Friends in Books

The Fearsome Inn
by Isaac Bashevis Singer; illustrated by Nonny, Hogrogian (Charles Scribner’s).

Three young men lose their way in a winter blizzard and arrive at a dreary old inn where three beautiful girls are held captive. A piece of magic chalk saves them all and marks the beginning of a bright future for three new couples.

Cranberry Thanksgiving
by Wendy and Harry Devlin (Parents’ Magazine).

Every year Maggie and Grandmother invite two special guests to their cranberry farm for Thanksgiving dinner. Grandmother prepares a big feast and bakes her famous cranberry bread from a secret recipe hidden behind a brick in the dining-room fireplace. The two guests arrive, and all goes well until one guest turns out to be a recipe robber.

The Sign on Rosie’s Door
by Maurice Sendak (Harper & Row).

On days when there is nothing to do, the signs on Rosie’s door direct her friends to new adventures. One day they meet Alinda the lovely lady singer, and another day Alinda the lost girl relays a message from Magic Man and then leads a noisy firecracker parade.

Ping
by Marjorie Flack; illustrated by Kurt Wiese (Viking).

Ping is a little yellow duck that learns there are a lot of things in river life worse than a spanking.

Burnish Me Bright
by Julia Cunningham; drawings by Don Freeman (Pantheon).

An old man teaches Auguste, a mute boy, how to communicate in a language that is understood better than words. The boy learns to bring love and happiness into the lives of those who lack both.

From The Fearsome Inn

From Cranberry Thanksgiving

From The Sign on Rosie’s Door

From Ping

From Burnish Me Bright