Astrid Lindgren's The Brothers Lionheart (1973) Trans. J. Tate Illus. Ilon Wikland (1984) Everybody knows Pippi Longstocking, but not so many readers know The Brothers Lionheart. I read it on the advice of a reading friend, who counts it amongst her favourite children's books. And then I learned that it's also one of Iris' special
Sterling North's Rascal (1963) Illus. John Schoenherr (1971) "It was in May, 1918, that a new friend and companion came into my life: a character, a personality, and a ring-tailed wonder." That's Rascal, when 11-year-old Sterling pulls him from his mother's nest one May. Sterling and his friend, Oscar, and his Saint
Balzer & Bray Imprint - HarperCollins, 2011 Heart and Soul is an absolutely gorgeous book. Kadir Nelson's artwork is riveting. And don't ask me where I've been while he was winning Caldecott Honors, or an NAACP Image Award. Or while he received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, a
Each of these books is illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Do you know their work? (They're the husband-and-wife team who have claimed awards ranging from the Caldecott to the Hugo to the Coretta Scott King Honor.) This is remarkable not only for the quality of the work but because
I borrowed books in this series repeatedly as a girl. I knew exactly which shelves they were on. If that old library was still operational, I think I could find them in an instant. What I wasn't so sure of, was whether I would enjoy the stories as much as
