Believe it or not, 44 complete read-aloud classics and future classics--from Goodnight Moon to Stellaluna--are packed in this remarkably svelte, positively historic anthology. Flipping through the 308 pages of The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury is like browsing a photo album of beloved friends and family. The familiar faces of Curious George and Ferdinand the Bull peer earnestly from the pages, and scenes from Madeline and Millions of Cats resonate as if you just experienced them yesterday. Think of the advantages of carrying this book on a vacation instead of a suitcase of single titles! (Your kids can always revisit their dog-eared hardcovers when they get home.)

This impressive collection of concept books, wordless books, picture books, and read-aloud stories was artfully compiled by longtime children's book editor and publisher Janet Schulman. Stories are coded red, blue, and green to designate age groupings from baby/toddler books such as Whose Mouse Are You?, through preschool books such as Where the Wild Things Are, to longer stories for ages 5 and older such as Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The reason the book isn't bigger than Babar is because many of the illustrations from each story were reduced or removed to fit the anthology's format. (Leo Lionni's Swimmy, for example, takes up 5 pages total, compared to its original 29 pages.) Brief biographical notes that are surprisingly quirky shine a little light on the 62 authors and illustrators, and an index helps, too, for the child who likes one story best. We love the idea of being within easy reach of a Star-Belly Sneetch, a William Steig donkey, and a Sendak monster at all times, and we're sure your little bookworms will, too. (Click to see a sample spread from The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury, compilation copyright © 1998 by Janet Schulman, illustrations © renewed 1997 by William Steig.) (All ages) --Karin Snelson


From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 4-Forty-four selections fill this shiny, heavy compendium, gathered to encourage parents to develop the reading-aloud habit. Most are well-known picture books, but there is a short story by Joan Aiken, a chapter from Winnie the Pooh, and stories from books in beginning-to-read series. Goodnight Moon, a small set of Helen Oxenbury's board books, a Berenstain Bears entry, and other short pieces for the very youngest children are mixed with Stellaluna, The Stinky Cheese Man, Madeline, and older and newer favorites quite disparate in size and design. Some appear in spacious spreads, similar to their original formats. Others are compressed with great chunks of text and few pictures or several pages of the original full-length version stacked on a single page, diminishing details, colors, or the delicious moments of humor, drama, or innuendo. Gone are most of the illustrations for Millions of Cats, and Richard Egielski's Tub People have lost their unique patina and pose in these minuscule renderings. Though much is lost in the translation, the treasury does indeed offer an eclectic variety of good stories, and many children might encounter new favorites here. Concluding biographical notes on the authors and illustrators, a listing of the stories by three age categories, an index, and acknowledgments of original publication details complete the package.Margaret Bush, Simmons College, BostonCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Ages 3^-8. Like The Candlewick Book of Bedtime Stories (1995), this anthology of picture books is for parents, and it's a quick reference for librarians and storytellers. Editor Schulman knows and loves children's books, and she has chosen 44 landmark titles and provided a fine introduction for parents and biographical notes on each author and artist. The extra large size volume has thick paper and lots of space. The problem is that picture books are not short stories. Their illustrations are not just decorative additions. They are integral to the story, and when they are reduced and rearranged, the individual book's essential rhythm and drama are lost. Even with the fine reproductions from the classic Where the Wild Things Are (1963), the smaller size of the pictures totally tames those crosshatched beasts. And where's the surprise of turning each page and finding a changed world? What's the point of reducing Wanda Gag's Millions of Cats (1928) to three pages of solid text with just four pictures? How can Shirley Hughes' simple board books be shared with toddlers when there are lots of small pictures on one page? However, the choices are excellent, and this is a fine introduction for those new to children's books to browse before they find the original picture books in the library and ask for more. Hazel Rochman


Review
"Quick--name a favorite picture book or children's story. Chances are, it's one of the 44 selections included--Pages read like a Who's Who for children's literature--Frog and Toad, Ferdinand the Bull, Winnie-the-Pooh, Frances the badger, Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Babar and Curious George--This treasure trove is worth its weight in gold."--Publishers Weekly


Review
"Quick--name a favorite picture book or children's story. Chances are, it's one of the 44 selections included--Pages read like a Who's Who for children's literature--Frog and Toad, Ferdinand the Bull, Winnie-the-Pooh, Frances the badger, Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Babar and Curious George--This treasure trove is worth its weight in gold."--Publishers Weekly


Book Description
Unparalleled in scope and quality and designed for reading aloud and

sharing, this splendid anthology brings together 43 of the most memorable and

beloved children's books of our time. Here are classics such as Madeline

and Curious George; contemporary bestsellers such as Guess How Much I

Love You and The Stinky Cheese Man; Caldecott Medal winners such as

Make Way for Ducklings and Where the Wild Things Are; and family

favorites such as Goodnight Moon, The Sneetches, and

Winnie-the-Pooh. The selections range from concept books and wordless

books to picture books and short read-aloud stories, and represent the complete

array of childhood themes and reading needs: ABCs, number and color books,

stories about going to bed and going to school; tales about growing up,

siblings, parents, and grandparents; animal stories, fantasies; fables; magical

stories; stories about everyday life--and more. Also included are an

introduction, capsule biographies of the 62 writers and artists represented in

the collection, color-coded running heads indicating age levels, and indexes.

As a gift, a keepsake, and a companion in a child's first steps toward a

lifelong love of reading, The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury

belongs in every family's bookcase.







Card catalog description
A collection of picture book stories by such authors as Ludwig Bemelmans, Ezra Jack Keats, and Maurice Sendak.


From the Inside Flap
In the eight years since this blockbuster anthology of 44 classic picture books of the 20th century was compiled, important new picture books have been published that Janet Schulman believes are too good to miss. She has selected 15–some by brand-new voices of the 21st century, some by young authors and illustrators who were just getting started during the last decade of the past century, and a few by familiar names, such as Kevin Henkes with his 2005 Caldecott Medal Winner. This recommended list with descriptive annotations is intended to guide parents to these new books and new voices of the 21st century.

Unparalleled in scope and quality and designed for reading aloud and sharing, this splendid anthology brings together some of the most memorable and beloved children's books of our time. Here are classics such as Madeline and Curious George; contemporary bestsellers such as Guess How Much I Love You and The Stinky Cheese Man; Caldecott Medal winners such as Make Way for Ducklings and Where the Wild Things Are; and family favorites such as Goodnight Moon, The Sneetches, and Winnie-the-Pooh. The selections range from concept books and wordless books to picture books and short read-aloud stories, and represent the complete array of childhood themes and reading needs: ABCs, number and color books, stories about going to bed and going to school; tales about growing up, siblings, parents, and grandparents; animal stories, fantasies; fables; magical stories; stories about everyday life--and more. Also included are an introduction, capsule biographies of the 62 writers and artists represented in the collection, color-coded running heads indicating age levels, and indexes. As a gift, a keepsake, and a companion in a child's first steps toward a lifelong love of reading, The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury belongs in every family's bookcase.


From the Back Cover
"Quick--name a favorite picture book or children's story. Chances are, it's one of the 44 selections included--Pages read like a Who's Who for children's literature--Frog and Toad, Ferdinand the Bull, Winnie-the-Pooh, Frances the badger, Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Babar and Curious George--This treasure trove is worth its weight in gold."--Publishers Weekly

ANNOTATION

A collection of picture book stories by such authors as Ludwig Bemelmans, Ezra Jack Keats, and Maurice Sendak.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Unparalleled in scope and quality and designed for reading aloud and sharing, this splendid anthology brings together 43 of the most memorable and beloved children's books of our time. Here are classics such as Madeline and Curious George; contemporary bestsellers such as Guess How Much I Love You and The Stinky Cheese Man; Caldecott Medal winners such as Make Way for Ducklings and Where the Wild Things Are; and family favorites such as Goodnight Moon, The Sneetches, and Winnie-the-Pooh. The selections range from concept books and wordless books to picture books and short read-aloud stories, and represent the complete array of childhood themes and reading needs: ABCs, number and color books, stories about going to bed and going to school; tales about growing up, siblings, parents, and grandparents; animal stories, fantasies; fables; magical stories; stories about everyday life—and more. Also included are an introduction, capsule biographies of the 62 writers and artists represented in the collection, color-coded running heads indicating age levels, and indexes. As a gift, a keepsake, and a companion in a child's first steps toward a lifelong love of reading, The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury belongs in every family's bookcase.

SYNOPSIS

Make room on your bookshelf, because anyone who has a kid, or is a kid at heart, will want a copy of this treasure. From ten decades of storytelling comes a collection of 44 of the most memorable and beloved children's books of our time. As a gift, a keepsake, and a companion in a child's first steps toward a lifelong love of reading, The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury belongs on every family's bookshelf. Recently, barnesandnoble.com spoke with distinguished children's editor and publisher Janet Schulman about how she selected the renowned writers and artists included in this unparalleled collection.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Think of your favorite children's stories and you can be pretty sure that several of them will be represented in this collection. Numerous award-winning classics such as Freight Train, Make Way for Ducklings and The Snowy Day as well as more contemporary offerings such as Owen, Stellaluna, and Guess How Much I Love You are included. Adults can enjoy rereading the stories from their childhood and share the tales and illustrations with visiting grandchildren, nieces or nephews. It is also a wonderful book for a classroom. There are notes about the authors and illustrators, an index, symbols that depict suggested age levels for each story, and an age appropriate list at the end of the book.

Elizabeth Devereaux