Nancy Willard

A collection of poems describing the curious menagerie of guests who arrive at William Blake's inn.

From the acclaimed poet of In the Salt Marsh comes a dazzling collection about the magic hiding in the ordinary days of our past and present. Willard turns a keen eye on the natural world that witnesses these revelations, and the myriad, often surprising ways in which it intersects with our own human lot.
Willard shows us time and again that “In me nothing of childhood is lost.” She recaptures for us not only the fleeting,

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"James and Danny are on a mission: to get the little silver race car out of the gumball machine at Mr. Wright's store. Only very, very, lucky people get both gumballs and the silver racer. It's a good thing one of James's quarters is a Canadian quarter, which just so happens to be very, very lucky. But is it lucky enough to get him that silver racer?" -- Jacket.

This delightful collection brings together five short stories and eight essays on writing by Newbery Medal–winning author Nancy Willard Nancy Willard's gift for bringing out the whimsical in all of us illuminates this memorable anthology. " 'Who Invented Water?' " celebrates the craft and magic of creating children's books. In "Becoming a Writer," Willard admits she dislikes giving and receiving advice. She prefers telling a story, with real-life...

Birthday presents for mothers are never right-they're always too big, too small, or the wrong color. So when a young girl's mother simply asks for a homemade birthday cake, the girl thinks her troubles are over. Her happiness quickly disappears, though, when she hears the name of the cake her mother wants. The girl knows she won't find a High Rise Glorious Skittle Skat Roarious Sky Pie Angel Food Cake recipe in The Joy of Cooking. It will take a secret...

Sam Theopolis entered the Woolman household like a clown with treasures up his sleeve. He kept the absent-minded Jessie from permanently checking out of reality, and he brought an inconceivable joy to Jessie's younger daughter and grandson. But just when the current of their lives seemed smooth and untroubled, tragedy struck like a squall. With eccentric characters reminiscent of Anne Tyler, Willard takes the reader on a quirky journey of the heart....

Anatole's adventure begins and ends quietly beside the rosy brick dollhouse in Uncle Terrible's living room. But everything in between the beginning and the end is like a 3-dimensional comic strip dream. Anatole is the only one who can rescue Uncle Terrible and his friend Rosemarie from the wizard Arcimboldo's enchantments. Everything depends on the outcome of a wacky game of checkers, the unweaving of a magical cloak, and a slightly dopey bat.