Chrysis (a stunningly beautiful, 19-year-old courtesan) is desired by celebrity sculptor Démétrios (whose mistress is Alexandria's queen, Bérénice). But Chrysis is indifferent and her perverse streak ("If someone should adore me, it seems to me that I would find much pleasure in making him suffer until he died of it") drives her to demand three offerings as proof of the sculptor's love. Obtaining the offerings will involve the commission of three crimes, each worse than the last: the mirror of Sappho (theft), the High Priestess' Ivory Comb (murder, as she is never without it), and the necklace that adorns the statue of Aphrodite (sacrilege). As Démétrios sets upon his task (although deeply conflicted), we are given a cross-section of life in the city at the time - the parties and orgies, the lives of slaves and courtesans, etc

L'Europe, disait mon père, l'index bien pointé vers l'horizon, c'est tout ce qu'il y a derrière l'océan...

Anna est une petite fille de 6 ans qui ne parle pas. "Toute petite, Anna a pleuré, ri parfois elle n'est pas muette les docteurs l'ont dit." Seulement aujourd'hui plus un mot ne sort de sa bouche. L'histoire est familiale. Sa mère Nadéja ne sait ni lire ni écrire. Elle a peur des mots depuis que sa grand-mère, Baba Yaga, a perdu son esprit, égaré dans l'élan d'une histoire qu'elle lisait alors à haute voix. Depuis, Nadéja se débrouille, pas toujours bien. Mais pour Anna, parce que ce n'est pas une fatalité, elle osera l'inconcevable en la confiant à Merlin, directeur d'une institution de sourds-muets, afin qu'il lui apprenne les mots. À trois, ils graviront la pente, butant souvent, trébuchant, se relevant avec difficulté, jusqu'à l'ultime écueil. Un texte pudique et attachant que vous n'êtes pas près d'oublier.

" Depuis que j'ai quitté le Liban pour m'installer en France, que de fois m'a-t-on demandé, avec les meilleures intentions du monde, si je me sentais " plutôt français " ou " plutôt libanais ". Je réponds invariablement : " L'un et l'autre ! " Non par quelque souci d'équilibre ou d'équité, mais parce qu' en répondant différemment, je mentirais. Ce qui fait que je suis moi-même et pas un autre, c'est que je suis ainsi à la lisière de deux pays, de deux ou trois langues, de plusieurs traditions culturelles. C'est cela mon identité ? "
Partant d'une question anodine qu'on lui a souvent posée, Amin Maalouf s'interroge sur la notion d'identité, sur les passions qu'elle suscite, sur ses dérives meurtrières. Pourquoi est-il si difficile d'assumer en toute liberté ses diverses appartenances ? Pourquoi faut-il, en cette fin de siècle, que l'affirmation de soi s'accompagne si souvent de la négation d'autrui ? Nos sociétés seront-elles indéfiniment soumises aux tensions, aux déchaînements de violence, pour la seule raison que les êtres qui s'y côtoient n'ont pas tous la même religion, la même couleur de peau, la même culture d'origine ? Y aurait-il une loi de la nature ou une loi de l'Histoire qui condamne les hommes à s'entretuer au nom de leur identité ?
C'est parce qu'il refuse cette fatalité que l'auteur a choisi d'écrire les Identités meurtrières, un livre de sagesse et de lucidité, d'inquiétude mais aussi d'espoir.

Dans le Liban de la fin du XIXe siècle, un homme doit fuir son village à la suite d'une obscure querelle. Repartant de rien, Wakim Nassar, le proscrit, va créer dans les environs de Beyrouth, à force d'audace et de volonté, des plantations d'orangers, fonder une nombreuse famille, devenir un chef de clan, un " zaïm " craint et respecté. La Grande Maison qu'il fait construire au centre des vergers, que les gens admirent de loin, à Ayn Chir, est le symbole de sa gloire. Puis la Première Guerre mondiale, la maladie, les frasques d'un de ses fils auront raison de son éphémère empire. Mes descendants de Wakim devront quitter, un à un, la Grande Maison qui menace ruine, et prendre les chemins de l'exil. C'est l'ascension, la grandeur puis la décadence du clan Nassar que conte ce roman haut en couleur, fertile en rebondissements, traversé de caractères hors du commun. En toile de fond défile une partie de l'histoire du pays, de l'Empire ottoman au mandat français. Un destin libanais.

The periodical "J'aime Lire' is a joy to read for the 7yo to 10yo. It has a good diversity of topics and actvities to stimulate your children's imagination and to encourage them to read. You will find a story, different short comics and games written and created by the best youth literature authors.

The periodical "J'aime Lire' is a joy to read for the 7yo to 10yo. It has a good diversity of topics and actvities to stimulate your children's imagination and to encourage them to read. You will find a story, different short comics and games written and created by the best youth literature authors.

This monthly periodical is exclusively written for French intermediate and advanced learners.You will find articles with vocabulary about different topics such as politics, cooking, arts and culture as well as a short story and some activities on the French language. You can hear all the articles in the CD that goes with the magazine.

“L’Art de perdre” is a beautifully written, extremely touching novel about three generations of (Franco-)Algerians and their experiences with war, immigration and cultural adaptation.
To begin with, the novel describes the many historical events that impacted the lives of Algerians over the last 100 years; i.e., the World Wars, colonialism, the independence movement in Algeria, and mass-emigration/ the interim refugee camp period in France.
In part one, we gain the perspective of the first-generation immigrant and family patriarch, Ali. In part two, we learn more about the trials of Ali’s son Hamid, who is something between a first and second-generation immigrant (having moved to France at a young age, but still feeling the pull of his roots). Finally, in part three, we learn the point of view of Naima, Hamid’s daughter, the second-generation immigrant whose understanding of Algeria (for most of the novel) is more-or-less restricted to her Grandmother.

Le printemps est arrivé! Un petit chaton rend visite aux animaux de la campagne et à leurs petits. Chaque animal a un cri bien à lui. Les enfants sauront-ils imiter le son de la grenouille, du canard et de la vache? Que font le cochon, le mouton et le hibou?

Voici l'histoire d'un canard qui s'est mis la tête où il ne fallait pas! En se dandinant dans le pré, par hasard, le canard trouve un hangar. Il passe sa tête entre deux planches et aperçoit des céréales. Gardant sa tête dans le trou, il commence à avaler les délicieux grains, mais lorsque vient le temps de sortir sa tête du trou...Coin-coin! Il est coincé! Qui pourra aider le canard à sortir de cette fâcheuse position?

Les poux sont tout petits et, pourtant, ils nous terrifient autant qu’un animal géant! C’est parce que les poux naissent, grandissent et meurent sur nos têtes. Oui, les poux vivent sur la tête des humains et ils y installent leur famille! Pour survivre, ils doivent nous piquer pour se nourrir de notre sang. Que faire? Il faut s’en débarrasser!

A deer describes its first year of life, with the difficulties of eating in winter and the joy of plenty when spring comes.

Little Miss Splendid is the most splendid character of all in Mr. Men land . . . Until a princess moves in next door . . .

Do bears love swimming as much as they love honey sandwiches? Can you act out the story of the alligator and the chicks? This is a lovely collection of simple stories, illustrated by celebrated artist Atsuko Morozumi. Some stories include instructions to “act out” sounds and movements in the story (clapping, making faces) to enhance the reading experience, and a fun die-cut “index” with character pictures allow children to find their favorite story.

Atsuko Morozumi’s The Reindeer Christmas has sold over one hundred thousand copies in the United States. One Gorilla (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) was an American Bookseller Pick of the List and a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book.

Meet Otti, Ugga, and Flibb--They like to doodle.
They doodle all the time!
They doodle when they are mad, they doodle when they are glad, and they doodle when they are sad.
They doodle just about anything they want!How Do You Doodle? has over 40 doodle games for you to doodle, scribble, and draw out your thoughts, emotions, and feelings. You can draw or write whatever you want in this book -- cute drawings, silly drawings, even ugly drawings.

Be creative and express yourself! Your doodles will help you to understand and recognize your emotions and feelings.

How do You Doodle? can be used alone, or in association with a therapist or parent to help kids better realize and understand their emotional responses to situations, and to help promote better emotional health. A "Note to Parents" is included

A beautifully illustrated picture book introducing toddlers to animals in the farmyard and the woods on a rainy summer day.

It's a rainy summer day, and Kitten is meeting all sorts of animals taking shelter from or enjoying the warm rain, including a fox, a turtle, a beaver and many more.

As in the two previous titles in the Kitten series, rhyming couplets capture the animals' actions, making this book another fantastic interactive read-aloud. Young readers will delight in discovering animal habitats, picking out seasonal details in the exquisite mixed-media art, and searching for and finding Kitten on every page

A collection of recipes for summer

An explanation of what is Islam 

Three stories that are connected, though how is not apparent until book's end. 1851, William, 2007, George and 2098, Tao, tied together by their dependency on bees. In 2098, the bees have all been wiped out, in China they pollinate by hand, a labor intensive endeavor. Each of these three have sons, so this is also very much about the bond and expectations between parent and child.

Can Fox help Squirrel see that they don't have to be the same to be the best of friends?

That lovable little worrywart is back. And he's as scaredy as ever! In his latest adventure, Scaredy Squirrel sets out to make The Perfect Friend.

And once he's spotted a perfectly safe candidate (with no teeth), Scaredy's ready. Armed with a name tag, mittens, a mirror and a lemon, he's prepared to make The Perfect First Impression. But just when every detail is under control, Scaredy's Action Plan takes a surprising --- and ?toothy? --- turn. Will he survive this ordeal? Will he find his kindred spirit? Will he discover the true meaning of friendship? Read Scaredy's nutty story to find out ...

At a time of mystery and cruelty ... in an ancient land of breathtaking beauty and exotic surprise ... a courageous woman triumphs over her world's ultimate tragedy.

Behind the garden walls of the House of Chang, pampered daughter Spring Moon is born into luxury and privilege. But the tempests of change sweep her into a new world -- one of hardship, turmoil, and heartbreak, one that threatens to destroy her husband, her family, and her darkest secret love. Through a tumultuous lifetime, Spring Moon must cling to her honor, to the memory of a time gone by, and to a destiny, foretold at her birth, that has yet to be fulfilled.

During the cold war, at the end of Stalinism, a tracking in the taïiga. A prisoner escaped. As in Agatha Christie, the pursuivants will be eliminated one by one. The last will be confronted with essential choices. Solid literature.

The Conquerors describes the struggle between the Kuomintang and the Communists in the Cantonese revolution of the 1920s. It is both an exciting war story and a gallery of intellectual portraits: a ruthless Bolshevik revolutionary, a disillusioned master of propaganda, a powerful Chinese pacifist, and a young anarchist. Each of these "conquerors" will be crushed by the revolution they try to control.