The Runaway Bunny


Margaret Wise Brown - 1942
    Generations of readers have fallen in love with the gentle magic of its reassuring words and loving pictures.

Corduroy


Don Freeman - 1968
    When all the shoppers have gone home for the night, Corduroy climbs down from the shelf to look for his missing button. It's a brave new world! He accidentally gets on an elevator that he thinks must be a mountain and sees the furniture section that he thinks must be a palace. He tries to pull a button off the mattress, but he ends up falling off the bed and knocking over a lamp. The night watchman hears the crash, finds Corduroy, and puts him back on the shelf downstairs. The next morning, he finds that it's his lucky day! A little girl buys him with money she saved in her piggy bank and takes him home to her room. Corduroy decides that this must be home and that Lisa must be his friend. Youngsters will never get tired of this toy-comes-alive tale with a happy ending, so you may also want to seek out Dan Freeman's next creation, A Pocket for Corduroy. (Ages 3 to 8)

Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent


Bill Peet - 1975
    The kindly sea serpent almost succumbs to peer pressure, but learns at last to be himself.

Just Go To Bed


Mercer Mayer - 1983
    Whether it's time for him to stop playing and take a bath, or when he puts up a fuss getting into is jammies, both parents and children alike will relate to this beloved story. A great way to introduce children to their very own bedtime routine!

A Color of His Own


Leo Lionni - 1975
    Pigs are pink. Only the chameleon has no color of his own. He is purple like the heather, yellow like a lemon, even black and orange striped like a tiger! Then one day a chameleon has an idea to remain one color forever by staying on the greenest leaf he can find. But in the autumn, the leaf changes from green to yellow to red . . . and so does the chameleon. When another chameleon suggests they travel together, he learns that companionship is more important than having a color of his own. No matter where he goes with his new friend, they will always be alike.

Walt Disney's Peter Pan


Eugene Bradley Coco - 1960
    It is a must for any children's book collection.

The Monster at the End of this Book


Jon Stone - 1971
    Generations of kids have interacted with lovable, furry old Grover as he begs the reader not to turn the page—for fear of a monster at the end of the book. “Oh, I am so embarrassed,” he says on the last page . . . for, of course, the monster is Grover himself! This all-time favorite is now available as a Big Little Golden Book—perfect for lap-time reading.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie


Laura Joffe Numeroff - 1985
    If you give him a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim....The consequences of giving a cookie to this energetic mouse run the young host ragged, but young readers will come away smiling at the antics that tumble like dominoes through the pages of this delightful picture book.

The Little Red Hen


Diane Muldrow - 1954
    P. Miller's graphic, colorful farm animals seem to jump right off the page--but they aren't jumping to help the Little Red Hen plant her wheat! Young children will learn a valuable lesson about teamwork from this funny, favorite folktale.

Tikki Tikki Tembo


Arlene Mosel - 1968
    Arlene Mosel and Blair Lent's classic re-creation of an ancient Chinese folktale has hooked legions of children, teachers, and parents, who return, generation after generation, to learn about the danger of having such an honorable name as Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo.

The Five Chinese Brothers


Claire Huchet Bishop - 1938
    "An original nonsense tale told with...spirit and gusto." -- The Horn Book

The Story of Ferdinand


Munro Leaf - 1936
    All the other bulls would run and jump and butt their heads together. But Ferdinand would rather sit and smell the flowers. And he does just that, until the day a bumblebee and some men from the Madrid bullfights give gentle Ferdinand a chance to be the most ferocious star of the corrida—and the most unexpected comic hero. This cherished hardcover is perfect for those who love Ferdinand, and those who have yet to meet him.

The Red Balloon


Albert Lamorisse - 1956
    A New  York Times Best Illustrated Children's  Book of the Year.

Disney's The Little Mermaid


Michael Teitelbaum - 1989
    She even falls in love with a human named Prince Eric But will the Little Mermaid remain with the prince of her dreams without losing everything she loves?

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble


William Steig - 1969
    But when a lion frightens him on his way home, Sylvester makes a wish that brings unexpected results.