The Spider Who Saved Christmas

Spider thought his Christmas presents to Fly and Ladybug were unappreciated until they were used to prevent a disaster.

Michael, an imaginative six-year-old, overcomes his fear of spiders with the help of his family, specifically his grandfather. Through the retelling of a Christmas folktale, Michael realizes that a spider can be comical and friendly rather than a fearful phobia.

Long ago in a faraway place there lived two mothers. One, a humble peasant woman who struggled daily to provide for her children. And the other, a mother spider who also worked hard to care for her family. And although it would appear they were as different as night and day, these two mothers had more in common than would first seem. As the only holiday gift she can give her children, one cold Christmas Eve the peasant woman goes to the forest to get a tree, never noticing that someone has made a home among its branches. During the night, the mother spider spins webs decorating the tree, resulting in a Christmas that neither mother will ever forget. Based on an old Ukrainian story, Trinka Hakes Noble (The Orange Shoes) crafts an original heartwarming tale of the grace that can be found in the true spirit of Christmas. Trinka Hakes Noble's numerous picture books include The Scarlet Stockings Spy (IRA Teachers' Choice 2005), The Last Brother, The Orange Shoes (IRA Teachers' Choice 2008), and Apple Tree Christmas. Ms. Noble lives in northern New Jersey. Stephen Costanza attended the Philadelphia College of Art. His picture books are Mozart Finds a Melody, Noodle Man: The Pasta Superhero, and Ten Big Toes and a Prince's Nose. He lives in Belfast, Maine.

This delightful rhyming book introduces Catholic children to the Blessed Virgin Mary in a fun and simple way—through her clothes! When Our Lady lived in Nazareth two thousand years ago, she was very poor and probably didn’t have many nice things to wear. But now that she’s in Heaven, she has an enormous mansion. And in that mansion she has an incredibly beautiful wardrobe filled with a great variety of dresses, veils, slippers, sashes, robes, rings and crowns. Over the centuries, Our Lady has visited the people of Earth many times. On each of these occasions she has dressed very differently. Our Lady’s Wardrobe tells the story of some of her most famous apparitions, highlighting the clothes she wore and the things she did. By reading this book, children will not only learn about the Mother of God, but will also learn the main purpose of her life—to love and serve her son, Jesus Christ, and to lead others to do the same.

Fans of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Peter Lerangis's Seven Wondersseries will embrace this first epic adventure in a rollicking new series by aNew York Times bestselling author. Will Wilder is a mischievous, headstrong twelve-year-old with an otherworldly gift—he alone can see the nefarious creatures encroaching on Perilous Falls. For nearly a century, a sacred relic has protected his hometown from the raging waters surrounding it. But when Will “borrows” the relic for his own purposes, he accidentally unleashes an ancient evil. As boats sink and hideous creatures crawl from the rising waters, Will must set things right before it is too late. With the help of his sweet (if lethal) Great Aunt Lucille, the curator of a museum of powerful artifacts, Will proves that the actions of one twelve-year-old boy can change the world. Praise for Will Wilder: The Relic of Perilous Falls • “Suspense, adventure, humor, a compelling story, and characters that fired my imagination.Great fun and great frights.” —Dean Koontz, #1 New York Times bestselling author • “Will Wilder is a brand-new, refreshing, entertaining, intrepid young hero who magically combines humor and genuine suspense. And I love Great Aunt Lucille!” —Mary Higgins Clark,New York Times bestselling author and “Queen of Suspense” • “Laugh-out-loud humor, palpitation-inducing suspense, and cliffhangers galoreawait readers young and old. Who knew the battle between good and evil could be so much fun?” —William Peter Blatty, author ofThe Exorcist • “Monsters! Prophecies! Ancient relics! This is a wildly inventive book, and Will Wilderis just the kind of hero you want when the small town of Perilous Falls turns out to be the most important place in the universe.” —Frank Cottrell Boyce, author ofMillions and Cosmic

The Spider and the Christmas Tree By: Sonia Strockyj The family was poor and, even though they had a Christmas tree, they couldn’t afford to decorate it with ornaments as they have done in the past. And so, on Christmas Eve, the mother and her children went to bed knowing that they would have a bare Christmas tree on Christmas morning. The spider in the home heard the mother’s prayers and saw the children’s sad faces and decided they would not see the Christmas tree bare in the morning. The spider created beautiful webs on the Christmas tree, decorating it with elegant and beautiful silky patterns.

With the help of his friends, Spider comes up with such a good disguise for Halloween that he impresses the neighborhood and saves himself and his friends from bullies.

When spider discovers how everyone in the class had received valentines except the two lazy caterpillars in the back, he comes up with a unique way to say Happy Valentine's Day to them.

A Christmas long ago...On the first Christmas morning, a sleepy spider awakes to a flurry of activity in the manger below. Coming down from the rafters, she sees the animals preparing the manger for some very special visitors. What can a tiny spider do on such an important day? Find out as she spins and twirls and weaves her way to becoming the one and only Christmas Spider! A special Christmas craft is included so that readers can make their own Christmas message.

Before I was me, just before I was born, I asked God, “Who will I become?” “Oh, my little one,” He replied, “I have great plans for you! I have chosen you to be a very important person whom I will always love.” Thus begins a charming odyssey of self-discovery, as, in conversation with God, the child imagines himself as: . . . an ASTRONAUT going off to work each morning in a rocket, stopping halfway to Mars for milk and cookies . . . . . . a BAKER baking yummy treats everyone wants . . . . . . a FARMER growing food for hungry people of all nations around the world . . . . . . a DOCTOR healing giraffes and rabbits, and, yes, people, too . . . . . . a TEACHER helping boys and bears and gophers and girls become the best they can be (while giving hugs to the downcast!) . . . . . . a PARENT making the lives of children happy and safe; and finally . . . . . . a CHILD! . . . important simply for who he is and WHOM GOD WILL ALWAYS LOVE!

The stories of girls of color are often overlooked, unseen, and ignored rather than valued and heard. In Parable of the Brown Girl, minister and youth advocate Khristi Lauren Adams introduces readers to the resilience, struggle, and hope held within these stories. Instead of relegating these young women of color to the margins, Adams bring their stories front and center where they belong. By sharing encounters she's had with girls of color that revealed profound cultural and theological truths, Adams magnifies the struggles, dreams, wisdom, and dignity of these voices. Thought-provoking and inspirational, Parable of the Brown Girl is a powerful example of how God uses the narratives we most often ignore to teach us the most important lessons in life. It's time to pay attention.

If magic has a beginning, can it also have an end? When Amelia wants a wish to come true she knows just the man to ask—Father Christmas. But the magic she wants to believe in is starting to fade, and Father Christmas has things other than impossible wishes to worry about: upset elves, reindeer dropping out of the sky, angry trolls—and the chance that Christmas might be cancelled. Amelia isn’t just any ordinary girl, though. And as Father Christmas is going to find out, if he’s going to save Christmas, he might just need some help . . .

Although he doesn't usually celebrate Easter, Spider has some pleasant adventures with Ladybug and Fly.

"In The Second Greatest Story Ever Told bestselling author Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC, reveals St. John Paul II's witness for our time. Building on the prophetic voices of Margaret Mary Alacoque, Thérèse of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, and Faustina Kowalska, The Second Greatest Story Ever Told is more than a historical account of the Great Mercy Pope. This book expounds on the profound connection between Divine Mercy and Marian consecration. It serves as an inspiration for all those who desire to bear witness to the mercy of God, focused on Christ and formed by Mary. Now is the time of mercy. Now is the time to make John Paul's story your own."--

Present at the birth of Jesus, Cricket sings a lullaby, Honeybee presents honey, and Spider wonders what she can give.

When Spider's teacher, Miss Quito, forgets to bring a turkey to the school Thanksgiving pageant, Spider quickly makes one out of balloons

It wasn't always the case that Msgr. Georg Ratzinger lived in the shadow of his younger brother, Joseph. Georg was an accomplished musician, who for over 30 years directed the Regensburger Domspatzchor, the world-famous boys choir of the Regensburg cathedral. Brother Joseph was a brilliant young professor, but mostly known in German academic circles. Now Georg writes about the close friendship that has united these two brothers for more than 80 years. This book is a unique window on an extraordinary family that lived through the difficult period of National Socialism in Germany. Those interested in knowing more about the early life of Benedict XVI will not be disappointed. They will also learn of the admirable character and inspiring example of the parents, and see how the Catholic faith can shape not just a family, but an entire culture-in this case, that of Bavaria. Georg's reminiscences are detailed, intimate, and warm. And while they begin with the earliest years of the Ratzinger family, they continue right up to the present day. This is not simply a book to satisfy curiosity about a "celebrity", though it certainly does that. It's a beautiful portrait of Catholic family life and, in the most literal sense, of enduring fraternal charity. Georg has a talent for telling a story, and the co-author fills in some of the larger historical background. The many photographs, both in black and white and in color, round out a thoroughly enjoyable and inspirational book. Illustrated with 47 photographs.

The Seed who Was Afraid to be Planted introduces children to a tiny seed content to remain in his safe, cozy drawer with the other seeds. Suddenly, a day comes when the gardener who lives in the mansion takes the seed from his drawer and plants him in the ground. Faced with his biggest fear, the seed undergoes a miraculous experience that changes his life forever. Beautifully illustrated and written in simple but delightful verse, The Seed who was Afraid to be Planted reminds us all that no matter how small or scared we may be, God has great plans for us -- plans even more wonderful than we can imagine.

Not long after Martin Luther’s defiance of the Church in 1517, dialogue between Protestants and Catholics broke down, brother turned against brother, and devastating religious wars erupted across Europe. Desperate to restore the peace and recover the unity of Faith, Catholic theologians clarified and reaffirmed Catholic doctrines, but turned as well to another form of evangelization: the Arts. Convinced that to win over the unlettered, the best place to fight heresy was not in the streets but in stone and on canvas, they enlisted the century’s best artists to create a glorious wave of beautiful works of sacred art — Catholic works of sacred art — to draw people together instead of driving them apart. How Catholic Art Saved the Faith tells the story of the creation and successes of this vibrant, visual-arts SWAT team whose war cry could have been “art for Faith’s sake!” Over the years, it included Michelangelo, of course, and, among other great artists, the edgy Caravaggio, the graceful Guido Reni, the technically perfect Annibale Carracci, the colorful Barocci, the theatrical Bernini, and the passionate Artemisia Gentileschi. Each of these creative souls, despite their own interior struggles, was a key player in this magnificent, generations-long project: the affirmation through beauty of the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church. Here you will meet the fascinating artists who formed this cadre’s core. You will revel in scores of their full-color paintings. And you will profit from the lucid explanations of their lovely creations: works that over the centuries have touched the hearts and deepened the faith of millions of pilgrims who have made their way to the Eternal City to gaze upon them. Join those pilgrims now in an encounter with the magnificent artworks of the Catholic Restoration — artworks which from their conception were intended to delight, teach, and inspire. As they have done for the faith of so many, so will they do for you.

The Christmas Spiders is a loose adaptation of the original Ukrainian and German folktale that attributes much of the sparkle of traditional Christmas trees to some kind spiders. In this version, the archetypal old woman is a writer who spends a year of solitude to create a book and get in touch with nature. As the year comes to a close, along with her writing, she realizes that she is torn between her old life and the new life she has discovered. It's the gift of the spiders that helps her resolve her duality. The Christmas Spiders is a meaningful approach to the holiday season that explores love, joy and kindness as the reasons for the season with the decorations and magic presented as the symptoms of caring rather than proof of it. A tale that will be enjoyed by any age with rich illustrations that perfectly capture the introspective mood of the tale. A new holiday tradition that will bring to mind that love and kindness is at the root of the holiday and we are all capable of great gifts regardless of our size and abilities.