All Thulani wants is a simple life basking in the sun. Tired of milking the cow, he exchanges it for a goat ... the goat for a sheep ... the sheep for three geese ... until all he has left is a pocket of sunflower seeds! But the sunflower seeds feed the hens, the hens lay more eggs than ever and before long Thulani is enjoying the gift of his newfound fortune. A charming easy-to-understand story teaching children the concept of investing and growing what one has. Dianne Stewart's charming story and Jude Daly's delightful illustrations will enchant children and adults alike. For the illustrations of this book, The Gift of the Sun was selected as one of Smithsonian's Notable Books in 1996 and Jude Daly received the Katrine Harries Award, as well as a place on the IBBY Honour List of 1998.

This award-winning picture book tells with spare, elegant prose and poignant illustrations how Lila saves her Kenyan village by telling the sky the saddest thing she knows. For months the sun has burned down on Lila's village. It is too hot to gather firewood, or weed the garden. It is even too hot to milk the cow. Without rain the well will run dry and the crops will fail. Lila is so worried that when her grandfather whispers the secret of rain to her, she sets off to talk to the sky herself. Lila and the Secret of Rain introduces the topics of natural resources and the impact that extreme weather can have on people's lives in a tender way that children can relate to. With the added magic of folklore, the African setting sparks interest in our world's diverse cultures. Your heart will be drawn again and again to follow Lila in her quest to save her village with the secret of rain. *A Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner*