Betsy Beinecke Shirley, one of the great collectors of American children's literature, gathered a peerless collection of books, original illustrations, manuscripts, and ephemera. This gorgeously illustrated book presents over 200 selected original artworks from the enchanting collection she bequeathed to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Yale University.

Guiding the reader on a lively tour through the stages of childhood reading, this volume begins with ABCs and nursery books. It continues through adventure stories, magazines, and more, then concludes with a miscellany...

They're Coming From dark, dusty tombs to deep, forgotten forests, strange creatures, spooky creeps, and frightful fiends that haunt your nightmares are coming But why? Tension builds and builds through 16 eerie illustrations, mounting horribly until a surprising fun reveal at the end of the book. Created in a wonderfully creepy style using silhouetted characters against misty, moonlit backgrounds, author/illustrator Timothy Young both scares and delights the child in all of us. Isn't it time you found out why They're Coming? Picture book-ages 0-6.

The street lights make shadows on Kevin's wall In those shadows, he sees monsters, dragons, and all sorts of frightening creatures. Does he let them scare him or does he find imaginative ways of dealing with these creepy shadows? Find out in this frightfully fun book. Through 15 creative illustrations of silhouetted shadow characters, contrasting with night-time colors, Kevin's room and his imagination come to life Illustrations also show how you can create your own shadow figures From Kevin's experience, children will learn how to deal with their own shadowy fears. Picture book-ages 0-6.

Max hates his picture books and he's throwing them all away. But he soon learns just how invaluable imagination is and has a change of heart. Find out why in this outrageous book that both pokes fun at and celebrates many of the classics of children's literature. Join writer and illustrator Timothy Young for this irreverent and humorous story. Early reader-ages 5-8.

"Look at the funny little penguin " and "What a silly-looking penguin " Hearing this all day long is enough to make any little bird angry, especially when he's NOT A PENGUIN This is the story of a puffin who is upset that he's constantly mistaken for a penguin. He finally reaches his breaking point and goes on a rant about the many differences between the two. A little girl stops him in mid-speech because she does know the differences, and he listens as she explains to her father why puffins are her favorite. When you are feeling alone and misunderstood, sometimes it only takes the...

Every child about to enter middle school will be able to relate to this heart-warming, funny story. Anthony Pantaloni needs to figure out one thing he does well--one thing that will replace the Antsy Pants nickname he got tagged with on the first day of fifth grade, one good thing he can "own" before moving up to middle school next year. It seems that every kid at Carpenter Elementary has a claim to fame: Marcus is Mr. Athletic, Alexis is Smart Aleck, Bethany has her horse obsession, and even Cory is known as the toughest kid in the school. Ant tries lots of things, but nothing sticks It...

Benny spots a big cardboard box with a note taped to it saying, "Do Not Open." His imagination runs wild, and it's almost too much for a curious boy to bear. He thinks about all of the things, good and bad, that could be inside that box. A birthday robot? A wolverine? An entrance to another world? What should he do? This endearingly illustrated tale of a classic childhood dilemma has a surprise ending and offers a peek into a young boy's mind as he weighs tantalizing possibilities against the risks of breaking the rules.

Finn cautiously observes his family doing all kinds of daily activities and wonders if he is big enough to do them, too. Join the young boy as he goes from cautious to confident and learns when and how to use good manners. Preschool-age children will delight in placing their hand on the clever handprint to see if they, like Finn, are big enough to do things like use their quiet voice at the library, share a cookie, and shake hands with grown-ups.

The history of children's literature is a growing area of study; this group of essays brings together innovative, scholarly voices to explore the fascinating tales behind many beloved books. The publication mines the Betsy Beinecke Shirley Collection of American Children's Literature, one of the world's richest sources for original books, manuscripts, and artwork. The essays, commissioned for this volume, examine little-known backstories of three hundred years of classic children's literature, from Louisa May Alcott to Langston Hughes to Mo Willems.