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Eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city during the Taliban rule. Parvana's father- a history teacher until his school was bombed and his health destroyed- works from a blanket on the ground in the marketplace, reading letters for people who cannot read or write. One day he is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education, and the family is left without someone who can earn money or even shop for food.

Farmer Falgu is on his way to the market with eggs, onions, and tomatoes loaded on his cart. During the rickety road ride, unexpected things happen. What does he encounter on the way?

Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity—an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there’s even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses.

Discover the endless fascination of Japanese culture with seven ancient tales, selected for you for their power of evocation, wisdom and humor. Not unlike the western folk tales compiled by the Brothers Grimm, these stories faithfully preserve the spirit of medieval Japan, while rendered in a translation accessible to all ages.

Sen, a young boy in Myanmar, begins the rite of passage called Shinbyu, where he receives training at a Buddhist monastery.

It's the pinkest day of the year! The cherry blossom trees are in full bloom, and Pinkalicious can't wait to fly her kite at the Pinkville Cherry Blossom Festival. Thanks to a magical swirl of petals, Pinkalicious experiences a traditional Japanese cherry blossom celebration.

In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer.

Choohe Ram accidentally discovers that he is a master-bargainer. But does he make the greatest bargain of all? Set in the plains of Punjab, this witty story by Samita Aiyer takes you from bargain to bargain.

It's 1975, Tamil Nadu, South India, and nine-year-old Pavi is living a carefree life with her large intergenerational family. Everyday is an adventure. Why not steal 233 mangoes from the neighbor's tree? Or make up grand stories that take her to Jupiter? If only there wasn't a sadness lingering over the family. You see, her uncle Selva died just five months after she was born. Pavi may have been just a baby when Selva died, but she feels close to him, as if he's watching over her, helping her when she needs it. But she has so many questions about Selva's death.

I know I am in trouble, and I know you might not believe what I am about to tell you. But I swear that all of this is true. I could not have got out of trouble by inventing some convenient and completely believable lie, but you know I'm not like that. Okay, maybe you don't know I'm not like that, but it's true. I could have died. I could have been stranded on a galaxy a gazillion light years away from here. Worst of all, I could have been married. Anyway, this is my story.

THE HARVEST FESTIVAL of Pongal is days away, and V. Malar could not be more excited for the celebration. With her aunt, uncle, and cousins Priya and Kamal flying in to visit her home in Pori, India, Malar and her parents have food to prepare and a house to clean, so they can be gracious hosts to their guests. When Priya and Kamal arrive, they take over Malar’s room and compare everything about Pori to their home in Seattle. Even when Malar shows them the farm animals and the local temple, her cousins whisper secrets to each other, laughing and making Malar feel left out.

Growing up, Jung-soon spent every moment she could at her grandparents' house. Dressing up and watching cartoons. Dyeing each other's fingernails with crushed balsam petals. Getting the whole neighborhood together to sweep their streets. Falling asleep together...just the three of them, happy. Grandfather was Grandmother's best and only friend. On every Jesa day, during the ancestral ritual, he would gently place the okchundang candy in her mouth, a big smile spreading across her face as it melted on her tongue.

North Korea is known as the most repressive country on Earth, with a dictatorial leader, a starving population, and harsh punishment for rebellion. Perfect place for a family vacation, right? Yet that's exactly where Mia Andrews finds herself, on a tour with her aid-worker father and fractious older brother, Simon. Mia was adopted from South Korea as a baby, and the trip raises tough questions about who she really is. Then her dad is arrested for spying, just as forbidden photographs of North Korean slave-labor camps fall into Mia's hands.

Rachel thinks she will feel like Queen Esther when she rides an elephant draped in fancy fabric through the streets of Rangoon. Then she notices the old elephant's bruised and cracked feet, and she doesn’t feel so royal. So when Rachel wins the gold Purim crown at the synagogue celebration, she has an idea about how she can help the elephant.

Kumiko is used to a dragon guarding her night and day, but why does she need one in the first place? When her little sister is kidnapped by a mysterious group of sorcerers, a terrible secret is revealed. To save her sister, Kumiko will have to be brave. Can she face the one thing that dragons are afraid of?

Gigi wants to go by something besides her baby name—but her full name, Geraldine, is too long to write and Hanako, her middle name, doesn’t feel quite right. Will Gigi find the perfect name?

Told in brief, repetitive episodes, Ichiro and the Great Mountain follows a young, free-spirited boy through the stages of life as he searches for his true self, making this original literary folktale by award-winning author and storyteller W. Nikola-Lisa a story of becoming or, in the Buddhist tradition, a story of self-realization and enlightenment.

Ajay hat einen großen Traum: Er will später einmal ein bekannter Journalist werden. Als Straßenjunge in Mumbai hat er es bisher allerdings nur zum Zeitungsverkäufer gebracht. Doch Ajay ist sich sicher: Nichts ist unmöglich! Als eine Kleidungsfabrik in der Nachbarschaft bei einem heftigen Monsunregen unter mysteriösen Umständen einstürzt, schwört er sich, der Sache nachzugehen. Zusammen mit seinen Freunden gründet er eine eigene Zeitung, in der er die Wahrheit ans Licht bringen will.

When her mother falls ill, brave Kameko sets off on a journey to bring back the jewel from the Monkey-King’s crown, known for its healing properties. Along the way she is helped by both people and kindly divinities, but will the Monkey-King give up his jewel so easily? Kameko and the Monkey-King is a magical story, showing that courage and kindness bring unexpected gifts.

When thirteen-year-old Celeste travels to China to visit her grandmother, she uncovers an incredible family secret. And with this secret comes danger and adventure. If Celeste is to save her family and friends, she must learn to harness her rare and powerful gift.