THE CELEBRATED HUSBAND-AND-WIFE TEAM OF INGRI AND EDGAR PARIN D’AULAIRE prepared this exceptionally beautiful volume for their own son Ola, and it is as fresh and enchanting today as it was when it first sprung from their imaginations. D’Aulaires’ Book of Animals introduces young children to the creatures of every continent. Here more than fifty animals lithographed in full color form one side of a book that can be read page by page or unfolded to form a continuous panorama; the flipside of the panorama reveals the nighttime world of the animals in the very same settings. Each tableau presents the subjects in their native environments—from the tropical to the arctic—and is rendered with the exemplary richness of color and delightful understanding of the children’s world that distinguish the d’Aulaires’ much-loved retellings of the Norse and Greek myths and their wildly playful Book of Trolls. Young children, meeting animals from all over the world for the first time, will be delighted not only with the animals themselves but with the simple and engaging text which provides information about the way they act, the world they live in, and—best of all—the sounds they make. D’Aulaires’ Book of Animals is not only a perfect picture book for preschoolers, but a work of art that can be enjoyed by all.

In this spectacular follow-up to their beloved Book of Norse Myths, the husband-and-wife team of Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire explore the uncanny reaches of Norse mythology, an enchanted night-world populated by trolls of all kinds—mountain trolls, forest trolls, trolls who live underwater and trolls who live under bridges, uncouth, unkempt, unbreakable, unforgettable, and invariably unbelievably ugly trolls—who work their wiles and carry on in the most bizarre and entertaining fashions. With their matchless talent as storytellers and illustrators, the d’Aulaires bring to life the weird and wonderful world of Norse mythology.

In The Two Cars the celebrated husband and wife team of Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire, famous for their illustrated versions of Norse and Greek myths, offer young children a playful modern twist on the ancient fable of the tortoise and the hare. Two cars sit side by side in the same garage. One is fast, shiny, and ready to go; the other is a comfortable old jalopy, a little worse for wear but as reliable as can be. On a magic moonlit night, the doors of the garage swing open and they head out for a spin, each determined to prove that he is the “best car on the road.” Over hill and dale and roundabout they go, encountering—and narrowly missing—trains, trucks, wildlife, and even, in the form of a policeman on a motorcycle, the long arm of the law. Before the two cars’ nocturnal caper is over, each will have discovered the being the “best” is not so simple as you might suppose.

Animals from the tropics to the arctic regions are pictured in their natural habitats.

One summer’s eve Ola, Lina, Sina, and Trina leave their village to gather firewood in the forest, when they’re surprised by the hideous call of the terrible troll-bird, a giant rooster who pops up out of the treetops and swoops down to devour their beloved horse Blakken. Little does the terrible troll-bird know that in Ola, Lina, Sina, and Trina he has finally met his match: his terrible days of terrorizing are over. Before long the whole village is celebrating the monster’s demise, and even the gnomes and hulder-maidens are coming out of their hiding places in the woods to participate in a great feast. All celebration is cut short, though, with the startling appearance of two monstrous moss-grown trolls even more terrible than the terrible troll-bird himself. Luckily, the children rise to the occasion once more, saving the day before they set out on a splendid new adventure. Filled with vibrant illustrations and telling a story of childhood ingenuity and bravery, The Terrible Troll-Bird is a delightful companion to Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire’s more comprehensive books of Norwegian folklore, D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths and D’Aulaires’ Book of Trolls.

"These tales have been adapted from the Dasent translation of the collection of Asbjernsen and Moe"--Copyright page.

This is a resource book for teaching about animals in comparison to human beings. It is recommended for Classes 4 and 5 (age 9 to 11) in the Steiner-Waldorf curriculum. Charles Kovacs taught in Edinburgh so there is a Scottish flavour to the animals discussed in the first half of the book, including seals, red deer and eagles. In the later chapters, he covers elephants, horses and bears.