Books in The Iona and Peter Opie Library of Children's Literature series

We all know the story: Three bind mice... See how they run. They all ran after the farmer's wife who cut off their tails with a carving knife... Now, in this tidy little book, first published over a hundred years ago, are all the gruesome and surprising details. The mice have names--Frisky, Graysey, and Longtail. And they are "very dutiful and loving little mice who seldom did anything very naughty to make their mother scold them." But Mrs. Grumpy will leave out mince pies and slabs of cheese, and that's too tempting for even the best of little mice. Their exploits become bolder and bolder, yet they escape cat and kittens with ease. They'd probably still be at it but for a large basin of vinegar and the terrible carving knife of Mrs. Grumpy. This version of the familiar story is happily graced with illustrations by Winslow Homer, one of the greatest 19th century painters. These little treasures, originally published with the text as part of the Good Child's Library in 1858, have been lost to the world for many years. Their rediscovery and the publication of this new edition by Oxford brings them to a contemporary audience as exceptional examples of Homer's skill as an illustrator. In his introduction, Maurice Sendak writes of his long-time interest in Homer and how he has fallen in love with this story that "literally gets away with murder." The afterword by Joseph W. Reed discusses Homer's work and the significance of these illustrations. But the pictures themselves are the true stars here. In every aspect, this small book--almost forgotten--is a gem for children and adults, and a significant addition to Winslow Homer's body of work.

Black Misery was first published in 1969, but the gentle, funny, and sometimes melancholy words of Langston Hughes still cause a blink of recognition. After 25 years, it remains relevant in our own time. As you turn the pages you may say, "I remember feeling like that!" You may say, "I feel like that now." As you look at Arouni's black and white illustrations and read the short but powerful one sentence captions, you feel the predicament of a black child adjusting to the new world of integration of the 1960s. You feel the mix of hope and dismay that characterized the decade. Langston Hughes was a writer who often made his readers ask hard questions about life. In Black Misery he wrote about prejudice and indifference, but he wrote with humor and compassion. Today--just as we did 25 years ago-we smile and even laugh, and we also understand that some things are more than hard, are more than sad. They are pure misery. Black Misery was the last book that Langston Hughes wrote. He died in May 1967, while working on the manuscript.

Rhythm is something we share in common, you and I, with all the plants and animals and people in the world, and with the stars and moon and sun, and all the whole vast wonderful universe beyond this wonderful earth which is our home." In this beautifully designed book, Langston Hughes shares an appreciation of the rhythms of life--from visual patterns that catch the eye to rhythms in nature like the beating of a human heart, the pulse of the ocean, and the turning of the planets. With the keen eye of an artist and the perception of a poet, Hughes finds the seeds of rhythm in the slow flowing of the Mississippi River, the even slap-slap-slap of a jump rope, the swoop of a swing, and the steadiness of Grandma's rocking. He relishes the rhythms of nature in the opening of a many petaled rose or the intricacy of a snowflake. He calls up images and offers examples even the youngest reader will understand--clapping the rhythm of a favorite song, scrutinizing the lines and wrinkles of our hands, even examining the dining room chairs for "charming and graceful rhythms." Originally published in 1954, this new edition offers original illustrations, an introduction by musician Wynton Marsalis, and an afterword by Hughes scholar Robert G. O'Meally. Read it aloud to the youngest children as they become aware of the diversity of the world. Older children will delight in the varied and offbeat exercises and examples, and all ages will be touched by Hughes's zest for rhythm and for life itself.

This collaboration between Harlem Renaissance writers Arna Bontemps and Langston Hughes is an early African-Aamerican classic and a milestone in the history of literature for children. In this novel for young people, Popo and Fifina leave their home in the hills of Haiti to move with their parents to a town by the sea. The next few months are full of adventures--adjusting to a new home, a trip back to the hills for a visit, Popo's work as a carpenter's apprentice, the children's fun with a wondrous kits made by their father, and even a trip to the lighthouse at the end of the island and an amazing tropical storm. When Popo and Fifina was first published in 1932, it was greeted with universal approval. The New York Times praised its "simple home-like atmosphere" and suggested that all children's books "should be written by poets." It has been a favorite among children, parents, and teachers for more than two decades, and now this new edition introduces its magic to a new generation.

Black Misery was first published in 1969, but the gentle, funny, and sometimes melancholy words of Langston Hughes still cause a blink of recognition. After 25 years, it remains relevant in our own time. As you turn the pages you may say, "I remember feeling like that!" You may say, "I feel like that now." As you look at Arouni's black and white illustrations and read the short but powerful one sentence captions, you feel the predicament of a black child adjusting to the new world of integration of the 1960s. You feel the mix of hope and dismay that characterized the decade. Langston Hughes was a writer who often made his readers ask hard questions about life. In Black Misery he wrote about prejudice and indifference, but he wrote with humor and compassion. Today--just as we did 25 years ago-we smile and even laugh, and we also understand that some things are more than hard, are more than sad. They are pure misery. Black Misery was the last book that Langston Hughes wrote. He died in May 1967, while working on the manuscript.

At the heart of any great work of literature is a story. William Shakespeare's plays are no exception. They tell the stories of kings and queens, of ghosts and witches, of romance and passion. But to get to the stories at the heart of the Bard's plays, the reader must first work through Shakespeare's language, a task often too demanding for younger readers (and for many adults). This new paperback edition brings ten of Shakespeare's greatest plays to life. E. Nesbit, the classic British children's author, shakes off the burdensome complexity of Shakespeare's language and tells the stories at the core of the plays with a generous sprinkle of wit and humor. Her graceful, vivid retellings, written in highly accessible and lucid prose, are the perfect introduction to Shakespeare's work.All of these major works are included in this anthology: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, As You Like It, The Winter's Tale, and Twelfth Night. The text is illustrated with dramatic black-and-white photographs from contemporary productions of the plays by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Stratford Festival (Ontario, Canada), and the Folger Library's Shakespeare Theater. Also included is an afterword by Peter Hunt, a leading scholar of children's literature. These retellings of the classic tales of one of the world's greatest playwrights remind us that it is never too early for Shakespeare.

In January 1920 a new monthly magazine was born, created especially for young people the editors called "the Children of the Sun." W.E.B. Du Bois, a professor and writer who was one of the founders of the NAACP, was publisher and editor. Augustus Granville Dill, a former professor of social sciences at Atlanta University, was the business manager. Jessie Redmon Fauset, author and mentor to other African-American writers, was the literary editor. Their magazine was The Brownies' Book and its readers were the African-American young people of the 1920s. Few children's magazines, movies, school books, or picture books in the 1920s portrayed black people at all, or if they did it was only in minor and unimportant positions. The Brownies' Book gave African-American children an opportunity to see that the history and achievements of black people in America were essential and worth knowing about. The magazine was interesting and fun, with stories, poetry, biographies of famous black Americans, reports on international cultures, articles about the accomplishments of young people from all over the country, and photographs and beautiful artwork created by African-American artists. This anthology of selections from the 24 issues of The Brownies' Book is as important and entertaining for today's young people as it was 75 years ago. There are wonderful stories and poems by people such as Langston Hughes, who was a teenage contributor, Nella Larsen Imes, and other writers and artists who addressed the intellects and spirits of African-American children and young adults. There are selections from "The Judge," a column written by Jessie Fauset that addressed all sorts of issues--parents, good behavior, friends, school work, and much more, and another column called "The Jury" that featured letters from young readers. There's even "The Grown-Ups' Corner" with letters and comments from parents. And young people and adults alike will be charmed and fascinated by the facsimile of the April 1921 issue that is included at the close of the book. These lively and entertaining pieces paint a vivid picture of what life was like for young African Americans in the early 20th century, and address issues that are still important to children of all races today. The Brownies' Book was created especially for African-American children, but the editors wanted it "to teach Universal Love and Brotherhood for all little folk--black and brown and yellow and white." Isn't that what we want for our children today?

It is hard to believe that this small treasure was almost lost to the English-speaking world. First published in the French magazine Figaro illustre in 1893 and reprinted in Verne's posthumous 1910 anthology Hier et demain, it has never before been published in any form in English or separately in book form in any language! This beautiful new edition brings the magic of Jules Verne to English-speaking children of all ages The name Jules Verne conjures up many images--a trip around the world in 80 days and journeys to the moon, to the center of the earth, and 20,000 leagues under the sea. We think of him as an optimistic prophet of the 20th century. What a pleasant surprise to discover that Verne could also turn his fanciful and fertile imagination to pure fantasy and fairy tale. Adventures of the Rat Family is a droll story, full of action and surprises, with a cast of characters guaranteed to enchant and amuse. The adventure takes place "in the age of fairies and magicians, and also during the time that animals talked." The whole family of rats has been magically transformed by the evil magician Gardafour and is now languishing as a family of oysters. Can Ratine, our hero, wait for Ratine, his beloved, until she is transformed to her true form once again? Can he, with the help of the fairy Firmenta, outfox Gardafour and the evil Prince Kissador, who scheme to keep the beautiful Ratine locked away forever? Verne's tale is exciting and spellbinding for young readers, and older children and adults will enjoy his clever and biting satire on the social mores of his day. Original color illustrations by Felician Myrbach-Rheinfeld are beautiful, evocative, and very amusing. This lost gem of children's literature will fast become a classic among children, their parents, and teachers.

Here are the stories of King Midas, Pandora, Medusa, Hercules, and the other inhabitants of Mount Olympus told by one of America's greatest writers. Written in 1851 as a money-maker for the struggling Hawthorne, A Wonder Book has become a favorite for generations of children everywhere. Hawthorne's mastery of adventure and his command of narrative and character open a child's mind to the wondrous landscapes of ancient mythology in stories such as "The Gorgon's Head" and "The Three Golden Apples." Oxford has created a beautiful and memorable edition of this classic children's text with illustrations by famed book artist Walter Crane, whose full-color plates and decorative art originally accompanied the text in the late 1800s. An introduction by Ola d'Aulaire, son of the creators of D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, sets the stage for the young reader, and an afterword for adults by Hawthorne scholar Joel Pfister places A Wonder Book in Hawthorne's body of work and in historical context, conveying the strength of its romantic imagination in the face of the encroaching Industrial Revolution. Adults and collectors will find this major new edition a treasure and their children will happily enter a world of magic and imagination, led by one of the greatest American storytellers.

Rhythm is something we share in common, you and I, with all the plants and animals and people in the world, and with the stars and moon and sun, and all the whole vast wonderful universe beyond this wonderful earth which is our home." In this beautifully designed book, Langston Hughes shares an appreciation of the rhythms of life--from visual patterns that catch the eye to rhythms in nature like the beating of a human heart, the pulse of the ocean, and the turning of the planets. With the keen eye of an artist and the perception of a poet, Hughes finds the seeds of rhythm in the slow flowing of the Mississippi River, the even slap-slap-slap of a jump rope, the swoop of a swing, and the steadiness of Grandma's rocking. He relishes the rhythms of nature in the opening of a many petaled rose or the intricacy of a snowflake. He calls up images and offers examples even the youngest reader will understand--clapping the rhythm of a favorite song, scrutinizing the lines and wrinkles of our hands, even examining the dining room chairs for "charming and graceful rhythms." Originally published in 1954, this new edition offers original illustrations, an introduction by musician Wynton Marsalis, and an afterword by Hughes scholar Robert G. O'Meally. Read it aloud to the youngest children as they become aware of the diversity of the world. Older children will delight in the varied and offbeat exercises and examples, and all ages will be touched by Hughes's zest for rhythm and for life itself.

Newt Newt, newt What can you be? Just A salamander, child. That's me! In 26 never-before-published short and wonderfully clever poems, Langston Hughes takes children through both the alphabet and the animal world. From Ape to Zebra--with bees, camels, fish, and even a unicorn in between--he paints a picture of each animal with just a few simple, but telling, words. Hughes also knows what makes children giggle: What use Is a goose Except to quackle? If a goose Can't quackle She's out of whackle. The publication of a new manuscript by Langston Hughes is an important event in American literature. But when you add the fanciful three-dimensional animals built especially for this book by first and second graders from the Harlem School of the Arts, an introduction for children by entertainer and humanitarian Ben Vereen, and an afterword for older children and adults that delves into the work Hughes did for and with children, you have an instant classic. Oxford is proud to bring this new Hughes manuscript to life, and to share with children and adults alike the exhuberant, wise, and funny world of animals as seen by an American literary genius.