Books published by publisher NorthSouth, 2012

This picture book edition of Selma Lagerlof’s classic tale tells of a shepherd whose heart and life are forever changed when he meets a strange man who says: “Dear friends, help me! My wife has just given birth to a child, and I must make a fire to warm her and the little one.” The shepherd is astonished by the actions of the stranger . . . when the dogs don’t bite him, the sheep don’t run, and the fire doesn’t scorch him. And when the shepherd follows the stranger, he discovers the true spirit of Christmas.

A brother and sister joyfully re-enact the events of Christmas in this sweetly illustrated picture book. With flashlights and their imaginations in hand, the siblings make their way from the walls of their house to the snowy fields of Bethlehem. With big sister whispering the words to her younger brother, the young actors take little listeners along on their adventure celebrating the birth of Jesus.

It is a big day for the little chickens. Mother Hen is taking them to the playground for the first time. It is very crowded and very exciting--but scary too. The little chickens watch the big dogs and cats and pigs playing on the seesaws, the merry-go-round, and the swings. But they are too afraid to try them. ""We're just little chickens,"" they explain. Then they see the little mice and frogs sliding down the sliding board. ""Come on!"" calls one of the frogs. ""Don't be such chicken chickens!""Every child who has faced a challenging new experience will be rooting for the Chicken Chickens as they overcome their fear and become brave--and very proud--little chickens.

Christmas is coming and there’s still so much to do! Lizzy, the little witch, doesn’t know where to begin. The Christmas tree needs to be trimmed, pies need to be baked, and to top it all off, Lizzy finds herself in charge of taking care of Trixi, the lively little witch girl. There’s no time to spare. After all, everything has to be ready by the time the Christmas witch arrives! • The fifth hardcover book in the Little Witch series, readers love Lizzie, the irrepressible little witch! • Baeten’s wonderful paper artistry continues with foldouts, pockets, and die cuts throughout the book. • The Little Witch series can be enjoyed at any time of the year, not just Halloween!

Tales of Maui have been told by the Maori for thousands of years. Here, Maui and his brothers decide to catch the sun and teach it a lesson. The sun, in its haste to get back to bed, raced across the sky each day, leaving only a few hours of sunlight for fishing. Armed with ropes and his enchanted weapon, he and his brothers travel to the edge of the pit where the sun slept to lay their trap. Full color.