Boots that never seem to stay clean or dry.

And what a collection of shoes children see. What child isn`t fascinated with wiggly toes and all the leather and canvas that parents decide they should cover them up with. By Elizabeth Winthrop, illustrated by William Joyce. The whimsy that de Paolo`s artwork brings to these pages is truly special: Lighthearted, a lot of nonsense, and just plain fun. This large, oversized book is a rich sampling of childhood favorites, and each of its 127 pages are graced with brightly-colored illustrations that will lure the young child into the story or rhyme. Most of them are retold, simpler, but still carry the essence of the story which have made them children`s favorites for decades. All the good ones are here-the Princess and the Pea, the Fox and the Grapes, the Shepherd Who Cried `Wolf`-and many, many more. Tomie de Paola`s Favorite Nursery Tales.Selected and illustrated by Tomie de Paola (Putnam, $17.95, ages 2-up). This is an imaginative and warmly illustrated story that is certain to find a place close to little hearts, because no one was happier than Old Bear once he was back. Then, in the corner of the playroom, they discover the tiny yellow and red airplane, and it takes them higher and higher and finally, through the trap door to the attic, at last. They climb up a plant, but the leaf breaks. They jump on the bed, but it doesn`t get them high enough. Can they get him back? What an adventure Bramwell Brown and his stuffed friends have through the pages of this book, as they try to rescue Old Bear from his loneliness, trying to find a way to make it up to the trap door in the ceiling that leads to the attic.

How they miss him, with his scruffy fur and his worn-out paws. Then the friends remember: A long time ago, Old Bear was packed up in a boxĪnd taken up to the attic. So where is Old Bear? That`s what Bramwell Brown wants to know, as he sits on the windowsill with his three stuffed friends.

Bramwell brown old bear