Paul O. Zelinsky Ordre des livres (chronologique)

In this remarkable and beautiful anthology featuring the likes of Maurice Sendak, Robert Sabuda, Rosemary Wells, and Eric Carle, twenty-three of the most honored and beloved artists in children’s literature talk informally to children—sharing secrets about their art and how they began their adventures into illustration. Fold-out pages featuring photographs of their early work, their studios and materials, as well as sketches and finished art create an exuberant feast for the eye that will attract both children and adults. Self-portraits of each illustrator crown this important anthology that celebrates the artists and the art of the picture book. An event book for the ages. Proceeds from the book will benefit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA.

The Railway Children is a delightful reading of a classic story by Edith Nesbit, first published in 1906. When father is suddenly taken away, mother and the three children must leave their fancy London life to live in a simple country cottage near a train station. The children and their bottomless good nature, together with some new friends, work to rescue father and help others along the way. Narrator Virginia Leishman makes this old-fashioned world come alive for today's children without resorting to melodrama. The recording is flawless and without unnecessary fanfare, making it a wonderful way to introduce a classic to young listeners. The Railway Children are Roberta, Peter and Phyllis, three young children who move to a house near a railway when their father is wrongly accused and falsely imprisoned for selling government secrets to the Russians. The children pass the time by watching the railcars go by and waving to the passengers riding the train. Eventually they meet Perks, the station porter and an old gentleman that may be able to help get their father out of prison.

Make way for a zany zoo-full of wonderful poems saluting the animal kingdom, composed by a reigning children's poet, Jack Prelutsky. Readers familiar with Prelutsky's staggeringly vast body of work know that he can always be counted on for clever nonsense poems that are guaranteed to elicit giggles. His track record remains unbeatable with this wacky collection of animal odes. Some poems resemble the work of Ogden Nash ("Oysters / are creatures / without / any features."), and others have a style and flavor that is pure Prelutsky ("The widdly, waddly walrus / has flippery, floppery feet. / He dives in the ocean for dinner / and stands on his noggin to eat."). These playfully preposterous rhymes are illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, winner of the 1998 Caldecott Medal for Rapunzel. The delightful line drawings that scamper across the pages bring creatures such as the huge hippopotamus, the gallivanting gecko, and the speedy cheetah to rib-tickling life. Kids will love parading through these poems, and adults will get a kick out of playing along too. (Ages 4 to 12)

Beverly Cleary’s timeless Newbery Medal-winning book explores difficult topics like divorce, insecurity, and bullying through the thoughts and emotions of a sixth-grade boy as he writes to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. After his parents separate, Leigh Botts moves to a new town with his mother. Struggling to make friends and deal with his anger toward his absent father, Leigh loses himself in a class assignment in which he must write to his favorite author. When Mr. Henshaw responds, the two form an unexpected friendship that will change Leigh’s life forever. From the beloved author of the Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse series comes an epistolary novel about how to navigate and heal from life’s growing pains.