Books published by publisher Quad City Press

Travelling storyteller Joel ben Izzy recounts an international mix of creepy tales that will take you from the back seat of a taxi in Hong Kong to a graveyard in Israel, and from the frozen Yukon to the suburbs of Los Angeles. You'll end up in a cave in the hills outside of Rome where Joel found the title story - or rather, it found him. As he recounts it you'll hear the story of Joel's first job as a storyteller - which was very nearly his last. You'll hear the following: Creepy Car Tales (California, Hawaii, Hong Kong) How I Got Bill the Chicken (California) The Cremation of Sam McGee (Canada) King Solomon & Death/The Graveyard in Safed (Israel) The Green Hand (Italy) This collection of stories, all told with music to match, is as funny as it is scary. It received an Award of Excellence from the Film Advisory Board

A third Victoria has ascended the throne of a steam-driven country where enormous clockwork giants walk the streets and airships carry news of the Ottoman threat in the East. In the wake of a calamity that engulfed all of Europe, Inspector Vanessa Hargreaves of Scotland Yard is given the dubious task of policing steamcraft crime. Along with flamboyant detective Arturo C. Adler, she stumbles upon a conspiracy to use a horrific plague in an effort to prevent war. But even as dastardly forces converge upon her, our high-heeled detective struggles with her devotion to Queen and Country, and the shadows under the Union Flag grow ever deeper. Can she put a stop to this new disaster before her country is devoured by a Spectre of War? SPECTRE OF WAR is at once detective story, political intrigue and giant robot fantasy in a fabulous, international, and multicultural steampunk riot!

Travelling storyteller Joel ben Izzy takes us for a wild ride in this collection of tales about his liver lovin' days, train hopping hobos, moose turd pie and more. As with Joel ben Izzy's other award winning CDs and tapes, this one is a mix of classic tales along with his own adaptations. The title story tells of his disgust when he found, as a kid, that he would have to eat liver (yuck!), and how he went from there to liking liver, loving it in fact, finally leading to an obsession with liver that led him to his life of crime... You'll also hear the famous watermelon stories as well as the tale of Paula Bunyan. (That was her real name.) The bouncy carnival story fits these stories perfectly, making this tape one that you, your family and friends will listen to again and again - and that's the truth! This recording received Parents' Choice Honors.

The Cat That Purred is written in a charming rhyming style and features brightly-colored illustrations that tell the story of a cat that loved to purr and purr and purr all day. Season after season he was invited to play outside, but the cat always found a reason for not going. Finally, his friend the bird found a way for the cat to play with the others in the park. The cat understands that his friends need him. So, he finally goes out and joins the others and they all have a wonderful time together.

Little Kite is Polly's beautifully colorful friend. When strong winds snap Little Kites string, the cross becomes his sole support. Brian Maunder has been telling young children the story of Polly's Little Kite for years, providing a rich landscape of images and words for discussing the profound paradox of the cross as a source of strength, the importance of sustaining one another in community, and the cycles of loss and resurrection that define the life of a Christian. Finally available as a book, Polly's Little Kite should be in the hands of every parent and teacher who wants to share the true meaning of love with children.