'Zig Zag' is a series of very short stories for the youngest of readers. These compact and brightly illustrated books are no more than 150 words long.

"Will Princess Silly Tilly learn from Prince Willy why castle rules are cool?"--P. [4] of cover.

A funny fairytale with an unlikely hero and a twist ending from debut picture book author Marc Starbuck. Sir Boris the Brave is the boldest, bravest and busiest Knight in all the land. He's always busy despatching dragons, jousting with giants and toppling trolls. Sir Boris is busy removing a particularly pongy piece of goblin poo from his shoes when an urgent message arrives from Princess Tilly Talltales. It's an emergency (according to Tilly) and she needs rescued. But it turns out that Princess Tilly Talltale's idea of an emergency is a bit different to what Boris imagined . . . This is a very funny story that will appeal to both girls and boys, with a surprising twist end. The book comes with an amazing foam sword and shield, so children can dress up and become their very own knight in shining armour!

With her public school education, trust fund and castle for a family home, Elizabeth Savage has seemingly led a privileged life. But the one thing she really wants, the chance to prove herself in the world of work, is the one thing she can’t get. New Yorker Nina Roth, on the other hand, was born the wrong side of the tracks, and it’s sheer grit and determination that have made her the successful career woman she is. Set on making a better life for herself, she’s done what needed to be done. But has she gone one step too far? Two women from two different worlds, but these tall poppies have much more in common than they think. And, as both will find, the trouble with being a tall poppy is people will try and cut you down to size...

Short Joanne is unhappy with her size until she meets a clown who reminds her that being tall on the inside is more important than being tall on the outside.

Clara Gooday, age 9, hears what she thinks is her Aunt Tilly’s tall tale about seeing the FunGkins. Things heat up when Clara meets two FunGkins and helps them get back the Magic Mushroom. The Jacks reward Clara and Aunt Tilly by shrinking them down to their size and whisking them off to the magical land of Mushroom Valley. There they see creatures never seen by any human and FunGkins who are from all nationalities and races living in harmony. Meanwhile, the skinny, seven-foot-tall, evil Mr. Mustashio has moved into the funeral home next door. Clara plans to watch every move he and his talking dog, Snodsty, make. Follow Clara in this tale of friendship, faith, and moral fiber.

I think about what I want and what makes me happy, But orderly and quietly to myself. Because my thoughts tear down fortresses and walls, My thoughts are free. -German folk song, author unknown The beautiful, safe, joyful places in young Tilli's imagination were her only refuge from the bombing that tore through the sky above her during World War II. Her thoughts were her only freedom from Hitler's Nazi tyranny, and they were her strength to survive after the war ended, when Russians invaded her tiny farming village in eastern Germany; forced her into months of hiding in a dark attic crawlspace; and took her innocence, her childhood, and nearly her life. Tilli's dreams-of a time when she could think and act freely, and travel, work, write, worship, and live however she wished-were what fueled the sixteen-year-old to courageously and single-handedly escape the terror of Stalin's harsh Communist rule and create her own happy ending in a free America. This true tale of sorrow and terror, hope and triumph, is Tilli's story-but it's also the story of the unthinkable suffering and untold bravery of countless innocent children who have lived through a war and its aftermath. A great piece of individual history from a woman who had some remarkable experiences.... Through this story, readers will come to appreciate more deeply ordinary citizens' experience of wartime and political upheaval, as well as the enormity of the decision to leave one's country and start a new life thousands of miles away. -Lisa Seidlitz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of German at Augustana College