The Reading Warehouse

While gathering firewood, Yasuhiro comes upon an injured crane hidden in the snow. He rescues and comforts the bird, then watches as it flies away over the wintry hills.

The next night, a mysterious young girl arrives at Yasuhiro's home seeking shelter from the cold. The boy and his father welcome the girl, named Hiroko, to stay with them. But when Hiroko notices that Yasuhiro's father is struggling to earn money, she offers to weave silk for him to sell. After the fabric fetches a good price, the boy's father becomes impatient for more silk, and his greed has a life-changing effect on them all.

Lyrical storytelling deftly interwoven with original haiku create a magical adaptation of a popular Japanese folktale-an inspirational story of friendship and the power of kindness to transform lives.

CURTIS MANLEY is a full-time writer and a member of the Haiku Society of America. He enjoys watching the behaviors of birds and other animals--whether in his backyard or in the forests, deserts, and canyons of the western United States. In his travels, he always hopes to see a sandhill crane. Manley grew up in western Pennsylvania but now lives in the Seattle area withhis wife and daughter.

Lin Wang has loved to draw and paint since she was very young. She studied art in China and later received an MFA in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design. Wang has illustrated several books for children, and her books are often praised for their enchantingillustrations. Wang lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their children.