Books published by publisher Bearcub Books

This magically illustrated "fold-and-tell" teaches children, step-by-step, how to make an origami crane and offers lessons in life along the way.• Includes illustrations of each paper fold and instructions in language appropriate for children as young as 4 years old. • Presents a story that emphasizes life's successes, joys, creativity, and triumph over adversity.• Provides an additional succinct summary of all the folding steps and a paper template for parents and teachers.In this delightful "fold-and-tell," the author teaches children to create the traditional origami crane. Through inspiring, accessible prose interwoven with richly detailed illustrations that seem to burst exuberantly from their borders, Spread Your Wings and Fly cleverly combines clear folding instructions with a simple story of the ups and downs, missteps and wondrous flights that are part of life for all of us. The author's words conjure images of perennial delight in each folding step toward creating a finished bird: first it looks like a kite, then like an ice cream cone; at one moment the folded paper resembles a sailboat, at another an elephant with large ears. The story reminds youngsters that sails may lose their wind or ice cream may fall from your cone--but with the next fold of paper, children are brushing themselves off and moving on with their paper creations. For extra clarity, a separate, detailed step-by-step summary of folding instructions is provided for adults, along with a pattern for paper squares perfectly sized for small hands to fold. Spread Your Wings and Fly is a remarkable tool for parents, teachers, or anyone who spends time with children and wishes to share with them the gifts of storytelling, creativity, and craft.

The magical story of how the princess Parvati opens the heart of her eternal husband Shiva • The courtship story of one of the central couples in Indian lore, Parvati and Shiva, made accessible for Western children • Illustrated throughout with paintings from the classic Indian tradition In the Hindu pantheon the great mother goddess Adishakti is the heavenly wife of Shiva, Lord of All Gods. Whenever Shiva or Adishakti come to Earth in human form, they are fated to marry each other again--but that’s no guarantee that all will go smoothly with their courtship. In this story Adishakti comes to Earth as the mountain princess Parvati, who has her work cut out for her when she tries to win the affections of Shiva. Shiva spends all his time meditating on a remote mountainside in the Himalayas and has no interest in marriage. Parvati washes his feet, wipes his brow, and lays sixteen offerings before him, but he won’t even look at her. Sage Narada advises her to invoke Shiva’s name--Om Namah Shivaya--over and over again as a mantra. So in the heat of the sun, in the driving rain, in snow up to her neck Parvati sits and repeats her beloved’s name until the focused power of her intent opens his heart and persuades him to ask for her hand in marriage. Parvati’s timeless story teaches children that with enough love and perseverance even the seemingly impossible can be achieved. Accompanied by rich, color illustrations prepared according to the traditional Hindu canon, How Parvati Won the Heart of Shiva will transport children to a magical world filled with ancient wisdom.

Tells the adventures of the magical monkey Hanuman, beloved in India as the devoted helper of Ram, hero of the Hindu epic tale the Ramayana • Introduces Western children to one of the most playful and beloved characters of Hindu mythology • Illustrated throughout with full-color paintings in the traditional Indian style Son of the monkey princess Anjana and the wind god Pavan, Hanuman is born on Earth to be a helper for Ram, the hero of the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Hanuman is no ordinary monkey. He has the ability to leap higher than the sun and move faster than the wind. When the demon king Ravana kidnaps Ram’s wife, Sita, and carries her off to his island home, the army that goes to rescue her is left discouraged on the beach--stopped by the wide expanse of water between them and the island of Lanka. But magical Hanuman is able to jump over the ocean in one amazing bound. He finds the captive Sita and helps her to take heart and remain strong and confident that Ram will find a way to save her. And indeed Ram does, but only with the devoted assistance of his mercurial monkey helper. Hanuman shrinks to the size of a fly; grows large enough to uproot a huge tree as though it were a turnip; soars through the sky, setting the city of Lanka on fire with the tip of his tail; and digs up an entire mountain in order to deliver its healing herbs to Ram’s stricken army. This beautifully illustrated retelling of Hanuman’s story makes accessible to Western children and their parents one of the most playful and beloved characters of the Hindu tradition.

The adventures of young Lord Krishna, enjoyed for centuries by Indian children, now available for Western children. • Includes 40 detailed illustrations painted in authentic and classic Indian style. • Stories are entertaining as well as instructive. • A rich slice of popular Indian lore made accessible for Western children. For centuries the children of India have grown up hearing the tales of Lord Krishna's adventures as a boy. Krishna has been the favorite of young and old alike because of his delightfully mischievous nature yet genuine and soulful heart. Now the entertaining and instructive tales of Krishna's youth are available for Western children, who will likewise be enamored of the magical journeys taken by young Krishna in a land full of mysterious gods and unusual animals. With a host of characters drawn from the rich breadth of Indian lore, Little Krishna will show children the value of kindness, the importance of preserving what you create, and the boundless nature of wisdom. Accompanied by the richly intricate color illustrations prepared following the traditional canon, each with prescribed geometric and artistic proportions, these stories will transport children to a magical world filled with ancient wisdom. In India children are taught that the stories of Krishna will help awaken and develop their own spiritual nature and that they should take to heart the lessons little Krishna learned from his adventures. But they also know this ancient lore provides some great storytelling.

Tells how the Hindu goddess Ganga came to Earth as the Ganges River• Introduces children to one of the most beloved characters of Hindu mythology• Illustrated throughout with full-color paintings in traditional Indian styleThe Ganges River, which flows from the high reaches of the Himalayas all the way down to the Bay of Bengal, is sacred to the Hindu people, who consider it to be the earthly form of the goddess Ganga. The story of how Ganga was born, and how she became a river, tells of a journey from a place even higher than the Himalayan mountaintops--a journey from Heaven itself.Born in a pot of sacred water, the baby Ganga grows into a beautiful and lighthearted girl, the darling of Heaven. But one day her sense of humor gets her in trouble. When grumpy Sage Durvasa is caught in a whirlwind that blows his clothes right off him, Ganga makes the mistake of laughing at him. In a rage, the sage puts a curse on her: “You must go to Earth as a river!” Ganga is heartbroken and begs the sage to forgive her. He can’t take back the curse, but seeing that she is truly sorry, he gives her a blessing as well: her water will purify the souls of men, releasing them from sin. When Sage Baghirath prays to the gods to help him release the souls of his ancestors, Ganga comes tumbling from the sky and follows the sage across India, the river unfurling behind her. To this day millions of people take comfort in her healing waters, and Ganga, too, takes comfort in relieving their suffering.

A children’s story featuring Arjuna, a compassionate warrior who must choose between abstaining from battle or fulfilling his destiny to end the war • Based on the Mahabharata, the famous Indian epic, adapted for Western children • Illustrated throughout with glowing full-color paintings in traditional Indian style We are all born for a purpose, though sometimes it is not clear to us what it is. In this tale of good versus evil, cousin versus cousin, Prince Arjuna knew that his purpose, his dharma, was to fight in the battle against the greedy and cruel king Duryodhana. Yet his own relatives and friends were on the opposing side. With a lot of soul searching and divine advice from the god Krishna, Arjuna bravely chooses to fulfill his destiny as a warrior with compassion and kindness, restoring peace, justice, and prosperity to his kingdom. This adaptation for children of the classic epic the Mahabharata is beautifully illustrated with paintings created in a centuries-old method traditional to India. Richly detailed, the paintings bring to life the colorful cast of characters as well as Arjuna’s inner conflict and the trials he faces on the path of loyalty, justice, and peace.

Takes children on an imaginative journey, inviting their personal exploration of all aspects of nature• Presents a series of fantastic hypothetical questions that encourages children to imagine an intimate and playful relationship with the natural world• Contains vivid and intricate full-color illustrations to spark the imagination• For children ages 4 to 6In How Would It Feel? Mary Beth Goddard takes children on a journey of fantastic proportions, inviting them to imagine a playful interaction with the natural world. How would it feel to ride on a breeze . . . splash down with the rain . . . play tag with the sun . . . or wake up in a flower? Children and parents alike will have an opportunity to view the world from widely varying perspectives, such as high in the sky or deep under the sea. But the final stanza provides reassuring closure, returning children to the safety of home: "It’s time to go back / to your own bed and rest, / back to the family / who loves you the best."The repeated poetic phrasing beginning each passage provides early reading skill development, and the vivid and intricate details in the watercolor artwork successfully extend and amplify the text, inviting many hours of exploration.

While on a school exchange visit to Paris, a young teenager becomes an unexpected witness to a drugs raid. English exchange student Lily holds the key to a serious crime incident at the local Bar Tabac. Making her escape, she heads for the banks of the Seine. But now she’s not sure why and from whom she is running and what she discovers is not quite what she expects . . .