The story of a man who wanted to do housework.

How can an old man and his wife select one cat from a choice of millions and trillions.

The Funny Thing is an "aminal" who eats nothing but dolls until the good little man of the mountains gets him to taste the jum jills.

Gag's diary, written when she was a teenager, reveal the two most important parts of her life -- her art and her family. Ages 5 and up.

"In Snippy and Snappy, we are introduced to brother and sister field mice living with their mother and father in a cozy nook in a hay field. Their father enthralls them with stories about gardens in big fields, houses in big gardens, kitchen cupboards in big houses, and big yellow cheeses in big kitchen cupboards." "One day Snippy and Snappy wander away from home while playing with their mother's yarn ball. Their journey takes them to a large house full of mysterious things, including cupboards full of wonderful-smelling cheese. Just as Snappy is about to nibble a piece of cheese in a mousetrap, their father jumps down to rescue them and lead them safely back home. Gag's delightfully detailed illustrations capture the coziness, wonder, and playfulness of Snippy and Snappy's adventures."--BOOK JACKET.

The last thirty years have witnessed one of the most fertile periods in the history of children's books. A fascinating reference guide to the world of children's literature, this volume covers every genre from fairy tales to chapbooks; school stories to science fiction; comics to children's hymns

The Man in the Moon has dropped down to earth for a visit. Over the hedge, a rabbit in trousers is having a pipe with his evening paper. Elsewhere, Alice is passing through a looking glass, Dorothy riding a tornado to Oz, and Jack climbing a beanstalk to heaven. To enter the world of children's literature is to journey to a realm where the miraculous and the mundane exist side by side, a world that is at once recognizable and real--and enchanted. Many books have probed the myths and meanings of children's stories, but Goldthwaite's Natural History is the first exclusively to survey the magic that lies at the heart of the literature. From the dish that ran away with the spoon to the antics of Brer Rabbit and Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat, Goldthwaite celebrates the craft, the invention, and the inspired silliness that fix these tales in our minds from childhood and leave us in a state of wondering to know how these things can be. Covering the three centuries from the fairy tales of Charles Perrault to Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, he gathers together all the major imaginative works of America, Britain, and Europe to show how the nursery rhyme, the fairy tale, and the beast fable have evolved into modern nonsense verse and fantasy. Throughout, he sheds important new light on such stock characters as the fool and the fairy godmother and on the sources of authors as diverse as Carlo Collodi, Lewis Carroll, and Beatrix Potter. His bold claims will inspire some readers and outrage others. He hails Pinocchio, for example, as the greatest of all children's books, but he views C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia as a parable that is not only murderously misogynistic, but deeply blasphemous as well. Fresh, incisive, and utterly original, this rich literary history will be required reading for anyone who cares about children's books and their enduring influence on how we come to see the world.

The picture-story of an invisible dog who gradually becomes visible.

Famous for her elegantly written and whimsically illustrated children's books Millions of Cats, The Funny Thing, Snippy and Snappy, and Tales from Grimm, Wanda Gag (1893-1946) lived a life not unlike that of the characters in the German fairy tales that her grandparents told her as a girl. In a new biography for young readers, award-winning author Gwenyth Swain brings the visionary and eccentric artist to life. Swain takes readers into Wanda's girlhood in rural Minnesota, where, from an early age, her artistic talents flourished. Yet Wanda, the eldest of seven siblings, was pushed abruptly into adulthood when her father's untimely death left her in charge of the household. After years of struggle, Wanda Gag was finally able to go to New York to pursue her passion. Her art was eventually featured at top galleries and her books, influenced by her love of nature and animals, became wildly popular among children and critics across the United States. Complemented by Wanda's illustrations, letters, and diary entries, Wanda Gag: Storybook Artist illuminates for young readers the amazing life of a charismatic artist who triumphed over adversity to realize her dreams.

Use these 100 handy reproducible book lists to instantly create hand-outs for teachers and parents (as well as for older readers), to add to your newsletter, or to post on your Web site or bulletin board. Based on the most common needs of educators and librarians who work with young readers, these lists focus on new titles, as well as classics that are still in print and readily available for purchase. Fiction and nonfiction titles for ages 5-14 are covered. Bibliographic information and a brief description are given for each title. A dozen bookmarks are also included. This is a great time-saving tool and a good source for finding extended reading lists and read-alikes! Looking for folktales from China for elementary children? An informational children's book for a middle school science class? A list of books on the topic of compassion? A sampling of ABC books? These lists and more can be found in Nancy Keane's treasury of great reading lists for children. This versatile guide provides reproducible book lists based on the most common needs of educators and librarians who work with young readers. There are lists for standard curriculum areas (e.g., math, social studies, science), other areas of study such as character education and values, genres (e.g., pop-up, memoirs, ABC books), themes (e.g., animals, food, sports), and read-alikes (on bookmarks). You'll find 100 reproducible lists of fiction and nonfiction books for ages 5-14 (elementary/middle) that you can use to create hand-outs for teachers and parents (as well as for older readers), put in your newsletter, or post on your Web site or bulletin board. Focus is on new titles and classics that are still in print and readily available for purchase. On each list, titles are grouped according to grade level. Room to customize with your library logo or clipart is provided on each reproducible sheet. Bibliographic information and a brief description are given for each title. A dozen bookmarks are also included. This is a great time-saving tool and a good source for finding extended reading lists and read-alikes! Grades K-8.