Vivian Frence, Author, Vivian French, Author, Selina Young, Author Orion Children's Books $6.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-84255-055-7
Originally released in the U.S. as a tiny paperback, Ladybird, Ladybird by Vivian French, illus. by Selina Young, returns in hardcover. After making breakfast for her five little ladybugs, Mrs. Ladybird rushes out to market, forgetting her purse....
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Vivian French, Author, Jane Chapman, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $5.99 (22p) ISBN 978-0-7636-2202-2
Also new to board book, the 1998 The Story of Christmas by Vivian French, illus. by Jane Chapman, provides a peppy prose version of the Nativity, with bright, child-friendly art.
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Vivian French, Author, Jane Chapman, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $3.99 (24p) ISBN 978-0-7636-0762-3
French's simple yet reverent retelling of the biblical accounts of Jesus' birth is an excellent choice for very young children. The language, easy but never condescending, retains a certain freshness: ""A long time ago God called for the angel...
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Vivian French, Author, Aesop, Author, Vivian French, Retold by Viking Children's Books $15.99 (80p) ISBN 978-0-670-87524-5
This British import adds a catchy, contemporary kick to Aesop's moral tales. The fables vary in form, including rhymes and monologues as well as narrative; they share, however, an unbridled use of sound effects, as in the start of ""The Fox and the...
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Vivian French, Author, Jan Ormerod, Illustrator HarperCollins Publishers $13.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-688-10333-0
Ormerod's ( 101 Things to Do with a Baby ) mastery of the art of simplicity is affirmed in this pleasingly unpretentious counting book. Accompanying French's spare text are alternating pictures of a sophisticated young ballerina in a neat black...
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Vivian French, Author, Barbara Firth, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $5.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-0347-2
Old Mother Toad tries to sing the songs of ducks, sheep and nightingales, until her sleepy son requests her own croaky lullaby. ""The wide-eyed characters of this bedtime book seem endlessly expressive,"" said PW. Ages 3-5. (June)
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Vivian French, Author, Barbara Firth, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $12.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56402-614-9
This sweet collaboration affectionately demonstrates that-once again-Mother Knows Best. As Old Mother Toad croons a lullaby to her offspring, various creatures suggest that their own versions would prove far more soothing than ``that horrid croaking
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Vivian French, Author, Alison Bartlett, Illustrator , illus. by Alison Bartlett. Candlewick $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-2184-1
This brief tale simply and succinctly sums up how much is still unknowable in the scientific world, while also acknowledging how much can be proven through study. In a rollicking, rhyming dialogue with his grandfather, a boy discovers the thrill of...
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Vivian French, Author, Alison Bartlett, Illustrator Orchard Books (NY) $14.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-531-09462-4
Even french-fry-aholics can enjoy fresh vegetables, according to this optimistic tale of a boy and his adventures in produce. When Oliver spends a week at his grandfather's house, he makes a deal: ``If you want french fries,'' said Grandpa, ``You...
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Vivian French, Author, Dana Kubick, Illustrator , illus. by Dana Kubick. Candlewick $5.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-2692-1
On the day before Mother's Day, the winsome feline hero has yet to find a present. "French's use of detail gives her story its individuality," according to PW
. "Kubick evokes the sweetness of an earlier era." Ages 3-up. (Apr
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Vivian French, Author, Dana Kubick, Illustrator , illus. by Dana Kubick. Candlewick $13.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-1587-1
French (The Thistle Princess) brings a fresh, warm delivery to a familiar premise. It is the day before Mother's Day, and Stanley, a winsome feline shown outfitted with overalls, rumpled whiskers and untied shoelaces, has yet to find a present....
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Vivian French, Author, Sophie Windham, Illustrator , illus. by Sophie Windham. Bloomsbury $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58234-706-6
Although Windham's (The Obvious Elephant
) painterly illustrations set a classical tone, French's (A Present for Mom
) text grants the famous fowl a considerable intelligence upgrade. Henny Penny still believes that the sky is falling, still
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Vivian French, Author, Russell Ayto, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $15.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-56402-130-4
Traditionally, the tale of Lazy Jack includes a vituperative mother who calls Jack ``stupid'' and similar endearments each time he squanders his wages. But this comic retelling is sympathetic to both Jack and his mom, here comfortably rotund and...
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Vivian French, Author, Russell Ayto, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $5.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7636-0153-9
""With such good humor permeating both text and art, this tale suddenly seems worth retelling,"" said PW. Ages 4-up. (June)
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Vivian French, illus. by Angela Barrett. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-7501-1
In “a city of sky-blue water and golden bridges,” an overprotective king and queen ponder their sheltered daughter’s future. They feel Princess Lucia will require a partner when she inherits the land, so they write to Wise Old Angelo and ask how to “
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Vivian French, Author, Elizabeth Harbour, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-0307-6
French's (Lazy Jack) sentimental tale of a royal couple whose lives are changed by a baby illustrates the dangers of overprotectiveness. A humble thistle in the royal garden, who understands that the king and queen are sad because they are childless,
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Vivian French, Author, Ross Collins, Illustrator , illus. by Ross Collins. Candlewick $14.99 (200p) ISBN 978-0-7636-3531-2
Take a bedraggled, evil sorceress with a dire need for gold and a dimwitted troll for a sidekick, an impish prince with a goody-two-shoes twin brother, a noble-hearted yet naïve young maiden and her conniving stepsister with a chip on her...
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Vivian French, Author, Sally Hobson, Illustrator Simon & Schuster $15 (1p) ISBN 978-0-689-80010-8
Prey outwits predator in this rustic fable. French (Caterpillar, Caterpillar; It's a Go to the Park Day) keeps to the time-honored plot: Sly Fox, hungry for chicken soup, captures Red Hen in a sack and carries her toward his den. But Red Hen is a...
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John Prater, Author, Vivian French, Author, John Prater, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $14.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-56402-563-0
Although its circus theme is run-of-the-mill, this book stands out for its strong panel art. In consecutive spreads, clumsy young Harry introduces his big-top family-his trapeze-artist mother and father, his juggling sister, his unicycling grandpa...
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John Prater, Author, Vivian French, Author, John Prater, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $14.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56402-177-9
A refreshingly simple concept and clever delivery yield a lively picture book perfectly pitched to preschoolers. A boy and his parents move to a new house where it seems there's ``Not much to do. / Not much to see.'' Careful scrutiny of the pictures,
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John Prater, Author, Vivian French, Author, John Prater, Illustrator Candlewick Press (MA) $14.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56402-037-6
When Joe flatly refuses to go shopping with his parents, they suggest some alternate destinations--a visit to a wicked witch, perhaps (``She'll make you eat disgusting things, / Like snake and spider stew, / Or slug and worm spaghetti-- / Is that...
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Vivian French, illus. by Ya-Ling Huang. Candlewick, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2511-2
At the start of this cartographic picture book by French (the Knight in Training series), young Zane, portrayed with brown skin, sends his pale-skinned friend Anna an invitation to visit him, along with a hand-drawn map from her home to his. “Clever
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