Gizmo's Reading Nook

Three barks or better.

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf; drawings by Robert Lawson
first published 1936 by Penguin Group

Ferdinand the bull is not a fighter; Ferdinand loves to sit under a tree and smell the flowers. Through a twist of fate, Ferdinand travels to Madrid to fight in the bullring, where his true nature wins.

Some say that Munro Leaf wrote the story as an opportunity for his friend, Mr. Lawson, who then made the pen-and-ink drawings.

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne; decorations by E.H. Shepard
first published 1926 by Methuen Publishing Ltd in England
& by E.P. Dutton in the United States

This is the story of the original Pooh Bear with the authentic pen-and-ink illustrations, before Pooh went to Disneyland. The first volume of the Pooh books tells the stories of Eeyore’s Birthday and how Piglet tracks a Heffalump.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster; illustrations by Jules Feiffer
first published 1961 by Epstein and Carroll

Love your words and eat them, too. Travel with Milo into the lands of language,
where your faithful companion will be Tick-Tock, the WatchDog.

Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik; illustrations by Maurice Sendak
first published 1957 by Harper as its first I Can Read title

Little Bear has great adventures – flying to the moon, making birthday soup, and wishing for the impossible. Yet, whenever he needs her, Little Bear’s mother is always there. This book is as inspiring and comforting as homemade apple pie.

Millions of Cats written & illustrated by Wanda Gág
first published 1928 by Coward-McCann

This is the oldest American picture book still in print and the grandmother of all children’s picture books. Strong pen-and-ink drawings merge with the hand-lettered text to make a vivid folkways quilt of a story. The tale has a delightfully rhythmic refrain for reading aloud.

My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett; illustrations by Ruth Chrisman Gannett
first published 1948 by Knopf

In this tale, the author’s father runs away to rescue a baby dragon. Their adventures feature lions, crocodiles and dozens of lollipops in a series of narrow escapes. A beautiful collaboration: the grease crayon drawings are by the author’s stepmother.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Pop-Up Book by Eric Carle
first published 1969 by World Publishing Company

Lovely, humorous illustrations and a wonderful narrative about a hungry caterpillar
growing up to be a beautiful butterfly.

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