This delightful storybook by the incomparable d'Aulaires, based on a poem by Hans Christian Andersen, will charm a whole new generation of little readers Don't count your chickens before they hatch, as the saying goes-but what about counting your eggs?! A woman with a good little house, a cat and a dog, and a fine hen who lays an egg every day (and even with a rooster who crows as if he'd laid the egg) sets off for town with a basket of fresh eggs. How much will she get for them? the woman wonders. Soon she is dreaming and scheming and beaming, counting the eggs and the coins they will fetch . . . and the hens the money will buy . . . and the eggs the new hens will lay! What bounty those eggs will bring her! She will buy two geese and a little lamb, which will give her wool . . . why not? Wait and see what happens in this playful take on a beloved Hans Christian Andersen poem. A true classic, Don't Count Your Chicks brings a timeless story to vivid life with all the old-world charm, humor, and brilliant colors that have made so many of the d'Aulaires' children's books perennial favorites.

A loving tale of a boy who dreams of becoming a cowboy while also embracing his Norwegian heritage Nils is a lanky American boy who dreams of becoming a cowboy. One day a package arrives from his grandmother in Norway: she has sent him a pair of stockings she knit herself. Nils is excited to wear his stockings to school-only to be teased by the other children and embarrassed by his new gift. He later gets the last laugh one snowy day when the other boys at school shiver in the cold while he is warm, wearing his lovely stockings. Beautifully illustrated, Nils depicts the landscapes near their New England home that inspired the authors and gently encourages first-generation immigrants to celebrate their family heritage and unique traditions.

"For any child fortunate enough to have this  generous book...the kings and heroes of ancient  legend will remain forever matter-of-fact; the  pictures interpret the text literally and are full of  detail and witty observation."--Horn  Book.

"The drawings...are excellent  and excitingly evocative."--The New  York Times.


From the Hardcover edition.

"For any child fortunate enough to have this  generous book...the kings and heroes of ancient  legend will remain forever matter-of-fact; the  pictures interpret the text literally and are full of  detail and witty observation."--Horn  Book.

"The drawings...are excellent  and excitingly evocative."--The New  York Times.

Considered one of the finest works of Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Leif the Lucky will delight both children and adults with the story of Leif, son of Erik the Red, who sailed with his father and a Viking crew to Greenland and then farther west to the continent of America. In this charming and lavishly illustrated edition, Leif is a sturdy, adventurous Viking boy who crosses uncharted seas to arrive at "a beautiful land with forests of strange trees growing all the way down to the shores." Leif wrestles with polar bear cubs, watches the fierce Norse gods race in the glow of the Northern Lights, and becomes a strong and courageous hunter. Written in the spirit of the ancient sagas and rich in color and detail, Leif the Lucky is a fascinating biography of the young Viking explorer.

Ola is the enchanting story of a dauntless Norwegian boy who goes skiing one day and has many unusual adventures before returning home. He meets new friends, joins a merry wedding party, encounters a howling dragon, and learns bits of folklore from fishermen in the far north while pulling codfish from the icy waters. This delightfully illustrated book is at once a true glimpse of life as it once was in Norway and a tribute to Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire's zest for living.