Biography of Dick Durrance, a man who played a major role in the development of the ski resorts at Sun Valley, Alta and Aspen, and whose involvement with skiing spans the history of the sport in America. Includes many photographs. (LAG).

Writing in French in the 1950s, Ferdinand Léopold Oyono (1929–2010) had only a brief literary career, but his anticolonialist novels are considered classics of twentieth-century African literature. Like Oyono’s Houseboy, also available from Waveland Press, this novel fiercely satirizes the false pretenses of European colonial rule in Africa. Meka, a village elder, has always been loyal to the white man. It is with pride that he first hears he is to receive a medal. While waiting for the ceremony, however, Meka’s pride gives way to skepticism. At the same time, his wife has realized that the medal is being given to her husband as compensation for the sacrifices they have made. The events following the ceremony confirm Meka’s new estimation of the white man. Both subtle and oftentimes humorous, this beautifully told story lays bare the hollowness of the mission in Africa. It fuels opportunities for discussing colonial politics around class and race as well as for exploring indigenous Cameroon life and values.

Heartfelt stories from our Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.

The story of a daring tightrope walk between skyscrapers, as seen in Robert Zemeckis's The Walk, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In 1974, French aerialist Philippe Petit threw a tightrope between the two towers of the World Trade Center and spent an hour walking, dancing, and performing high-wire tricks a quarter mile in the sky. This picture book captures the poetry and magic of the event with a poetry of its own: lyrical words and lovely paintings that present the detail, daring, and--in two dramatic foldout spreads-- the vertiginous drama of Petit's feat. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is the winner of the 2004 Caldecott Medal, the winner of the 2004 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Picture Books, and the winner of the 2006 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video.

A beautifully nostalgic picture book about one grandfather's younger days that shows you're only as old as you feel! "In this affectionate story, three children follow their grandfather up to the attic, where he pulls out his old bowler hat, gold-tipped cane, and his tap shoes. Grandpa once danced on the vaudeville stage, and as he glides across the floor, the children can see what it was like to be a song and dance man. Gammell captures all the story's inherent joie de vivre with color pencil renderings that leap off the pages. Bespectacled, enthusiastic Grandpa clearly exudes the message that you're only as old as you feel, but the children respond--as will readers--to the nostalgia of the moment. Utterly original."--(starred) Booklist.

Winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award! Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City. Now, award-winning illustrator Javaka Steptoe's vivid text and bold artwork echoing Basquiat's own introduce young readers to the powerful message that art doesn't always have to be neat or clean—and definitely not inside the lines!—to be beautiful.

After repeatedly disastrous efforts to get himself out of trouble, George ends up being the first monkey in space.

Bethany Fitzpatrick is a recent graduate of a renowned culinary school with ambitions of becoming a pastry chef in Manhattan. But when Bethany's mother dies in a tragic accident, Bethany foregoes a perfect job to care for her father, who is stricken with multiple sclerosis. She moves back home to the seafaring town of Northport, Long Island, where she eventually opens a bakery, but running her own business and acting as sole caretaker for a dying man is no easy feat. Despite her enormous love for her father, she finds herself stuck in a world no one seems to understand-after all, her closest friends are married with children and enjoying life. Bethany begins to question her own life and her faith. As her father's condition worsens, Bethany is on the verge of a breakdown until a stranger named Jimmy enters her bakery. With the persona of an Italian mobster, he informs her of a mystical Italian friar, Padre Pio, who bore the five wounds of Christ and performed miracles. Despite his many gifts, Pio was shunned by the Catholic Church. Jimmy over time, gains Bethany's trust and gives her a medal containing a relic of Padre Pio, which just might give Bethany's father a second chance at life...and might bring Bethany back to a life worth truly living. Bethany's journey is one of discovery, love, acceptance, and faith. True historical accounts of the life of Padre Pio are woven throughout the book until its shocking end. Five-time, award winning author Kerriann Flanagan Brosky, has been featured in a number of publications including The New York Times, Newsday and Distinction magazine. She has appeared on CBS' Sunday Morning Show, "Ticket" with Laura Savini, News 12 Long Island, and The Thinking Writer in East Hampton, for her previously published non-fiction books. Kerriann hosts a weekly Internet radio show on Blogtalk Radio, "The Kerriann & Joe Show - Spirit Connection," and she blogs for Patch.com. Kerriann is the President of the Long Island Authors Group, and is a well-known speaker who draws standing-room-only crowds to her lectures. Kerriann lives in Huntington, Long Island, and when she's not writing she enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband Karl and their two sons. The Medal is her debut novel. Visit her websites at www.kerriannflanaganbrosky.com and www.padrepiomedal.com

When Michael's aunt passes away, she leaves behind a letter that will change everything. It starts with Michael's grandfather Leroy, a black officer in World War I who charged into a battle zone not once but three times to save wounded men. His fellow soldiers insisted he deserved special commendations for his bravery but because of the racial barriers, he would go unacknowledged. Now it's up to Michael to change that. Inspired by the true story of Walter Tull, the first black officer in the British army, award-winning author Michael Morpurgo delivers a richly layered and memorable story of identity, history, and family.

A comprehensive history of America's highest award for military valor. The Medal of Honor chronicles the creation, evolution, and awarding of the Medal, from the battlefields of the Civil War to the jungles of Vietnam, through a wealth of illustrations and hundreds of authoritative, action-filled accounts of heroism in America's conflicts. This wonderfully detailed and beautifully designed history book puts the Medal and its recipients into the context of their times, with brief and accessible introductions explaining each war and conflict for which the Medal was awarded. It also includes photo essays, intriguing stories of the Medal's sometimes quirky personalities, effects on surviving recipients, and the Medal's preeminent place in the American story. Whether you're an avid reader on the history of the Medal of Honor or simply intrigued by its place in our history, you're certain to want to flip through the pages of The Medal of Honor again and again.