The Tear Thief

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	Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
ISBN	0763616990

Fabulously illustrated by H. B. Lewis, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's hilarious romp through the land of be-careful-what-you-wish-for offers a whole year's worth of holiday fun magic.

This year, I was very specific in my letter to Santa Claus.

Each year at Christmas, Joe writes a letter...

Author	Jacqueline K. Ogburn
ISBN	0618862544

To catch a glimpse of one unicorn is lucky;
to see a grace of unicorns is to witness a marvel.
In this book, you will also find . . .

a riddle of sphinx,
a splash of mermaids,
a dignity of dragons,
and more.

With inventive groupings, luminous artwork, and a fact-filled...

Author	Virginia Hamilton
ISBN	0590473786

Please note that this review of Virginia Hamilton's exquisite The Girl Who Spun Gold is going to be a bit different in set-up and scope, in so far that I am mostly posting general musings about both The Girl Who Spun Gold and also concerning Rumpestilzchen types of folk and fairy tales in global lore and...

Author	Ruth Bell Graham
ISBN	0801013062

A classic Christmas picture book, One Wintry Night tells the story of a mountain boy who is injured in a snowstorm and seeks refuge in a cabin. While he waits out the storm, the woman who lives there tells him the Christmas story. Starting with the very creation of the world and ending with the resurrection,...

Author	Eric Rohmann
ISBN	1596430311

In Clara and Asha -- as in Eric Rohmann's Caldecott Medal-winning My Friend Rabbit--a simple storyline becomes the basis for fun and sophistication. Clara's friend Asha is an enormous fish, which means that hide-and-seek, Halloween, snow days, and afternoons in the park offer surprising opportunities...

Author	Trinka Hakes Noble
ISBN	1585362301

Oh. My. Beautiful! The illustrations in this book are gorgeous. You really must pick up the book some time to peruse it's pages. And if you've gotten that far ... I mean, you might as well just read the story. *wink

The story is a drama with some action scenes and touching moments, and follows a brother...

Author	Danny Schnitzlein
ISBN	1561452165

What do you dread eating the most? For the hero of this story, it's peas, and he thinks he's discovered a solution.
"I closed my eyes tightly and sent out a wish
That the peas would somehow disappear from my dish.
And something quite strange and mysterious occurred, As if somehow... somebody......

Author	Mélanie Watt
ISBN	1553378857

Moving all the way from the South Pole to the North Pole isn't easy for the young penguin Augustine. Uprooted from her home, she misses her friends, her grandma and grandpa and her old bedroom. There are all kinds of unfamiliar faces at the North Pole, and everything looks strange and different. When it's...

Author	Karen Hesse
ISBN	0439879930

Newbery medalist Karen Hesse has crafted a heartwarming story set in the backwoods of Maine that glows with integrity, love, and true family values.


Ma's been working so hard, she doesn't have much left over. So her three kids decide to do some work on their own. In the dark of night, they...

Author	Jane Yolen
ISBN	0762420480

The same story that captivated readers in 1977 is back in a stunning new edition! Hwei Min, the only daughter of the emperor of China, has been blind since birth. Her father offers a reward to anyone who can find a cure for the little girl. It seems that no one from magicians to physicians can help her. Then,...

Author

Scott Gustafson

This exquisitely illustrated, large format gift book features ten of the most enduring fairy tales of all time. The stories, chosen and edited by the artist, are a balance of 'princess' classics and frolicking adventure tales.

Artist Scott Gustafson spent more than four years creating the...

Author	Amy Hest
ISBN	0810994836

A timeless tale of friendship by New York Times bestselling author Amy Hest.

Once there was a small dog with
crooked ears. He belonged to no one.
And once there was a wisp of a girl
named Lia. . . .
The dog who belonged to no one spent
his days quite alone. . . . He longed for a friend.

No...

Author	Dori Chaconas
ISBN	0763637092

Slamming the screen door sets off a comical chain of cause-and-effect in this rollicking tale of a rambunctious family.

A slamming door may not seem like a big deal, but in this escalating tale, it can have far-reaching (and very funny) consequences — including a limping, yelping Pa; a scared,...

Author	Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
ISBN	0140558543

This is a true story set in New Hampshire. The author is a distant relative of Sarah Whitcher, the little girl whom the story is about.
Sarah is just three years old when she wanders off by herself and becomes lost in the woods. A rescue team was sent out to look for her to no avail. A man comes to town and...

Author	Teresa Bateman
ISBN	1570916519

Great book. Fiona is so confident she thinks she can outwit the Leprechaun that took all the luck from Ireland. Now cows can't milk and chickens don't lay eggs and there are no potatoes. Not just anyone wants to square off against King of the Leprechauns. This is one of the spiritual laws of the universe....

Author	Marianna Mayer
ISBN	1587172488

At the dawn of the Middle Ages, a gripping tale of chivalry and suspense emerges. Two distinguished knights -- one Saxon, one Norman -- have returned from the Crusades. Though they fought on the same side, they now have a score to settle. What begins as a joust between two rivals quickly escalates into...

Author	Jen Wojtowicz
ISBN	1841486868

Think about the title of this book, The Boy Who Grew Flowers. This book is about a boy who is different than other children. How do you think he is different? (children might respond that maybe he liked to grow flowers in his garden) Well actually this boy grew flowers all over his body at certain times! How...

Author	Mary Chamberlin
ISBN	1905236646

As she and her son Adika make their way to market to buy the flour and chili pepper she needs to make pancakes, Mama Panya is dismayed at the number of people Adika invites to join them at their meal. With only two coins in her pocket, how will she feed so many people...?

A lovely picture-book, with...

Author	Jules Bass
ISBN	1905236476

While the other dragons in the forest of Nogard hunt princesses for dinner, Herb merrily tends to his vegetable garden and leek soup. One day, upon learning the knights are planning a dragon hunt, Herb's carnivorous brethren hide in their caves and he is captured. Locked in the dungeon, Herb faces a difficult...

Author	Grahame Baker-Smith
ISBN	1848771266

Holy cow. I'm struggling to find the right words to describe this book. First off, I have a lot of misconceptions about children's literature. I usually think of it as simple text with simple themes. However, this book is really complex for a picture book. The father is far from perfect and gets swept up...

Author

Marion Dane Bauer

Owen the baby hippo and his mama were best friends. They loved to play hide-and-seek on the banks of the Sabaki River in Africa. That was all before the tsunami came and washed Owen's world away.

But after the rain stops, Owen befriends Mzee, a grayish brown tortoise. He plays with him, snuggles...

Author	Charlotte Moundlic
ISBN	0763653411

A little boy responds to his mother’s death in a genuine, deeply moving story leavened by glimmers of humor and captivating illustrations.

When the boy in this story wakes to find that his mother has died, he is overwhelmed with sadness, anger, and fear that he will forget her. He shuts all...

Author	Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy
ISBN	0613236394

An old man and an old woman live together in a crooked old cottage with a large overgrown garden. One fine spring morning, they decide that it is time to sow the vegetables. Throughout the summer the seeds turn into ripe, juicy vegetables and the time comes for them to harvest their crop. Soon there is just...

Author	Amada Irma Pérez
ISBN	0892392231

Five little brothers, two parents, and a house full of visiting relatives make a young Mexican American girl feel crowded. She loves her family, but how can she get a little space of her own? This delightful memoir of a California childhood, by Amada Irma Perez, sparkles with exuberance and wit. Renowned...