FROM SARAH:

One of my all-time favorite children's classics. My kids all loved this book (boys and girls alike). We're reading it as our RAR Premium Family Book Club novel in spring 2024, in fact! Also great on audio! (Audible l Libro.fm)

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite Manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned Mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too.

FROM SARAH:

My all-time favorite picture book. This one is perfection in every way! Even though the audio version is only twelve minutes, it's worth the purchase! Read by Claire Danes and set to beautiful sound design. Wonderful on audio (Audible | LibroFM).

The story of little Alice, whose grandfather invites her to travel the globe, come home to the salty sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful. Listen to my special edition podcast episode about the author.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Barbara Cooney's story of Alice Rumphius, who longed to travel the world, live in a house by the sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful, has a timeless quality that resonates with each new generation.

FROM SARAH:

This book is amazing in its simplicity and beauty, both in the text and the pictures. Listen to my special edition episode about the illustrator, Barbara Cooney, on the RAR Podcast.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Thus begins a lyrical journey through the days and weeks, the months, and the changing seasons in the life of one New Englander and his family. The oxcart man packs his goods - the wool from his sheep, the shawl his wife made, the mittens his daughter knitted, and the linen they wove.

FROM SARAH:

Barbara Cooney's Caldecott Award-winning book. This Chaucer retelling is among my all-time favorite picture books. Perfect for a Middle Ages study, a farmyard study, or when you just want to snuggle in with a darn good story. This is an RAR Premium Family Book Club pick for spring 2024.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

King of the barnyard, Chanticleer struts about all day. When a fox bursts into his domain, dupes him into crowing, and then grabs him in a viselike grip, Chanticleer must do some quick thinking to save himself and his barnyard kingdom.

FROM SARAH:

Perhaps the greatest middle grade novel ever written. Is that too bold a statement? 😆 It doesn't matter how many times you read it, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe simply never disappoints. It's a perfect example of a whole-family read-aloud. I strongly recommend starting the Narnia series with this book and then reading the rest of the series in publication order. Also wonderful on audio (Audible | LibroFM).

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

The four Pevensie children are sent to live in a large house in the country, a house with many rooms, which are filled with many things. But one of the rooms is absolutely empty, except for a single piece of furniture: a large wardrobe.

FROM SARAH:

A book by Gary D. Schmidt, Phyllis Root, and Melissa Sweet? YES, PLEASE. I loved this beautiful picture book biography. Perfect for fans of Miss Rumphius.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: 
Celia Thaxter grew up on a desolate island off the coast of Maine, where her father worked as lighthouse keeper. This picture book biography tells the true story of when Celia’s family moved to nearby Appledore Island, where her father built a large hotel, and Celia planted a bigger, ever-growing garden with nearly sixty types of flowers, from asters to wisteria.

FROM SARAH:

My very first picture book, inspired by something Jeanne Birdsall (yes, THAT Jeanne Birdsall) said to me during a walk through her neighborhood in Northampton. Hear about the making of this book here and here!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Sly as a fox and swift as a bird, Lou Alice is determined to leave each day a little more beautiful than she found it. But when she moves away from her little house, no one in town notices she's gone. No one, that is, except a little girl, who sets out to carry on Lou Alice's work. But doing so is not enough. Can the girl find a way of her own to make the world a little more beautiful?

FROM SARAH:

Picture book biography perfection. If I was in charge of awarding the Caldecott, I would have honored this book. Just saying. ;) It's the delightful story of the birth of children's books. Your kids will realize for the first time what treasures they hold in their laps, after reading this book about Randolph Caldecott and his mission to get delightful stories into their hands.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Meet Randolph Caldecott, the artist who revolutionized picture book illustration and for whom the prestigious Caldecott medal is named! From acclaimed picture book creators Michelle Markel and Barbara McClintock comes a lively, humorous, and energetically informative biography that celebrates the spirit of storytelling in ar