I admit I was skeptical. Yes, the sketchy pen and ink pictures popping up all over my Instagram feed were charming and reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh and The Little Prince. Yes, several friends whose opinion I trust were glowing in their praise of the book.

My friend Jonathan Rogers and I were just talking about this book a few weeks ago, so I pulled it off my shelf for a reread and was struck again both by how beautiful it is and by how relevant it remains.

Recently I had the great pleasure of writing the foreword to Rabbit Room Press's new edition of MacDonald's classic fairy tale.

Natalie Babbitt is the author of one of my favorite children's books of all time, Tuck Everlasting, but here's another book of hers you may not know.

This past week I reread and wrote about Charlotte's Web for a yet-to-be-announced project, and I was reminded once again what a Perfect Children's Book it is.

Everyone who knows me knows that Kate DiCamillo is my favorite writer, but I'm usually talking about her many wonderful middle-grade novels, like Because of Winn-Dixie or The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

I don't remember the last time I was so excited about recommending a book. I just discovered this masterpiece and now it's sitting propped up on my desk, partly because it's too big to fit any of my bookshelves (!) but also because Oh. My. Goodness. It's beautiful.

This beloved, classic picture book by Barbara Cooney sits right beside my desk and probably needs no introduction for many of you!

With echoes of Jane Eyre and Dickens, the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series by Maryrose Wood features a delightfully plucky young governess, lovably mischievous children, pithy wisdom, an abundance of classic literary allusions, arcane facts about ferns and other useful subjects, mysteries, family curses, and even an ostrich.