Caught in a storm, Elephant washes up on a tiny island. Along comes Mouse in a little dingy and Elephant steps aboard . . . uh-oh! They use the wreckage to make the island bigger. And here's Dog--can this boat take Elephant's weight? Uh-oh! None of the animals can save the shipwrecked Elephant but each broken vessel provides new materials for another intricate construction. Wheels and pulleys create a Ferris wheel, an elevator, a waffle maker. Soon...

Far off the coast of California loos a harsh rock known as San Nicolas Island. Blue dolphins splash in the water surrounding it, sea otters play in the kelp beds, and seabirds roots in its crags. Once, Indians also lived on the island-until one day they decided to leave and sail east. A young girl was left behind. Karana is that girl. Year after year, she waits for the ship to come back. But it never does. Finally, she realizes she must make a fateful...