Bless the Beasts and Children is the story of six 'misfit' boys who leave their childhood behind and set off on a mission with deadly consequences. Along the way, despite society's narrow view of success, they learn something about what it means to be a man. It is the story of transformation. This group of boys - nicknamed The Dings by fellow campers- discover that they are not the flawed and faulty children they've been deemed by others but are in fact powerful beings with the opportunity to make a difference and that they don't need to be cowboys or soldiers to show real bravery. The story's unexpected climax is designed to encourage us to take action to protect the voiceless the powerless and the doomed.

"With a new afterword by Miles Swarthout"--Cover.

Gargoyles have been feared and misunderstood for centuries, but now Caldecott Honor artist Dav Pilkey tells the real story of these gentle stone creatures come to life. Behind their cold, stone faces, gargoyles have warm, loving souls -- yet most people don't look deeply enough to notice. Angels can see the good inside them, though, and tonight the angels will sweep down to take their silent, stone friends on a magical journey, hand in hand.Caldecott Honor artist Dav Pilkey's lyrical tale of these gentle stone creatures come to life is a reminder that everyone -- from the grievers to the dreamers to the believers -- is worthy of love.

In his only collection of short fiction, Glendon Swarthout, author of The Shootist, Where the Boys Are, and Bless the Beasts and the Children, reveals in microcosm the heroic and gritty themes that characterized both his novels and films. Stories such as "Mulligans" and "A Glass of Blessings" explore the seedy underbelly of human desire, while "A Horse for Mrs. Custer" quietly celebrates the dedication of men and women who act above and beyond their capabilities during war and upheaval. Although these stories were written over a span of three decades, their themes of generational conflict, hypocrisy, loss, sacrifice, love, and war remain fresh and startling. Alternately funny and uncomfortable, Swarthout captures the postwar tensions of twentieth-century Americans. This collection reveals the versatility, range, and skill of one of America's great storytellers. Easterns and Westerns includes one unpublished novella and thirteen stories, some of which have appeared in national magazines such as Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and the Saturday Evening Post. One of these, "A Glass of Blessings," was an O'Henry Prize Short Story in 1960. Another, "A Horse for Mrs. Custer," became a 1956 Western film for Columbia Pictures; 7th Cavalry, starring Randolph Scott and Barbara Hale. A third story, "Mulligans," has been made into a short comedy film.

Year Two continues, by MARK RUSSELL (DC’s Year Of The Villain) and BOB Q (Captain America). Sonja The Red, the Master of War, goes to the domicile of the Master Of Souls. There, she learns the horrible truth of the army she is meant to lead into battle…

Caldecott-winning artist of A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Erin Stead, dazzles once again in this ode to the first stirrings of spring.

After leaving Farmer Cobb's flock and exploring the outside world, Smudge the lamb has trouble returning home.