Gather round for soup fit for the king in this vibrant twist on a classic fable. With brightly colored art and engaging characters, this retelling of the well-known Stone Soup story will captivate young readers. Noko the traveling porcupine arrives in a village. He's denied food and a place to sleep by all the animals he meets. Finally he's granted a fire and a large pot of water. He adds a few of his quills to make his famous quill soup, which he says the king loves! Slowly but surely, everyone contributes ingredients--carrots, beans, and more. Will the soup feed them all?

What would happen if a cheetah had roller skates and a jet pack? This and other questions came up as the author and his seven-year-old daughter observed birds and animals in and around their orchard. What do they really think of us? Why are there predators? Do the prey species know they are prey, and do they feel it is unfair? Does rattlesnake taste like chicken to a raptor? Do animals go to heaven? Are there many rabbits, or do we see the same one again and again? Should you try to catch a bird with a broken wing? These important questions are answered in this book.

Quillas Adventures in Mereful tells of Quill Hedgehogas adventure to Mereful, on the border of the Animalfolk world, where he is captured by Mungo Brown, the wicked alley cat. Mungo, who has set himself up as a scientist, is cloning replicas of himself, Mungoids, to rule the world. His power-drunk plan is thwarted, yet again, by the Animalfolk who rescue not only Quill but also the silly cat himself from his own egotism and selfishness. The inventions of that wise Animalfolk, Dr. Hoot Owl, counter anything Mungo has thought up, and, in the end, turn Mungoas inventions to good use. The kindness and tolerance of the Animalfolk are meant to be an example to us all.

The magical adventures of an eccentric Mary Poppins-esque heroine and her flying feline charges, sure to charm readers big and small. The first book for children by an internationally acclaimed novelist and poet. Miss Petitfour enjoys having adventures that are "just the right size - fitting into a single, magical day." She is an expert at baking and eating fancy iced cakes, and her favorite mode of travel is par avion. On windy days, she takes her sixteen cats out for an airing: Minky, Misty, Taffy, Purrsia, Pirate, Mustard, Moutarde, Hemdela, Earring, Grigorovitch, Clasby, Captain Captain, Captain Catkin, Captain Cothespin, Your Shyness and Sizzles. With the aid of her favorite tea party tablecloth as a makeshift balloon, Miss Petitfour and her charges fly over her village, having many little adventures along the way. Join Miss Petitfour and her equally eccentric felines on five magical outings -- a search for marmalade, to a spring jumble sale, on a quest for "birthday cheddar", the retrieval of a lost rare stamp and as they compete in the village's annual Festooning Festival. A whimsical, beautifully illustrated collection of tales that celebrates language, storytelling and small pleasures, especially the edible kind!