Since 1926, Pelican Publishing Company has been committed to publishing books of quality and permanence that enrich the lives of those who read them.
The 1930s Dust Bowl was the greatest ecological tragedy in the United States. Through a combination of drought and fierce winds, America’s Great Plains were left bare. In a series of sixteen narrative profiles, the author brings to life the voices of this time period. The characters who symbolize common residents of the “Great American Desert,” include a teacher protecting her class from a black roller, a nurse treating patients with dust pneumonia, and a nine-year-old girl who has never seen rain.
In The Warlord’s Alarm, Chuan and Jing Jing are worried they won’t be able to wake the warlord before the sun rises. They are traveling to the emperor’s palace, and they can only sleep four hours before resuming their journey in order to arrive as the emperor’s gates open. There are no clocks at the inn where they are staying, so they must create their own alarm clock. Displaying the ingenuity shown in the previous six Warlord’s Series books, Chuan and Jing Jing turn their water bag into an alarm clock and awaken in time to rouse the warlord.
Often used by teachers of the primary grades to illustrate the powerful concept of “base ten,” various types of counting frames appeared in China during the Middle Ages. The Warlord’s Beads is a valuable tool for introducing young readers to the wonder of numbers as well as the beauty and mystery of ancient China. Hardcover.
Clever Chuan makes his third appearance, this time as an artist’s apprentice for the warlord, in this story about the compass. When some strangers feel they have been cheated in the market, Chuan serves as interpreter in the dispute, and for his trouble, both he and the artist are kidnapped and, together with the strangers, are taken through the desert. Hardcover.
All is calm in the warlord’s palace, and the artist’s apprentice Chuan takes a break from papermaking to sit with his friend Jing Jing, watching the sunset. Suddenly, a cloud of dust rises on the horizon. It is an invading army. The palace gates are closed, but how will they keep the invaders at bay? Children learn about creativity, folklore, and calculating area in a math lesson that’s as fun as it is fascinating. Directions for making a kite follow the story. Hardcover.
In The Warlord’s Messengers, the warlord’s presence is requested at the emperor’s banquet in just two weeks, but he is sixteen days away by horseback. Faced with a situation that threatens the warlord’s honor, Chuan and his friend Jing Jing must reach him in time to deliver the invitation and assure his punctuality. Using their math knowledge, ingenuity, and the wind, the children devise a sailing cart and reach the warlord’s camp two days ahead of the emperor’s messenger, just in time to deliver the invitation and save the warlord from dishonor.
Clever young Chuan and his artist mentor are back in this fourth book of the Warlord’s series. This time, the two are journeying across the desert to find their master, the warlord, when they meet up with a group of traveling puppeteers. When bandits attack and steal their trunk of puppets, Chuan knows that he must step in to help his new friends in order to finish the journey. Hardcover.
In China, a beautiful ceramic tile lies shattered on the ground, and the artist who dropped it is sentenced to the land’s worst punishment. The fierce warlord will execute the artist unless some wise person can put the seven pieces back together. That person will then be invited to live in the castle. Both locals and strangers from far away wait their turns for a chance to solve the warlord’s puzzle. Hardcover.
For more than sixty years, Flora Martus happily waved to the passing ships, which were her nearest neighbors. It became a tradition for passing ships to honk their horns or blow their whistles at the girl, and then the woman, waving from the lighthouse. Flora’s fame spread across the globe, and she sometimes received exotic gifts from far-off places, all addressed to “The Waving Girl.” Paperback.
Weep Not For Me, Dear Mother is a collection of the letters Eli Pinson Landers, a Confederate soldier in the Civil War, diligently wrote to his mother, Susan Landers, back in their home of Yellow River, Georgia. The book traces his life in battles at Gettysburg, Manassas, and Chickamauga among others.
When her neighbor handed her the stack of yellowed letters that had been rescued from an Atlanta, Georgia, pile of trash, author Roberson had no idea she was about to embark on a fact-finding mission through six states from Civil War battlegrounds in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia to Gwinnett County in north Georgia. The author of these letters was a young man named Eli Pinson Landers, a Confederate soldier in the Civil War. Weep Not For Me, Dear Mother is a collection of the letters this brave young man diligently wrote to his mother, Susan Landers, back in their home of Yellow River, Georgia. The book traces his life in battles at Gettysburg, Manassas, and Chickamauga among others. Paperback.
From the smelliest of pirate dogs to the most unusual fishing exploits ever to take place on the high seas, these pages are filled with poetic explorations of the jolliest pirate crew. Readers of all ages are invited to come on board, wearing their best party hat, to enjoy squid and seaweed cake with fish icing at a very silly birthday party, and sail along on these lively adventures.
Up the Mississippi River from New Orleans, north of Baton Rouge live three billy goats named Gruff. They want to cross Thompson’s Creek to reach the lush pastures on the other side, but there’s a very scary troll under the bridge who wants to gobble up those billy goats. Told in Coleen Salley’s spirited style, with vibrant illustrations by Amy Jackson Dixon, this new version of the Norwegian folktale adds Louisiana spice to an old classic.
Not even Slim Jim Watkins can have a ranch of his own without a brand. Will he ever get a brand of his own? Will he ever get a ranch of his own? Maybe he will, because, after all, he does have a “can do” attitude. Hardcover.
This beautifully illustrated, amusing story with its anticipatory suspense will delight kids and grown-ups alike, and everyone will be charmed by the nightly entourage of desert animals who play a key role. That is, until Slim Jim Watkins learns a thing or two and starts to sleep with his boots on. Hardcover.
Cowgirl Gabby does not sit around looking as pretty as a wild flower. Slim Jim Watkins’ new pardner proves sweet-talking works when the cowboys can’t figure things out for themselves. Hardcover.
A long time ago, when Crab and Crawfish were still best friends, Crawfish was feeling particularly lazy—and particularly hungry—as he loafed around the muggy bayou. When Crab arrived with a fish, Crawfish took one listen to his empty belly and decided to trick his good-natured friend.
Against the odds, women sought out pilots who would give them flying lessons. Many, like Harriet Quimby, Matilde Moisant, Amelia Earhart, Emily Warner, Sally Ride, and others, demonstrated that women have the skills, courage, and determination to fly. Hardcover.