This time a lost dog sparks the theme of strangers and the wisdom in avoiding them. And what a collection of strangers they are! Headless trolls, people with pointy ears and huge eyes, and long-lost “aunties,” who enjoy eating their guests. Stories from Scandinavia, Sierra Leone, and Iraq are highlighted in this universal warning....

Baba Yaga, The Golden Arm, and Monster Gogo all come out to play with the imaginations of the boys this time. Children around the world all know that they mustn’t forget important things and these generously illustrated tellings from Russia, England, and West Africa drive the point home in a memorable way....

Noor Nobi is a broken man, wandering the streets of Calcutta with no reason to live. His three children, snatched from him in a cruel accident, were everything he worked for and loved. But one day, he enters a crowded market and sees a bird, caged and frightened and sick. With very little money in his pocket, he waits until the vendor is closing up.

Quickly, Noor Nobi bargains and, happy to get anything for the sickly thing, the vendor accepts his offer. For some reason Noor Nobi cannot explain, it is important for him to nurse the bird back to health. When it is finally able to fly, Noor Nobi takes his bird to a big Banyan tree and releases it. Only then is he able to weep and fully grieve for his children.

Before Noor Nobi knows it, he is back at work and taking his weekly earnings to the market where he continues to buy, heal, and free as many birds as he can. Crowds gather; some laugh and say he is crazy, some stand reverently, some don’t know what to think. But Noor Nobi’s kindness saves a growing number of birds, and the birds, in turn, give him new purpose.

Author Veronika Martenova Charles read a short newspaper article about the “Birdman” of Calcutta and her imagination took flight. She traveled to India, found Noor Nobi, and witnessed the freeing of the birds for herself.

The Birdman is a touching, true story, tenderly illustrated by Annouchka Gravel Galouchko and Stéphan Daigle. It is accompanied by an afterword, diary entries, and photographs of the author’s experience....

Three friends frighten each other with tales of haunted beach houses, sinister cats, and witches in this trio of cautionary stories from Japan and the United States. Beginning readers come away with a satisfying experience and the benefit of good advice!...

In short lines, large type, and text broken into phrases, three more stories are told. Marcos, Leon, and “I” try to out-do each other with warnings against tasting things that may not be safe. Dire consequences and ridiculous outcomes take the boys to new heights of hilarity in these spooky tales from Australia, Italy, and Eastern Europe....

All that glitters may not be gold and certainly should not be touched, as the three boys find out when they see something strange at a construction site. While deciding their best course of action, they tell each other stories about strange toys, a mysterious glass bottle, and a dragon. By the time they are finished they are scared, but they know just what they should do. The Far North, Germany, and Italy are featured this time....