By Iona Opie
Illustrated by Rosemary Wells

From the far reaches of shared memory come these charming nursery rhymes, mysterious tidbits of lore brought to life by two of the most beloved Mother Goose treasurers, folklorist Iona Opie and illustrator Rosemary Wells.

Here are little-known characters we may never have met - the wee melodie man and Handy Spandy, Mrs. Whirly, and little bonny Button-cap. Yet somehow they seem familiar friends, making us laugh and marvel, and proving that ancient nonsense is as irresistible as it is timeless.

By Rosemary Wells
Illustrated by Brian Selznick

Once upon a time in America, half the people lost every dime they had. Then the droughts of the Dust Bowl hit as hard a prairie tornado. Reuben, just finishing second grade in Ambler, Oklahoma, has just grown up knowing the peacefulness of small-town life. Suddenly the secure life he's loved has vanished, and Reuben needs a full measure of love and courage to get by.

Rosemary Wells waltzes us through the stubbly cornfields of a lost America - a land of small farms, distant radio music, and county fairs, where men and women of great faith danced on the wings of planes for a few dollars. Brian Selznick's sensitive, masterful paintings capture the majesty and grace of that time gone by.