Books published by publisher ValdeBooks

Excerpt: ... said Donald. "But the leaves turn yellow in the fall," said Frank, "and the trees do not die." "The leaves of my spruce don't turn yellow in the fall," said Donald. "They stay green all winter." "What makes the leaves green?" asked Uncle Robert. No one answered. "What is the color of the potato sprouts in the cellar?" "Yellow," said Susie. "When you take up a board that has lain on the grass, what is the color of the grass?" "Yellow," said Donald. "Why?" asked Uncle Robert. "Because they don't get any light," said Frank. "You know why we put our plants in the south window in winter?" said Mrs. Leonard. "Oh, yes," said Susie, "because the sun shines in at that window." "Warmth and water and air help trees and plants to grow," said Uncle Robert, "but without sunlight their leaves would be yellow and their stems and branches weak. The greatest forests on earth are where it is very hot and moist. The sun is a wonderful artist, and every leaf it paints makes the tree stronger." "But what makes the leaves turn yellow and red just before they fall off?" asked Frank. "Does the sun paint them then?" "That is a question that no one has been able to answer," replied his uncle. "But how can the sap flow up the tree?" said Donald. "I should think it would run down." "It would unless there was something to draw it up," said Uncle Robert. "I suppose the sun does that, too," said Frank. "Where does it go after it reaches the leaves?" asked Uncle Robert. "Why, back again," said Susie. "No, it doesn't go back-not a drop," laughed Uncle Robert. "Does it dry up?" asked Donald. "What do you mean by drying up?" "It evap-o-rates," said Donald, who liked to use large words. "Does it all go into the air?" asked Frank. "I want you to answer these questions yourselves, children. What do you see on the corn leaves in the early morning?" "Drops of water; but that is dew, isn't it?" asked Frank. Uncle Robert had a way of stopping or changing the subject when he had asked...

Five of the author's most highly regarded stories, newly translated, appear in this choice collection: the title story, an examination of the conflict between an artist's commitment to his work and his obligations to others; "An Episode During the Terror," a contrast of material poverty and spiritual riches; "Facino Cane"; "The Revolutionary Conscript"; and "A Passion in the Desert."

Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908) was an American journalist, born in Eatonton, Georgia, who wrote the Uncle Remus stories, including: Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings (1880), Nights with Uncle Remus (1881/1882), Uncle Remus and His Friends (1892), and Uncle Remus and the Little Boy (1905). The stories, based on the African-American oral storytelling tradition, were revolutionary in their use of dialect. They featured a trickster hero called Br'er (Brother) Rabbit, who used his wits against adversity, though his efforts did not always succeed. Harris began publishing his stories in the Atlanta Constitution in 1879 at a time of great interest in the South and in freedmen. They became popular among both black and white readers in the North and South, not least because they presented an idealized view of race relations soon after the Civil War. Apart from Uncle Remus, Harris wrote several other collections of stories depicting rural life in Georgia, including Mingo and Other Sketches in Black and White (1884), Free Joe and Other Georgian Sketches (1887) and Stories of Georgia (1896).

A fascinating account of the world's famous explorers, including the early travelers in ancient times, the discovery of the New World, explorations in Africa and Australia, and the expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. Many of the explorers tell part of their story in their own words. Amply illustrated with reproductions of early maps and charts, as well as old woodcuts, drawings, paintings, and miniatures. Emphasis is placed on the explorers' "record of splendid endurance, of hardships bravely borne, of silent toil, of courage and resolution unequalled in the annals of mankind, of self-sacrifice unrivalled and faithful lives laid ungrudgingly down." Suitable for ages 12 and up.