Swedish Folk Tales

Illustrated by John Bauer

Hardbound, large format, richly illustrated with amazing paintings

$30.00

from "Leap Elk and Little Princess Cottongrass"

This dazzling collection of twenty-nine illustrated stories, retold by some of the greatest Swedish writers, includes:

• “When Mother Troll Took in the King’s Washing” by Elsa Beskow
• “The Magician’s Cape” by Anna Wahlenberg
• “Leap the Elk and the Little Princess Cottongrass” by Helge Kjellin
• “The Four Big Trolls and Little PetHer Pastureman” by Cyrus Granér
• “The Trolls and the Youngest Tomte” by Alfred Smedberg
• “The Ring” by Helena Nyblom
• “The Seven Wishes” by Alfred Smedberg
• “Stalo and Kauras” by P. A. Lindholm
• “The Maiden in the Castle of Rosy Clouds” by Harald Ostenson
• “The Boy and the Trolls, or the Adventure” by Walter Stenström
• “The Crofters and the Gnomes” by Anna Wahlenberg
• “The Golden Key” by W. E. Björk
• “The Giant Who Slept for Ten Thousand Years” by Einar Rosenborg
• ... and many more!

John Bauer’s original and evocative illustrations bring these classic Swedish folk tales to life. His art seems to me to be a combination of earthly idealism and a fascintating evocation of spiritual reality (or perhaps "elemental reality"). It is no wonder that he is so beloved in Sweden. This collection, paired with his paintings, makes this a book to treasure for generations.

Because of the complexity of some of the themes, as well as the rather robust encounters of humans and elemental beings, I personally recommend this collection for children ages 9 and older, though some of the stories are appropriate for younger children.

Please, Can We Keep the Donkey?
A Collection of Animal Rescue Stories

The Massachusetts School of Law Community

Edited by Diane Sullivan and Holly Vietzke

Foreword by Betty White

Hardbound, lots of photos, printed on recycled paper

$19.95

I can't think of a child anywhere who would not love these stories - all of them true, all of them heartwarming and wonderful. I look often for animal stories that can really feed the soul - this book is filled with them.

Please, Can We Keep the Donkey? features dozens of personal accounts of successful animal adoptions and rescues. These entertaining stories describe rewarding relationships with animals ranging from dogs and cats to birds, a snake, and, of course, a donkey.

Meet a rabbit who is an architect, dogs too ugly to pet, an orphaned cat who bonds with an orphaned girl, an unruly dog who brings aid to senior citizens, and many other animals whose lives have changed the people who took them in. These delightful and heartwarming stories of individuals who find each other and bring joy to one another's lives pose the question that one contributor asks: "Who rescued whom?"

Just about anyone of any age will happily dive into this book!

The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

Selma Lagerlöf

Unabridged!

Softbound

$10.95

A short note about this edition: Many of you know that we used to carry the large-format, illustrated edition of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. Recently, we discovered a very inexpensive, domestically produced edition and decided to take a look, thinking that a choice in cost would be a happy thing for many. I reviewed that book with trepidation, wondering if it was abridged from what I thought was the original. What a surprise -- it was the expensive copy that had excised much of Selma Lagerlöf's prose!! We have decided to discontinue the large volume in favor of this unpretentous edition that preserves every bit of the author's magic. It is the identical translation as our previous edition - but every word is intact. You and your children won't need large, color pictures, Selma Lagerlöf's words will transport you on clouds of imagination.

Now, on to the review:

Wonderful is just the right word for remarkable story. Selma Lagerlöf was already one of Sweden's most renowned authors when she was asked to create a new reader for Swedish schools. What she fashioned broke all the rules - no more disconnected little stories, no more reading for the sake of learning to read! No, she brought her full talent as an outstanding storyteller to bear on the project and created a 17 chapter book that told children a tale from beginning to end. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils is that book, and it is just as delightful today as it was at the turn of the century when it was written.

Nils is a boy who can think of no one but himself. This so annoys a dwarf that he shrinks Nils as punishment for his selfishness. Tiny Nils finds himself carried off by a flock of geese on their way to the far north. Through his long adventures to get back home, Nils learns to know and respect both humans and the life of nature. As they fly over the countryside with Nils, children will discover an abundance of information about nature, geography, folklore, animal life and more. Ages 7 to 11

A Little Princess

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Illustrated by Tasha Tudor

Hardbound, dust jacketed with beautiful color and black & white illustrations

$17.99

Another of our "family favorites," A Little Princess holds a very special place in our hearts. This is also my favorite edition, beautifully illustrated by Tasha Tudor and typeset with an impeccible sense for readability and graceful form.

When Sara Crewe arrives at Miss Minchin's London boarding school, she seems just like a real little princess. She wears beautiful clothes, has gracious manners, andtells the most wonderful stories. The one day, Sara suddenly becomes penniless. Now she must wear rags, sleep in the school's dreary attic, and work for her living. Sara is all alone, but she keeps telling herself that she can still be a little princess inside, if only she tries hard enough. Of course, Sara Crewe does survive her hardships and finds happiness once again -- and that is why we keep reading it year after year and pass it along for the next generation to enjoy!

Ages 9 and older.

The Secret Garden

Hardbound with Ribbon Bookmark
Illustrated by Tasha Tudor

Frances Hodgson Burnett

$17.99

We felt that this favorite, wonderful story should be available to children in a volume that reflects its joy and wonder. We were delighted to find that the hardbound edition illustrated by the inimitable Tasha Tudor was still available - this is the one our children grew up with. We're sure you'll love it, too. The Secret Garden tells the story of a girl named Mary who has been so "neglected with abundance" (my term) that by the age of 10 she is perhaps the most self-centered child anyone could imagine. Fortunately, she meets two friends, her cousin Colin who may be the one person in the world as selfish as she is, and Dickon, a sturdy, goodhearted lad of the moors. Together, they revive a garden long neglected and in so doing, Mary and Colin find their hearts. A story to grow up with and pass on to the next generation.

The Complete Anne of Green Gables

L. M. Montgomery

8 Volume Boxed Set

Softbound

$44.00

The box holding these books reads, "The Life and Adventures of the Most Beloved and Timeless Heroine in All of Fiction." I don't know whether that is objectively true of not, but I do know that Anne Shirley is the most beloved and timeless heroine who ever graced our home. Everyone's "kindred spirit," Anne's are stories to grow with and linger over - our 19 year old daughter, living on her own now, gave them a prominent place in her new apartment and still returns to them as to a very good friend. Wonderful writing, wonderful stories!

This set includes all the "Anne" books, unabridged:

• Anne of Green Gables
• Anne of Avonlea
• Anne of the Island
• Anne of Windy Poplars
• Anne's House of Dreams
• Anne of Ingleside
• Rainbow Valley
• Rilla of Ingleside

Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages

Selected by Harold Bloom

Softbound

$19.00

I actually don't like the title of this book at all, but I love what's inside it. This is simply one of the very best - perhaps the very best - anthologies of "literature gathered with children in mind" ever to be published. Period. I used the phrase "literature gathered with children in mind" because many of the gems collected here are not what is commonly called "children's literature." Yet all are captivating, imaginative gems that will enthrall and delight children of all ages - the sort of stories and poems that stay in the heart for a lifetime. That convey, almost by osmosis, the joy of language, the delight of word-pictures. As such, I'm quite willing to overlook the one-sidedness of the title in favor of opening the covers and getting on with the reading and telling.

The inside flap of this remarkable book does such an outstanding job of describing both the editor's intent and the contents, that I'm going to share it with you here.

"If readers are to come to Shakespeare and to Chekhov, to Henry James and to Jane Austin, then they are best prepared if they have read Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear, Robert Louis Stevenson and Rudyard Kipling," writes Harold Bloom in his introduction to this enchanting and much-needed anthology of exceptional stories and poems selected to inspire a lifelong love of reading. As television, video games, and the Internet threaten to distract young people from the solitary pleasures of reading, Bloom presents a volume that will amuse, challenge, and beguile readers with its myriad voices and subjects.

Here are old favorites by beloved writers of children's literature, as well as exciting rediscoveries and wonderful works penned by writers better known for their adult classics, such as Herman Melville, Leo Tolstoy, Edith Wharton, and Walt Whitman. Encompassing the natural world and the supernatural; childhood, romance, and death; house pets, wild animals, and goblins; mystery, adventure, and humor, the selections reflect the passion and erudition of our most revered literary critic. Dismayed by the current state of children's literature, Bloom reaches back to the imaginative works of the nineteenth century and earlier, choosing poems and stories that will expand the mind and offer the magical companionship of the best that has been written. Arranged by season, Stories and poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages is a must-have anthology, sure to delight readers young and old for years to come.

There are several stories and lots of poems that are quite suitable as read-to's for ages 4 and up. The rest of this treasure can be read to children 5, 6, 7 or older - or presented to an 8 or 9 year old as an immensely elegant gift for their very own reading adventures - or you could just go off with a cup of tea and enjoy it yourself (though, personally, I'm hoping you'll share with your children, too!).

Big Tree

Mary & Conrad Buff

Softbound - charming illustrations throughout

Sorry - Out of Print

What a wonderful way to allow children to discover (and to renew your own discovery!) the vastness of time, the potentials of life and the beauty of creation! This is the story of a Sequoia tree named Wawona which extends from the time before recorded history, when he was a little seed packed tightly in a cone with two hundred others. The story takes us to the recent past when, over three hundred feet tall and having survived magnificently the widely varied attacks of insects, fires, drought and more throughout the twenty-five centuries of his life, Wawona almost falls prey to the greediest and most clever of them all - human beings.

Wawona's history, his life, forms the main body of the text which is highlighted by insertions that tell of the significant events that were happening across the ocean as Wawona grew and thrived. This juxtaposition offers a wonderful vastness and perspective while it highlights both the exceptional longevity of the Sequoias and the key events of of Western history.

When children is ready to learn about the life of plants (in Waldorf schools, this is begun in 5th grade), this is the book to hand them. Big Tree will have a treasured place in either the classroom or home - this is a wonderful book!

In Blue Mountains
An Artist's Return to America's First Wilderness

Thomas Locker

Hardbound, dust jacketed

$9.95

In Blue Mountains is about the love of nature and the importance of beauty. It tells the story of an artist who sets out to explore wilderness and discovers a new way of seeing. Bewildered at first by the profusion of nature, he gradually learns to see its wholeness and to trust his feelings. The story itself is a beautiful portrayal of nature, light and color. The juxtaposition of Locker's luminous paintings with the artist's experiences inspire a deep appreciation for the beauties of the world and for our human awareness in percieving them. A book for all ages, I recommend it especial for children 7 to 10 years old.

Rascal

Sterling North

$5.99

Our family read Rascal many times over the course of our nightly family story time - it never lost its ability to captivate, charm and delight. Rascal is truly one of the best animal stories every written - and even better because it is a true story, told by an author who lived every wonderful minute of it.

Rascal is a baby raccoon, orphaned in the woods when the boy Sterling brings him home. Soon, Rascal is ready to join Sterling at swimming, fishing, and camping. He's also ready to initiate some of the most hilarious adventures of his own. The raccoon's unique approach to life fits right in with the home Sterling and his father share - a home where skunks, woodchucks, a crow named Poe and an 18-foot, half-finished canoe are resident in the living room! Wonderful reading for everyone - as a read-to for ages 7 and up; read on their own from age 12.

The Jungle Book

Rudyard Kipling

$3.00

When Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book, he created a story of such endurance and vitality that more than 100 years later, children are still enthralled with these tales of the boy Mowgli who is raised by wolves in the jungles of India. From the wolves of the Seeonee Pack, who raise Mowgli to manhood and remain his brothers, to Shere Khan, the conniving lame tiger, to Bagheera, the black panther and Baloo the great bear who together educate Mowgli - all the animals of the jungle retain their animal character while giving us a glimpse of the wisdom of creation. Not to mention that as a storyteller, Kipling can keep you on the edge of your seat all the way through this book. Included also are several of Kipling's short stories, among them, "Rikki Tikki Tavi," a personal favorite. As a read-to-me for children 8 and older or for children 10 and older to read to themselves.

The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame

Illustrated by
Ernest H. Shepard

$5.50

Don't let the price tag fool you - this is the full-sized, unabridged original edition of The Wind in the Willows, complete with all the original Sheperd drawings. Introduce your children to all the wonderful creatures of the Wild Wood: Ratty, the river rat of upstanding courage and practicality; Mole, his loyal friend who's dreamy sweetness will warm your heart; dear Mr. Toad who has much more money than sense but whose generosity and openness of heart redeem everything; and Mr. Badger, the acknowledged authority of the Wild Wood whose gruff, no-nonsense ways are often just the ticket in a pinch. The Wind in the Willows is a treasured classic that will live in your heart always. If I could give children only one book, this would be the one I would choose.