Audiobook

In this memoir translated from Italian to English, a Jewish girl grows up during a difficult time of racial discrimination and war, and discovers light in unexpected places. This story from Lia Levi is adapted for young readers, with black-and-white illustrations, a family photo album, and an author’s note to readers. 1938, Italy. Six-year-old Lia loves to build sandcastles at the beach and her biggest problem is her shyness and quiet, birdlike voice—until prime minister Mussolini joins forces with Hitler in World War II, and everything changes. Now there are laws saying Jewish children can’t go to school, Jews can’t work, or go on vacation. It’s difficult for Lia to understand why this is happening to her family. When her father loses his job, they must give up their home and move from city to city. As war comes closer, it becomes too dangerous to stay together, and Lia and her sisters are sent to hide at a convent. Will she ever be “just a girl” again?

“Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see.” Late one Christmas Eve after the town has gone to sleep, the boy boards the mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the harness of the reindeer. The gift is granted. On the way home the bell is lost. On Christmas morning, the boy finds the bell under the tree. The mother of the boy admires the bell, but laments that it is broken—for you see, only believers can hear the sound of the bell. In strange and moving shades of full color art, Chris Van Allsburg creates an otherwordly classic of the Christmas season. 'The Polar Express' evokes the same sense of mystery as his previous imaginative books 'The Garden of Abdul Gasazi' (1979), 'Jumanji' (1981), and 'The Wreck of the Zephyr' (1983). Awarded the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1986, 'The Polar Express 'has sold more than 7 million copies, become a classic holiday movie, and been translated into stage productions that take place across the United States during the holiday season.

Five little penguins are content in the cold—until they spot a menacing mammal! With a rhyming narrative that counts to five, adorable penguins are soaring—or flying—through the sea, trying to elude a lurking creature. But as young readers of this charming tale will discover, a friendly seal is only looking to play a game of tag.

To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig—she's a porcine wonder. And to the portly and good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toasty feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons' bed. BOOM! CRACK! As the bed and its occupants slowly sink through the floor, Mercy escapes in a flash — "to alert the fire department," her owners assure themselves. But could Mercy possibly have another emergency in mind—like a sudden craving for their neighbors' sugar cookies?