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It was 1958, and back in the day, the old folks still seemed to have a saying for everything, especially in Suffolk, Virginia. One such saying was that if a baby took eleven months to arrive on this side of the hereafter, that same baby would meet its guardian angel face-to-face and be guarded and protected for the childs lifetime. Believe it or not, theres something else the old folks use to say about such a mystic birth, and that was that if the baby was born with a thin membrane covering the face, not only would that child be able to actually see its guardian angel one day, but also will have the gift of predicting the future. The guardian angel bit of news was of particular importance because that child experienced the death of a loved one and numerous harsh circumstances in life as well.
Granny's Place is a touching, whimsical tale of family ties and the special place a grandparent has in the heart of a child. Granny and Pa's farm was the best place in the world, brimming with treasures of the past and endless adventures to be had ... but time brings change. Regardless of uncertainty, there is an enduring love for Granny, and special childhood memories to be cherished forever. Delightful illustrations bring the past to life and capture the fun of cousins gathering in a country kitchen and planning adventures amongst the beauty of rural Australia in the 1960's. Granny's Place enriches both the understanding of the time and Australia's past identity, through a wonderful story that celebrates the special bond between grandparent and child. The targeted early childhood audience will share in the delight of adventure while gently being encouraged to accept that change comes with the rhythms of life.
Sleep baby sleep, somewhere in the down deep, a mysterious mountain, a Dreamer's fountain and near its source a talking horse... A grandmother's lullaby guides a princess to grand adventures in the secret Valley of Singing Crystals in the fantastical tale, Granny's Baskets. When the princess of Castletown suddenly runs away from home with a horse seller, little does she know that the handsome stranger is really a prince in disguise. But instead of following his destiny, he now chooses to live in the Valley of Singing Crystals amidst a wizard, a dangerous Sharpie, and a talking horse. The princess and the horse seller try to find their way back to Castletown and they discover the path sealed by an avalanche of rocks. Forced to locate an alternative route, they must dodge danger at every turn and look for clues to help them return home. In a valley filled with magic and mystery, the princess must learn the rules that govern this strange land and in so doing, she finds a treasure lost long ago when her grandmother was a young girl. Will this treasure help lead her home, or will this enchanted world encompass her forever?
Franny O’Connell and Luke Deback come from very different backgrounds. Franny’s father is an oil tycoon, so he has never wanted for anything. Luke, on the other hand, comes from a poor family and struggled most of his childhood. Regardless of their economic status, the boys are both very intelligent and become fast friends. They never could have expected to remain friends for life, but their paths continue to intersect through college, marriage, and beyond. Life isn’t simple, though. Even when flying high, it’s easy to trip and fall. Based on a piece of art featuring stone steps and water in author Guy Kouche’s dining room, The Steps is a story of love, infidelity, overcoming adversity, and searching for happiness as boys become men but remain friends forever.
Think of your favourite Roald Dahl moment and surely a song or verse cannot be far away... SONGS AND VERSE has seven sections bursting with rhymes about monsters, magical creatures, gruesome children, ghastly adults as well as a few unusual surprises. From the strange and scrumptious dishes enjoyed by James's Centipede to George and his marvellous medicine, and from greedy Augustus Gloop to the Giraffe and the Pelly and Me there are many classics here together with some previously unpublished treats. With a foreword and opening illustrations by Quentin Blake, and illustrations throughout from other award-winning artists such as Babette Cole, Lauren Child, Chris Riddell, Alel Scheffler and Tony Ross, you will find a touch of magic on every page.
The Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English is a revised and expanded edition of the Weatherford Award–winning Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English, published in 2005 and known in Appalachian studies circles as the most comprehensive reference work dedicated to Appalachian vernacular and linguistic practice. Editors Michael B. Montgomery and Jennifer K. N. Heinmiller document the variety of English used in parts of eight states, ranging from West Virginia to Georgia—an expansion of the first edition's geography, which was limited primarily to North Carolina and Tennessee—and include over 10,000 entries drawn from over 2,200 sources. The entries include approximately 35,000 citations to provide the reader with historical context, meaning, and usage. Around 1,600 of those examples are from letters written by Civil War soldiers and their family members, and another 4,000 are taken from regional oral history recordings. Decades in the making, the Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English surpasses the original by thousands of entries. There is no work of this magnitude available that so completely illustrates the rich language of the Smoky Mountains and Southern Appalachia.
A girl describes what she loves about her grandmother's home (place). She describes what she does at Granny's home and why she enjoys herself.
The Ozark Trilogy (previously published in 1981, Doubleday) is a widely acclaimed fantasy/science fiction story with, as the title suggests, very strong ties to the Ozark region. Twelve Fair Kingdoms, The Grand Jubilee, And Then There'll Be Fireworks--the books that comprise the trilogy--chronicle life on the planet Ozark and its Confederation of Continents, which are appropriately named Arkansaw, Oklahomah, Mizzurah, Tinaseeh, Kintucky, and Marktwain. However, the story told here involves much more than a mere transplant of Ozark culture and heritage onto a new planet. While this new Ozark culture maintains and even intensifies many of the "real" Ozark traditions and customs (for instance, "Grannys" hold significant, stabilizing social roles and are important sources of wisdom), the planet Ozark combines many new, fantastical elements with traditional ways. Mules on Ozark fly, and the wise "Grannys" also work magic. The protagonist of The Ozark Trilogy, Responsible of Brightwater, appears at the center of Ozark society, a society she must save from evil magic, civil war, and, ultimately, alien invasion. As Responsible travels from continent to continent in an attempt to discover and squelch the evil magic and calm the civil unrest, we are witness to many dangerous and sometimes comical adventures along the way, including a spectacular flying Mule crash and a magic duel with a Granny gone bad. Elgin has created a fantastic world infused with the folk traditions, social and familial hierarchies, and traditional dialect of the Ozarks. While parallels might be drawn between, for example, the break-up of the Confederacy of Continents on planet Ozark and the American Civil War, Elgin comments on aspects of Ozark history and tradition in a non didactic way. The trilogy, with its strong heroine and witty engagement of tradition, is a classic of Ozark literature.
