent and Olivier recount the lutin's tricks on farmers, the Jack-like adventures of Ti-Jean, Pierre and his modern-day chainsaw, a beautiful princess conquering an evil witch, and family stories passed down from generation to generation. Meet Michael's grandfather, Honor Fournier, who spoiled his grandchildren with kindly generosity, and Alexis Lacasse, Julien's grandfather, who didn't let a prank stop him from arriving to dinner on time. Life in Franco-American families revolved around two entities: family and church. The authors address these two important aspects and how they have influenced their stories. Olivier and Parent inherited their families' love of stories and continue that legacy by sharing their ancestry and heritage in this charming book.
The fourteen personal stories in this delightful coming of age book apply universal elements with characters and situations that everyone will recognize so that only the names, places and times change from our own childhood stories.
Highly acclaimed, award winning author Donald Davis wants us all to remember and share our family stories. Among other tall tales, he writes about how his uncle hung onto the multitudinous Democratic votes of the Ratherton clan while at the very same time keeping them from shooting Davis' squirrels in a lean year; how he got Phyleete, wife Jolly, their eleven sub-natural sons and one forgettably natural daughter to move their log house from the unlikely place they'd built it; and how he tried to solve the problem of the chatty Misses Lena and Lucy Leatherwood, who clogged up the eight-party telephone line so badly that Uncle Frank paid for his new phone four months before he ever got the chance to talk on it. Davis offers seventeen vintage family stories, including Rainy Weather, The Southern Bells, and Old Man Hawkins' Lucky Day.
It's the Night of the Radishes and Don Pedro wants to carve the best radish sculpture in town. But one radish won't cooperate. It bounces away, looking for action! So begins a raucous romp as everyone in town gets involved in the chasing of the radish. Written in a style reminiscent of "The Gingerbread Man," one antic builds on another until finally the rascally radish is subdued. The Night of the Radishes is an annual festival held on the evening of December 23rd in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Former teacher Eugene Gagliano had a front-row seat to the everyday trials of school life. In honor of all students who have ever grappled with show-and-tell missteps and problematic classmates, he's penned a clever poetry collection, My Teacher Dances on the Desk. Episodes from every aspect of school life, from visiting the school nurse to sitting next to the wrong student, are told through humorous verse. Move Me Soon I don't like sitting next to Rose. She's always picking at her nose, And chews her fingernails way down, And always wears a pouty frown. Black-and-white line drawings punctuate these school-year reflections. Students young and old will fondly recall their own school "daze" in My Teacher Dances on the Desk.Eugene Gagliano is known as "the teacher who dances on his desk." The recipient of the IRA's 2004 Wyoming State Literacy Award, Gene travels to schools and conferences with presentations as entertaining as they are informative. Tatjana Mai-Wyss was born in Switzerland. Her black-and-white work is usually done in India ink with a dip pen. Tatjana lives in South Carolina.
From the same team that brought you My Momma Likes to Say comes this delightful interpretation of maxims, idioms, proverbs, and clichs many students remember hearing on a regular basis in the classroom. From "Do you have ants in your pants?" to "Stick together!" and "Great minds think alike," readers will be intrigued by the history of these adages, told in poetry form as well as expository text, and amused by the witty illustrations, depicting these sayings as a child might imagine them. Growing up with six sisters and one brother, there has never been a dull moment in Denise Brennan-Nelson's life. She continues to keep the pace lively as a motivational speaker, children's author, and mother. She is the author of My Momma Likes to Say and Buzzy the Bumblebee, also from Sleeping Bear Press. Denise lives with her family in Howell, Michigan. Jane Monroe Donovan's parents encouraged her to follow her heart and it led to her love of sketching and painting. In addition to My Teacher Likes to Say, Jane also illustrated Sunny Numbers: A Florida Counting Book and My Momma Likes to Say. She is currently working on a Christmas title for Sleeping Bear Press. Jane lives with her family in Pinckney, Michigan.
