When business at Frank and Zelda's pizza parlor plummets, a mysterious stranger grants them a wish. Ringgold writes with simple eloquence, and her bold, vivid artwork is brilliantly conceived and executed. Soaring high above the city, she wears the George Washington Bridge ``like a diamond necklace,'' her flight giving wings to her dreams and longings. In a move th at echoes an African-American folktale metaphor for wish-fulfillment or escape, Cassie imagines herself flying. Tar Beach (Crown, $14.95, ages 4 to 8) is based on one of her story quilts (this one is part of the permanent collection in New York's Guggenheim Museum) and tells of eight-year-old Cassie, who retreats with her family to a city rooftop (the ``tar beach'') on a hot summer night. Faith Ringgold, for example, uses quilts. The parameters defining ``picture books'' are being stretched in intriguing ways these days, as artists experiment with different visual mediums to tell a story.

Set against an exotic Caribbean backdrop, the story of the unlikely couple and their happy voyage unfolds in all the sun-drenched hues of the tropics, bringing renewed vigor to the words. Master illustrator Jan Brett's trademark jewel-like colors and detailed page borders have never been more arresting than in Edward Lear's classic nonsense poem, The Owl and the Pussycat (G. This rollicking bedtime story features a pair of pudgy little hands and two fistfuls of fanciful ``piggies'' - fingers - that cavort across exuberantly illustrated pages until finally, all tuckered out from their merrymaking, they line up, kiss each other good night, and settle down to sleep. Perhaps a few titles from this selection of outstanding new books will become classics - but only time will tell.ДЄ talented husband-and-wife team, Don and Audrey Wood (``The Napping House,'' ``King Bidgood's in the Bathtub''), has come up with yet another winner: Piggies (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, $13.95, ages 2 to 6). For a book to remain in print for half a century, and more importantly, to be loved by several generations of children, calls for a rare blend of elements: a compelling story grounded in the kind of genuine emotion that transcends time and - in the case of picture books - illustrations that never lose their freshness or appeal. All rights reserved.OF the thousands of children's books published each year, only a handful, like Robert McCloskey's ``Make Way for Ducklings'', become classics. Copyright 2014 Kai-Wolfe & YourRisingStorm. You do NOT have the permission to use this image in any way shape or form unless you are the owner, or the artist. I just hope Kai is willing to wait that long. Three years or something? Well, I will wait that long if necessary unless I get the 'OK' from his mother (because right now, the fiance has no jurisdiction over Kai) that is okay to resume talks with him. I will wait patiently for him to come back. So, this relationship is temporarily on hiatus until he is old enough to not have a parent/guardian hounding him every second of the day. His mother and her *cough* asshole *cough* fiance apparently think I am a predator and told me to stay away from my little boy although I've only ever saw Kai as my son. Recently, due to complications as stated in my journal on YourRisingStorm, I had to sever this relationship because Kai is a minor and I am an adult. And after a good night sleep, he is quiet, calm, and very sweet although he is always the latter. So, Kai sleeps a lot in order to compensate for this unruly, rambunctious behaviour. Most of the time, he is a cranky, loud, complaining pup and I have determined that the cause of this is from a lack of sleep. there is something about holding a little tyke so his head rests on your shoulder, finding a darker portion of the house, and gentle backrubs that just puts him to sleep every time. Well, he is usually inside, snoozing away. 'And where is Kai all this time?' you might be wondering.

Good night image all tuckered out