Most Popular Books by Donna Jo Napoli

Tired of his mother''s overprotectiveness and intrigued by the life of African American explorer Matthew Henson, twelve-year-old Alvin travels north and spends a season with a trapper near the Arctic Circle.

In 1592, Donata is a noble girl living in a palazzo on the Grand Canal. Girls of her class receive no education and rarely leave the palazzo. In a noble family, only one daughter and one son will be allowed to marry; Donata, like all younger daughters, will be sent to a convent. Donata longs to be tutored like her brothers and to see the Venice she has glimpsed only on the map. What is the world beyond her balcony, beyond what she sees when she glides, veiled, in a gondola down the canal? She dresses as a boy and escapes the palazzo on the Grand Canal to see the world before she is shut away, and to try to find a way to escape her fate. Donata risks everything; she changes her life, and her family’s life, forever when she walks through the door and encounters a Venice she never knew existed.

The Little Angel of Independence helps a girl named Elena develop independence and self-reliance when she loses her beloved toy giraffe during a visit to the park.

A serious job for a little angel The Little Angel of Responsibility has a hard time finishing what she starts. She?s been working on the same knitting project for weeks. But something more interesting always seems to come up. This time, it?s helping a little girl with a big problem. Danielle is old enough to take care of herself. So when her mother starts working again, she leaves a lot of responsibility in Danielle?s hands -- like making sure to get her homework done on time. But when the choice is left up to Danielle, she?d rather practice running for the track team than do schoolwork. Is the Little Angel of Responsibility ready to lend a hand? Be responsible!

In the autumn of 1846 in Ireland, twelve-year-old Lorraine and her family struggle to survive during the Irish potato famine, but when Lorraine meets Miss Susannah, the daugher of the wealthy English landowner who owns Lorraine''s family''s farm, they form an unlikely friendship that they must keep secret due to the deep cultural divide between their two families.

One day when Albert is at his window, two cardinals come to build a nest in his hand, an event that changes his life.

The Little Angel of Happiness tries to help Raquel get in the proper spirit for the winter holidays.

Meet the Beast before there was Beauty in this sweeping reimagining of the prince’s origin story steeped in Persian mythology. Orasmyn is the prince of Persia and heir to the throne. His religion fills his heart and his mind, and he strives for the knowledge and leadership his father demonstrates. But on the day of the Feast of Sacrifices, Orasmyn makes a foolish choice that results in a fairy’s wretched punishment: he is turned into a beast, a curse to be undone only by the love of a woman. Thus begins Orasmyn’s journey through the exotic Middle East and sensuous France as he struggles to learn the way of the beast, while also preserving the mind of the man. This is the story of his search, not only for a woman courageous enough to love him, but also for his own redemption.

The little Angel of Imagination is assigned to Louie, a boy who has forgottenhow to use his imagination, and tries to help Louie rediscover how to open uphis mind as he plays with his dog and his younger brother.

The gods grant immortality to the mermaid Sirena when she rescues a human man from the sea and they fall in love, but his mortality creates great conflict between love and honor when he is called to defend Greece in the Trojan War.

T.J. has always had a problem with certain words, and rather than say them wrong, sometimes she''d rather not talk at all. Can the Little Angel of Acceptance get her the help she needs? Illustrations.

Told from the point of view of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the baby on Sacagawea’s back, this breathtaking picture book reveals the adventure and natural wonders that Lewis and Clark encountered on their Western expedition in the early 1800s. Donna Jo Napoli’s lyrical text and Jim Madsen’s majestic artwork offer a fresh perspective on the remarkable sights and sounds of a young country, and give voice to a character readers are already familiar with: baby Charbonneau is shown on the golden Sacagawea dollar.

YOUNG XING XING IS BOUND. Bound to her father''s second wife and daughter after Xing Xing''s father has passed away. Bound to a life of servitude as a young girl in ancient China, where the life of a woman is valued less than that of livestock. Bound to be alone and unmarried, with no parents to arrange for a suitable husband. Dubbed "Lazy One" by her stepmother, Xing Xing spends her days taking care of her half sister, Wei Ping, who cannot walk because of her foot bindings, the painful but compulsory tradition for girls who are fit to be married. Even so, Xing Xing is content, for now, to practice her gift for poetry and calligraphy, to tend to the mysterious but beautiful carp in her garden, and to dream of a life unbound by the laws of family and society. But all of this is about to change as the time for the village''s annual festival draws near, and Stepmother, who has spent nearly all of the family''s money, grows desperate to find a husband for Wei Ping. Xing Xing soon realizes that this greed and desperation may threaten not only her memories of the past, but also her dreams for the future. In this searing story, Donna Jo Napoli, acclaimed author of Beast and Breath, delves into the roots of the Cinderella myth and unearths a tale as powerful as it is familiar.

Other people''s feelings mattter Molly is angry and embarassed that her big sister, Amanda, has a baby. Now some of Molly''s friends won''t play with her, and they talk about her behind her back. Molly doesn''t want anything to do with them, either. She''s left out, and it''s all Amanda''s fault! The Little Angel of Compassion wants to earn her wings, but she knows she has a tough task ahead of her. Molly is pushing her sister away, just when she needs all the friends she can get. Can the Little Angel of Compassion help Molly get over her anger before she ends up all alone? Have compassion

A sixteen-year-old stowaway discovers her destiny on Noah’s ark in this riveting reimagining from award-winning author and “master storyteller” (SLJ) Donna Jo Napoli. The rain starts suddenly, hard and fast. After days of downpour, her family lost, Sebah takes shelter in a tree, eating pine cones and the raw meat of animals that float by. With each passing day, her companion, a boy named Aban, grows weaker. When their tree is struck by lightning, Sebah is tempted just to die in the flames rather than succumb to a slow, watery death. Instead, she and Aban build a raft. What they find on the stormy seas is beyond imagining: a gigantic ark. But Sebah does not know what she’ll find on board, and Aban is too weak to leave their raft. Themes of family, loss, and ultimately, survival and love make for a timeless story. Donna Jo Napoli has imagined a new protagonist to tell the story of Noah and his ark. As rain batters the earth, Noah, his family, and hordes of animals wait out the storm, ready to carry out their duty of repopulating the planet. Hidden belowdecks…is Sebah.

Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. The Little Angel of Friendship is the most popular angel around. He''s pretty sure it won''t take much for him to earn a few more feathers and get his flying wings. But there''s a tough task ahead of him. He has to help a girl named Patricia make new friends. There''s nothing wrong with Patricia. It''s just that she has a different way of talking than most children. Plus, she''s just moved to a new town. The girl down the hall wants nothing to do with her -- she thinks Patricia is a baby. If Patricia doesn''t speak up soon, there''ll be one unhappy Little Angel of Friendship -- he needs those wings to fly! Have you made a friend today?

When Roberto sneaks off to see a movie in his Italian village, he has no idea that life as he knows it is over. German soldiers raid the theater, round up the boys in the audience, and pack them onto a train. After a terrifying journey, Roberto and his best friend Samuele find themselves in a brutal work camp, where food is scarce and horror is everywhere. The boys vow to stay together no matter what. But Samuele has a dangerous secret, which, if discovered, could get them both killed. Lovers of historical fiction will be captivated by this tragic, triumphant, and deeply moving novel.

The Little Angel of Honesty would never tell a lie. But sometimes she does forget to explain the whole truth to her friends. Before she can earn her wings, this little angel has a lot to learn about what being honest really means. And she has to help a little girl who has the same problem. Celine is tired of being treated like a baby. But she''s afraid to tell people how she really feels, so she starts telling little lies instead. One lie leads to another, and another and another. Pretty soon, even Celine can''t tell the difference between the truth and the stories she''s made up. Can the Little Angel of Honesty help her set the record straight?

How many feathers will it take? The Little Angel of Freedom can''t wait till her wings are full of feathers. Then she''ll hear a bell ring, and be able to fly. But to prove she''s ready, she has to help out Simone, a little girl with a big problem. Simone likes to capture animals -- especially bugs. Sometimes they get harmed while they''re in her care. The Little Angel has to use her powers to show Simone the right thing to do. But Little Angel''s worried -- how will she rescue the captured animals? And will she ever get enough feathers to earn her Angelwings at last? Be kind to animals!

Jessica wants to be in the homecoming parade, but her brother says it''s only for boys. Can the Little Angel of Fairness help her teach him a lesson?