Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney's warm, humorous retelling of a popular African-American folk ballad. When John Henry was born the birds, bears, rabbits, and even a unicorn came to see him. He grew so fast, he burst right through the porch roof, and laughed so loud, he scared the sun! Soon John Henry is swinging two huge sledgehammers to build roads, pulverizing boulders, and smashing rocks to smithereens. He's stronger than ten men and can dig through a mountain faster than a steam drill. Nothing can stop John Henry, and his courage stays with us forever. A Caldecott Honor Book * "This is a tall tale and heroic myth, a celebration of the human spirit . . . The story is told with rhythm and wit, humor and exageration, and with a heart-catching immediacy that connects the human and the natural world. " -- Booklist , starred review "Another winning collaboration from the master storyteller and gifted artist of Tales of Uncle Remus fame." -- School Library Journal "A great American hero comes fully to life in this epic retelling filled with glorious, detailed watercolors . . . This carefully crafted updating begs to be read aloud for its rich, rhythmic storytelling flow, and the suitably oversize illustrations amplify the text." -- Publishers Weekly

Largely ignored by her own family, Princess Djeow Seow spends her days playing with a kite made from paper and sticks. But when the Emperor is imprisoned in a high tower, only the Princess can save the day, flying her kite high up into the sky to rescue her father.?A familiar jewel polished to unaccustomed brilliance.? ? Booklist ?It is rare to find a book where the beauty of the language and image are so finely meshed as in this tale of loyalty and love.? ? United Press International Jane Yolen lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts and Scotland. Ed Young lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Once there was a town called Chelm where there was no luck. If something could go wrong, it did. The roofs of the houses always leaked. The sidewalks were cracked. The gardens grew only weeds. Nothing was ever right. So begins best-selling children's author, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso (nearly 500,000 copies of her books are in print) in this charming, original story inspired by a Jewish folktale.