Don Giovanni was once the wealthiest and handsomest young man in Messina. Then a tidal wave changed everything. When a well-dressed stranger offers him a magical purse, he knows he shouldn't take it. Only the devil would offer a deal like this, and only a fool would accept.

Don Giovanni is no fool, but he is desperate. He takes the bet: he will not bathe for 3 years, 3 months, and 3 days. Beauty is a small price to pay for worldly wealth, isn't it? Unless he loses the wager--and with it his soul.

Set against the stunning backdrop of ancient Sicily, Donna Jo Napoli's new novel is a powerful tale about discovering what truly matters most.

Deaf around the World is a compendium of work by scholars and activists on the creation, context, and form of sign languages, and on the social issues and civil rights of Deaf communities. Renowned contributors such as James Woodward, Yerker Andersson, and Paddy Ladd offer new histories and overviews of major topics. Each chapter is followed by a response from a pre-eminent thinker in the field. The volume includes studies of sign languages and Deaf communities in Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar, Nicaragua, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States.

Written as a tribute to Lila Gleitman, an influential pioneer in first language acquisition and reading studies, this significant book clearly establishes the relationships between psychology and linguistics. It begins with a thorough examination of issues in developmental psychology, continues with questions on perception and cognition, studies the realm of psycholinguistics, and concludes with an exploration of theoretical linguistics.

School Library Journal Best Books of 2011
Eureka Silver Honor Books--California Reading Association
Capitol Choices 2012 list of Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens
2012 Notable Children's Books--ALSC
The new "National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology" offers timeless stories of Greek myths in a beautiful new volume. Brought to life with lyrical text by award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli and stunning artwork by award-winning illustrator Christina Balit, the tales of gods and goddesses such as Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Athena and heroes and monsters such as Helen of Troy, Perseus, and Medusa will fascinate and engage children's imaginations.
National Geographic completes the book with embellishments of each story: sidebars for each god, goddess, hero, and monster link the myths to constellations, geography, history, and culture to help young readers connect the stories to real life events, people, and places. A family tree and a "cast of characters" profile page help make relationships between the characters clear, and a mapping feature adds to the fun and fascination. Resource notes and ample back matter directing readers to more information round out this luminous book. Sure to dazzle all those intrigued with the fantastic tales of Greek mythology and enchant new readers, this vibrant book will soon become a family keepsake.
National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.
Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

Written as a tribute to Lila Gleitman, an influential pioneer in first language acquisition and reading studies, this significant book clearly establishes the relationships between psychology and linguistics. It begins with a thorough examination of issues in developmental psychology, continues with questions on perception and cognition, studies the realm of psycholinguistics, and concludes with an exploration of theoretical linguistics.

Is Ebonics really a dialect or simply bad English? Do women and men speak differently? Will computers ever really learn human language? Does offensive language harm children? These are only a few of the issues surrounding language that crop up every day. Most of us have very definite opinions on these questions one way or another. Yet as linguists Donna Jo Napoli and Vera Lee-Schoenfeld point out in this short and thoroughly readable volume, many of our most deeply held ideas about the nature of language and its role in our lives are either misconceived or influenced by myths and stereotypes.
Language Matters provides a highly informative tour of the world of language, examining these and other vexing and controversial language-related questions. Throughout, Napoli and Lee-Schoenfeld encourage and lead the reader to use common-sense and everyday experience rather than preconceived notions or technical linguistic expertise. Both their questions and their conclusions are surprising, sometimes provocative, and always entertaining.
This thoroughly revised second edition updates the book with a new co-author, and includes new chapters on language and power, language extinction, and what it is linguists actually do. Language Matters is sure to engage both general readers and students of language and linguistics at any level.

When Roberto sneaks off to see a movie in his Italian village, he has no idea that life as he knows it is over. German soldiers raid the theater, round up the boys in the audience, and pack them onto a train. After a terrifying journey, Roberto and his best friend Samuele find themselves in a brutal work camp, where food is scarce and horror is everywhere. The boys vow to stay together no matter what. But Samuele has a dangerous secret, which, if discovered, could get them both killed. Lovers of historical fiction will be captivated by this tragic, triumphant, and deeply moving novel.

The new National Geographic Treasury of Egyptian Mythology is a stunning tableau of Egyptian myths, including those of pharaohs, queens, the boisterous Sun God Ra, and legendary creatures like the Sphinx. The lyrical storytelling of award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli dramatizes the timeless tales of ancient Egypt in the year when Angelina Jolie will make Cleopatra a multimedia star. And just like the popular National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology, the stories in this book will be beautifully illustrated to bring ancient characters vividly to life. The stories are embellished with sidebars that provide historical, cultural, and geographic context and a mapping feature that adds to the fun and fascination. Resource notes and ample back matter direct readers to discover more about ancient Egypt. With its attractive design and beautiful narrative, this accessible treasury stands out from all other mythology titles in the marketplace.

High in the mountains, Zel lives with her mother, who insists they have all they need -- for they have each other. Zel's life is peaceful and protected -- until a chance encounter changes everything. When she meets a beautiful young prince at the market one day, she is profoundly moved by new emotions. But Zel's mother sees the future unfolding -- and she will do the unspeakable to prevent Zel from leaving her... "Will leave readers spellbound."-- Publishers Weekly, starred review

Deaf around the World is a compendium of work by scholars and activists on the creation, context, and form of sign languages, and on the social issues and civil rights of Deaf communities. Renowned contributors such as James Woodward, Yerker Andersson, and Paddy Ladd offer new histories and overviews of major topics. Each chapter is followed by a response from a pre-eminent thinker in the field. The volume includes studies of sign languages and Deaf communities in Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar, Nicaragua, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States.

Napoli's study takes a refreshing look at the notions of argument and predicate. Recent discussions of predication with Government and Binding theory stress the configurational properties of the phrases involved, and Napoli argues that this has led to proposals for more and more elaborate syntactic structures that still fail to give genuinely explanatory accounts. She presents a convincing case for the idea of predicate as a semantic primitive that cannot be defined simply by looking at the lexicon or simply at semantic structure, and offers a theory of predication where the key to the subject-predicate relationship is theta role assignment. Napoli then offers principles for the coindexing of a predicate with its subject role player. The coindexing principles use Chomsky's 1986 notion of barriers, but this study argues that binding is sensitive to thematic structure rather than to configurational notions such as Government and C-Command. Napoli's approach successfully handles the data traditionally considered in discussions of predication, as well as constructions that are not generally treated in the literature. Although exemplification is from English and Italian, the conclusions apply to all configurational languages.

Coinciding with the new Rick Riordan Magnus Chase series and the Marvel Age of Ultron DVD, featuring Thor, comes a new look at Asgard and the timeless tales of ancient Scandinavia. Classic stories and dazzling illustrations of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters come to life in a stunning tableau of Norse myths, including those of the thunder god Thor, the one-eyed god and Allfather Odin, and the trickster god Loki. The lyrical storytelling of award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli dramatizes the timeless tales of ancient Scandinavia. This book is the third in the trilogy that includes the popular National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology and National Geographic Treasury of Egyptian Mythology.

NAACP Image Award Nominee "In a word, stunning." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Through artful prose and beautiful illustrations, Donna Jo Napoli and Kadir Nelson tell the true story of Wangari Muta Maathai, known as "Mama Miti," who in 1977 founded the Green Belt Movement, an African grassroots organization that has empowered many people to mobilize and combat deforestation, soil erosion, and environmental degradation. Today, more than 30 million trees have been planted throughout Mama Miti's native Kenya, and in 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Wangari Muta Maathai has changed Kenya tree by tree--and with each page turned, children will realize their own ability to positively impact the future.

Itas been two years since fifteen-year-old Roberto was kidnapped and forced to work in a German labor camp. After finally escaping, heas made his way back to Italy. Roberto is desperate to return to the safety of his family, but how can he turn his back on the war while so many people are suffering? Roberto joins the resistance movement, and smuggles guns and secret information to rebel fighters. Every mission takes him closer to home, but every mission is even more dangerous than the last. Will Roberto survive and make his way home?

A riveting and dramatic story of two devoted sisters, Italian citizens, who must survive in WWII Japan. In 1940, when Simona is eight and her sister, Carolina, is five, their father becomes the cook to the Italian ambassador to Japan, and the family leaves Italy for Tokyo. The girls learn perfect Japanese, make friends, and begin to love life in their new home. But soon Japan is engaged in a world war. In 1943, when all Italians in Japan are confined to internment camps as enemy aliens, Papa and the girls are forced to part, and Simona and Carolina embark on a dramatic journey. Anyone who aids them could be arrested for treason. All the sisters have is each other: their wits, courage, and resilience, and the hope that they will find people who see them not as the enemy, but simply as children trying to survive. In this gripping, deeply moving story, Donna Jo Napoli gives readers an unforgettable and authentic new perspective on World War II.

Earning these feathers might be tough

The Little Angel of Independence is used to working with a friend. But to earn enough feathers for his wings, he'll have to help a girl named Elena -- all by himself.

Wherever Elena goes, her stuffed animal always comes along. But sometimes Elena's toy keeps her from making friends her own age. It's up to the Little Angel of Independence to show her that it's okay to grow up, even just a little bit at a time.

You can do it!

Everyone's good at something.

Stanley can't seem to do anything right. He doesn't draw well, he's not good at sports, and sometimes it feels like his parakeet, Casper, is the only one who listens to him. What's the point of trying new things if he knows he'll never succeed? It will take the Little Angel of Persistence, and some help from a new friend, to make Stanley realize what his special talents really are.

Be persistent.

Why is everyone always so mean to Drew?

Drew is miserable. He and his family have just moved to a new house in Florida and Drew has no one to play with. His sisters are mean and bossy, and his parents are too busy unpacking to pay attention to him. The only one who wants to be around him is the crazy old dog across the street -- and Drew wants nothing to do with him. Can the Little Angel of Empathy help Drew get along with others -- or will he stay lonely forever?

The Little Angel of Generosity loves giving gifts to his friends, especially when he gets a gift in return. And he loves helping children, as long as he earns another feather for his wings. He's still learning what giving is all about when he meets a little girl named Dinah who needs his help.

Dinah likes to give gifts, too. And she really likes to get nice things for herself. But her family doesn't have a lot of money, and she wants things they can't afford -- sometimes she even wants those things badly enough to take what doesn't belong to her. It's up to the Little Angel of Generosity to show her that it's not what you have, but what you give that counts.

Raquel doesn't like the winter holidays. Everyone seems to get better presents than she does. And everyone seems happier than she is. Then one day she receives a mysterious note, telling her that in order to be happy, she must trade something with a perfectly happy person. But where will she find a perfectly happy person?

The Little Angel of Happiness wants to help Raquel, but nothing he does seems to work out the way he wants it to. Will the little angel be able to help Raquel find happiness, or will they both be unhappy for the holidays?

Can T.J. accept her own voice?

T.J. has always had a problem with certain words, and rather than say them wrong, sometimes she'd rather not talk at all. Can the Little Angel of Acceptance get her the help that she needs?

Accept yourself.

Nick thinks he can figure out everything on his own. Why should he have to read books when he can make things up himself? It will take an important lesson from the Little Angel of Learning to change his mind.