Frederick and His Friends: Four Favorite Fables (Treasured Gifts for the Holidays)
When the late author and illustrator Leo Lionni was young, he answered  the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" with a thoroughly  unique reply: "The bell of the trolley car." He continued taking the  nontraditional approach to life, writing his first children's book at age 50. He  went on to write dozens more books, four of which appear in their complete  original form in this lovely treasury, with a special tribute by Eric Carle. The  collection includes the enduring, endearing favoritesFrederick,Fish  Is Fish,Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, andSwimmy, all with  Lionni's playful watercolors and bold paper cutouts, three of which were named  Caldecott Honor Books. To have a sampling of four Lionni's enchanting creations  together in one book is truly a gift--you'll be as happy as we are that he  didn't pursue the trolley-bell thing. A companion compact disc features a lively  recording of each story. (Ages 4 to 8)