Synopses & Reviews
'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'
Synopsis
The Midnight Folk introduces readers to Kay Harker, the orphaned boy who is also the hero of John Masefields classic Christmas fantasy,
The Box of Delights. Kay lives in a vast old country house, and is looked after by an unpleasant duo: the oily and egregious Sir Theopompous and the petulant and punitive Sylvia Daisy Pouncer. In her zeal to educate Kay on the finer points of Latin grammar, Sylvia Daisy has even taken away all of Kays toys. Life seems very dull, until out of an old family portrait steps Kays great-grandfather, a sea captain, who, if legend is to be believed, made off with a fabulous treasure.
Soon Kay is engaged in a thrilling quest that begins each night as the clock strikes twelve, taking him into the enchanted and dangerous world of the Midnight Folk: pirates, highwaymen, talking animals, and a gang of witches led by none other than Sylvia Daisy (in cahoots, as in The Box of Delights, with the arch-villain Abner Brown). In the end, it is that ragtag team of old toys that rallies to support Kay and save the day.
A book to set beside C.S. Lewiss Narnia tales and Joan Aikens Wolves of Willoughby Chase—not to mention the Harry Potter series—The Midnight Folk is a wonderful and enthralling contribution to the great English tradition of childrens literature, beloved by adults and children alike.
Synopsis
In this follow-up to Masefield's classic Christmas fantasy "The Box of Delights," talking paintings and animals help the orphaned Kay Harker in his attempt to outwit the witches and locate his great-grandfather's buried treasure. Illustrations.
Synopsis
'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.'
About the Author
John Masefield (1878-1967) was born in Herefordshire, England. After being orphaned at an early age, he was sent to sea aboard the school-ship HMS
Conway in preparation for a naval career. Masefields apprenticeship was disastrous—he was classified as a Distressed British Seaman after a voyage around Cape Horn—and he soon left the ship. Arrangements were then made for him to join another ship in New York. But Masefield had other plans: he deserted ship vowing “to be a writer, come what might.”
At seventeen Masefield was living as a vagrant in America. He found work as a bar hand but eventually secured employment at a carpet factory. Thinking that journalism might allow him to write for a living, Masefield returned to England in 1897.
Masefields first volume of oetry, Salt-Water Ballads, was published in 1902, however, it was not until the publication of The Everlasting Mercy in 1911 that he made his mark on the literary scene. The success of his second book was followed by the publication of several long narrative poems, including Dauber (1914) and Reynard the Fox (1919).
With the outbreak of the war, Masefield became an orderly at a hospital in France. He also took charge of a motorboat ambulance service at Gallipoli in 1915. After the Allied failure there, Masefield visited America and undertook a series of lectures in support of the war effort. IN 1930 he was appointed Poet Laureate, and five years later the much-loved Masefield was awarded the Order of Merit. He died on May 12, 1967, and his ashes were interred in Poets Corner, Westminster Abbey.
The two Kay Harker books, The Midnight Folk (1927) and The Box of Delights (1935), are Masefields lasting contribution to childrens fantasy literature. The Box of Delights is now an established Christmas favourite and as much a part of the season as Dickenss A Christmas Carol.
Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007) was an American writer best known for her Young Adult fiction, particularly the Newbery Medal-winning A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time.