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)

The Mouse and the Motorcycle


Beverly Cleary - 1965
    Pb-pb-b-b-b." With these magic vocables, Ralph the mouse revs up a dream come true--his very own motorcycle. Living in a knothole in a hotel room, young Ralph has seen plenty of families come and go, some more generous with their crumbs than others. But when young Keith and his parents check in to the hotel, Ralph gets his first chance to check out. He has always fantasized about venturing beyond the second floor, maybe even outside. Curiosity overcomes caution, and Ralph must have a go at Keith's toy motorcycle. Soon, the headstrong mouse finds himself in a pickle, when all he wanted was to ride a motorcycle. Lucky for him, the boy understands how it is. When he discovers Ralph in his thwarted attempt to abscond with the toy bike, Keith generously encourages the rodent to ride. He even teaches him the simple trick of starting the motorcycle: "You have to make a noise... pb-pb-b-b-b." The subsequent situations Ralph motors into require quick thinking and grownup-sized courage.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!


Dr. Seuss - 1990
    Seuss. In his inimitable, humorous verse and pictures, he addresses the Great Balancing Act (life itself, and the ups and downs it presents) while encouraging us to find the success that lies within us. And will you succeed?Yes! You will indeed!(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.) A modern classic, Oh, the Places You'll Go! was first published one year before Dr. Seuss's death at the age of eighty-seven. In a mere fifty-six pages, Dr, Seuss managed to impart a lifetime of wisdom. It is the perfect send-off for children starting out in the maze of life, be they nursery school grads or newly-minted PhD's. Everyone will find it inspired good fun.

The Frog and Toad Treasury: Frog and Toad are Friends/Frog and Toad Together/Frog and Toad All Year


Arnold Lobel - 1987
    Not much really happens in these stories. The illustrations are beautiful but rather small. The eponymous friends carry on their friendship through mild misunderstandings and misadventures, always ready to forgive each other and forget. These gentle stories are among my favorite kids' books. I have fond memories of Frog and Toad from my childhood, and I never tire of re-reading them to my 4-year-old daughter. She seems to like them, too.

Clifford the Small Red Puppy


Norman Bridwell - 1972
    Introducing Clifford Beginning Books featuring classic Clifford stories in a paper-over-board format priced at only $3.99!How did Clifford become such a big red dog? Read and find out how a simple wish from Emily Elizabeth led to Clifford's amazing growth, in this reissue of a classic Clifford book.This is one of eight Clifford classics being reformatted for Summer 2005!

Bears in the Night


Stan Berenstain - 1971
    "A good job of combining words and pictures into a slapstick but cohesive story."--School Library Journal.

Curious George


H.A. Rey - 1941
    Though well meaning, George's curiosity always gets him into trouble. Young readers can easily relate, and Rey's cheerful illustrations celebrate Curious George's innocence.

The Velveteen Rabbit


Margery Williams Bianco - 1922
    This reissue of a favorite classic, with the original story and illustrations as they first appeared in 1922, will work its magic for all who read it.

The Tale of Ginger and Pickles


Beatrix Potter - 1909
    Their customers loved to buy their provisions there, but they were less keen to pay for them and ran up a gret deal of credit, making poor Ginger and Pickles lives very difficult indeed.The Tale of Ginger and Pickles is number 18 in Beatrix Potter's series of 23 little books, the titles of which are as follows:1 The Tale of Peter Rabbit2 The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin3 The Tailor of Gloucester4 The Tale of Benjamin Bunny5 The Tale of Two Bad Mice6 The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle7 The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher8 The Tale of Tom Kitten9 The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck10 The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies11 The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse12 The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes13 The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse 14 The Tale of Mr. Tod15 The Tale of Pigling Bland16 The Tale of Samuel Whiskers17 The Tale of The Pie and the Patty-Pan18 The Tale of Ginger and Pickles19 The Tale of Little Pig Robinson20 The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit21 The Story of Miss Moppet22 Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes23 Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes

Danny and the Dinosaur


Syd Hoff - 1958
    When he sees one at the museum and says, "It would be nice to play with a dinosaur," a voice answers, "And I think it would be nice to play with you." So begins Danny's and the dinosaur's wonderful adventure together!This edition contains altered illustrations, but not the later recolored ones.

If You Give a Pig a Pancake


Laura Joffe Numeroff - 1998
    They continue the tradition that began with such whimsical titles as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Give a Moose a Muffin with yet another tale of actions and consequences: If You Give a Pig a Pancake. Once again, Numeroff follows the potential effects of one creature's chaotic demands, creating a tale filled with beguiling characters, delightful anticipation, and a fun sense of adventure. In addition to being humorous and entertaining, If You Give a Pig a Pancake allows children to see how their own constant demands might frazzle their parents. Kids should also enjoy studying the subtleties in Bond's colorful illustrations, such as the facial expressions of the book's adorable protagonist or the details found in a mountain of bubbles and the contents of a closet. Easy to understand, stimulating to both mind and eye, and irresistibly amusing, this is one book children will likely want to read over and over again. --Beth Amos

Where the Wild Things Are


Maurice Sendak - 1963
    In his room, he imagines sailing far away to a land of Wild Things. Instead of eating him, the Wild Things make Max their king.

The Shy Little Kitten


Cathleen Schurr - 1946
    The Shy Little Kitten, with illustrations by the renowned Gustaf Tenggren.

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me


Roald Dahl - 1985
    キリンとサルとペリカン。おかしな、へんてこりんな3人ぐみだよ!

The Poky Little Puppy


Janette Sebring Lowrey - 1942
    Now this curious little puppy is ready to win the hearts and minds of a new generation of kids.