The Fox and The Hound


Daniel P. Mannix - 1967
    An intelligent and cunning red fox becomes the valued prey of a half-bloodhound tracker and his master who make it their lifelong goal to end the life of the elusive fox.

That Darn Cat


The Gordons - 1963
    But this time it's really big. He's followed his nose to a salmon--and it belongs to some bank robbers! Suddenly D.C. is the F.B.I.'s favorite feline. He's the only undercover agent who knows where the suspects are--and he's not talking

Dumbo, the Flying Elephant


Helen Aberson - 1941
    Anyway, this particular Spring was. There was a new baby lion, a new baby zebra, a baby bear, a baby hippopotamus, a baby camel, a baby giraffe and a new baby elephant. Everyone made a great fuss over the baby elephant because he was the cutest of all. His Mother Ella was very proud of him. She caressed him with her trunk while she listened to the other elephants praise him."The Disney feature film Dumbo originated with a story by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl... and it appeared as a Roll-A-Book. A Roll-A-Book was a distinctive format -- It featured about a dozen illustrations which appeared on a short scroll that was built into a box and the reader would twist a small wheel at the top of the box to get to the next panel illustration. Apparently no known copies of this original Roll-A-Book survive today... Shortly after the Roll-A-Book version, the story and illustrations were reprinted in a regular book edition of no more than one thousand copies.(Information adapted from Jim Hill Media.)

The Brave Little Toaster


Thomas M. Disch - 1980
    Feeling abandoned by their beloved master, a vacuum cleaner, tensor lamp, electric blanket, clock radio, and toaster undertake a long and arduous journey to find him in a faraway city.

What Pet Should I Get?


Dr. Seuss - 2015
    Seuss! This never-ever-before-seen picture book by Dr. Seuss about making up one’s mind is the literary equivalent of buried treasure! What happens when a brother and sister visit a pet store to pick a pet? Naturally, they can’t choose just one! The tale captures a classic childhood moment — choosing a pet — and uses it to illuminate a life lesson: that it is hard to make up your mind, but sometimes you just have to do it! Told in Dr. Seuss’s signature rhyming style, this is a must-have for Seuss fans and book collectors, and a perfect choice for the holidays, birthdays, and happy occasions of all kinds. An Editor’s Note at the end discusses Dr. Seuss’s creative process, his interest in animals, and Seussian creatures throughout his work.

The Midnight Folk


John Masefield - 1927
    We’re the guards, we are. We hear that the house has gone all to sixes and sevens since we left it, but that’s going to be remedied now’Young Kay Harker lives in an old house in the country, filled with portraits of his ancestors. His only companions are his unpleasant guardian Sir Theopompus and his governess Sylvia Daisy Pouncer (who, Kay suspects, has stolen all his toys). Life is lonely and dull, until one night Kay’s great-grandpapa Harker, a sea captain, steps out of his portrait to tell him about a stolen treasure that belongs to Kay’s family. The evil Abner Brown is searching for it too, but Kay is helped by the midnight folk: creatures like Nibbins the cat and Rollicum Bitem Lightfoot the fox, and even his lost toys, who will join him on his dangerous quest.The Midnight Folk is a feast of imaginative story-telling, a glorious cornucopia of pirates and witches, lost treasure and talking animals. Although it was published in 1927, it evokes an older world: houses are lit by oil lamps, and travel is by horse, carriage – or broomstick. Masefield perfectly captures a child’s perspective, from the terrors of tigers under the bed to the horrors of declining a Latin adjective. Yet there is also plenty of humour that adults will appreciate, from Miss Piney Trigger, who swigs champagne in bed and prides herself on having backed a host of Derby winners, to Kay’s lessons: ‘Divinity was easy, as it was about Noah’s Ark. French was fairly easy, as it was about the cats of the daughter of the gardener.’ This mingling of past and present, reality and fantasy, has made this one of the most rewarding and influential children’s books ever written.

The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan


Beatrix Potter - 1905
    The aim of these editions is to be as close as possible to Beatrix Potter's intentions while benefiting from modern printing and design techniques. The colours and details of the watercolours in the volumes are reproduced more accurately than ever before, and it has now been possible to disguise damage that has affected the artwork over the years. Most notably, The Tale of Peter Rabbit restores six of Potter's original illustrations. Four were sacrificed in 1903 to make space for illustrated endpapers, and two have never been used before. Of course, Beatrix Potter created many memorable children's characters, including Benjamin Bunny, Tom Kitten, Jemima Puddle-duck and Jeremy Fisher. But whatever the tale, both children and adults alike can be delighted by the artistry in Potter's illustrations, while they also enjoy a very good read. Because they have always been completely true to a child's experience, Potter's 23 books continue to endure.

Manxmouse


Paul Gallico - 1968
    Just after the stroke of thirteen on the night of his creation by a tipsy ceramist, Manxmouse sets boldly off from Buntingdowndale on the road to high adventure and self-discovery.

The Rescuers


Margery Sharp - 1959
    The task of this benevolent society is to befriend human prisoners in their cells, and perform daring rescue bids. As this story opens, the Chairwoman of the Society is proposing the rescue of a Norwegian poet who is being held in grim conditions in the Black Castle.

The 101 Dalmatians


Dodie Smith - 1956
    With their human owners, the Dearlys, to look after them, they lived in a comfortable home in London with their 15 adorable Dalmatian puppies, loved and admired by all. Especially the Dearlys' neighbor Cruella de Vil, a fur-fancying fashion plate with designs on the Dalmatians' spotted coats! So, when the puppies are stolen from the Dearly home, and even Scotland Yard is unable to find them, Pongo and Missis know they must take matters into their own paws! The delightful children's classic adapted twice for popular Disney productions. Ages 8-11

Broken Pride


Erin Hunter - 2016
    Enter the Bravelands…and discover the Erin Hunter series you’ve been waiting for.A lion cast out from his tribe.An elephant who can read the bones of the dead.A baboon rebelling against his destiny.For generations, the animals of the African plains have followed a single rule: only kill to survive. But when an unthinkable act of betrayal shatters the peace, the fragile balance between predators and prey will rest in the paws of three unlikely heroes.Set in an epic new world and told from three different animals’ points of view, Bravelands will thrill readers who love Spirit Animals and Wings of Fire, as well as the legion of dedicated fans who’ve made Erin Hunter a bestselling phenomenon.

Beyond the Pawpaw Trees: The Story of Anna Lavinia


Palmer Brown - 1954
    It is a place to which you will want to return again and again, to read of Anna Lavinia’s adventures and to marvel over author and illustrator Palmer Brown’s intricate, sugar-spun drawings.   It all began on a lavender blue day. The kind of day, Anna Lavinia knows, when anything can happen. It was on such a day that Anna Lavinia’s father saw a double rainbow, and went chasing after it. And it is on such a day that she and her cat Strawberry set off on their journey beyond the walled garden where the Pawpaw trees grow, to a place where the buttercups bloom pink and the laws of gravity don’t always apply. Here she will test her mother’s advice, “Never believe what you see,” against her father’s wise words, “Believe only what you see.” And just maybe she will get to finally use her father’s mysterious silver key.

Upside-Down Magic


Sarah Mlynowski - 2015
    Nory Horace is nine years old. She's resourceful, she's brave, she likes peanut butter cookies. Also, she's able to transform into many different animals. Unfortunately, Nory's shape-shifting talent is a bit wonky. And when she flunks out of her own father's magic academy, Nory's forced to enter public school, where she meets a group of kids whose magic is, well, different. This new, offbeat series from hit authors Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins chronicles the misadventures of Nory and her oddball friends, who prove that upside-down magic definitely beats right side up.

Darby O'Gill and the Good People


Herminie Templeton Kavanagh - 1998
    The story is set in Ireland and includes the story of Darby O'Gill's sojourn in the mountain home of the fairies, when he wins his freedom (and fairy gold) from King Brian Connors. Other chapters include "How the Fairies Came to Ireland, " "Darby O'Gill and the Leprechaun, " and "The Adventures of King Brian." The final chapter, "The Banshee's Comb, " is a fantastic tale in which Darby must match wits with the banshee and her ghosts, or meet his doom.

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat


Chris Riddell - 2007
    No puzzle is ever too tricky for the two of them to solve . . .Ottoline lives in a stylish apartment in Big City with a small hairy creature called Mr Munroe. Together they look after the Brown family's eclectic collections - and dabble in a spot of detective work. So they are the first to the scene of the crime when a string of high society dog-nappings and jewel thefts hits Big City. Ottoline (who luckily has a diploma from the Who-R-U Academy of Disguise) and Mr Munroe go undercover - and expose an ingenious scam masterminded by furry feline crook, the Yellow Cat.