Run Damon, Run! by Anne Ingram

This book is set in the city of Syracuse in Sicily and the main character is Damon who is a shepherd. A new king called Dionysius has come to the throne and Damon is threatened with execution. His friend Pythias offers to stand in his place whilst Damon goes to help with his sister's marriage, promising to return within the three days set by the king. However, when he sets out to return, there are a wall of challenges in front of him. Will he make it on time? I feel the illustrations by Junko Morimoto are what make the book.

The Turtle and the Island retold by Barbara Ker Wilson

A strikingly illustrated tale about how a turtle created Papua New Guinea. One day a turtle is swimming the expanses on the ocean and laments the fact that he has nowhere to rest. He see a lonely man in a cave beneath the sea and upon discovering a small hillock of land jutting from the sea, he decides to bring more sand and create an island for them both.