Every child knows that costumes are magical. Put on the right hat, add some imagination, and you can be anyone.

That's what happens to a little boy in The March Wind. Finding a large black hat lying in the street, he tries it on . . . and instantly becomes a host of exciting characters: a soldier marching proudly through puddles, a cowboy galloping on his steed, a bandit fleeing the law under cover of night, a circus ringleader entertaining the crowd. But then the owner of the hat returns, and the boy finds himself face to face with the March Wind. Is this part of his imagination, too, or is something bigger happening?   

This charming children’s book, first published in 1957, is brought to life by the timeless illustrations of Vladimir Bobri, whose wonderfully imaginative renderings of the boy’s flights of fancy are endearing and captivating. It will charm parents and children alike.
 

Renowned children’s book author Wanda Gág presents these classic Grimm tales, accompanied by whimsical illustrations. Drawing on her peasant heritage and childlike sense of wonder, Gág translated the fairy tales in a uniquely American vernacular tongue. More Tales from Grimm contains over thirty more, including “The Golden Key,” “The Seven Swabians,” and “The Wolf and the Fox,” as well as almost one hundred illustrations. No other editions of Grimm’s fairy tales for children can match Gág’s richness of prose and the humor, beauty, and sheer magic of her pictorial interpretation. Best known for her Newbery Honor winner Millions of Cats, Wanda Gág (1893–1946) was a pioneer in children’s book writing, integrating text and illustration. Born in New Ulm, Minnesota, she rose to international acclaim. In recognition of her artistry, she was posthumously awarded the 1958 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for Millions of Cats and the 1977 Kerlan Award for her body of work.

First published in 1780, this was by far the most comprehensive and influential compilation of nursery rhymes. It is here that many of today's favorite rhymes make their first appearance in print, including "Hush-a-by-baby," "Ding dong bell," "High diddle diddle," and "Jack and Gill." Illustrated throughout with 52 delightful wood engravings by Thomas Bewick—long considered the finest of English wood engravers—this facsimile edition is bound in a copy of the gold-flecked Dutch floral paper similar to the original binding and presented in a handsome slipcase.

At the First Baptist Church of Maeby, Arkansas, the sins of the child belonged to the parents until the child turned thirteen. Sarah Jones was only eight years old in the summer of 1964, but with her mother Esther Mae on eight prayer lists and flipping around town with the generally mistrusted civil rights organizers, Sarah believed it was time to get baptized and take responsibility for her own sins. That would mean sitting on the mourner’s bench come revival, waiting for her sign, and then testifying in front of the whole church.

But first, Sarah would need to navigate the growing tensions of small-town Arkansas in the 1960s. Both smarter and more serious than her years (a “fifty-year-old mind in an eight-year-old body,” according to Esther), Sarah was torn between the traditions, religion, and work ethic of her community and the progressive civil rights and feminist politics of her mother, who had recently returned from art school in Chicago. When organizers from the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) came to town just as the revival was beginning, Sarah couldn’t help but be caught up in the turmoil. Most folks just wanted to keep the peace, and Reverend Jefferson called the SNCC organizers “the evil among us.” But her mother, along with local civil rights activist Carrie Dilworth, the SNCC organizers, Daisy Bates, attorney John Walker, and indeed most of the country, seemed determined to push Maeby toward integration.

With characters as vibrant and evocative as their setting, Mourner’s Bench is the story of a young girl coming to terms with religion, racism, and feminism while also navigating the terrain of early adolescence and trying to settle into her place in her family and community.