The Duchess put many things into the cake, adding the yeast six times for good measure. So the cake rose, and the Duchess with it - and how were they to get her down again?It is Gunhilde, the youngest of the daughters, who suggests a happy solution.This charming story, with its lively pictures and delightful combinations of words is fun for children - and fun for adults to read aloud.

    When four-year-old Janie's father goes off to war, the rest of the family moves to the grandparents' on Chesapeake Bay, where Janie learns a secret of the world which helps her understand her father's long absence.

    When Truman sends away for an ant farm and aunts begin arriving at his doorstep instead, he takes the situation in hand by creating a farm that trains aunts.

    Piccolo shows boys and girls about sharing their strength with those who are smaller, younger or weaker.

    A moonlight ride with Gram on a fishing boat takes them out on the ocean where thousands of moonjellies shimmer, and the boy slips his treasure back among them. Based on a childhood experience in New England, Shasha's narrative is full of small details that illuminate the story but don't impede it. His rich pastels combined with the text create a strong sense of place and time--the warmth of family relationships, the quiet companionship of the boy and his grandmother, the cheerful hard work and hustle-bustle of the concession stand, and the magic of the glowing sea. His use of light, shadows, and darkness in the luminous full-color double-page spreads invite readers right into the story. -- School Library Journal

    But when Charlotte May Pierstorff wanted to cross seventy-five miles of Idaho mountains to see her grandma in 1914, it was a very big deal indeed. There was no highway except the railroad, and a train ticket would have cost her parents a full day's pay.Here is the true story of how May got to visit her grandma, thanks to her own spunk, her father's ingenuity, and the U.S. mail. "A heartwarming period piece based on a true incident, lovingly told, beautifully illustrated," raved The New York Times Book Review of Michael O. Tunnell's Mailing May, illustrated by Ted Rand, which was also honored as a 1998 ALA Notable Book.

    I want a pony more than anything in the world. At the heart of Susan Jeffers's exquisite picture book lies the idea that in her imagination, a child can journey anywhere and do anything-even fly through the stars on her very own pony.

    Louis and his grandmother are inseparable. They know each other so well that Louis feels he can even see his grandmother, though he has been blind since birth. That love carries him through the very worst moments when Gran is gone, and when Louis seems to be forgotten.

    A child's great-grandfather reminisces about the times he and his dog Three Names went to school on prairie roads in a wagon pulled by horses.

    With paintings that capture all the beauty of Appalachia in authentic detail, this tender story about a resourceful mountain girl's special coat will touchreaders with its affirming message of love and friendship.

    Living way high up in the Appalachian Mountains, he'd rather help Pap plow or go out after wandering sheep than try some book learning. Nope. Cal does not want to sit stoney-still reading some chicken scratch. But that Book Woman keeps coming just the same. She comes in the rain. She comes in the snow. She comes right up the side of the mountain, and Cal knows that's not easy riding. And all just to lend his sister some books. Why, that woman must be plain foolish; or is she braver than he ever thought? That Book Woman is a rare and moving tale that honors a special part of American history; the Pack Horse Librarians, who helped untold numbers of children see the stories amid the chicken scratch, and thus made them into lifetime readers.

    Growing up in the mountains is depicted with a spare, lyrical text and beautiful, tender illustrations by Diane Goode. The book was awarded a Caldecott Honor Medal.

    After winding a large ball of string, a young boy has fun finding ways of using it.

    Katz, very well, until he asks her to adopt an abandoned kitten. Mrs. Katz agrees on one condition: that Larnel help her take care of the kitten she names Tush. When Larnel starts spending more and more time with Mrs. Katz to help with Tush, Mrs. Katz tells him stories about coming to America from Poland and about the good times she spent with her late husband. As Larnel grows to love Mrs. Katz, he also learns about the suffering and triumph black history shares with the Jewish heritage.Patricia Pollaco has illustrated, as well as authored, countless picture books. She lives in Union City, Michigan.

    Slipper's birthday, and while the rest of the class gets busy writing cards for the occasion, Stan becomes frustrated when his letters come out all in a muddle. Stan is afraid to ask for help, until a friend assures him that nobody's good at everything. And after lots and lots of practice, Stan's letters come out the right way round and the right way up.This delightful book deals with a common childhood frustration and will remind readers that practice pays off and that everyone has to ask for help sometimes.Watch the trailer: