Welcome to Pied Piper Press

~ wonderful books for your child and classroom ~

 

Browse the titles on the tabs above and place your order via the contact page.

Thank you - Reg Down  

~ Recent News ~   

  Teachers, Homeschoolers and Parents - I have a whole webpage devoted to tales, stories, myths, and poems for children. They are free to download for personal, family or classroom use.

Click here to go see! 

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  Now available! The Seven Saws of Speedy Weedy and Mosey Dawde: and other tales of wisdom and nonsense.

A collection of stories both short and long(er). Inside you'll find nature stories, fables, mystery tales, wonder tales, fairy tales, humorous tales and of course the seven saws of Speedy Weedy Hare and his unbeatable nemesis, Mosey Dawdle the Tortoise.

Suitable for children from late kindergarten through grade four.

Illustrated by the author-artist, 6x9, soft cover, perfect bound, 120 pages. $14.95  Purchase book

 Midwest Book Review: "The Seven Saws of Speedy Weedy and Mosey Dawdle by Reg Down is an impressive and unfailingly entertaining collection of 26 stories ... Perfect for family bedtime story hours or rainy day family entertainment … very highly recommended for family, school, and community library collections." This review was a top pick "Reviewer's Choice".

Now available! The Alphabet: how Pine Cone and Pepper Pot (with the help of Tiptoes Lightly and Farmer John) learned Tom Nutcracker and June Berry their letters.

Summer is almost over and Tom Nutcracker is soon to go to school. But deep in the forest on his father’s farm two gnomes called Pine Cone and Pepper Pot are worried. What if the school does not teach Tom his letters properly? What if the teacher messes the alphabet up? Then Tom might spell the Pine Cone as NEPI NOEC, or Pepper Pot as PREPREP TOP. He might even spell the famous Tiptoes Lightly as TOESPIT THIGLLY. That would be a disaster. A huge disaster! So the two gnomes, with the help of Tiptoes Lightly and Farmer John, set out to teach Tom his letters. Tom’s younger sister, June Berry, insists on being taught too, and never will they, or anyone else who reads this tale, forget their ABC’s – or their LMNOP’s or QRST’s either. 

Whether your child knows their alphabet or not Pine Cone and Pepper Pot guarantee that they will see the letters and their shapes with new and creative eyes. The Alphabet is filled with stories, songs, pictures, plays and adventures silly and bold. 

The Alphabet is a large format, full color book, suitable for children from late kindergarten to grade three – and for teachers seeking to enrich the art of learning to write.

 Full color, 8.5 x 11 format, 90 pages, $24.95  Purchase book

PS - the humorous use of the word 'learned' instead of 'taught' in the subtitle, while colloquial, is correct. It dates from circa 1300 and extends into our time in the southern USA, western Ireland and rural England. I am in the luminous company of Shakespeare, Disraeli, Wodehouse et al. in its use. See this PDF of the Oxford English Dictionary for the full definition and history. :)

Midwest Book Review: "The Alphabet is very highly recommended and is as subtly educational as it is sheer fun!"

Waldorf Today Review: "If Waldorf Today awarded a Children's Book of the Year, The Alphabet would be the hands-down choice for 2015!" 

Amazon Reviews: "Great story with beautiful illustrations. A must-have for your personal library." / "Captivating story. One of my favorite Waldorf homeschool tools to date."

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Now available!  La Abeja que Perdió su Zumbido

The Spanish edition of The Bee who lost his Buzz

La Abeja que Perdió su Zumbido es la primera aventura de Los Cuentos de Puntitas de Pies. La historia narra los andares del hada Puntitas de Pies y su amigo Ratón Antón. Primero van a ayudar a Abeja pues el gruñón del Sr. Cactus le ha arrebatado su zumbido. Después ayudan a Lombriz que se ha quedado tiesa y no puede ir a casa. En otro de sus andares navegan hacia el mar para desenredar a Pulpo que solo puede contar hasta siete y cada vez que intenta contar sus piernas se le enredan.

La Abeja que Perdió su Zumbido es una historia llena de magia e inocencia que es apta para contar a los niños pequeños o para que los niños la lean.

Picture book, watercolor paintings, 8x10, soft cover, 40 pages. Retail: $11.95  Purchase book 

 

 Now available! Los Cuentos de Puntitas de Pies

The Spanish edition of The Tales of Tiptoes Lightly

Los Cuentos de Puntitas de Pies se compone de tres aventuras: La Abeja que Perdió su Zumbido, Cuervo Calabaza, y La Gansa Lucy y el Medio-Huevo. Ilustrados de manera espléndida y cariñosa por el artista-autor, los cuentos son cómicos, optimistas y divertidos. Son cuentos de la naturaleza que contienen inocencia y magia, aptos para leer a niños pequeños o para que los niños los lean.

Illustrated by the author. Format: 6x9, 110 pages, perfect bound, 110 pages. $14.95  Purchase book

 

 

 

 Now available!  A Tangle of Tales: short stories for children 

Newly edited and expanded: a collection of fifty-two stories for children. Inside you’ll find nature tales, riddle tales, fables, fairy tales, poems, and creation myths both serious and sanguine. Suitable for children from kindergarten through grade four. Tons of illustrations and drawings.

Many of these stories are suitable for teachers too!  

Illustrated by the author-artist, 6x9, soft cover, perfect bound, 128 pages. $14.95  Purchase book

 Review: "A Tangle of Tales is a great "read-aloud" repository for homeroom, storytime, bedtime, or the simple joy of parent-child reading time - highly recommended." Midwest Book Review

 

 

 

The Nine Lives of Pinrut the Turnip Boy.

On Amazon or as a Kindle ebook. Vendors: my bulk printing will arrive in a couple of weeks.

This book began as a lark but kept on growing - especially when teachers and parents contacted me and said their kids loved this slightly zany, fast-paced tale. His fans have been of mixed ages, too: grade 3, 4, 5, 6 - also the kids in a grade 8 were highly amused by him and inspired to write similar tales of their own as part of their writing block.  

There was once a turnip. He was an ordinary turnip, one you’d pass by without noticing. He grew in a row of turnips, one of many rows of turnips in a field that was one of many fields of turnips. That’s how ordinary this turnip was. Neither bigger, nor smaller, nor fatter, nor skinnier, nor longer, nor sweeter, nor more peppery: that’s how he was. And he had company, as you can imagine, for there were lots like him—thousands in fact.One summer’s evening this turnip up and left. He’d had enough. He pulled himself from the ground, turned upside down, and took off on his leafy stalks. He ambled along the row and out of the field.“Hey, you can’t do that!” cried the other turnips.“Watch me,” said the turnip.And watch him we will, through all nine lives: in America, Canada, China, New Zealand, New Guinea, Mars and Wobbles. Naturally he has a few adventures on the way, but his skills and savvy, indeed, his sheer existence, also come to the attention of the devilish boss of a nefarious GMO seed corporation called Nonsanto. Need we say more?!

Sample chapter: The First Life of Pinrut the Turnip Boy  See the Stories and Tales or Story List pages on my author's website for more lives.

Paperback, 132 pages, 6x9 format. Purchase Book: Amazon $14.95 or Kindle $9.95

 

 ADAM'S ALPHABET

Adam and Sophia are twins. Sophia has wings and Adam doesn’t. One day their parents leave. “Don’t go into the forest,” they said, but Adam did. Adam had given his word and broken it. He is lost and alone, and his voice is gone. Sophia flies overhead and drops a piece of paper. It flutters into the forest. Except for a lock of hair the paper is blank. Immediately, adventures and experiences unfold for Adam, some common, some extraordinary, some unearthly and beautiful. Letters appear on the paper as Adam wakes up to his ‘alphabet’. Slowly, painfully, joyously Adam wins his word back. 

Adam’s Alphabet is an alphabet tale unlike any written before. Multilayered and broad, it reads as a children’s tale, but underneath run deeper waters that adults can also plumb for profit and pleasure if they take delight in the spoken word. 

Adam’s Alphabet is suitable for children aged 7 to 12.

Sample chapters 1, 2 and 3.

Paperback, 140 pages, 6 x 9 format, $16.50 Purchase book

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Now available!

The Adventures of Jayne: the cat who was a dog.

Jayne is a cat, raised as a dog. Found as a new-born she is brought up with a litter of puppies. Jayne does not turn out to be just any kind of dog, she is the top dog, the main-man dog, the king-of-the-castle dog. She holds her tail up straight when she walks and brooks no nonsense. When they go for a stroll everyone has to stay behind her: her brothers and sisters, her doggy-daddy and doggy-mommy, even the human she keeps as chief backscratcher and can opener. Jayne is a tough cookie—as tough as nails and as cool as cucumbers come—as she proves in (almost) all her adventures: with Big-Bad and Bengal Bob, flying and skydiving, as lifesaver extraordinaire and later as mayor of the great city of New Philawashingyork.

The Adventures of Jayne is a fun tale for family reading or for children to read themselves. Suitable for grade 1 to grade 5.

Paperback, 130 pages, 6 x 9 format, $15.95 Purchase book

Sample chapters 1, 2 and 3.

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The Treasure Cave: sea tales of Tiptoes Lightly

Now available on Amazon!

Tiptoes Lightly loves the sea, and when Farmer John and his children, Tom Nutcracker and June Berry, drive to the seaside for Thanksgiving she goes along with them. Tom and June discover a freshly uncovered cave in bluffs that run along the shore. They call it their Treasure Cave just for fun, but then find seven beautiful pearls and a finely wrought golden chain buried in the sand. Tiptoes sets out to find the story behind the pearls, and soon a delicate web of tales begins to unfold. Stretching back to the creation of the world, they weave together until Tiptoes and the children are caught up in the ongoing drama between the Sea King and his lovely daughter.

This book is older in tone than the other Tiptoes Lightly books, and while it is intended for family reading, it is more suited to grade 1 through grade 4 children.

172 pages, 6x9 format, $16.75 Purchase book

Sample chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 14

Reviews: "Reg Down has done it again in his unique style—magnificently imaginative and utterly entertaining. The Treasure Cave is a heart-warming gift to families to help find a new meaning in Thanksgiving through the wonder of Tiptoes Lightly. Five Stars!" David Kennedy, Waldorf Today

And a great review from Midwest Book Review: "A deftly crafted novel by an experienced and talented author and illustrator of books for children, "The Treasure Cave" continues the Tiptoes Lightly stories with its superbly drawn characters and thoroughly engaging storyline. Wonderfully entertaining, "The Treasure Cave" is especially recommended for young readers ages 6 through 10 and will make an enduringly popular addition to both school and community library children's fiction collections. Also very highly recommended for young readers are Reg Down's previous children's books: "Tales of Tiptoes Lightly", "Eggs for the Hunting", "The Lost Lagoon", "The Magic Knot ~ and other tangles!" and "The Midsummer Mouse."

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Now Available on Amazon and Kindle

The Midsummer Mouse: Midsummer tales of Tiptoes Lightly and the Summer Queen.

The sun is rising higher into the sky every day. Summer has come and Farmer John builds a great pile of wood for the Midsummer's Eve festival taking place on his land. Tom Nutcracker and June Berry's whole school is coming to celebrate. June Berry forgets a basket by the oak tree when they are helping their dad build the wood pile. A small detail to us, perhaps, but one which leads Jeremy Mouse on a merry dance as Jemima Mouse tries to preserve the cookie for the festival. Meanwhile, Pine Cone and Pepper Pot are not opening their door to anyone other than Tiptoes (and even then only reluctantly). Their beards, it seems, are entangled. Hopelessly entangled. This sends Tiptoes all over the forest to find a way to get pine resin out of beards. Then there is the problem of Ompliant the Elephant. What are Tom and June to do with him? How will they keep him out of sight? But the clever kids come up with a wonderful idea to hide a pachyderm in plain sight. Finally, the Summer Queen begins to appear here and there, and in the end joins the festival and tells The Tale of Turana before mysteriously vanishing before the crowd. 

The Midsummer Mouse is a summer tale, full of midsummer mirth, misadventure, mystery and delight. It will bring sparkles to children's eyes, and laughter to adults, too. Suitable, as always with Tiptoes Lightly tales, for family reading from kindergarten through age 10 or so.

138 pages, 6x9 format, $16.50 retail / Kindle edition $9.95 

Purchase Book on Amazon / on Kindle  

Review: "Tiptoes is at it again! Just in time for Midsummer, another in the Tiptoes Lightly series. Reg Down is a masterful storyteller and The Midsummer Mouse entertains through its many twists and turns leading to the appearance of the Summer Queen. An unbroken stream of unbridled imagination - just what children (and their parents) need now. If you're not a Tiptoes fan, this is your chance to 'get on board.'"  David Kennedy, Waldorf Today

Review: "I love all his books! My 8 year old has read all Reg Down's Tiptoes Lightly books. She is always asking for more of Tiptoes Lightly stories. We were so excited to hear he has just published this new book. We just bought this one and she has promptly finish reading it. She says "this book is very interesting", "Pinecone and Pepperpot are all tangled up!" It is a joy for me to see my daughter relishing this book. Truthfully, I love his writing myself!" Amazon Review

Review: "A great addition to your collection! Can't go wrong with any of Reg Down's books! My daughter hears the stories at school, and loves hearing them at home. A definite must have for your collection!" Amazon Review

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 The Darkling Beasts, a 'young adult' title suitable for grade 7 through high school and older. Dramatic, yet with lots of humor, it has an underlying serious side. Below is the synopsis.

Alf’s parents lose their home in the great financial downturn of the early twenty-first century. They take Alf and his friend, Siggy, to a visiting carnival to have a bit of fun. Alf and Siggy get stuck in a dilapidated Hall of Mirrors and end up miles away with the beer belly owner and his amply x-sized mum. That’s when the boys discover a portal in the Hall of Mirrors. It leads to a world turned completely inside out to ours. In Instar, the sun lies at the center of a great sphere, waxing and waning during the day and vanishing at night. They meet the slim and beautiful Mia, who takes them into her tilting—the tall, slender buildings that rise above the forest and sway with the wind. The tiltings, however, are surrounded by a high defense wall with vicious spikes on top. Living in the day is fine, or so it seems to an outsider, but when night comes the gates are shut against the darkling beasts that rage outside. 

Filled with drama and humor, The Darkling Beasts is a cautionary tale; it addresses some of the great issues the upcoming generation will have to face.

The Kindle Edition $7.95 Purchase Book

Print Edition: 9 x 6 format, 184 pages, $15.50 - Purchase Book

Review: " ... the best sort of reading for teens (and those of us who are older): The Darkling Beasts is a captivating page-turner that will keep any young person reading and reading and reading." Nancy Parsons, Waldorf Books

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The Being of the Arts

Rudolf Steiner 

For those interested in the spiritual aspects of the arts I have translated Rudolf Steiner's The Being of the Arts. 

In what was announced as a lecture Steiner instead begins to tell an extraordinary tale. It begins with two women standing in a stark and frozen landscape: one experiences the bitter cold, the other the extraordinary beauty. Both fall asleep, but while one falls into a sleep on the verge of death, the other is approached out of the sunset by a youth who says: ‘You are art’. She then undergoes a powerful set of experiences. Today we might call them vivid dreams, but that would be too passive. They are more than dreams; she performs deeds and becomes the bearer of mighty, creative impulses for the future.

This tale, told in 1909, has lost none of its originality and vividness. It is as relevant and powerful as when it was first told. It presents the reader with a series of images and beings drawn directly from the spiritual world, but in such a way that, through art, a bridge is built between the spiritual and earthly worlds.

This edition is freshly translated, with a foreword and endnotes containing illustrations and photographs of subjects and works of art mentioned in the course of the tale.

Print format: 8.5 x 5.5, 52 pages.  Print version $8.95 /  Kindle version $7.95

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For Canadian eurythmists: I have started a new website to interface between the public and eurythmy called Eurythmy Canada. If you live in Canada and have suggestions, courses, or performances please let me know and I will add it to the site. Thank you.