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 -...

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...

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...

This marvelous collection brings together the finest of Nancy Willard's work Transporting us from Michigan farm country to the streets of New York, from a family picnic by a stream to snow-covered fields peopled by angels, the poems gathered here represent the best of Nancy Willard. Willard's gift for peeling back everyday existence to reveal something magical and wondrous is everywhere in evidence here. Ordinary trees become surreal landscapes...

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.

Sam Theopolis entered the Woolman household like a clown with treasures up his sleeve. He kept the absent-minded Jessie from permanently checking out of reality, and he brought an inconceivable joy to Jessie's younger daughter and grandson. But just when the current of their lives seemed smooth and untroubled, tragedy struck like a squall. With eccentric characters reminiscent of Anne Tyler, Willard takes the reader on a quirky journey of the heart....

A shoemaker and his wife being photographed for their wedding anniversary keep adding items to the picture despite the photographer's admonition that "Simple pictures are best."

A yellow ball rolls out of sight, over the Bridge of Butterflies, across the Field of Lesser Beasts through painted trees to the place where all lost things are found.

A small boy tells about the fantastic events that may or may not have really occurred during his night's sleep when he took the night train to the country where nothing lasts.