Award Winning Books by Janet Stevens

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Tops and Bottoms Adapted by Janet Stevens Bear has lots of money and lots of land - and he's lazy. Hare has nothing but a hungry family - and he's smart. Hare is sure there's a way to share Bear's wealth, so he and Mrs. Hare cook up a plan. The Hare hops down the road to Bear's place and proposes that Bear donate land, Hare handle labor, and they split the crop in half. All Bear has to do is choose the half he wants - tops or bottoms. Sleepy Bear takes tops but finds once the harvest is in that he's been tricked by clever Hare! With roots in European folktales and the slave stories of the American South, Tops & Bottoms celebrates the trickster tradition of beating hardship by using one's wits. And an acre of hilarity tops it all off! Caldecott Honor, Booklist Editor's Choice, Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Featured Selection
	Anansi and the Talking Melon Retold by Eric Kimmel One fine morning Anansi the Spider drops into Elephant's melon patch. He takes a thorn from a tree and uses it to poke a hole in a big, juicy melon. He squeezes inside and starts eating. Anansi eats and eats until he is as round as a berry. Now he has a real problem - he's too fat to climb back out of the melon! While he waits to get thin again, he decides to have some fun. He talks to Elephant. Elephant is so impressed with "the talking melon" that he takes it to show the king. How Anansi amuses himself by fooling the other animals on the journey will delight readers who like to watch a good trickster at work. International Reading Association Children's Choice
Anansi Goes Fishing Retold by Eric Kimmel One fine afternoon, Anansi the Spider sees his friend Turtle walking along the river carrying a large fish. "Where did you get that fish?" he asks. Turtle replies, "I caught it today when I went fishing." Anansi likes to eat fish, but he is much too lazy to catch them for himself. He decides to trick Turtle into catching a fish for him instead. Young readers will laugh as they watch Anansi's plan backfire in this companion volume to Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock. International Reading Association Children's Choice
	Anansi And The Moss Covered Rock Retold by Eric Kimmel Anansi the Spider is walking through the forest when something catches his eye. It is a strange moss-covered rock. When Anansi discovers that the rock has special powers, he uses its magic to trick Lion, Elephant, Giraffe, and Zebra. Little Bush Deer will not be fooled, however, and uses the rock to teach Anansi a lesson. Association of Booksellers for Children Ten Best Books of the Year, 1989
Coyote Steals the Blanket Adapted by Janet Stevens Coyote goes where he wants, does what he wants, and takes what he wants. And what he wants now is the beautiful blanket he has found draped over a rock in the middle of nowhere. The blanket would be perfect to wear as a new coat. Despite Hummingbird's warnings, Coyote takes it and runs. Then he hears a rumble, rumble, rumble behind him and discovers that a huge rock is chasing him. Hummingbird tells Coyote that the spirit of the great desert is angry because he has taken what doesn't belong to him. Young readers will be tickled by what happens next to Coyote and the blanket in this trickster tail. Colorado Children's Book Award, Montana Treasure State Award
	Dog Who Had Kittens by Janet Stevens When Eloise has kittens, basset hound Baxter feels ignored. He is miserable, until he meets the kittens for the first time. They snuggle up to his warm body. They message him with their paws. They pull gently at his legs and neck. Suddenly Baxter is happier than he has ever been in his life. What happens to Baxter and Eloise as the kittens grow older ends this heartwarming story. Colorado Children's Book Award, Washington State Children's Choice Award, Indiana Young Readers Award, Nevada Young Readers Award
How the Manx Cat Lost Its Tail Retold by Janet Stevens Everybody knows that Manx cats today don't have tails. But did they ever? Some people think so. They say the Manx cat lost his tail jumping into the arc at the very last moment, just as Noah was slamming the door. And ever after, Manx cats have had no tails. With her dramatic and humorous retelling of this old tale, Janet Stevens illustrates the wet and wild events of that stormy night, as Noah and his family desperately call the cat...and the animals grow restless...and the winds rise...and the thunder thunders...and the rain begins... American Booksellers Pick of the Lists, Society of School Librarians International "Best of 1990" Selection
	Princess and the Pea Adapted by Janet Stevens A lion prince travels abroad with his mother to find a real princess. But none of the foreign princesses satisfy the queen. And so mother and son return home. During a thunderstorm, a tiger comes to the castle, claiming that she is a real princess. The dooutful queen puts her through a test -- with charming results in this freely adapted old tail. Booklist Critic's Choice, International Reading Association Children's Choice
Three Billy Goats Gruff Adapted by Janet Stevens "Once upon a time there were three billy goats and their name was Gruff." They wanted to eat the hillside grass, but how could they get past the ugly troll that was guarding the bridge? Janet Stevens's clever goats are full of ideas, her hilarious illustrations are full of surprises - and of course, in the end, the billy goats get what they want. This fresh and humorous edition of the Three Billy Goats Gruff brings an old favorite to a new generation of children. Parents Choice Award
	The Tortoise and the Hare Adapted by Janet Stevens Once upon a time, there was a tortoise and a hare. Tortoise was friendly and quiet. He did everything slowly. Hare was flashy and rude. He did everything quickly. Hare was certain that when he challenged Tortoise to a race, he would be the winner. But things didn't turn out as Hare expected in this humorous adaptation of a classic fable. Reading Rainbow Selection