Muriel assumes her family is too poor to hold a Passover Seder this year--but an act of kindness and a mysterious magician change everything. It's the Spring of 1933 in Washington D.C., and the Great Depression is hitting young Muriel's family hard. Her father has lost his job, and her family barely has enough food most days, let alone for a Passover Seder. They don't even have any wine to leave out for the prophet Elijah's ceremonial cup. With no feast to rush home to, Muriel wanders by the Lincoln Memorial, where she encounters a mysterious magician in whose hands juggled eggs become lit candles. After she makes a kind gesture, he encourages her to run home for her Seder, and when she does, she encounters a holiday miracle, a bountiful feast of brisket, soup, and matzah. But who was this mysterious benefactor? When Muriel sees Elijah's ceremonial cup is empty, she has a good idea. This fresh retelling of the classic I.L. Peretz story, best known through Uri Shulevitz's 1973 adaptation The Magician, has been sumptuously illustrated by noted graphic novelist Sean Rubin, who based his art on photographs of D.C. in the 1930s. An author note with information about the holiday is included. An Association of Jewish Libraries Spring Holiday Highlight A Booklist Editors' Choice A CSMCL Best Multicultural Children's Book of the Year

Around the globe, poverty has held too many people in its grip for too long. While microfinance - small loans to impoverished individuals - initially attracted attention in the press, it didn't achieve the scale, scope, and profitability necessary to substantially combat poverty. All that changed with Vikram Akula's creation of SKS Microfinance. In this highly personal narrative, A Fistful of Rice, Akula reveals how he pieced together the best of both philanthropy and (to his surprise) capitalism to help millions of India's poor transition from paupers to customers to business owners. As thoughtful as Barack Obama's personal journey in Dreams from My Father, as harrowing as Paul Farmer's battle against infectious disease in Mountains Beyond Mountains, and as gripping as Greg Mortensen's fight for education in Three Cups of Tea, Akula's story shows how traditional business principles can be brought to bear on global problems in new ways. A Fistful of Rice offers not only inspiration but also lessons for anyone seeking to transform tenacity, creativity, and innovation into potent tools for fighting even the most seemingly intractable human burdens.

A slot-by-slot analysis of every NBA Draft since 1947. "Best" and "Featured" players are identified at each slot, along with recaps and statistics. The Top 30 slots include the five best players ever selected ine ach slot. Also included is a worst-to-first ranking of each draft in NBA history.

Nathalie Grainger, a perfume consultant with extensive experience of client fragrance profiles and fragrance training, was commissioned by Quintessentially Perfume to compile and create this luxurious hard-back book. Quintessentially Perfume pays homage to a cross section of niche and mainstream perfume houses focusing on their different philosophies and backgrounds. Nathalie Grainger wrote the chapters on the perfume houses, included her interviews with some of the world's finest creators and also produced the book. There are also wonderful article features from fragrance experts including Roja Dove and Chandler Burr, with some fascinating insights into the world of fragrance, namely a look inside a perfume lover's fragrance wardrobe. It's a great read for men and women alike who love fragrance and is a lovely collector's gift.

During the thirty-five years wine critic and writer Paul Gregutt has lived in the state of Washington, its wine industry has ballooned from a mere half dozen wineries to nearly five hundred. Washington Wines and Wineries offers a comprehensive, critical, and accessible account of the nation's second largest wine-producing region.