Books published by publisher D.R. Godine

The religious sect known as Shakers, who at their height (ca. 1825) probably only numbered around 4000, has always exerted a profound influence on the American imagination. Perhaps it was their simplicity, or their celibacy, or their strict rules for communal living, but while other utopian communities have long since been forgotten, the Shakers live on. Founded by Mother Ann Lee in the eighteenth century, they soon had active communities throughout the Midwest and as far south as Kentucky. Dedicated to serving God, they lived simple, agrarian lives in harmony with the changing seasons, content with what they could provide with their own hands and labor. Although living communities have all but disappeared, their influence survives - in everything from the clothes pin to the seed packet.Their spare motto, "Hands to Work, Hearts to God" is repeated like a mantra in the charming rhymed text by Ann Turner. Coupled with the chaste, sensitive, almost elegiac paintings by artist Wendell Minor, this lovely paperback reprint of the hardcover original brings back the virtues of hard work, simple needs, rural living, and an admirable religious order we would do well to contemplate.

Wilhelm Hauff was a story-teller in the great European mythic tradition. His short stories, peopled with a vivid assortment of dwarves, evil witches, enchanted swans, and devious princes, owe a clear debt to the Brothers Grimm. But rather than rehashing old tales, Hauff created a realm far more exotic than the Grimms' Black Forest, a place where the morals are less than clear-cut and where characters must rely on wits as much as magic spells to solve their predicaments. One collection (probably his best known volume), Little Mook, provides the two tales for our new Pocket Paragon: "The History of Little Mook" and "Dwarf Longnose.""Little Mook" features a gnomish, innocent orphan whose parents never thought he would amount to much and refused him even the most basic education. Friendless and alone, the naïve Little Mook is stripped of his inheritance and cast out into a hostile world. Blessed with an enterprising nature and outfitted with a pair of magic slippers, he still manages to outwit a cabal of treacherous courtiers and make his fortune."Dwarf Longnose" stars a clever little boy enslaved by a cruel witch's curse. Freed from servitude but transformed into a hideous dwarf with a huge proboscis, he returns to parents who no longer recognize him. Luckily his culinary skills put him in good standing with the local Duke, and his good nature and generous heart restore him (with a little help from some magic herbs and an enchanted goose) to his family.Both stories are decorated with the glowing, gemlike tempera paintings of Boris Pak, a Russian artist whose ornate, whimsical style perfectly captures the romance and humor of these two extraordinary fables. His paintings, smuggled out of Communist Russia, are the first of his works to be published in the U.S. and they're reproduced here in glorious color.

Lucy Wells likes planning ahead. In her quaint New England town the leaves have just begun to change, but Lucy is already thinking of Christmas. She begins to make presents for her family: a pincushion for Mother, a doll for her sister, and a pen-wiper for her best friend. For the whole family, her parents have ordered a new modern range stove. The days grow colder and shorter, the snow grows deeper, and everyone grows more excited. Finally, the day arrives! Lucy and her family travel to the South Danbury Church to exchange gifts, sing carols with the whole town, and perform in the Christmas pageant.Set at the turn of the twentieth century, richly illustrated with colored engravings by Michael McCurdy, the masterful Hall has painted a scene of a classic New England Christmas, based on the childhood stories of his own mother.

What's a penguin to do living at the South Pole, all dressed up and with no place to go? What good is that natty tuxedo if there's no occasion to wear it? Well, these are no dumb penguins. They invite, for their amusement, the Opera Ship from Old Vienna, and who are its illustrious passengers? Well, (you guessed it) none other than the three tenors, performing that south Pole favorite to boot, La Traviata, starring José Carreras as Alfredo, Placido Domingo as the disapproving father, and Luciano Pavarotti playing the role of the sweet and tender Violetta. Some lucky penguins!This is (honestly) a remarkable book. The story is written entirely in rhymed couplets, and who can resist verses that run: All penguins, as I said, wear tails(or evening dress), not just the males.You're puzzled by this craze for fashionAnd ask the reason for their passion;Why do they love to be such smarties?Is it because they like posh parties?And the artwork is detailed and droll, perfectly catching the whimsical spirit of the text. Opera lovers, penguin lovers, or just plain lovers, will all fall for this bijou from the frozen Pole.

Of all of Longfellow's beloved poems (and there are many) none is so personal, so sunny, or so touching as this affectionate love letter to his three daughters, "grave Alice, and laughing Allegra, and Edith with the golden hair."Longfellow's happiest hours were spent writing on a cluttered desk by the south window of his beloved Craigie House, an imposing mansion still preserved on Cambridge's famous Brattle Street. It was here that most of the action takes place (except for his literary reference, and brief excursion, to the "Mouse-Tower on the Rhine"), here that his daughters come creeping down the stairs to beard the gentle, genial poet in his lair.Lang's luminous illustrations perfectly capture the happy atmosphere of that house, the author's affections for his daughters, and the painterly quality of his verse. This book for young readers presents one of the sweetest poems in the English language, her newly illustrated, beautifully presented, and now available to a new generation of readers.

In his snazzy plaid coat and dandyish bowler hat, Mr. Bing may seem every bit the playboy, but his sharp haberdashery conceals a shrewd head for business and a fine ear for, well, noises. Not just any noises, mind you, but the sort of noises people want to hear again and again.One day in the forest, Mr. Bing stumbles upon a million-dollar idea: there are certain noises that, if one could package them attractively, people might want to own. On this modest yet startling premise, he opens a workshop to build and sell his new inventions: part sculpture, part musical instrument, Mr. Bing's wholly original devices make exotic, unexpected, and delightful noises. A few skeptics may scoff, but these remarkable inventions are a ready hit with the public. An impresario arrives with an offer to set up an exhibition in Tokyo.Yet just as Mr. Bing should be reaping the rewards of his success, things start to go awry. An angry customer arrives, defective noise in hand (clearly a counterfeit), demanding a refund. And there's the matter of the missing Trooloooooloo that keeps him awake at night. . .This light-hearted book, the first collaboration between author Anna Rozen and illustrator François Avril, is a whimsical tale of ingenuity, industry, horse-sense - and a little impromptu detective work.

FIRST TIME IN PAPERBACKWhat could be more unlikely than this tale of two unmarried sisters from a German-Jewish family in Baltimore amassing one of the major collections of modern art in America? But Etta and Claribel Cone saw the potential of young artists like Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso when few people in America even knew they existed. Etta fell in love with art on her first trip to Italy under the encouragement of Leo Stein, a family friend from Baltimore. During their travels, the sisters began amassing Japanese prints, antiques, and textiles. Buying without professional counsel, trusting their eyes and instincts, they soon were concentrating on the avant garde, befriending and supporting artists, and building one of the foremost collections of Matisse's work in the world. In this touching story, fully illustrated with the work they collected-Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne, Gauguin-we can trace the contours of their lives, made more vivid by the colorful paintings of the author, created especially for this book to display the world of the Cone sisters, active participants in the decades that changed art forever. More than just the fascinating story of two sisters from Baltimore who amassed a remarkable collection of artwork by Matisse and his contemporaries, this is also the story of Matisse, Picasso, and Gertrude and Leo Stein, all of whom figure prominently. Fillion, who teaches drawing at the Baltimore Museum of Art (where the Cone sisters' collection can be seen today), contributes paintings in the style of Matisse to illustrate the major players, their encounters, and travels. The sisters' personalities and passions come through vividly in Fillion's prose, while many captioned reproductions of paintings and drawings (from the Cone collection and elsewhere) both inform and point to the excitement of the art world in the early 20th century. As Claribel Cone put it, 'I took beauty where I found it. - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review An affectionate, lively examination of the reciprocal relationship between a great artist and two great art lovers. . . . Fillion sketches her characters neatly and swiftly, following the women over the next decades as they amassed what became one of the most significant American collections of modern European art. Though this is not a beginner's text, she folds in economical explanations of early-20th-century European art, cogently contextualizing Matisse and his contemporaries. Their account is lavishly illustrated in full color by reproductions from the Cone Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art and Matisse-inflected paintings by the author, who drew extensively on the Cone archive that is also housed at the museum. . . . This appealing work stands as both a portrait of two unconventional women and a celebration of the possibilities of arts patronage. - Kirkus Reviews Two elderly art collectors in Baltimore wouldn't seem like an obvious choice for a YA information book, but Fillion has crafted this unlikely story into an engaging if leisurely saga that should appeal to art lovers and late bloomers. . . . The book has been given four-star treatment by the publisher with thick, glossy paper and is illustrated with reproductions (including portraits of the Cones and the Steins) and original illustrations by the author that are strong enough to work side-by-side with those of Picasso and Matisse. - Horn Book Magazine Miss Etta and Dr. Claribel: Bringing Matisse to America is an amazing story of two daring Jewish women who traveled to Europe and abroad from Baltimore and eventually collected some of the most seminal pieces of early modern art by such famous artists as Matisse, Picasso, and other famous artists of the turn of the century. Many reproductions of the Cone sisters' fabulous art collection are included, as well as won