(Paperback) Esther's dreams seem to come true when she is chosen to become the next queen of Persia. But then she discovers that her people are facing total annihilation. Only she can plead with the emperor on their behalf to prevent a massacre. But to do so she has to risk her own life and confront a ruthless enemy. Will she overcome her fears and succeed against such powerful opposition? Through it all Esther is sustained by the conviction that being chosen to be queen was not an accident, but part of a higher purpose. This book will appeal to children aged 9 and over as well as adults. It is particularly suited to families who enjoy reading together.

In an effort to complete a war his father had planned to win, King Xerxes calls every governor, satrap, and official in his vast kingdom to his palace in Susa to strategize and feast. When they finally leave, he decides on one more week of frivolity, which ends in the banishment of his favorite wife, something he never intended to do. But when he discovers Esther, Xerxes is sure he has a second chance at happiness. In her wildest dreams, Esther could never have imagined that she would end up as queen of Persia. Yet she knows better than to become complacent. Another of Xerxes's wives is vying for position, and his closest advisor has a deep and dangerous grudge against Esther's adoptive father. Caught in the middle of palace politics, Esther will find herself in an impossible position: risk her life or consign her people to annihilation. With her impeccable research and her imaginative flair, Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the romantic, suspenseful, and beloved story of Esther, queen of Persia.

Star of Persia is the story of a beautiful Hebrew girl living in ancient Persia, a land of palaces and intrigue. For Esther, it becomes a place that threatens her survival. She is confronted with a choice that will decide the fate of the Hebrew people, including her own family. Esthers story is one of warm family times, life-threatening danger, and the triumph of good over evil. Through it all, the reader will see the hand of a an invisible but powerful player.

One night, as Princess Jasmine and her husband Aladdin gaze at the night sky, Aladdin points to a star and tells Jasmine the story of the Star of Persia: the biggest, most beautiful jewel in the world. Legend has it that the jewel belonged to a beautiful queen, and after she died, her subjects hid the jewel in a tower, certain that no one could be worthy of its beauty again. Now Jasmine is determined to know if the story is true. So the next morning, Jasmine, Aladdin, Abu, and the Magic Carpet set off to find out! Will the friends be able to find the legendary jewel, or are all the stories just fiction?

Looks at the evolution of Persian gardens from ancient times to the present day and their impact on modern garden design.

It is the dawn of history and of the dispersion of the Indo-European peoples. They are breaking their tents in central Asia along the Hindu Kush and the Pamirs, primitive Aryans with their dogs and their herds of domesticated animals. In their trek they will proceed to the farthest confines of Europe. From them the peoples of England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Russia, Greece and other will take their origin. A part will penetrate into India and another portion into Persia. They will build empires and munitions factories, cathedrals and cabarets. Some less simple-minded, the Kurds, Lurs and Bakhtiaris will maintain in Persia their primitive character into the twentieth century. With them in their dispersion, the Aryans carry the sacred fire which they have worshiped since they became acquainted with its use. It was man's first great step in the mastery of nature. The memory of its aid will be consecrated in one of the World's great religions; its flame will never be extinguised on the great Iranian plateau, the museums of religions.

Princess Jasmine shows she is wise and fair and kind, proving herself worthy of the beautiful jewel, the Star of Persia.