Books published by publisher NorthSouth, 2012

A 2006 IBBY Honor List title, this innovative book combines the story of Liu who goes off to visit her grandfather with a rebus-style look at the evolution of Chinese written language from pictures to today's modern calligraphy characters. You can read them, play with them, and dream about them. This book is sure to please children and adults of all backgrounds with its peek into this fascinating topic.

It is Saint Nicholas Eve and Anna and Misha are worried. It's been snowing for days and all the villagers are trapped in their houses. ""Saint Nicholas Day won't be any fun if we can't get out to see Grandfather Gregor or any of our friends,"" says Misha. ""If only Saint Nicolas would blow a path through the snow!"" Saint Nicholas hears the children, but the mysterious gift he leaves in the village square is not at all what they had in mind. It is, however, exactly what they and the entire snowbound village need most, and it leads to a joyous celebration that's true to the spirit of the holiday.

A 2006 IBBY Honor List title, this innovative book combines the story of Liu who goes off to visit her grandfather with a rebus-style look at the evolution of Chinese written language from pictures to today's modern calligraphy characters. You can read them, play with them, and dream about them. This book is sure to please children and adults of all backgrounds with its peek into this fascinating topic.

Oliver and his mother are very poor. Oliver has never had a visit from Santa Claus. Wasn't I good? wonders Oliver. Or maybe Santa never brought him a present because Oliver never wished for anything. When his friend brings him a red balloon from the fair, Oliver decides to let the wonderful balloon fly away, hoping it will carry his letter to Santa. Poor Oliver! The balloon never reaches the North Pole. It lands in grumpy old Nicholas's garden, which leads to a surprising, deeply satisfying outcome.

Little Polar Bear, the beloved young hero of seven popular previous adventures, finds his arctic homeland is warmer than usual this year, which creates a problem for his friends, the Beluga whales. Parents and children will love reading this warm story of friendship together. Hans de Beers stunning watercolors bring to life Lars, the Little Polar Bear in this latest edition in the popular Little Polar Bear series. Lars (the Little Polar Bear) leads the Beluga whales to safety from illegals hunters, and glaciers that threaten to seal the bay.

It's almost Christmas, and Harvey Hare the postman has such a lot of work to do. Each time he finishes his rounds, he finds a bigger pile of mail waiting to be delivered. Harvey is in despair. How will all those packages and letters fit into his mail bag? Fortunately for Harvey, his friends notice that he needs help. They work all night to make him a sturdy mail basket. But before long even the basket isn't big enough for all the Christmas mail. So once again, Harvey's friends come up with some clever ways to help Harvey make it a merry Christmas for everyone.

The ox and the donkey lived together in a stable in the little town of Bethlehem. But they were not friends. The ox bullied the gentle donkey, greedily gobbling up most of the hay and refusing to cuddle near to share his warmth. Then one cold winter night, a Child is born in their stable, and miraculously the ox is transformed into a kind and generous companion. Loek Koopmans's lovely, reverent pictures illuminate this sweet story about a small, but satisfying Christmas miracle.

One quiet day at the North Pole, Lars, the Little Polar Bear, hears a cry coming from a deep hole in the ice. It‘s Hugo, a scared little hare, who is trapped and needs to be rescued. The two fast become friends, but Lars teases Hugo for being timid, and Hugo wishes Lars would be just a little more careful! Then Lars lands himself in trouble, and Hugo has to show just how brave he can be in an emergency.