Books published by publisher NorthSouth, 2012

In a little house, in a big city, there lived a very old man. He had watched the city grow up around him, seen towering skyscrapers and miles of asphalt swallow the woods and fields, parks and gardens, of his youth. The people who lived in the skyscrapers knew nothing of the old man -- most didn't even know each other.One winter night, the old man sat in his little house, thinking sadly of Christmases long ago when friends and family gathered to tells stories and sing carols. The children would make gold paper stars and hang them in the windows to welcome visitors. The old man sighed. Nowadays, no one in the noisy, impersonal city, filled with garish, glittering holiday lights, would even notice old-fashioned paper stars.But memory -- and the Christmas spirit -- can be powerful and miraculous, as the old man with his basket full of stars proves in this joyous holiday story.

A timid young hare wakes from his rest and sniffs the cool evening air. It should be safe now to leave his hiding place and look for food. But wait! On this night, something is different. The birds are still awake, butterflies flutter through the sky, and small animals chatter excitedly. What could be happening? Then the hare sees a man and woman heading toward the stable. The man speaks quietly to the animals and soon they hurry off to collect branches, roots, twigs, and feathers for him. Frightened, but curious, the hare creeps closer. He watches the animals gather by the stable door and he wonders what they see. Finally, the hare gathers all his courage and hops into the stable. He finds a baby lying in a manger who inspires his sympathy and generosity, for here is someone even more vulnerable than himself, in need of a gift only he can give.

Games of tag on the deck; swings tied to the masts; a floating farmyard filled with chickens and ducks and even a pig; exotic pets, including a mongoose, a monkey, a kangaroo; studying astronomy and celestial navigation under the stars and geography with firsthand visits all over the world. This was the childhood of the four Madsen children who made their home aboard a four-masted sailing bark that carried cargo in the 1800s. Based on the journal kept by Captain Madsen and his daughter Ena, the story of this seafaring family is brought to life for modern children by Gloria and Ted Rand. Culminating in a dramatic Christmas Eve storm at sea, this is at once a rousing adventure and an intriguing look at a unique lifestyle that will fascinate young and old alike.