Summer is wonderful on the islands of Maine.

In six preposterous tales, Robert McCloskey takes a good look at the face of mid-western America with humorous and affectionate eyes.

Centerburg is a small town somewhere in Middle America, but there is nothing ordinary about it. Something unusual is always going on. And you can be sure Homer Price is in the center of things, putting them right with his own brand of common sense. There's the time Uncle Hercules takes the Gravitty-Bitties challenge. He almost retires from his famous story-telling then and there except for Homer's quick thinking. And when Dulcy plants some valuable

...

Burt goes fishing, takes refuge from a storm in a whale's stomach, and decorates a whole school of whales' tails with striped band-aids.

Bear snores on: All winter long, Bear sleeps in his cozy lair. Surprise guests stop by to warm up, brew tea and pop corn while Bear snores on. Waiting for wings: Butterflies bloom as delicately as flowers in this visually magnificent story of beginnings, middles and ends: egss, caterpillars and finally butterflies. Come on, rain!: Tess knows that the only thing that can fix the endless summer heat is a good, soaking rainstorm. When it finally comes,...

Make way for ducklings: the Mallards look for the perfect spot to raise their young, and find it in the most unlikely place. Bllueberries for Sal: a little girl and little bear on a blueberry-picking trip get mixed up with each other's mothers. Time of wonder: follow two sisters spending a summer in Maine and experience a wonderful variety of natural sights and sounds.

Profiles seven artists who have won the Caldecott Medal for their illustrated children's books, from 1942's Robert McCloskey to 2004's Mordicai Gerstein, providing information on their lives, careers, and creation of the winning books.

A collection of fairy tales, folklore, and famous stories from around the world arranged for reading aloud.