Prizes and samples provided by Dover Publications, Inc.
The Children’s Book Review | June 1, 2017
Timeless Stories, Everyday Value, Summer Reading with Dover!
Everyone can be a winner with special code WHCP, because Dover Books is offering 25% off until September 1, 2017. Plus, you can enter to win this awesome summer reading prize pack . . .
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
Hardcover, 20th Anniversary Editions of the Dinotopia series
- Dinotopia, A Land Apart from Time
- Dinotopia, The World Beneath
- Dinotopia, First Flight
- A hardcover copy of The Girl in the White Hat
- A paperback copy of Too Many Mittens
- A paperback copy of The Golden Basket
- A paperback copy of Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings
- A hardcover copy of Sam and Emma
- A paperback copy of I Need a New Butt
Two (2) winners receive:
- A hardcover copy of The Girl in the White Hat
- A paperback copy of Too Many Mittens
- A paperback copy of The Golden Basket
- A paperback copy of Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings
- A hardcover copy of Sam and Emma
- A paperback copy of I Need a New Butt
Giveaway begins June 1, 2017, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends June 30, 2017, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
About the Books
The Girl in the White Hat
Written by W. T. Cummings
Publisher’s Synopsis: While Grandmother’s asleep, Annabelle creeps out of her room and up the stairs to the dark and mysterious attic. Among the jumble of curious items packed away in the gloom is a big white hat with a floppy brim. Annabelle can’t resist trying it on and thinks, “If I were a bird and this hat were my wings, I could fly. I wish I could fly!” And she does! New hardcover edition.
About the Author: W. T. Cummings (1933–2009) wrote and illustrated four remarkable picture books, of which The Girl in the White Hat was the first. A painter of note, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University in 1962. Lauded by The New York Times as one of the ten best children’s books of 1959, this now-rare volume is available in a lovely new hardcover edition, ready to charm a new generation of readers and imaginative hat-wearers.
Too Many Mittens
By Louis Slobodkin and Florence Slobodkin
Publisher’s Synopsis: A beautifully illustrated single-volume edition of three classic children’s tales: A wintertime tale of lost and found, Too Many Mittens finds the twins Ned and Donny in Grandma’s care while Mother and Father are off on a trip. Word gets around when Donny loses a mitten, and soon everyone — teacher, postman, milkman, grocer — is finding lost mittens and delivering them to the twins’ house, until Grandma has a great idea. In A Good Place to Hide, Susan wants to get away from her persistent brothers, who are determined to show her the spider they’ve trapped in a jar. But everywhere she goes, from the tool shed to Rover’s doghouse, someone finds her — until she finds a secret place where she finally can be alone. Everyone knows that mermaids have long golden hair and sweet singing voices — except when they don’t! In The Little Mermaid Who Could Not Sing, red-haired Cynthia can swim and ride seahorses but she cannot sing a note. Cynthia’s terribly discouraged until she discovers that she has a hidden talent of her very own.
About Louis Slobodkin and Florence Slobodkin: At the age of 15, Louis Slobodkin (1903–75) entered the Beaux Arts Institute of Design, where he studied drawing, composition, and sculpture. In the course of his six-year studies, he won more than 20 medals and was awarded the Louis Tiffany Fellowship. Slobodkin illustrated nearly 90 books, 50 of which he wrote, and in 1944 he received the Caldecott Medal for his illustrations for James Thurber’s Many Moons
Poet and author of children’s books Florence Slobodkin (1905–94) collaborated with her husband on five books, including the classic Too Many Mittens.
The Golden Basket
Publisher’s Synopsis: On a cobblestoned street in the ancient city of Bruges, a hotel with a golden basket on its roof admits a trio of weary travelers: a father and two little girls, Celeste and Melisande. The next morning, the sisters awake to the thrill of discovering a new country and meeting new friends, including Jan, the innkeeper’s son, and Monsieur Carnewal, the hardworking, warmhearted maître d’hôtel. The girls discover a world of imaginative fun within the hotel itself as well as in the picturesque city of medieval buildings and towers, where graceful swans swim in the canals and a lamplighter makes his daily rounds. Inspired by a trip to Belgium, author Ludwig Bemelmans drew upon his youthful experiences at his family’s Austrian inn to perfectly recapture the setting of an Old World hotel. A brief cameo by a mischievous French schoolgirl — the first appearance of the author’s iconic character, Madeline—offers a hint of the joys to come.
About Ludwig Bemelmans: The recipient of both the Caldecott and Newbery awards, Ludwig Bemelmans (1898–1962) is best remembered as the creator of the Madeline books. He grew up in Austria, emigrated to America in his youth, and became a U.S. citizen after serving in World War I. In addition to dozens of books for adults as well as children, Bemelmans wrote movie scripts and was an internationally renowned gourmet.
Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings
By Edward McLachlan
Publisher’s Synopsis: Simon enters the Land of Chalk Drawings, where his doodles spring to colorful life and join him in adventures that challenge his wits as well as his imagination. This exclusive collection comprises all four of author Edward McLachlan’s Chalk stories, which served as the inspiration for the popular PBS and Nickelodeon animated shorts. In the Land of Chalk Drawings: An unfinished stick figure asks to be completed and introduces Simon to a host of other drawings that need his attention. Simon and the Chalk Drawing Army: Some soldiers have invaded the Land of Chalk Drawings and are making everyone drill to the point of exhaustion. With quick thinking, Simon finds a way to keep the soldiers busy, and the other drawings get a treat. Simon and the Moon Rocket: Simon flies to the moon, where he’s forced to solve a mountain of sums. How can he finish them all and get away? Simon and the Dinosaur: All the children and animals have disappeared from the Land of Chalk Drawings ― they’ve been eaten by a dinosaur! Simon must rescue them and help the hungry dinosaur, too.
About Edward McLachlan: Hailed as “the cartoonist’s cartoonist,” Edward McLachlan has contributed cartoons to Punch, Private Eye, the London Evening Standard, New Statesman, Playboy, and many other periodicals. He has also worked for several book publishers, has drawn advertisements, and has designed and written more than 300 commercial advertising films for clients including Renault and Alka-Seltzer.
Sam and Emma
By Donald Nelsen and Edward Gorey
Publisher’s Synopsis: A kind hound and a critical cat venture beyond their garden gate for a look at how other animals live in this winsome tale, which is charmingly illustrated by Edward Gorey. Emma the cat scorns the lunch offered by a trio of friendly beavers and laughs in the faces of a pair of porcupines, much to Sam the dog’s consternation. Along come a couple of raccoons. Emma allows that they resemble cats, so they’re not ugly, but decries their nocturnal habits. “Not even a dog would live like that,” she declares — and now she’s insulted long-suffering Sam, too. She didn’t mean him, of course. Sam offers his feline friend a more balanced perspective and a gently irresistible appeal for tolerance, bringing this thought-provoking fable of friendship to a warm conclusion. Hardcover edition.
About Donald Nelsen and Edward Gorey: Indiana native Donald Nelsen has lived and worked in New York City for more than 50 years. In 1959 he was awarded a Fulbright grant to study painting in Paris, and upon his return to the United States he joined a design studio and began creating textile and wallpaper designs as well as painted wood carvings of everyday objects. Several of his oil paintings are on display at the Brooklyn Historical Society.
American author and artist Edward Gorey (1925–2000) combined whimsy and dark humor in such illustrated books as The Doubtful Guest, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, and four Amphigorey anthologies. His distinctive style, featuring characters in Victorian dress in surrealistic settings, achieved wide recognition with his opening-sequence animation for the PBS Mystery! series.
I Need a New Butt
By Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird
Publisher’s Synopsis: A young boy suddenly notices a big problem — his butt has a huge crack! So he sets off to find a new one. Will he choose an armor-plated butt? A rocket butt? A robot butt? Find out in this quirky tale of a tail, which features hilarious rhymes and delightful illustrations. Children and parents will love this book — no ifs, ands, or butts about it! “I can assure you right now that your kids will love this book. They will giggle, they will laugh, and they will want this book to be read over and over again because it is just plain silly and funny … the perfect kid-combo.” — Storywraps
About Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird: Dawn McMillan writes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and storybooks for children. She is also the author of Woolly Wally and Holy Socks. She lives in Waiomu, New Zealand.
Ross Kinnaird has illustrated such children’s books as 50 Body Questions and the animated poem “Smaller,” winner of the People’s Choice Award at the World Parkinson’s Congress. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
Available Here: www.doverpublications.com/summerreading
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How to Enter
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Giveaway Rules
- Giveaway begins June 1, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends June 30, 2017, at 11:59 P.M. PST, when all entries must be received. No purchase necessary. See official rules for details. View our privacy policy.
- Name, e-mail address and physical address of the winner will be shared with the sponsor for the purpose of giveaway fulfillment only.
- Odds of winning depends upon the number of entries received.
Prizes courtesy of Dover Publications, Inc.
Summer Reading with Dover Books Tour Dates
You can enter to win the giveaway on any of the following sites:
Thursday June 1 2017
The Children’s Book Review
Friday June 2 2017
Tales of A Wanna-Be SuperHero Mom
Saturday June 3 2017
A Dream Within A Dream
Sunday June 4 April 28 2017
Word Spelunking
Monday June 5 2017
TeacherDance
Tuesday June 6 2017
icefairy’s Treasure Chest
Wednesday June 7 2017
The O.W.L.
Thursday June 8 2017
To Read, or Not To Read
Friday June 9 2017
The Fairview Review
Monday June 12 2017
Lille Punkin’
Friday June 16 2017
Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Thank you for entering the Summer Reading with Dover Books Prize Pack giveaway. Check out our giveaways page to see what other free children’s books may be up for grabs!
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105 Comments
My favorite thing about summer reading is being able to read outside on the deck which is very relaxing. I am most excited about the book “Sam and Emma.”
I’m so happy that my children and most of my grandchildren love reading and visit the library frequently. Summer is such a great time to relax and read during beautiful weather .
My kids would love to read these books.
What a great collection to keep kids engaged this summer.
I love reading to my kids at the park. We get to relax and enjoy the breeze.
My favorite thing is reading with the kids and their later reenactment of the stories we’ve read!! I love to see them love to read like I did!!!
My personal favorite place to read is while laying in my hammock outside but these days it’s in bed with my toddler reading picture books. She’s obsessed with dinosaurs right now and I grew up with the Dinotopia show so I’m definitely excited for those books! 🙂
I would be most excited about the book Too Many Mittens
Long, lazy days of reading… ah, summer! Finally a chance to immerse ourselves in a book and read uninterrupted until the final page.
The girl in the white hat is going to be fun to read!! I love to read when we go camping…read a book yesterday “Carve the Mark”
thanks for the chance
I love summer reading because I associate it with escape! Ever since I was a little girl, and we made weekly trips to the library to get new books through the summer, I’ve loved that summer was a time I could read what I wanted to read. This year I’m busy reading a lot of required reading for grad school, but I’m hoping to sneak in a couple of “just for me” books!
I love summer reading because its something I do with my grandkids during the summer.I love to read anywhere and everywhere!! My little ones like the Ivy and Bean series.
Catching up on what I can, spending lots of time with favorite characters!
I am excited about the dinotopia books.. my 9 year old is an avid reader and he would spend the whole summer just reading if he could.
I most excited to read The Girl in the White Hat. I like classic children’s stories, but I have never read this one. All of the books listed above sound really good, however. My favorite place to read in the summer is anywhere that it is cool and quiet.
Reading is a perfect way to quiet down after time at the pool!
My favorite place to read is in the cozy reading corner in my home.
This is a wonderful giveaway for our children
I like to read on the deck in the early evenings when it is cooler.
I am most excited to read Too Many Mittens… I love to take my grandchildren to our local library, to find special books to read.
My favorite place to read is on my back porch under the gazebo
I love the peaceful summer reading on the back deck. Too many mittens sounds cute.
Thank you for such a wonderful giveaway of fine books! My granddaughter , an emergent reader heading to the first grade after this summer, would greatly enjoy these stories!
My great nieces an nephews love books even if they can’t read yet. Sometimes they pretend to read and make up their own story with the book open,
ALL!!!!!
My niece would love these books
We love reading outside! We go to the park or lay down on the trampoline or even in the playhouse to read a book together.
favorite thing about summer reading is finally can do it outside
We enjoy reading outside and enjoying a good picnic Dinotopia seems pretty exciting.
I think my son would really like Dinotopia. Now that it’s summer, we can read it on the deck.
As a child, I loved that I could read later at night. No early lights out because of school. Now, I just enjoy having a book to read on my porch during the summer months. Thanks for this giveaway. I am hoping to share with my granddaughter.
My favorite place to read is in the bath tub.
The best thing about summer reading is being able to sit outside in the warm sunshine
I love to read at the beach!
love reading outside during the summer
My favorite place to read is in my recliner with my granddaughters.
My grandson loves reading about trains and all forms for transportation. His favorite place to read is on the couch with Mom, Dad or Grandma helping. His favorite book would be Sam and Emma with all those animals.
If it’s not too hot outside I like to read by the pool or at the beach.
I love to either sit on our porch and read and on really nice days, lay out in the yard and enjoy the sun
I love to read under the tree and enjoying the fresh air (and shade)! 🙂
I am most excited to win the 20th Anniversary Editions of the Dinotopia book series. I know my son would love the I Need A New Butt book.
Best thing about summer reading is that inside the house is the last place to read a good book.