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Under the spell of a vengeful fairy, Princess Aurora sleeps for a hundred years until she is awakened by the kiss of her true love. Lush illustrations place this retelling of the familiar story in a dramatic Baroque-like setting, rich in detail and suspense.

The “chubby champion” of the title is brightly colored, larger than life and very heroic! In fact,“If Mount Fuji blows its stack, If a monster should attack, Don’t just hide inside your house! Give a call for Sumo Mouse!” Illustrations of cutout paper, placed in an almost comic book format, move this humorous parody along.

Uriko is small but brave, determined, and smart. In fact, she saves the town’s children when they are kidnapped by hungry oni, the ogres of Japanese lore whose favorite food is baby belly buttons. This lively retelling of a traditional Japanese folktale reads aloud well and is complemented by the illustrations, which call to mind the tale’s Asian origin.

Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, and a host of memorable characters set out on a hazardous mission to save Prydain from the forces of evil. Drawing inspiration from the colorful tales of Welsh mythology, The Chronicles of Prydain continue in The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King.

While on vacation in an English village by the sea, Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew, the protagonists of Over Sea, Under Stone, begin a quest to retrieve a relic from King Arthur’s time. Different characters join their quest through The Dark Is Rising, Greenwitch, and the Newbery Award winning The Grey King, until the Drew children, Will Stanton, and Bran Davies defeat the forces of the Dark in the exciting conclusion of the series, Silver on the Tree.

Bilbo Baggins leaves his comfortable Hobbit-hole when selected by Gandalf the wizard to become part of a dangerous adventure in this prequel to Tolkien’s epic Lord of the Rings trilogy.

When siblings, Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund are sent away from London air-raids during World War II, they are placed with an old man in the country. There, they enter another time and place through an old wardrobe found by Lucy. This is the first book in the Narnia Chronicles.

Princess Elizabeth saves the kingdom (and the prince) from a fire-breathing dragon – and is told by the ungrateful Prince Roland that she looks a mess. The princess shows her stuff as she strikes out on her own, leaving the prince in the dust. A light touch and plenty of humor make this parody successful and its message clear.

Often as children grow up, they “stop hearing their toys,” as did the girl who made the paper princess. So the wind whisks Princess off on a magical journey, ultimately carrying her to a new home where she can once again be loved by a little girl. Highly detailed illustrations are used in this sequel to The Paper Princess, though each book stands on its own.

A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa Claus. This holiday classic earned a Caldecott Medal.

The secret Island is perfect — with one exception. It’s missing its prince, who was stolen years before as a baby. Now a hag named Odge Gribble, an old wizard, and other memorable characters have set off on a quest to London to rescue the child and reunite him with his parents.

Distinct stories which involve a mouse, a human princess, and a rat seamlessly come together to surprise and absorb readers as they see the struggle between light and dark in this Newbery-winning novel. (2004 Newbery Nedal Winner)

The letters of the alphabet become the players on a stage in this action-packed thriller. A was in an avalanche and B was badly bitten. Of course, at the end, Z was zapped! This large picture book presents the unusual stage production in highly realistic, black and white illustrations.

What would life be like without benefit of the vowel ‘O’? That’s just what the people of Ooroo must cope with when despotic, O-hating pirates take over their island. Wordplay makes the humorous, original tale even funnier in this classic tale by James Thurber.

A sailboat far from the water is intriguing; how could it have gotten there? In haunting text and luminous full color illustrations, a story of uncontrolled ambition unfolds as a story within a story.

In 1925, dogsled teams braved a blizzard to carry much-needed diphtheria serum from Anchorage to a besieged Nome, Alaska. One remarkable husky, Togo, covered 350 of the 400 mile journey: this page-turning account dramatizes the exploits of this courageous canine.

Fred, Sam, and Joe – the boys who travel by The Book, become known as “Brave Fred, Berserk Sam, and Magic Joe” when they travel back in time to meet Leif Eriksson and his Vikings. The boys seem as much like aliens to the Vikings as the ancient runes do to them; that is, until they write their own saga! Readers will learn a little along the way as they laugh out loud with this book from The Time Warp Trio series.

When Nita discovers a book entitled So You Want to Be a Wizard? at her local library, she enters another dimension where she successfully defeats the forces of evil. The series continues in Deep Wizardry, High Wizardry, and A Wizard Abroad. A powerfully involving story about two lonely kids who are inadvertently caught up in the never-ending battle between good and evil.

On the last page of the Caldecott-winning book Jumanji, young Danny Budwing is seen running after his brother, Walter, with a game tucked under his arm. Twenty years later, Chris Van Allsburg is ready to reveal what happens when Danny and Walter roll the dice. This time, the children face the challenges of space, time, and dimension as they read the new game cards. They journey to the planet Zathura and as ringed planets and spaceships swirl past the windows, the boys find their way to teamwork and even affection.

There’s a saying that “slow but steady wins the race.” In this richly illustrated book, the saying is recast as a Tibetan tale about a boy and his reliable yak and an impatient rider on a speedy horse, both on their way to the holy city of Lhasa.

Would Pal ever eat Arthur’s homework? After Arthur tells his teacher that his dog ate his homework, he’s told to report to the principal’s office the next morning. But first Arthur must make it through a night of peculiar dreams! Children’s concerns and fears are captured in the pickle Arthur finds himself in.

Commander Toad and the crew of the Star Warts are back, this time to confront villainous space pirates. As in other Commander Toad books, puns and silliness are complemented by humorous illustrations.

Sort-of-serious illustrations are perfect for this comical parody of familiar science fiction films. The brave commander of the Star Warts spacecraft is a Toad who saves his ship from the dangers of a watery planet and its resident monster, Deep Wader.

Time-traveling siblings, Jack and Annie, are celebrating their 20th anniversary in print. Join them on their first fantastic Magic Tree House adventure to the time of dinosaurs. The occasion is celebrated with new illustrations, updated dino info, and a letter from the author.