The Wonderful O

The New York Review Children's Collection began in 2003 in an attempt to reward readers who have long wished for the return of their favorite titles and to introduce those books to a new generation of readers. The line publishes picture books for preschoolers through to chapter books and novels for older children. Praised for their elegant design and sturdy bindings, these books set a new standard for the definition of a "classic."

Among the 40 titles included in this collection you will find Wee Gillis, a Caldecott Honor Book by the creators of The Story of Ferdinand; Esther Averill's time-honored Jenny and the Cat Club series; The House of Arden by E. Nesbit, one of J.K. Rowling's favorite writers; several titles by the award-winning team of Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, including their Book of Norse Myths and Book of Animals; James Thurber's The Thirteen Clocks and The Wonderful O, both with illustrations by Marc Simont. Not to be missed is the classic animal adventure story Bel Ria by Sheila Burnford, the author of The Incredible Journey; Lucretia Hale's hilarious The Peterkin Papers; James Cloyd Bowman's Newbery Honor Book, Pecos Bill; and holiday favorites by John Masefield, The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights.

The New York Review Children's Collection brings time-tested children's and young adult literature to your bookshelf in sturdy, well-crafted hardback editions designed to last for generations. The covers feature a unified series design by award-winning designer Louise Fili and all interior materials are carefully selected to reflect the period of original publication. Each book has a three-piece, paper-over-board cover, cloth spine, and coordinating head- and foot-bands. All text is printed on acid-free paper stock and many titles include original endpapers, line art, and full-color illustrations.

This collection includes one each of the following titles:

Jenny and the Cat Club by Esther Averill

The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon

The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily by Dino Buzzati

The Island of Horses by Eilis Dillon

The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay

Mistress Masham's Repose by T.H. White

The Wind on the Moon by Eric Linklater

Carbonel: The King of the Cats by Barbara Sleigh

An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden

D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

Jenny Goes to Sea by Esther Averill

Jenny's Birthday Book by Esther Averill

The Bear and the People by Reiner Zimnik

Jenny's Moonlight Adventure by Esther Averill

The School for Cats by Esther Averill

Captains of the City Streets by Esther Averill

The Hotel Cat by Esther Averill

Wee Gillis by Munro Leaf, Illustrations by Robert Lawson

The House of Arden by E. Nesbit

The Lost Island by Eilis Dillon

D'Aulaires' Book of Trolls by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

The Peterkin Papers by Lucretia P. Hale

Bel Ria by Sheila Burnford

Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer

Pecos Bill by James Cloyd Bowman, Illustrations by Laura Bannon

D'Aulaires' Book of Animals by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

Uncle by J. P. Martin, Illustrations by Quentin Blake

The Backward Day by Ruth Krauss, Illustrations by Marc Simont

The Two Cars by Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

The Terrible Troll-Bird by Ingri d'Aulaire Edgar d'Aulaire

The Box of Delights by John Masefield

Foxie, The Singing Dog by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

Uncle Cleans Up by J. P. Martin

The 13 Clocks by James Thurber, Illustrations by Marc Simont

The Midnight Folk by John Masefield

Too Big by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

The Wonderful O by James Thurber, Illustrations by Marc Simont

The Mousewife by Rumer Godden, Illustrations by William Pene Du Bois

The Kingdom of Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh

Ounce Dice Trice by Alastair Reid, Illustrations by Ben Shahn

"The Wonderful O," published in 1957, is a tale for children, and a reminder for adults, of the joys of love, liberty, language and, not least, humor. It has pirates and treasure and magic and a message that especially in complacent times must not be forgotten.--"The Wall Street Journal." Illustrations.

The New York Review Children's Collection began in 2003 in an attempt to reward readers who have long wished for the return of their favorite titles and to introduce those books to a new generation of readers. The line publishes picture books for preschoolers through to chapter books and novels for older children. Praised for their elegant design and sturdy bindings, these books set a new standard for the definition of a "classic."

Among the 40 titles included in this collection you will find Wee Gillis, a Caldecott Honor Book by the creators of The Story of Ferdinand; Esther Averill's time-honored Jenny and the Cat Club series; The House of Arden by E. Nesbit, one of J.K. Rowling's favorite writers; several titles by the award-winning team of Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, including their Book of Norse Myths and Book of Animals; James Thurber's The Thirteen Clocks and The Wonderful O, both with illustrations by Marc Simont. Not to be missed is the classic animal adventure story Bel Ria by Sheila Burnford, the author of The Incredible Journey; Lucretia Hale's hilarious The Peterkin Papers; James Cloyd Bowman's Newbery Honor Book, Pecos Bill; and holiday favorites by John Masefield, The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights.

Black and Littlejack are bad men. Littlejack has a map that indicates the existence of a treasure on a far and lonely island. He needs a ship to get there. Black has a ship. So they team up and sail off on Blacks vessel, the Aeiu. “A weird uncanny name,” remarks Littlejack, “like a nightbird screaming.” Black explains that its all the vowels except for O. O he hates since his mother got wedged in a porthole. They couldnt pull her in so they had to push her out.

Black and Littlejack arrive at the port of the far and lonely island and demand the treasure. No one knows anything about it, so they have their henchmen ransack the place—to no avail. But Black has a better idea: he will take over the island and he will purge it of O.

The vicissitudes visited on the islanders by Black and Littlejack, the harsh limits of a life sans O (where shoe is she and woe is we), and how finally with a little luck and lots of pluck the islanders shake off their tyrannical interlopers and discover the true treasure for themselves (Oh yes—and get back their Os)—these are only some of the surprises that await readers of James Thurbers timelessly zany fairy tale about two louts who try to lock up the language—and lose. 

James Thurber (1894-1961) was one of the outstanding American humorists and cartoonists of the twentieth century. Thurber wrote nearly forty books: collections of essays, short stories, fables, and childrens stories, including The 13 Clocks, which is published in The New York Review Childrens Collection. His other books for children include: Many Moons (1943), a Caldecott Honor Book; The Great Quillow (1944); and The White Deer (1945).

Marc Simont has illustrated nearly a hundred books. He won a Caldecott Honor in 1950 for illustrating Ruth Krausss The Happy Day, and in 1957 he was awarded the Caldecott Medal for his pictures in A Tree Is Nice by Janice May Udry. He is the illustrator for The New York Review Childrens Collection books The Backward Day and The 13 Clocks. He lives with his family in West Cornwall, Connecticut.