Once upon a Time

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A list of the distinguished contributors whose work appears in this volume, is, quite simply, a ``who's who'' of children's books. By purchasing this book, readers can claim ownership of works by Tomie dePaola, Leo and Diane Dillon, Katherine Paterson, Jack Prelutsky, Ed Young and 23 others. They all donated original pieces or excerpts from works that pertain to reading; many of them recall their own first experiences with books. It's an enchanting volume, for collectors or for readers who want to sample new ``favorites'' along with the old. (All ages)

School Library Journal

Gr 3 Up A literary and artistic collection designed to honor children's literature and the art of reading. Twenty-nine authors and illustrators, including Jamake Highwater, Virginia Hamilton, Maurice Sendak, and Trina Schart Hyman, have contributed thoughts, impressions, essays, or favorite excerpts from classics written by others to this collection. Readers will appreciate the excerpt from C. S. Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , selected by Barbara Helen Berger, in which Lucy reads the spell ``for the refreshment of the spirit'' (certainly a fitting tribute to reading) from a magician's handbook. The page facing this excerpt contains Berger's lovely illustration of the lion Aslan, against whom rest two children obviously lost in the pages of a spell-binding book. An autobiographical essay by Virginia Hamilton entitled ``Words of My Own'' is a powerful statement about the influence of home environment on children's reading practices. The book is illustrated throughout with full-color illustrations that serve as a beautiful tribute to children and reading. The book should have widespread appeal. Karen P. Smith, Yonkers Board of Educ., N.Y.