PREVIEW: Seven Towers of Wonder Vol.IV: Faith

t he se v en tow er s of won der t he tow er of fa it h Volume 4

THE SEV EN TOW ER S OF WONDER Stories of Virtue Compiled & Retold by bill gor dh With Drawings by john hutton the tow er of faith Volume 4 thor n willow pr ess 2 01 4

For Jenny, Cody and Rachel; and in memory of my mother and father, Gwen and George Gordh. bil l g or dh

To the memory of my grandparents, Clemence and Louis Hutton. joh n h u t ton

c opy r igh t Š 2 01 4 t hor n w il low pr e s s , lt d.

procl a m ation from the k ing a nd queen of thor n w illow woods Let it be known that the following volumes were put forth on paper by the Royal Scribe and illustrated by the Master Illuminator. They recount the adventures, discussions, and stories collected by Possum and Raccoon. The stories can be found in the Seven Towers of Wonder erected by Possum and Raccoon with the assistance of many friends in Thornwillow Woods. Upon the discovery of these story-filled towers, the king and queen of Thornwillow, recognizing their value to wonderers, wanderers, thinkers, seekers, dreamers, and readers throughout the world, have overseen the creation and distribution of these books.

c on t e n t s Volume 4 the tow er of faith The construction and success of the first three towers allow the minds of the two adventurers to wander into the territory of faith and to wonder what this region might encompass. As a result of the acceptance and gratitude for their story collecting adventures so far, Possum and Raccoon set out with confidence through Thornwillow Woods to find some words and wisdom exploring the theme for their fourth tower.

Mr. Wanna Be Big (African American )

15

Daniel in the Lion’s Den ( Bible )

25

Time Will Tell ( Middle East )

33

Frost ( Russia )

39

Snow Babies ( Arctic )

51

Whatever Comes My Way ( England )

59

Songs for an Egg ( Africa )

69

W

h en t h e y decided to bu il d a fourth tower, Possum and Raccoon didn’t say a word. One minute they were sitting, looking at the three towers, and the next they were heading down another trail through Thornwillow Woods. “The question is not whether to build,” commented Raccoon, “but rather what type of story to collect.”

“I don’t know,” said Possum shaking his head, “but I have faith that we’ll come up with a great idea.”

“That’s it!” cried out Raccoon.

“What?” asked Possum.

“You said it, Possum! You always do,” answered Raccoon, “and it’s perfect. Our next tower will be the Tower of Faith.”

“Faith,” said Possum. “That’s going to be a tricky one. Where do we start?”

“With yourself!” came a booming voice from above them. The two story collectors looked up and saw, sitting on the branch of a

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mighty big tree, a mighty big man. “If you’re looking for stories of faith, I’ve got just the one to get you started.”

“Is it about you?” asked Possum.

“Nope,” replied the giant. “It’s about a little, little man. Wanna hear it?”

“Sure!” cried the two friends.

The big man jumped down from the branch and sat on the ground to tell them the story.

14

mr . wa n na be big An African American Tale