Friends in Books

Tamara and the Sea Witch
written and illustrated by Krystyna Turska (Parents’ Magazine).

Long ago in the land of old Russia there lived a young and beautiful maiden named Tamara. She gathered mushrooms each day to earn enough money to buy food. One day she wandered very deep into the forest, and there she found an enchanted well. From the well a voice called out and asked her to be his wife, and so began a magical adventure for Tamara. She married the mysterious prince and then lost him because of her own foolishness. After she had faced great danger and learned not to look back, Tamara encountered the evil Sea Witch, and the magic spell was broken!

The Stop
written and illustrated by William Wondriska (Holt, Rinehart and Winston).

Two brothers went on a camping trip on a Navajo reservation in beautiful Monument Valley. As they returned home, they found a new colt that had been injured. Big brother left to get help while little brother remained to care for and protect the little colt. He did his best as he faced a sudden rainstorm, a roaming wolf pack, and fear of the night.

Jane’s Blanket
by Arthur Miller; illustrations by Emily A. McCully (Viking).

When Jane was a tiny baby, she had a soft pink blanket. When she became old enough to sit in a playpen, she kept her pink blanket with her. And when Jane grew old enough to have a big bed, she took her “bata” with her to bed. Something happened to Jane’s blanket; it became smaller and smaller and had holes in it. Finally there wasn’t even one thread of the blanket left, but by then Jane didn’t need her blanket anymore.

The Castles of the Two Brothers
by Aileen Friedman; pictures by Steven Kellogg (Holt, Rinehart and Winston).

Humbert was much older than his brother, Klaus, and had always taken care of him. In fact, Klaus could never be or do anything by himself. Finally the younger brother decided to move away and build his own castle. The people who lived in the valley below watched the building of the castle with growing interest. A calamity occurred and Klaus had to find a new place to live.

A Little Schubert
story and pictures by M. B. Goffstein; record by Peter Schaaf (Harper & Row).

In the cold snowy town of Vienna, there lived a little man whose name was Franz Schubert. He heard music in his head, and so he spent each day writing the music down on paper. Schubert became a famous composer. A record containing five of his little waltzes is included inside this book.

From Tamara and the Sea Witch

From The Stop

From The Castles of the Two Brothers