Due on bookstore shelves this season are new editions of books that have been entertaining children for decades, many of which commemorate anniversaries. We offer a sampling—and best wishes to all!
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, HMH Books has created a gift set that packages a new edition of this book with a golden shoes charm. Written by Du Bose Heyward and illustrated by Marjorie Flack, this is the story of a mother bunny who dreams of being one of the official Easter Bunnies, but must first prove herself to Grandfather Bunny. HMH reports that the book continues to be a top seller for the company every Easter.
First published more than 60 years ago, Madeleine L'Engle's And Both Were Young is being reissued in hardcover by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in May. The author's granddaughter, Léna Roy, contributes an introduction to the new edition of this 1949 novel, in which a girl at a Swiss boarding school helps her new friend discover the truth about a mystery in his past.
A half-century ago, Janet Charters and Michael Foreman collaborated on The General, the story of a ruthless military leader who has an awakening when he falls off his horse and vows to change the world around him by embracing peace. Candlewick is publishing a 50th-anniversary edition of the book, which marked three-time Kate Greenaway Medal—winner Foreman's publishing debut.
One Knopf spring release calls for a double celebration. A new edition of Caldecott Honor book Inch by Inch commemorates the 50th anniversary of its publication and the 100th anniversary of creator Leo Lionni's birth. One of the author's four Caldecott Honor books, this tells of a clever inchworm who relies on his skills when a nightingale demands he measure its song. Random House's Dragonfly Books, which publishes 16 Lionni titles in paperback, has a marketing campaign planned to celebrate his centennial.
Mordicai Gerstein, who won the Caldecott Medal for The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, published his first picture book—Arnold of the Ducks—25 years ago. Roaring Brook is marking the occasion with a new edition of this title, about a boy who lives with a duck clan before being reunited with his human family.
And Random House is touting the 20th anniversary of Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go! with a new pop-up edition featuring paper engineering by David A. Carter. Also due is a party edition of the book with an embossed jacket printed on foil. The celebration continues with Dr. Seuss's Oh, Baby! Go, Baby! an interactive board book illustrated by Jan Gerardi, which delivers the original volume's inspiring message to toddlers. The publisher's marketing campaign for the above titles includes retail floor displays featuring—fittingly—giveaway luggage tags.
