New Releases by Shutta Crum

El cielo es un lugar donde uno puede divertirse. O eso piensa la premiada autora Shutta Crum. Cuando uno de sus nietos le preguntaron sobre la muerte, ella se imaginó el Cielo perfecto. Un lugar donde las abuelitas juegan al hockey, tienen iguanas como mascotas, saltan la cuerda, encuentran tesoros en los mercadillos y velen con mucho amor a los nietos. El Cielo de la Abuelitas, y su libro complementario, El Cielo de los Abuelitos, brindan tranquilidad a los jóvenes preocupados asegurando que el cielo es un lugar feliz y que el amor nunca muere.

El Cielo es un lugar donde uno puede disfrutar del más allá, según la premiada autora Shutta Crum. Cuando una nieta le preguntó sobre la muerte, Shutta imaginó el paraíso perfecto para las abuelitas y los abuelitos. Un lugar donde las abuelitas y los abuelitos se divierten. En el Cielo de los Abuelitos, ellos andan en canoas, tienen hurones como mascotas, cuentan chistes de toc-toc, encuentran tesoros como cuerdas elásticas y vigilan con amor a sus nietos y nietas. El Cielo de los Abuelitos, y el libro compañero El Cielo de las Abuelitas, ofrecen aseguranza a jóvenes preocupados que el Cielo es un lugar feliz y que el amor nunca muere.

Heaven is a place where one can have fun. Or so thinks award-winning author Shutta Crum. When asked about death by one of her grandchildren, she imagined the perfect heaven. A place where grandmothers play hockey, have iguanas as pets, jump rope, find treasures at jumble sales, and keep a loving eye on grandchildren. Grandma Heaven, and its companion book, Grandpa Heaven, provide reassurance to young worriers that heaven is a happy place and that love never dies.

Heaven is a place where one can enjoy the afterlife. Or so thinks award-winning author Shutta Crum. When asked about death by a grandchild, she imagined the perfect grandparent heaven. A place where grandmothers and grandfathers have fun. In Grandpa Heaven, grandfathers paddle canoes, have pet ferrets, tell knock-knock jokes, find treasures like bungee cords, and keep a loving eye on grandchildren. Grandpa Heaven, and its companion book Grandma Heaven, provide reassurance to young worriers that heaven is a happy place and that love never dies.

West Trade Review is published quarterly (one print edition each spring and an online quarterly each summer, fall, and winter). We strive to put forth the best contemporary poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction (personal essays/memoir), photography, and artwork and publish a mix of established and up and coming writers/artists.Our mission is to perpetuate the work of artists both well known and yet-to-be-known, simultaneously enriching our world through the written word and visual arts. We strive to reflect diversity in style, content and perspective throughout prose, poetry, photography and other artwork. Our goal is to simply present to you the best art possible by both emerging and established creative minds.

The Way to the River goes down smooth as a well-aged scotch, with subtle complexities that linger long after the first sip and entice you back for another. -Michael Henry Lee. Internationally published haiku and senryu poet, and Southeast Region Coordinator of the Haiku Society of America Vivid with nature imagery and music, The Way to the River, Shutta Crum''s latest chapbook, leads us through a series of sections that read like mini chapters, each one building upon the next, each poem a jewel of a journey into the past. "Watch for a road/that reaches out to touch your foot/Maybe just a thin thread-an idea of a road" says the poet in moments of insight where "the assault of tides-the battering, /the stretching, has made" her "more seasoned against the storm surge," or when she asks "I threw a rock. Someone bled. You?" She examines her fears, her flaws. What is it that stirs us "there-just there-something/a stealthy movement/a primitive fear nosing in the mud/someone lost at the root?" But we are given hope, "Might I feel the blessings of a dusky sky/and find forgiveness in the ancient light." She even imagines heaven at the end, peppered with a little humor. Her language flows like a river. And we believe her. -Zilka Joseph. Author of In Our Beautiful Bones, Sparrows and Dust, Sharp Blue Search of Flame Shutta Crum finds her way to the river, to baptism and redemption. She pulls up the stuff we''ve discarded-but also a few rainbows-before she floats in her playful heaven. She describes her journey in a language as clear as the water she hopes will carry her and her readers through the river''s twists and turns. -Keith Taylor. A.L. Becker Collegiate Lecturer in English (retired), and Director, Bear River Writers'' Conference (retired)

Here''s everything you want in poetry. Understandable language-check. Interesting, inventive use of words-check. Topics that reference matters of common interest-check. Insights way beyond the usual-check. Don''t skim this collection. You''d miss way too much that makes our lives meaningful. Enter and walk "unafraid in this new topography." Sharon Scholl, Professor emerita of humanities. Author of Music and Culture, Death and the Humanities, and three chapbooks of poetry When You Get Here, is a celebration of the small, precise details that accumulate, like snowflakes, into a life. It''s a map guiding us through a landscape of grief, wonder and sensuality, touching all the delicate connections in between. We peek in cupboards, wrestle with lovers, walk on thin ice, followed by a wolf. Every poem reminds the reader to breathe, sense, and feel what it is to be alive. Joyce Sweeney, author of Impermanence and Wake up, Finishing Line Press, pu003eHere Shutta Crum''s love of language takes us on a fascinating journey, gives us "Driving Directions," promises the road knows the way. She opens "Father''s Cupboard,"lets us see what held his world. She studies "A Philosophy of Luminescence"in a confining marriage and offers new light. In the poem"You Can Have It Back," she wants to return the rib taken from Adam and given to woman, for it no longer holds her aright after the death of a poet friend. In "What I Bequeath," Shutta says one day her bones will speak a language we will understand. We are fortunate-in this beautiful collection, she speaks clearly to us and we understand. Chris Lord, author of Field Guide to Luck and What We Leave, founder of Word''n Woman Press

"A young mouse ventures out of the family nest to find the greatest adventure of all: reading"--Provided by publisher.

A charming reimagining of Sleeping Beauty that “will appeal to younger middle grade readers who like fantasy, fractured fairy tales, and adventure” (School Library Journal)! William and his little brother, Pinch, have been left alone at their home atop the mountain. When a witch named Morga shows up, William is forced to embark on a terrifying journey, the worst part of which is Morga herself. She has three riddles for William to solve, with only the help of an odd fellow who wakes up a different size every day and a tiny yellow dragon who can dream storms into reality. Three riddles. Three chances to lift an ancient curse. Three chances to save his family. Part fantasy and part fairy tale, and sprinkled with charming black-and-white illustrations, William and the Witch’s Riddle is a loose retelling of Sleeping Beauty and an adventure that’s just right for middle graders. Praise for Shutta Crum’s Thomas and the Dragon Queen: “Both heartwarming and full of surprises. . . . A must-read.” —School Library Journal, Starred review “The quick pace, thrilling escapes, and subtly detailed medieval setting will all be appealing to early fantasy readers.” —The Bulletin “A sure-fire hit as a read-aloud, this is an engaging book featuring a hero filled with bravery, quick wits, and heart.” —The Horn Book

A charming summer board book that''s just right for toddlers, from the team behind the critically acclaimed picture book Mine! What does a toddler say when she drops her sunglasses in the sand? "Uh-Oh!" What does she say when a seagull lands on her sandcastle? "Uh-Oh!" What does she say when she finds a crab in her pail? "Uh-Oh!" And what does she say when a BIG wave is coming? That''s the biggest "Uh-Oh!" of all! This nearly wordless story of toddler adventure perfectly captures the dynamics between the youngest friends and the sheer pleasure of that favorite toddler word: Uh-Oh!

"At a family reunion, dozens of ''beastie'' cousins spend the day running wild, playing in the creek, filling up on food, and making mischief."

A kingdom is at war. A princess has been kidnapped by a dragon queen. A brave squire volunteers to set out on a quest to rescue her. But there''s just one small problem. He''s Thomas, the shortest of all the squires. With little more than a donkey, a vest, and a sword, Thomas will have to use all of his courage and determination to battle a beast with many heads, reach a forbidden island, and rescue the princess from a most fearsome dragon-and an even more fearsome fate! Part thrilling adventure and part enchanting fantasy, sprinkled with charming black-and-white illustrations, Thomas and the Dragon Queen will delight young readers from start to finish.

Late one day I hurried home, Stepping through the wood alone. It was deep and dim; I could barely see. But I thought brave thoughts to comfort me. A Young Skunk heads home through the woods—alone. Or maybe not… Could there be robbers, or pirates, or ghosts, or trappers in the woods? And is our hero brave enough to keep away? With bouncy rhymes, charming art, a subtle counting theme, and a surprise ending, this story will entertain and reassure any child who’s ever been afraid.

A young child does not want to share his toys with his baby sibling, but an encounter with the family dog teaches everyone the importance of sharing. On board pages.

A farm family scurries for shelter from a violent thunderstorm that brings welcome relief from the heat and also an unexpected surprise.

Great Lakes'' Great Books Award Master Reading List Over in the meadow there''s a spring wedding, with the couple''s 10 best friends to celebrate. What''s next? A house! 9 diggers, 8 masons, 7 carpenters, 6 well diggers, 5 roofers, 4 plumbers, 3 electricians, 2 painters, and 1 inspector show up with all their trucks and tools to build a new house. And when the couple and their friends have a house-warming party, a new baby comes, too! Inspired by Olive A. Wadsworth''s old counting poem, Shutta Crum''s exhuberant rhyme celebrates the fun of counting, the excitement of building a house, and the satisfaction of sharing work.

When animals seeking new homes see Old Mill Farm, they know that it is just right, while human house-hunters, shown a variety of houses by their realtor, finally make clear what they are truly seeking and wind up at the farm, as well.

In this tender, lyrical story set in the mountains of Kentucky, Brenda Gail is spending the summer with her great-grandparents. Gran Pap tells her that "everybody born in the mountains got a song inside ''em," made of memories. That means Brenda Gail has one, too, "just waitin'' to come out." A squabble with her troublesome cousin Melvin, in which Big Ma''s favorite hen is injured, and their reconciliation help Brenda Gail start to choose the moments that will be in her song. Rich, poignant art from esteemed illustrator Ted Rand is paired with an atmospheric text written by a true storyteller. Kids everywhere will want to make up their own "mountain songs."

In the small town of Baylor, Kentucky, twelve-year-old Jessie K. Bovey and her friends confront some of life''s questions during their summer vacation in the late 1960s.

Follows the parallel adventures of and encounters by a bear cub and a young photographer.

The first sight a newly-hatched chick sees is a fox who he thinks is his father, but a fox can''t parent a chicken, can he?

All the night noises that surround a sleepy child are explored in a comforting, musical poem.