Books published by publisher North-South / Night Sky Books

In this collection, Katja Alves retells some traditional Swiss myths—exciting, funny, and sometimes gruesome tales from all four regions of the country. The exquisite illustrations were created by nineteen young artists who hail from Switzerland. Illustrations by: Anda, Carole Aufranc, Silvan Borer, Paloma Canonica, Anna Deér, Lucie Fiore, Gregor Forster, Lea Gross, Sara Guerra Rusconi, Mira Gysi, Rina Jost, Patricia Keller, Rahel Messerli, Jakob Näf, Camille Perrochet, Eliane Schädler, Pia Valär, Adam Vogt, and Anna Weber.

Told in a few lines of text, this tender story was first published in a newspaper in 1938. This tale from Korea is universal--a small child waits for Mama at the station, asking the conductor if he has seen her. The conductor hasn't, but cautions the child to wait a little farther from the tracks. It is cold and snowy but the child waits patiently until finally Mama comes. In the last wordless spread, we see the small hand in a mother's firm clasp as they walk away from us. The art and text are so authentic, so real, that this book is best published in a bilingual edition that respects and honors those traditions. The Korean setting gives it special appeal to a growing demographic segment. The institutional market is especially hungry for bilingual books in languages beyond Spanish.

Mrs. Crabbitz has once again caught Rainbow Fish and his friends taking a shortcut through her sculpture garden, and she's no happy about it-in fact, she's downright crabby! But when she falsely accuses them of knocking down her sculptures, the young fish decide to investigate. With Miss Cuttle's help, they uncover the hidden problem with Mrs. Crabbitz's garden and learn a lesson about respect along the way.

Meet a most unusual crocodile! Everybody knows that crocodiles love water, but this little crocodile is different—he doesn't like it at all! He tries to his best to change, but when attempt at swimming causes a shiver then a sneeze—could it be that this little crocodile isn't a crocodile at all? A hilarious and uplifting story about being yourself from a talented debut author-illustrator!

A cat and a dog live in the same house, but they are not friends. They fight all the time, about everything. Then disaster strikes. Dog's beloved ball bounces up into a tree and is stuck. Cat's precious stuffed mouse falls into the pond. Dog can't climb. Cat can't swim. What are they to do? Claire Masurel's simple text and Bob Kolar's bright, bold illustrations combine in this charming picture book for the very young, a humorous look at the age-old battle of cats and dogs that demonstrates how a simple act of kindness can turn an enemy into a friend.

Winter is coming, and the animals are busy building a house to keep them warm and cozy. The hares gather stones from the field. Hedgehog helps Wild Boar get wood from the forest. Deer lays the stone wall and Fox mixes the concrete. They work hard but happily until Badger, an expert house builder, joins them. Nothing suits bossy Badger, who insists they are doing everything wrong. Disgruntled, they leave him to complete the work on his own. Badger builds a splendid house--but soon discovers that a house is not a home with no one to share it, and that cooperation and compromise are important tools when it comes to building friendships.

Written in 1848, this beloved hymn celebrating the wonders of Creation, is given new life in Anna Vojtech's glowing interpretation. Lushly detailed paintings follow two children and their frisky pup through a bucolic landscape of meadows, hills, rivers, streams and woods. Throughout the seasons, the youngsters explore and enjoy the wealth of treasures to be found--""things bright and beautiful, great and small, wise and wonderful, the glory of it all.