Books in Picture Puffin series

Debbie Allen's contemporary retelling of the classic tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses with illustrations from Kadir Nelson! Reverend Knight can't understand why his twelve sons' sneakers are torn to threads each and every morning, and the boys aren't talking. They know their all-night dancing wouldn't fit with their father's image in the community. Maybe Sunday, a pretty new nanny with a knack for getting to the bottom of household mysteries, can crack the case. This modern, hip retelling of the classic tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses bursts with vibrant artwork and text that's as energetic as the twelve toe-tapping Knight brothers themselves. "A funky, fresh adaptation." —Publishers Weekly"This is a high-flying alternative to the tale's usual dainty renditions." —Kirkus Reviews

"An African American nun challenges the beliefs of her second-grade students in this thought-provoking picture book set in the 1960s."--Publishers WeeklySister Anne’s hands are brown, and Anna’s hands are white. It’s the early 1960s, and Anna has never seen a person with dark skin before. At first she is afraid of her new second-grade teacher. But Anna quickly finds that there’s no reason to be scared. Sister Anne is wonderful. She likes jokes and she makes math and reading fun. But then someone sails a paper airplane to her, with a cruel message written on its wings. Sister Anne’s wise way of turning a painful incident into a powerful learning experience has a profound impact on Anna and her classmates. This moving, timeless tale is perfectly illustrated with luminous, glowing paintings. “With humor and understanding, Lorbiecki writes about a young girl’s coming to terms with racial differences and about the pain that ignorance can cause.”—The Horn Book

Tomie dePaola serves as "biographer" to his delightful Italian sorceress, Strega Nona, in this beautifully drawn prequel. The tale begins with little Nona's birth on a dark and stormy night, and ends where the original Strega Nona picks up-with Strega Nona taking on the bumbling, knock-kneed Big Anthony as an apprentice. This winsome story is illustrated throughout with Tomie dePaola's warm and sunny watercolors! "dePaola does a splendid job of working this sparkling tale into the Strega Nona canon." -Publishers Weekly

I reckon ye heard o' Cinderella, but lemme tell you a story 'bout a sweet li'l thing named Rose? Set in the Appalachian Mountains and told in a lilting dialect that just begs to be read aloud, this is a unique and lively adaptation of the traditional Cinderella story. Complete with an enchanting protagonist, a glass slipper, and a fairy godmother who just happens to be a hog, Smoky Mountain Rose is a joy to read again and again.

A Caldecott Honor BookMoja Means One introduces children to counting in Swahili with helpful pronunciation keys, while presenting East African culture and lifestyles through an easy-to-understand narrative and vivid illustrations. “Magnificient, full-page drawings throb with the feeling of East African life.”—Child Study AssociationLook for the Caldecott Honor Book and companion title: Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book