The Hutchinson Treasury Of Children's Literature

This unique and lavishly illustrated anthology joyously celebrates the diversity of children's literature with nursery rhymes, short stories, fables, fairy tales and extracts from the classics. Each entry, chosen with care, is a work of true literary distinction; taken together they form a superb collection, reminiscent of the great treasuries of the fifties, which will carry a child through his or her reading life.

For the young reader, there are traditional nursery rhymes and fairy tales, and stories by such modern masters as Jane Hissey, John Burningham, Anthony Browne, and Shirley Hughes are set alongside Beatrix Potter's 'The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-winkle' and Margery Williams' 'The Velveteen Rabbit'. The older child will revel in the verse of Hilaire Belloc and delight in Roald Dahl's wicked humour. The Treasury will give children their first experience of the classics and they will want to reach out for the full-length versions as they read extracts form 'Peter Pan', 'The Wind in the Willows, 'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Jungle book'. There are also selections from the work of prizewinning contemporary authors, such as Joan Aiken, Ruth Thomas, Brian Jacques, Judy Blume, and Colin Dann.

One of the most distinguishing features of the Treasury is its artwork. Illustrations have been chosen from the most beautiful and often the original editions of the books selected; children will enjoy poring over the work of Arthur Rackham, Randolph Caldecott, Maurice Sendak, Quentin Blake and Nicola Bayley, among others.

Produced to the highest standard, the Treasury is a book children will want to dip into, linger over, savour and pick up time and again, and is the perfect introduction to a great literary heritage and the best in contemporary writing.