When 15-year-old peasant Wang Lee is kidnapped by ruthless bandits, he is afraid his life is over. But his fear turns to astonishment when a mysterious stranger, beautiful young Mei Lin, rescues him to serve in the forces of the Heavenly Army. As they fall in love, the two Chinese youths are caught up in the heady Taiping Rebellion and the beginning of The New Age. Suddenly they are separated by a new edict: men and women will no longer live or work...

Marvin wants to make a great Christmas present for his parents that will last forever.

When Marvin refuses to go back to his new school because he is the only one in his class who cannot read, his father decides to help him learn by reading with him.

After the death of her self-absorbed parents, a clever princess shows the peasants in her country how to make better lives for themselves.

An ambitious Stone Age man demands a talisman that will harden his heart, allowing him to take control of his tribe. Against better judgment, the tribe's magic man creates the Flint Heart, but the cruelty of it causes the destruction of the tribe. Thousands of years later, the talisman reemerges to corrupt first a boy's father, an innocent fairy creature, and a familial badger.

The life of a ten-year old boy expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death. From his sorrow he learns the meaning of friendship.

Mary's baby has arrived, and she can't contain her joy! As Joseph sleeps, she examines her newborn's tiny mouth, his wild hair, his little hands. Yet what's most wondrous is that this child is not just Mary's own but a gift that God has shared with everyone. Poetic text by Newbery Medalist Katherine Paterson and striking images by Lisa Aisato reveal the intimacy of that unforgettable night long ago when the mother of Jesus was the first to welcome...

Presents botanical illustrations of familiar and exotic flowers, trees, and plants mentioned in the accompanying Bible verses and selections.

Nearly thirty stories, poems, and non-fiction pieces by such notable authors as Natalie Babbitt, Marilyn Sachs, and Jane Yolen illustrated by the likes of Steven Kellogg and Susan Jeffers, demonstrate some of the environmental problems now plaguing our planet, e.g. overpopulation, tampering with nature, litter, pollution, and waste disposal.