The first novel by Newbery Award-winning author Nancy Willard: A stunning story of magic and miracles, and a testament to the enduring power of faith and love. Ben and Willie Harkissian are twin brothers (think Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau) growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the eve of World War II. A baseball launched into the October sky sets in motion a series of events that transforms many lives. Ben leaves for the front and faces death -...

A retelling, set in the early 1900's in New York City, of the traditional tale in which a kind and beautiful young woman, through her great capacity to love, releases a handsome young man from the spell which has made him into an ugly beast

Selections from Nancy Willard's acclaimed volumes of poetry and prose. This diverse collection features some of Nancy Willard's most critically lauded poetry - including works from her Newbery Medal-winning volume, A Visit to William Blake's Inn - as well as her short fiction and four unconventional essays on writing. Hens, children, magic bottles, and the moon are just some of the characters running through the luminous musings gathered here. "How...

This delightful collection brings together five short stories and eight essays on writing by Newbery Medal–winning author Nancy Willard Nancy Willard's gift for bringing out the whimsical in all of us illuminates this memorable anthology. " 'Who Invented Water?' " celebrates the craft and magic of creating children's books. In "Becoming a Writer," Willard admits she dislikes giving and receiving advice. She prefers telling a story, with real-life...

Birthday presents for mothers are never right-they're always too big, too small, or the wrong color. So when a young girl's mother simply asks for a homemade birthday cake, the girl thinks her troubles are over. Her happiness quickly disappears, though, when she hears the name of the cake her mother wants. The girl knows she won't find a High Rise Glorious Skittle Skat Roarious Sky Pie Angel Food Cake recipe in The Joy of Cooking. It will take a secret...

Anatole's adventure begins and ends quietly beside the rosy brick dollhouse in Uncle Terrible's living room. But everything in between the beginning and the end is like a 3-dimensional comic strip dream. Anatole is the only one who can rescue Uncle Terrible and his friend Rosemarie from the wizard Arcimboldo's enchantments. Everything depends on the outcome of a wacky game of checkers, the unweaving of a magical cloak, and a slightly dopey bat.