Since 1926, Pelican Publishing Company has been committed to publishing books of quality and permanence that enrich the lives of those who read them.
On May 21, 1870, Gerome Charles Durand staged a wedding that is still talked about more than a century after it occurred. Although Durand was one of the wealthiest men in St. Martinville, Louisiana, the fame of his grosse affaire (extravagant event) lies in its originality.
In the morning, when the sun rises, Mr. Okra drives his brightly painted truck through the streets of New Orleans, selling beautiful, fresh produce. He calls out the names of the fruits and vegetables in a voice familiar to any New Orleanian: “I got tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocados! I got mangoes! I got watermelon!” Mr. Okra’s fruits are as colorful as Mardi Gras floats. His veggies are lush like the palms in Jackson Square. And his watermelons are St.-Charles-streetcar green on the outside and Canal-Street-streetcar red on the inside.
This innovative guidebook and journal—part of a new series—encourages young visitors to record a personal account of their impressions of their visit to this famous Civil War battlefield, creating a keepsake to memorialize the trip. It includes built-in pockets for postcards, brochures, maps, and ticket stubs, as well as crossword puzzles, word scrambles, and other fun activities.
Kids can write in their thoughts about attractions including the Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ellis Island, and Times Square. Each page features site-specific questions and activities to help youngsters get the most out of their visit.
This interactive guide to our nation’s capital brings the history of the United States to life for young visitors. Short descriptions and pictures of each site remind children to visit the O. Orkin Insect Zoo at the National Museum of Natural History, watch the five-story IMAX movie To Fly at the National Air and Space Museum, and ride a high-wheeler bike at the National Museum of American History. The capital city offers a wealth of activity and discovery for kids, and this guidebook captures every part by allowing them to carry their adventures with them wherever they go.
The relationship between a blind person and her canine companion is explored in this charming and informative tale of a playful young dog. Nadine, the working dog, never forgets her job is to be the eyes for her owner. But that doesn’t mean she can’t have fun! She delights in playing and certainly seems to find lots of opportunities for mischief.
Mother Goose takes a trip down South in this new and hilarious collection of nursery rhymes. A cast of classical characters is reimagined on a streetcar, in the French Quarter, and on the bayous. Come celebrate the fun of the Crescent City with such rhymes as “Peter, Peter Gumbo Mixer,” “Old King Rex,” and “Sing a Song of Parades.” Witty and charming, these jazzy rhymes will delight every Jacques and Gilles.
There is never snow at Christmas on the African plain. It is always hot and the riverbed is nothing but dust. Families sleep on floor mats waiting for Father Christmas, dreaming of relief from the heat. They have come to cherish the simple gifts he always brings. In this adaptation of the Clement C. Moore poem, the Shangaan tribe receives something much more precious than material goods. With a glossary and combination of African languages, this story shares how the true message of the season comes to every country and brings hope to all people.
Follow the explosive journey of this Southern state as it became the site of America’s first gold rush.
When a thunderous storm in 1992 threw a cargo container filled with bathtub toys overboard into the Pacific Ocean, no one expected the 29,000 plastic toys would help scientists prove that the ocean currents are connected. However, the toys are still popping up today on beaches near and far—some more than 17,000 miles away from the accident at sea. This story gives a fictionalized account of the happening, telling the tale of a flock of rubber ducks as they traveled the globe’s waterways.
This saltwater adventure begins as a sea turtle hatchling makes a ninety-second mad dash from the nest to the water’s edge. At times suspenseful and always entertaining, this twenty-five-year journey follows the hatchling as she grows into a three-hundred-pound swimming machine. Illustrations dripping in a cool pallet of ocean blues and greens plunge you deep into the abyss as the turtle migrates from her Florida home to the Mediterranean Sea and mysteriously back to Florida, where she builds a nest for her own hatchlings.
The ancient Greeks excluded women from the Olympics. When the modern games were reinstated in 1896, the ban was continued. But in the next Olympiad in 1900, women were included. It was not until 1932 that the first African-American women were selected to participate in the Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Since that eventful year, more and more black women have participated in the Olympics. Now they compete in all areas of track and field, tennis, basketball, rowing, volleyball, and figure skating. Hardcover.
If you ask a group of five-year-olds what they want to be when they grow up, one of the first responses you get is “a policeman.” This alphabetical police primer kicks off with A is for academy and ends with Z is for zoom lens. In between, children learn the basics of police work including when the first force began, the equipment used on the job, and some of the different careers in law enforcement.
There’s mayhem at the zoo this year. Passover is coming, but all of the zoo animals’ Haggadahs are too worn to read. Thankfully, Shai Elephant remembers the Exodus story word-for-word and assigns lines to each animal. Every creature is eager to baah, laugh, whinney, or bray its part. Everyone has a role—from the lion’s great big “Ma-Roar!” to the vultures’ help finishing off the meal.
From the very first taste of A’s sweet apple butter to Z’s last three names in a Pennsylvania Dutch phone book (Zimmerman, Zeager, and Zook), the Amish culture is captured and glorified in stunning illustrations and rhymes that are rich with heritage.
Small children are drawn to soft shapes and bright colors. Perhaps that is why Pablo Picasso was one of the most famous artists in the twentieth century. His imaginative portraits and inviting subject matter reach the inner child in all of us. Picasso’s exploration of color, style, and subject matter includes the popular form of Cubism, in which he experiments with geometric shapes, overlapping forms, and an indefinite sense of space.
Red, White, and Blue celebrates the American flag by describing what it means to one small child. Using innovative textile artwork, Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton illustrates the poetic text as she explains what the flag’s three colors represent, “sacrifice, loyalty, pride.” As the young heroine pedals her bike under a rippling flag, she declares, “Our people may be of every color, but we are united by the Red, White, and Blue.” This visual treat will introduce the meaning of our flag to even the youngest patriot. Paperback.
Renoir for Kids contains 8 reproductions of his favorite paintings, including Young Girls at the Piano and Girl with a Hoop, in a toddler-friendly board book format. Hardcover.