Gwinna

Author	Michael Hague
ISBN	0060759682

Michael Hague, one of America's most beloved painters of fantasy, boldy captures seventeen classic dragon tales, armed only with the magic of his paintbrush. Here beside the heroics of Perseus, St. George, and Sigurd are the adventures of the girl who slew a dragon and became queen of China, as well...

Author	Astrid Lindgren
ISBN	0698115910

It's official. . . I'm obsessed with Astrid Lindgren. I just ordered every possible title that I do not possess from the library, then ordered the remaining books from Amazon. (In case my husband reads this review, I would like to add that I was able to find MOST of her work at the library).

I want...

Author	Rose Fyleman
ISBN	0140547517

At a market, a fairy purchases riches found in nature. Then releases them for their own good or the good of others. A different season plays out with each stanza of Fyleman's verse. Visually exquisite, this is a story to be savored by both parents and children, and is a great book to be shared in preschool...

Author

Chief Seattle

I am not quite sure how to feel about this book. Aside from the first and last page, the "story" is actually a speech given by Chief Seattle in the 1850's. Though the words are quite poetic, at the end the illustrator herself says that they are not perfectly quoted. Though I found this under "Easy Reader"...

Author	Margot Fonteyn
ISBN	0152006001

Ms. Fonteyn was one of the world’s most famous and gifted prima ballerinas. Such talents don’t necessarily translate to writing a children’s book.

While she keeps the story of the ballet simple, there are awkward moments as if she couldn’t find a way to keep a line interesting and informative....

Author	Elsa Beskow
ISBN	0863151639

A lovely little red-haired elf - whose dancing welcomes the returning sun in Spring, the golden leaves in Autumn, and the falling snow in Winter; and who is beloved of all the birds in the forest, because she always returns their fallen eggs to their nests - stumbles upon an unusually larger and orange...

Author	Wanda Gág
ISBN	0816642419

I can see how at first, it seems like a story about nothing, (no pun intended) but after thinking about the day and age this book was published.... the crash of 1929, when people were starving and had nothing to eat. It taught kids to be accepting of the food their parents conjured up for them. It's a powerful...

Author	Stephen Cosgrove
ISBN	0843176873

How could you refuse those eyes? He just wants to munch those muffins a bit...

Yeah, it's a real book, listed on websites devoted to hilariously inappropriate childrens' book titles. It's also in the Internet Archive for borrowing, and it's a lame book at that. A poor kingdom traffics in great...

Author	Frances Hodgson Burnett
ISBN	0689869746

Acclaimed illustrator Wendy Anderson Halperin celebrates Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic, a tale of two dollhouses, just in time for its 100th anniversary. When Tidy Castle arrives, brand-new and grand in every way, the Racketty-Packetty House has never looked shabbier, and it is shoved in the...

Author	James C. Christensen
ISBN	1885183585

"Believing is Seeing"

In the tradition of such favorite classics as Gulliver's Travels and Journey to the Center of the Earth, Voyage of the Basset takes the reader on a fantastical journey of discovery. Through richly detailed full-color paintings and line drawings, magical kingdoms emerge...

Author

Holling Clancy Holling

This was one of our geography books for my second grader this past year (see Ambleside Online 2nd grade curriculum). We loved reading one chapter a week but near the end we didn't want to stop and finished reading it all at once.

The illustrations are beautifully detailed with colors true to the...

Author	Eric Rohmann
ISBN	0440417430

I couldn't ignore this book given the fabulous cover art; all those big cats staring at me, imploring me to take them home ;-) But, alas, I didn't end up liking the book all that much. Ultimately, I wavered between three and four stars, but finally leaned toward the fabulous illustrations which really...

Author

Margaret Hodges

In this collection of three exciting Arthurian legends, Merlin the magician watches over young Arthur as he rises to become king of all England. But many threats befall Arthur in the kingdom of Camelot: the evil witch Morgan le Fay, the traitor Mordred, and even his best friend, Sir Launcelot. Will the...

Author	Eve Bunting
ISBN	0899197027

Cute if not exactly inspired. I expected more from Bunting and Brett but this is still a nice Mother's Day read. Three mice go off to find the best present they can find for mom. The littlest one is even willing to brave venturing up to the house with the scary cat just so he can pick mother some honeysuckle....

Author

Antonia Barber

Catkin is a tiny cat given by the Wise Woman to protect the human child Carrie. One day Carrie is taken under the hill by the Little People. Sent to bring her back, Catkin finds his courage and cleverness tested to the full.

Antonia Barber's original story reads like a classic fairy tale. Rich with...

Author	Ethel Cook Eliot
ISBN	0961596155

This was one of my childhood books. My mom read it to me, and we also had a cassette tape that I'd listen to over and over again, under blankets on the couch on rainy days. I wanted to curl up inside the book, imagining myself playing with Kay and Gentian, the nine- and eight-year old protagonists. I'd re-read...

Author	Padraic Colum
ISBN	0486297225

Compiled by noted Irish author Padraic Colum, this treasury of time-honored tales from the fairy-haunted folklore of the Emerald Isle includes these favorite stories: "Fedelma, the Enchanter's Daughter," "When the King of the Cats Came to King Connal's Dominion," "The Sword of Light and the Unique...

Author	Charlotte Voake
ISBN	0763607886

A perfect tale for cat lovers—and for younger siblings.

Ginger the cat lives a comfortable, well-tended life. But when a pesky kitten moves in, Ginger's days of ease are over. Now it seems he must share his bed and his meals with the intruder forever! What is a pampered cat to do? The award-winning...

Author	Sally Lloyd-Jones
ISBN	0375869182

An Ample Roundy Fish called Mrs. Doreen Randolph-Potts is on a mission: to visit her second cousin twice removed who's just welcomed 157 babies. But when she spies what she thinks is a yummy dragonfly—and is actually bait—poor Doreen is lifted out of the water on a fishing pole. Luckily, Doreen is,...

Author	Jane Yolen
ISBN	0152015051

One of my favorite picture books as a child, and still one of the most breathtaking books I've ever seen.

Illustrated with detailed and captivating drawings on every page, Dove Isabeau tells a classic, haunting fairy tale about a lovely young maiden and her evil, witch stepmother. Having lost...

Author	Monica Wellington
ISBN	0525477632

As sweet and satisfying as holiday baking, here is a beautiful update of Monica Wellington's Mr. Cookie Baker. In this book, youngsters can follow the process of measuring, mixing, baking, decorating, and eating cookies. With six new full-color pages, a handsome new jacket, educational tie-ins,...

Author	Jay Williams
ISBN	0819303429

There are many nice things about being a king. But there is one very bad thing. It's hard to find a job if you're out of work. All that a king can do is rule, and if you have no kingdom then you are out of work. That's what happened to young King Zar.

He was a good king, but young and without much experience....