A young boy who loves the countryside determines to find the source of the black cloud that hovers above it.

"Chang lives on a houseboat on China's Li River with his parents and their cormorants, great black birds trained to dive and retrieve fish for their owners. Though he has been mute since birth, he can make sounds the birds understand...[This is] a rare item: a realistic story set in modern China that's accessible to readers as young as second grade."-"School Library Journal " "Affecting."-"Publishers Weekly

BOY Novak turns twenty and decides to try for a brand-new life. Flax Hill, Massachusetts, isn't exactly a welcoming town, but it does have the virtue of being the last stop on the bus route she took from New York. Flax Hill is also the hometown of Arturo Whitman - craftsman, widower, and father of Snow. SNOW is mild-mannered, radiant and deeply cherished - exactly the sort of little girl Boy never was, and Boy is utterly beguiled by her. If Snow displays a certain inscrutability at times, that's simply a characteristic she shares with her father, harmless until Boy gives birth to Snow's sister, Bird. When BIRD is born Boy is forced to re-evaluate the image Arturo's family have presented to her, and Boy, Snow and Bird are broken apart.

"Vivid and deeply empathetic, Catherine is a wonderful storyteller." Phil Earle "A wonderfully moving story about the healing power of nature, perfect for fans of Phil Earle and Katya Balen" Anthony McGowan "Unputdownable.A gift to nature loving young people" Hilary McKay "A heart-felt story about the healing power of nature.Moving and powerful, I loved it" Gill Lewis From the multi-award-winning author of No Ballet Shoes in Syria, comes a story of migration, conservation, healing and hope as a grieving boy forms an unbreakable bond with an injured bird. After the tragic death of his mother, eleven year old Will is sent to temporarily stay with his uncle in the mountains. After years trapped in a high-rise flat, with only birds for company, Will doesn't know how he'll survive a place like this, but he soon finds solace in the woods, when he's surrounded by birdsong. With his new friend Omar - a refugee from Afghanistan - Will discovers an osprey nest, with two small chicks inside. He forms an unbreakable bond with the birds, especially the smallest chick, who they name Whitetip. But when tragedy almost strikes again one stormy night, and Whitetip is knocked out of the nest - breaking a wing, Will is determined to save her. Smuggling her down from the mountain, he finds a way to keep her alive. As Will helps Whitetip to grow and to heal, he finds a strength inside himself that he never knew he had. Maybe, finally, Will can find a way to take flight too...

Bullying and the ability to rise above it are at the heart of this strikingly beautiful picture book. All school-aged children have either bullied, been bullied, or witnessed bullying, and all too often, they feel powerless to stop what has been set in motion. Such is not the case with Eliza. Her mother has given her “wings to fly” and the ability to see all the possibilities that lie before her. So, when bullies pick on the new student, Lainey, gradually robbing her of her smile and ability to paint beautiful pictures, Eliza wants to help, and she does, by finding a way to show Lainey all that she can be. Then in the schoolyard, Eliza stands up to the bullies. One by one, the other children add their voices, and soon the bullies have skulked away. Lyrical and eloquent yet realistic and down to earth, Nan Forler’s text is complemented beautifully with François Thisdale’s haunting images. This is a book for every child, every classroom, and every library.

Alberto lives alone in the town of Allora where fish fly out of the sea and everyone knows everybody's business. There he makes coffins for the great and small, but being the only coffin maker in town can be lonely. That is until a little boy and a magical bird enter his life and change it forever.

Haven’t many of us dreamed of flying and wanting to get away from it all? In this sweet and simple story, find out how a bird and boy become friends and fulfill the boy’s wish to fly. Join them in their journey and discover their final destination.