Once there was a tree that stood in a field away from the other trees.

It longed to be part of the forest--or part of anything at all. After many lonely years, its dream came true. And the little fir tree's life changed forever!

They put golden tinsel on his branches
And golden bells
And green icicles
And silver stars.
And soon--o shining wonder--the little fir tree was . . .
A Christmas tree

Celebrate the true spirit of Christmas with heartwarming text by the author of "Goodnight Moon" and exquisite, glowing paintings by award-winning artist Jim LaMarche.

This gorgeous picture book celebrates the wonders of summer adventures, imagination, and the natural world.

Nicky is convinced that his summer with his grandmother in the Wisconsin woods is going to be the worst summer ever. She cooks food that he doesn’t like, there’s an art studio where her living room should be, and he’s expected to do chores—including fishing, the most boring chore ever.

But one afternoon, while Nicky is trying to catch their dinner, a raft drifts down the river towards him. The raft has a calming magic about it, affecting both Nicky and the wildlife of the river and woods. Through the raft and the adventures it brings him on, Nicky finds new common ground with his grandmother, a fellow river rat, who encourages him to explore his newfound talent for art.

This is an imagination-sparking story about appreciating the simple, natural joys of the world and the people in it, and about discovering and exploring one’s own talents. School Library Journal proclaimed, “This dazzling picture book is an artistic triumph.” The author’s note describes the similarities between Jim LaMarche's own life and the life of his protagonist.

Witness the changing of a season through a watchful child's eyes in this story of nature and discovery from award-winning author Tony Johnston and "New York Times "Best Illustrated artist Jim La Marche.
Day after day, a girl goes to her favorite place in the woods and quietly watches from her tree house as the chipmunks, the doe, the rabbits prepare for the winter. As the temperature drops, sunset comes earlier and a new season begins. Silently she observes the world around her as it reveals its secrets. It takes time and patience to see the changes as, slowly but surely, winter comes.

The morning begins like any other. Albert reaches out the window to check the weather, but from the moment a twig lands in the palm of his hand, life is never the same. A "Los Angeles Times" Best Book of the Year. Full color.

When a young bear finds a scrap of an old letter, he is so curious about the mysterious marks that he searches out their source--a cabin in the woods. There he meets a young woman and is mesmerized by the sound of her voice. Though he cannot understand her words, he returns every day to hear the woman's stories of sailors, goddesses, and far-off lands. Dennis Haseley's magical fantasy and Jim LaMarche's luminous illustrations together celebrate the joy of reading.

A flock of birds was moving toward me along the river, hovering over something floating on the water. It drifteddownstream, closer and closer, until finally it bumped up against the dock. Though it was covered with leaves and branches, now I could tell that it was a raft. I reached down and pushed some of the leaves aside. Beneath them was a drawing of a rabbit. It looked like those ancient cave paintings I'd seen in books--just outlines, but wild and fast and free.

Nicky isn't one bit happy about spending the summer with his grandma in the Wisconsin woods, but them the raft appears and changes everything. As Nicky explores, the raft works a subtle magic, opening up the wonders all around him--the animals of river and woods, his grandmother's humor and wisdom, and his own special talent as an artist.

"Best Books 2000 (School Library Journal)" and Children's Books 2000-NY Public Lib.