Claudia Zoe Bedrick

This is a charming, touching story about an imaginative boy whose best friend is an oak tree named Bertolt. The boy admits to being an outlier among his peers, but insists that while he is alone, he is never lonely. Being independent suits him, and he considers his difference to be his advantage.

"A story about difference, exclusion, and ultimately self-acceptance, Child of Glass explores the interplay between inner and outer and the journey we have to go on to become ourselves. Child of Glass is about Gisele, a fragile, strong, transparent girl who denounces the meanness that can mark life in the world. In sparse, poetic language that all of us, however young or old, can understand, Child of Glass reminds us of our birthright to become ourselves....

Big Wolf has always lived alone at the top of a hill under a tree, so when a little wolf suddenly arrives one day, he does not know what to think.

When his favorite dandelion looks surprisingly small, Pomelo the garden elephant discovers that he is growing and then wonders about the mysterious process called growth.

When Little Wolf does not return after chasing an orange that Big Wolf has tossed to him, Big Wolf begins to worry about all the things that might have happened to his friend.

On his first vacation without his parents, eight-year-old Myron faces a scary grandfather, teasing older cousins, his first dive off the ten-foot board, and his grandmother's encouragement to write his mother daily, telling her of his adventures.

On their trip to the zoo, a young son tries to reign in his rambunctious father who manages to lose his hat, spill his ice cream, and spend too much time in the souvenir shop.

"Pomelo looks about and discovers twelve colors in all their nuance. He encounters the infinite white of falling snow, the hypnotizing red of love, and the shadowy blue of the unknown"--

Dumpster Dog, a naive canine who lives in a garbage can, sets out with his best friend Flat Cat in search of an owner, but his encounters with mean-spirited people, dog-knappers, and thieves make him realize friends are way better than owners.