Books & DVDs

This collection of classic children's poetry, adapted to music by Natalie Merchant, opens the door to a wondrous world filled with witches and fearless girls, blind men and elephants, giants and sailors and dancing bears. Leave Your Sleep features a daring and delightful selection, ranging from the beloved (e.e. cummings, Edward Lear, and Jack Prelutsky) to the undiscovered (the young Nathalia Crane). Natalie Merchant's brilliant musical renderings, selected from her highly praised album, share the stage with Barbara McClintock's richly imagined art to create a memorable reading, looking, and listening experience.

An ALA 2012 Notable Children's Video
Eric Carle fans, readers and artists of all ages will thrill to watch The Art of the Picture Book, a new film about the artist's life and creative process. This intimate portrait lets every viewer into Eric Carle's world as if you were there beside him in his studio. Listen and watch as he creates his pictures, remembers his childhood, reflects on the creative life he has led for decades as the creator of more than 70 books for children. The Art of the Picture Book captures the magic of Eric Carle; a man who sees each child as an individual and who is deeply connected to the child he once was.

Running time: 30 minutes.

Click here to watch a trailer!

Her teacher smiled. "Just make a mark and see where it takes you."

Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can't draw - she's no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. "There!" she says.

That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti's journey of surprise and self-discovery. That special moment is the core of Peter H. Reynolds's delicate fable about the creative spirit in all of us.

Yes, there's something strange, something funny and even downright preposterous on every page of this book. But it's not a mistake - it's nonsense! And it's also surrealism. Nonsense lies at the heart of many beloved nursery rhymes. Children readily accept odd statements like "the cow jumped over the moon" and "the dish ran away with the spoon." This fanciful bending of reality is also basic to surrealism.

In this book, nonsense and surrealism combine to spark creativity and imagination. What's true? What's impossible? What's absolutely absurd? From Eric Carle, creator of the classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, comes a book to make children laugh and think, preparing them for a lifetime of loving both words and art.

Following on the heels of The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse (an homage to the artist Franz Marc and expressionism) and Friends, with its semi-abstract artwork, The Nonsense Show forms a trilogy of sorts, dedicated to introducing young readers to different styles of artwork without ever overlooking the need to, first and foremost, appeal to children and their love of play. One of the true legends and pioneers of picture book making continues to expand and challenge the genre.

Praise for The Nonsense Show

* "Carle creates fun and laughter in this homage to the surrealist artist René Magritte. [P]erfect for storytimes and silly times all round. Carle hits it out of the nonsense park!"-Booklist, starred review

* "A sure hit as a read-aloud and a definite purchase for picture book collections."-School Library Journal, starred review

* "A picture book made to incite pleasure and joy."-Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "[The Nonsense Show], with its cleanly designed white pages, makes the unexpected elements of the imagery stand out and prompts questions and wonder."-Horn Book, starred review

Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is now available for the first time in a new, oversized board book format, perfect for storytime or for playtime. Plus, as an added bonus, it includes a CD of Eric Carle reading his classic story. This fine audio production makes a great listen, and is a fantastic new way to encounter this famous, famished caterpillar.

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The Boston Globe calls Il Sung Na's art "so joyous, so jubilantly colorful, it feels celebratory and poetic even when the story is simple and spare."

Nothing frightens Madeline--not tigers, not even mice. With its endearing, courageous heroine, cheerful humor, and wonderful, whimsical drawings of Paris, the Madeline stories are true classics that continue to charm readers, even after 75 years!

Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962) was the author of the beloved Madeline books, including Madeline, a Caldecott Honor Book, and Madeline's Rescue, winner of the Caldecott Medal.

The story of twelve little girls in two straight lines, the smallest one being Madeline, has delighted children for more than seventy years. Now the beloved Caldecott Honor Book is available in a sturdy board book format and a reduced size perfect for small hands. While the text is slightly abridged, none of the charm of the original book is lost as a new format brings this classic title to a younger audience.