The Thirteenth Child
Erin A. Craig

This is a fairy tale for young adults (and people like me who sometimes love YA novels.) A poor huntsman is distraught when he learns his wife is expecting their thirteenth child, because he doesn’t know how to feed yet another dependent. But thirteenth children are special; capable of manifesting gifts usually beyond the abilities of mortals. Three different gods offer to take the baby. The one whose offer is finally accepted is the Dreaded End, God of Death. However, he neglects to come for Hazel for years, and her family is neglectful, making her sleep in the barn and depriving her of the level of food and care the other children receive. But when he finally comes for her… enchantment ensues. 

The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh
A.A. Milne, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard

Pooh is almost 100 years old: the books are now in public domain. We all remember Pooh from our childhoods, but the value of these books is far beyond nostalgia. The words are magic: clever enough to be enjoyed by adults (my father once told me about hearing college musicians circa 1938 reading Pooh’s adventures aloud and laughing together), but with universality that resonates with children still today. I believe that every kid’s book shelf should have at least one Pooh book. 

There are literally dozens of Winnie-the-Pooh books in our online shop.  The one I chose here is a special edition that highlights the beautiful illustrations by Ernest Shepard. For me, illustrations are just as important as stories when it comes to children’s literature.

The Book With No Pictures
B.J. Novak

Speaking of beautifully illustrated children’s books, here’s a “picture book” with no pictures at all! Well, the way the texts are designed is quite graphic… but the joy of this for kids is that it makes their adults read and say all sorts of crazy things. When I first looked through it, I couldn’t stop grinning at the thought. 

Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are and other classics, said that the words in his incredibly illustrated books are more important than the drawings. I wonder what he would make of this outrageous book? With pages like these:

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