Frog Went a-Courtin'


John Langstaff - 1955
    . . . Illustrator Feodor Rojankovsky somehow manages to combine quaintness with sophistication and his doughty frog, the coy mouse . . . and others make charming company.”--The New York Times Book Review

Fables


Arnold Lobel - 1980
    . . . The droll illustrations, with tones blended to luminescent shading, are complete and humorous themselves.' -- Association of Library Service to Children, ALA.

One Fine Day


Nonny Hogrogian - 1971
    When he reached the other side he was very thirsty.” The jaunty red fox stole milk from an old farm woman, lost his tail under the annoyed woman’s knife, and spent the day bargaining to get it back. Awarded the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book of 1971.

Always Room for One More


Sorche Nic Leodhas - 1965
    In his "wee house in the heather," where he lives with his family of twelve, he welcomes to his hearth every weary traveler who passes by on a stormy night. "There's always room for one more," says Lachie, and how his grateful guests say a wonderful "Thank you" provides a delightfully warm and tender ending to this hilarious tale of kindness.

Finders Keepers


William Lipkind - 1951
    “Here is a perfect combination of rollicking story and pictures that have strength, life and humor in every line.”--The Horn Book

Drummer Hoff


Barbara Emberley - 1967
    Brightly dressed in full uniform, each soldier brings a part for the remarkable machine.

May I Bring a Friend?


Beatrice Schenk de Regniers - 1964
    He accepts, with one question: “May I bring a friend?” “Any friend of our friend is welcome here,” says the King. But their guest’s friend turns out to be someone they never expected! Beatrice Schenk de Regniers’s rhythmic text and the fantastical, jewellike artwork of Beni Montresor have made this book a favorite for more than twenty-five years.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat


Simms Taback - 1977
    But what did he make it into after that? And after that?As children turn the pages of this book, they can use the die-cut holes to guess what Joseph will be making next from his amazing overcoat, while they laugh at the bold, cheerful artwork and learn that you can always make something, even out of nothing.

A Child's Calendar


John Updike - 1965
    From the short, frozen days of January, through the light of summer, to the first snowflakes of December, Updike's poems rejoices in the familiar, wondrous qualities that make each part of the year unique.Hyman's award-winning paintings--modeled after her own daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren--depict an interracial family going about the business of their lives throughout the year: sledding in January, watching fireworks in July, and playing in the autumn leaves.A perfect read-aloud for the family, throughout the whole year.

Once a Mouse...


Marcia Brown - 1961
    But the proud tiger must suffer the consequences when he becomes ungrateful and forgets his humble origins. Marcia Brown’s magical woodcuts bring this Indian fable to life with the mastery that won her a second Caldecott Medal.

Chanticleer and the Fox


Barbara Cooney - 1958
    When a fox bursts into his domain, dupes him into crowing, and then grabs him in a viselike grip, Chanticleer must do some quick thinking to save himself and his barnyard kingdom.

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship


Arthur Ransome - 1968
    When the Czar proclaims that he will marry his daughter to the man who brings him a flying ship, the Fool of the World sets out to try his luck and meets some unusual companions on the way.

The Little Island


Margaret Wise Brown - 1946
    There is a little island in the ocean—and this book is about how it is on that little island, how the seasons and the storm and the day and night change it, how the lobsters and seals and gulls and everything else live on it, and what the kitten who comes to visit finds out about it.

Madeline's Rescue


Ludwig Bemelmans - 1953
    One day on a walk through Paris (a "twelve little girls in two straight lines" kind of walk), Madeline slips and falls off a bridge right into the Seine. Everyone feared she would be dead, "But for a dog / That kept its head," saving her from a "watery grave." What choice do Madeline and the girls have but to take the heroic pooch home, feed her biscuits, milk, and beef, and name her Genevieve? Sadly, when Lord Cucuface gets wind of the new dog, he decrees that no dogs will be allowed in the "old house in Paris that was covered with vines," and kicks Genevieve out on the street. Madeline vows vengeance, and the girls scour Paris looking for the pup: "They went looking high / and low / And every place a dog might go. / In every place they called her name / But no one answered to the same." As we've come to expect from Bemelmans, all's well that ends well chez Clavel, and young readers will be tickled by this heartwarming, quirky dog story with a surprise finale. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson

White Snow, Bright Snow


Alvin Tresselt - 1947
    But the children laughed and danced, and caught the lacy snowflakes on their tongues. All the wonder and delight a child feels in a snowfall is caught in the pages of this book -- the frost ferns on the window sill, the snow man in the yard and the mystery and magic of a new white world. Roger Duvoisin's pictures in soft blue half-tones with briliant splashes of yellow and red emphasize the gaiety and humor as well as the poetic quality of the text.