Books with author Christopher Routly

The Little Maple Tree loves its pretty green leaves in the spring and summer but is anxious about the changes fall and winter will bring, so finds its own unique way to overcome its fears and at the same time bring joy and laughter to others. A charming and uplifting story, wonderfully illustrated, that will touch the heart of every young listener at story time.

Jane and Henry are sister and brother, trying hard to look out for each other in a world without their parents. Jane is doing everything she can, but looking out for Henry in their state orphanage and school is becoming harder and harder. When she finds she is even more gifted than she thought, with a power to force her will onto others, Jane plans and works to run away with Henry to a prestigious private school, in an effort to get the education and background she knows they need. They are confronted by a man claiming to be a long lost relative, who can resist her willpower, and flee in the hope of admission to a new school and a new life. They continue to face hurdles in their efforts to protect one another, ultimately gaining a peek at others like them, and their apparent destiny, as they face off against their enemies while trying to protect themselves and the future they want for themselves.

If you can remember far enough back to those hazy, lazy, bountiful days when catching lightning bugs and picking apples were enough to enchant you for hours (or if you just wish you could remember that far back), then Jurebe is not only the book for you, but for your children, and their children, and their children’s children, and the entire neighborhood full of children, and so forth. Jurebe introduces us to a cast of characters including Squirrel, Woodpecker and Magic Grandma, with her potions and solutions to solve many a late summer afternoon problem. Jurebe takes us to a place where plants thrive, insects rule, and time slows down long enough for us to inspect and appreciate the little things in life, and the big life in things. Those lingering, lazy days where you could delight in your simple backyard are back, thanks to Jurebe and his friends. These stories are perhaps best read at bedtime, when dusk begins to take hold of the land and when imaginations stretch far and wide. Just as you’re about to wander off into dreamland, take Jurebe’s hand, and let his magical gift of joy and discovery be your guide.