In the tradition of Gabriel García Márquez and Maxine Hong Kingston, and deeply rooted in the intricacies of the author’s Japanese-Hawaiian heritage, Calabash Stories is a lucid, unforgettable collection. Jeffrey J. Higa’s stories arise from different points in the same fertile landscape: At times, the recurrence of certain details (a beige Volkswagen bug, a famous entertainer) makes them glow with deeper meaning; at others, the reemergence of potent archetypes (a sick child, an old man living alone) invokes a dream state held between author and reader. Like the traditional Hawaiian calabash, these stories invite their reader to a family table where we are welcomed and nourished by communal traditions. Higa is a master storyteller, delighting in life’s humor and strangeness while arriving at the intimacy and poignancy that come from a shared understanding of grief.

Brought back into print in the 1990s to wide acclaim, re-designed new editions of Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee Mysteries are now available. Written by a Dutch diplomat and scholar during the 1950s and 1960s, these lively and historically accurate mysteries have entertained a devoted following for decades. Set during the T'ang dynasty, they feature Judge Dee, a brilliant and cultured Confucian magistrate disdainful of personal luxury and corruption, who cleverly selects allies to help him navigate the royal courts, politics, and ethnic tensions in imperial China. Robert van Gulik modeled Judge Dee on a magistrate of that name who lived in the seventh century, and he drew on stories and literary conventions of Chinese mystery writing dating back to the Sung dynasty to construct his ingenious plots. Necklace and Calabash finds Judge Dee returning to his district of Poo-yang, where the peaceful town of Riverton promises a few days' fishing and relaxation. Yet a chance meeting with a Taoist recluse, a gruesome body fished out of the river, strange guests at the Kingfisher Inn, and a princess in distress thrust the judge into one of the most intricate and baffling mysteries of his career. An expert on the art and erotica as well as the literature, religion, and politics of China, van Gulik also provides charming illustrations to accompany his engaging and entertaining mysteries.

When the people in his diverse urban neighborhood celebrate a festive street fair, Mischa shares in the excitement. Includes child-friendly recipes for each of the ethnic foods featured in the story. Full color.

A twisted take on Narnia, this warmhearted, dryly comic novel from the award-winning author of the Peculiar Crimes Unit series starring Bryant & May transports readers to the last poignant moment of freedom before growing up. Kay Goodwin is a sixteen-year-old boy with a smart mouth and too much imagination, trapped in the most dismal place in England at the worst possible time: the early seventies. Marooned in the rundown seaside resort of Cole Bay, with its crumbling pier and grumbling pensioners, Kay experiences each day as a horrible comedy of errors—until he discovers a faraway land with characters who are impossibly exotic yet strangely familiar. In the kingdom of Calabash, he can have everything he’s ever wanted from life. There’s only one small problem: Calabash doesn’t technically exist. In a country that’s still hungover from the sixties, Kay finds it all too easy to retreat from reality. But he’s prepared to risk everything to find out what makes him different, what his life really holds, and what happens to those who believe in the impossible. Look for Christopher Fowler’s fantasy and horror classics, now available as ebooks: CALABASH | DISTURBIA | PSYCHOVILLE | RED GLOVES | ROOFWORLD | SPANKY

Jamaica's literary lion Colin Channer presents new fiction from the freshest young Jamaican authors and the Calabash International Literary Festival's Extended Family.

Promote the love of story, familiarize children with a variety of story forms and stimulate curiosity in diverse subjects while building basic literacy skills. In this guide, dozens of enchanting stories from around the world are accompanied by simple learning extensions for children (ages 4 through 8) that build such important literacy skills as print awareness, print motivation, vocabulary, phonological awareness, listening skills, and predicting and sequencing skills. Each of the 14 chapters begins with an interactive, illustrated folktale finger play as the starting point for a range of literacy building activities such as acting out, re-telling, writing, and discussions; and ends with a short list of related books. A great resource for library story hour, the book will also be invaluable to storytellers, teachers, day care centers, and after school programs. Grades PreK-3. Enchant children with these interactive stories while building a solid foundation for literacy in young learners. This guide is designed to promote in children (ages 4 through 8) the love of story, familiarize them with a variety of story forms, stimulate curiosity in diverse subjects, and build literacy skills. It offers approximately 40 engaging and interactive tales from around the world along with related activities, and it provides educators and storytellers with a wealth of exciting material for literacy and storytelling programs. The book is organized in three sections-Exploring Structures of Stories, Exploring Themes and Characters through Stories, and Exploring Cultures through Stories. Each of the 14 chapters begins with an interactive, illustrated folktale finger play as starting point for a range of literacy building activities such as acting out, re-telling, writing, and discussions. Related stories and picture book references build upon such themes as tall tales, sharing, magical helpers, and the rain forest. Tips for working with younger children, as well as gifted and older children are also included. Grades PreK-3.