She cannot find her mother. What does her mother look like? Her answer is, “My mother is the most beautiful woman in the world.” When her mother is finally found, she proves to be the most beautiful woman in the world—if only, perhaps, in the eyes of her small daughter.

    Johnny goes hunting for a bearskin to hang on his family's barn and returns with a small bundle of trouble.

    Neither does her collaborator Maurice Sendak, who has illustrated so many of today's best-loved, as well as most distinguised, books for children. The heroine of their book has a problem. And at first it does not look as though Mr. Rabbit is going to be much help in solving it . For everyone knows you cannot give your mother a red roof, a yellow taxi-cab, a green caterpillar, or a blue lake for her birthday. But then all the little girl had said was that her mother liked red, yellow, green and blue -- and so Mr. Rabbit was trying.How he and the liitle girl come up with the absolutely perfect present makes a story the the youngest reader will love. And the wonderously bright full-color pictures will bring hours of pleasure to readers and lookers of all ages.

    But when her tall stories bring disaster to her friend Thomas and her cat Bangs, Sam learns to distinguish between moonshine and reality.Sam, Bangs & Moonshine is the winner of the 1967 Caldecott Medal.

    All she needs now is a rainy day! Soft illustrations portray a thoughtful story about patience and growing independence.

    The noted artist illustrates her own selection of seventy-six traditional nursery rhymes.

    The oxcart man packs his goods - the wool from his sheep, the shawl his wife made, the mittens his daughter knitted, and the linen they wove. He packs the birch brooms his son carved, and even a bag of goose feathers from the barnyard geese.He travels over hills, through valleys, by streams, past farms and villages. At Portsmouth Market he sells his goods, one by one - even his beloved ox. Then, with his pockets full of coins, he wanders through the market, buying provisions for his family, and returns to his home. And the cycle begins again."Like a pastoral symphony translated into picture book format, the stunning combination of text and illustrations recreates the mood of 19-century rural New England."--The Horn Book

    With Papa off to sea and Mama despondent, Ida must go outside over there to rescue her baby sister from goblins who steal her to be a goblin's bride.

    And you can come along.

    Yet they all want her to dress just like them! Ella Sarah will have none of it--and when her flamboyantly dressed friends arrive, it's clear that Ella Sarah's favorite outfit is just right for her. Written and illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine, this spirited, Caldecott Honor-winning story will gently nudge young children toward independence--providing plenty of exuberant colors and patterns to identify along the way.

    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

    But no one excited her as much as Bellini, who walks the clothesline with the grace and ease of a bird. When Mirette discovers that fear has kept him from performing for years, she knows she must repay him for the kindness he has shown her -- and show him that sometimes a student can be the greatest teacher of all.

    Everywhere Owen goes, his blanket goes with him. Upstairs, downstairs, in-between. Inside, outside, upside down. Everywhere! Owen’s parents are in despair—soon Owen will begin school, and he can’t take Fuzzy with him then. Whatever can be done?This Caldecott Honor Book will provide reassurance and laughs whether shared at home or during circle time. Every child uses some sort of security object, whether it’s a toy, a thumb, or a binky. For those not yet ready to let go and for those who have moved on, here’s a story about making compromises that speaks to us all.Everyone who’s ever had a favorite blanket will know exactly how Owen feels!

    A Southern folktale in which kind Blanche, following the instructions of an old witch, gains riches, while her greedy sister makes fun of the old woman and is duly rewarded.

    The fiery old Judge, impatient with such foolish nonsense, calls them scoundrels, ninnyhammers, and throws them all in jail. But in the end, Justice is done--and the Judge is gone. Head first! Harve Zemach's cumulative verse tale is so infectious that children won't be able to avoid memorizing it. And Margot Zemach's hilarious pictures are brimming with vitality as well as color.