Special Collections
Caldecott Award Winners
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Rumpelstiltskin
by Paul O. ZelinskyA miller's daughter finds her life at stake when she needs to turn straw into gold. A tiny man pops out and offers to help, for a very big price. All seems well until the man returns--and she cannot keep her promise. What will she do? Follow along in this retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm tale!
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
Interrupting Chicken
by David Ezra SteinIt's bedtime for the little red chicken, and papa is going to read her a story. "You're not going to interrupt the story tonight, are you?" asks Papa. "Oh no, Papa. I'll be good," says the little red chicken. But she just can't help herself! Whether it's Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, or Chicken Little, as soon as the story gets going . . . out jumps the little red chicken--right into the story--saving the characters from danger and ending the story early. Will that chicken ever get to sleep?
Moses
by Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson2007 Caldecott Honor book
I SET THE NORTH STAR IN THE HEAVENS AND I MEAN FOR YOU TO BE FREE . . .
Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman hears these words from God one summer night and decides to leave her husband and family behind and escape. Taking with her only her faith, she must creep through the woods with hounds at her feet, sleep for days in a potato hole, and trust people who could have easily turned her in.
But she was never alone.
In lyrical text, Carole Boston Weatherford describes Tubman's spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her north to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of forced servitude. Tubman would make nineteen subsequent trips back south, never being caught, but none as profound as this first one. Courageous, compassionate, and deeply religious, Harriet Tubman, with her bravery and relentless pursuit of freedom, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal
The Bremen Town Musicians
by Ilse PlumeThe book is all about the four aged animal friends trying to make living for them as they were escaped from their cruel masters.
Red Sings from Treetops
by Joyce SidmanIn winter ... Green waits in the hearts of trees, feeling the earth turn. Color comes alive in this whimsical, innovative book: blue dances on summer lakes, green drips from spring leaves, black wafts mysteriously through autumn evenings. Together, an award-winning poet and a brilliant painter inspire us to look closer at the thrilling colors of the seasons. So what colors can you feel--or hear, or taste, or smell--today?
Hondo & Fabian
by Peter MccartyA Caldecott Honor Book. Hondo the dog is off to the beach, on an adventure with his friend Fred. Fabian the cat stays at home, and gets into mischief with the baby. Who will have more fun?
A Very Special House
by Ruth KraussContinuing a two-year program to bring back twenty-two Maurice Sendak treasures long out of print, our second season of publication highlights one of the most successful author-illustrator pairings of all time. A pioneer of great children's literature, Ruth Krauss published more than thirty books for children during a career that spanned forty years. Krauss and Sendak collaborated on eight books, and we are delighted to reintroduce four of these gems in brand-new editions, together with a favorite Maurice Sendak picture book.
Anansi the Spider
by Gerald McdermottAnansi the Spideris one of the great folk heroes of the world. He is a rogue, a mischief-maker, and a wise, lovable creature who triumphs over larger foes. In this traditional Ashanti tale, Anansi sets out on a long, difficult journey. Threatened by Fish and Falcon, he is saved from terrible fates by his sons. But which of his sons should Anansi reward? Calling upon Nyame, the God of All Things, Anansi solves his predicament in a touching and highly resourceful fashion. In adapting this popular folktale, Gerald McDermott merges the old with the new, combining bold, rich color with traditional African design motifs and authentic Ashanti language rhythms.
A Child's Calendar
by John UpdikeA collection of twelve poems describing the activities in a child's life and the changes in the weather as the year moves from January to December.
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
April's Kittens
by Clare Turlay Newberry(Book has picture descriptions) Many children understand April's dilemma when her cat, Sheba, has three kittens. April is thrilled until her father insists that theirs is strictly a one-cat household. April must give up three cats, but which ones? The aptly named Charcoal? Tiger-striped Butch? Sweet-faced Brenda? -- or even Sheba? How April eventually comes up with the perfect solutions makes for a heartwarming story that has appealed to many young cat lovers and will continue to delight generations of children everywhere.
McElligot's Pool
by Dr SeussA young man dreams of all the fish that might just be coming to be caught in McElligot's pool, from whales, to dogfish, from catfish to eels. Let your imagination run wild in this delightful story.
The Wall
by Peter SísThrough journals, maps, and dreamscapes, Peter Sís shows what life was like for a child who loved to draw, proudly wore the red scarf of a Young Pioneer, stood guard at the giant statue of Stalin, and believed whatever he was told to believe. But adolescence brought questions. Cracks began to appear in the Iron Curtain, and news from the West slowly filtered into the country. Sís learned about beat poetry, rock 'n' roll, blue jeans, and Coca-Cola. He let his hair grow long, secretly read banned books, and joined a rock band. Then came the Prague Spring of 1968, and for a teenager who wanted to see the world and meet the Beatles, this was a magical time. It was short-lived, however, brought to a sudden and brutal end by the Soviet-led invasion. But this brief flowering had provided a glimpse of new possibilities- creativity could be discouraged but not easily killed. By joining memory and history, Sís takes us on his journey: from infant with paintbrush in hand to young man borne aloft by the wings of his art.
Winner of the Sibert Medal
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
by John SteptoeThe king is going to marry. Mufaro has two very beautiful daughters. One is kind and considerate, the other selfish and spoiled. Which daughter will be chosen "The Most Worthy and Beautiful Daughter in the Land"? Which daughter will the king choose to be his wife?
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal
Mice Twice
by Joseph LowA round of uneasy hospitality results when Mouse and Dog arrive at Cat's house for dinner.
A Chair For My Mother
by Vera B. WilliamsThe jar of coins is full. The day has come to buy the chair--the big, fat, comfortable, wonderful chair they have been saving for. The chair that will replace the one that was burned up--along with everything else--in the terrible fire. A book of love and tenderness filled with the affirmation of life.
Swamp Angel
by Anne Isaacs and Paul O. ZelinskySwamp Angel can lasso a tornado, and drink an entire lake dry. She single-handedly defeats the fearsome bear known as Thundering Tarnation, wrestling him from the top of the Great Smoky Mountains to the bottom of a deep lake.
Caldecott Medal-winning artist Paul O. Zelinsky's stunning folk-art paintings are the perfect match for the irony, exaggeration, and sheer good humor of this original tall tale set on the American frontier.
A Caldecott Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A Time magazine Best Book of the Year
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year
Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Tops & Bottoms
by Janet StevensHare solves his family's problems by tricking rich and lazy Bear in this funny, energetic version of an old slave story. With roots in American slave tales,Tops & Bottoms celebrates the trickster tradition of using one's wits to overcome hardship. [This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis PinkneyEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, "King of the Keys," was born on April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C. "He was a smooth-talkin', slick-steppin', piano-playin' kid," writes master wordsmith Andrea Pinkney in the rhythmic, fluid, swinging prose of this excellent biography for early readers. It was ragtime music that first "set Duke's fingers to wiggling." He got back to work and taught himself to "press on the pearlies." Soon 19-year-old Duke was playing compositions "smoother than a hairdo sleeked with pomade" at parties, pool halls, country clubs, and cabarets. Skipping from D.C. to 1920s Harlem, "the place where jazz music ruled," Duke and his small band called the Washingtonians began performing in New York City clubs, including the Cotton Club, where Duke Ellington and his Orchestra was officially born.
Martin's Big Words
by Doreen RappaportThis picture book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brings his life and the profound nature of his message to young children through his own words. Martin Luther King, Jr. , was one of the most influential and gifted speakers of all time. Doreen Rappaport uses quotes from some of his most beloved speeches to tell the story of his life and his work in a simple, direct way. A timeline and a list of additional books and web sites help make this a standout biography of Dr. King.
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Winner
The Spider and the Fly
by Tony Diterlizzi and Mary HowittA New Version of an Old Story first appeared in The New Years in 1829 and five years later in Mary Howitts Sketches of Natural History. Teaches a moral - Not everyone who talks sweetly offers sweets.
Anatole
by Eve TitusA French mouse decides to earn an honest living by tasting the cheese in a cheese factory and leaving notes about its quality.
Dick Whittington and His Cat
by Marcia BrownThis a the well-loved tale of the London waif whose cat's prowess as a ratter results in Dick's becoming a successful merchant and Lord Mayor of London.
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
Grandpa Green
by Lane SmithFrom the creator of the national bestseller It's a Book comes a timeless story of family history, legacy, and love. Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a farm boy and a kid with chickenpox and a soldier and, most of all, an artist. In this captivating new picture book, readers follow Grandpa Green's great-grandson into a garden he created, a fantastic world where memories are handed down in the fanciful shapes of topiary trees and imagination recreates things forgotten. In his most enigmatic and beautiful work to date, Lane Smith explores aging, memory, and the bonds of family history and love; by turns touching and whimsical, it's a stunning picture book that parents and grandparents will be sharing with children for years to come. Grandpa Green is a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Picture Books title for 2011. One of School Library Journal's Best Picture Books of 2011.
Just Me
by Marie Hall EtsA charming book for young readers. "A rabbit was nibbling some leaves of a bush. Rabbit, I said. (He didnt have any name because nobody owned him.) Rabbit, I cant fly like a bird, but I can hop like a rabbit. Let me see how you do it. So rabbit went off hoppety, hop, hop. And I hopped just like him."
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
by Steve JenkinsA nose for digging? Ears for seeing? Eyes that squirt blood? Explore the many amazing things animals can do with their ears, eyes, mouths, noses, feet, and tails in this beautifully illustrated interactive guessing book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.
Winner of the Caldecott Honor