The Little House

"Once upon a time there was a Little House way out in the country. She was a pretty Little House and she was strong and well built." So begins Virginia Lee Burton's classic The Little House, winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1942. The rosy-pink Little House, on a hill surrounded by apple trees, watches the days go by, from the first apple blossoms in the spring through the winter snows. Always faintly aware of the city's distant lights, she starts to notice the city encroaching on her bucolic existence. First a road appears, which brings horseless carriages and then trucks and steamrollers. Before long, more roads, bigger homes, apartment buildings, stores, and garages surround the Little House. Her family moves out and she finds herself alone in the middle of the city, where the artificial lights are so bright that the Little House can no longer see the sun or the moon. She often dreams of "the field of daisies and the apple trees dancing in the moonlight." Finally a woman recognizes her and whisks the Little House back to the country where she belongs, they will rejoice. For generations, young readers have been delighted by the whimsical, detailed drawings and happy ending.

The little house first stood in the country, but gradually the city moved closer and closer.

Way out west in Cactus County there was a horse named Calico. She wasn't very pretty, but she was smart and could run like greased lightning. Everybody in Cactus County was happy until the peaceful inhabitants' cattle were stolen by a band of outlaws led by Stewy Stinker, a man so mean that he'd hold up Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. In comic-strip format, this action-packed western drama is complete with cattle rustling and kidnapping, a stampede, a holdup, and a thrilling chase. From start to bang-up finish, Calico outruns and outsmarts the double-dyed villains - and, of course, saves the day! This equine hero is sure to win a new generation of fans with this Wild West adventure.