Tony Johnston

Illustrations and easy-to-read text reveal the secrets of letters, including their power to create words of all kinds.

A young boy lists all the things he will have to take with him on his first day in kindergarten.

The beauty and spirit of Christmas resounds in the melodic chimes of a church bell in this lyrical picture book by well-known author Tony Johnston with breathtaking illustrations by watercolor artist Cheng-Khee Chee. On Christmas Eve, people bundle up in the cold and follow the sounds of the bell to gather in celebration. Creatures great-children, dogs, cats, and birds-and small stop to listen as a brass band marches through town. The poetry and imagery...

For at least 100 years, generations of barn owls have slept, hunted, called, raised their young, and glided silently above the wheat fields around an old barn.

Each day, from September through November, brings glimpses of forest animals seeking food in preparation for the onset of winter, from a fox sniffing the last apple on the ground to a flock of wild turkeys that finds nothing.

FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN WHITE AND BLACK in 1950s Tennessee. Tony Johnston draws on her own childhood memories to limn a portrait of a sensitive and compassionate boy fighting for a friendship his father forbids. David's daddy is determined that his son will grow up to be a doctor like himself. David studies the human bones, and secretly teaches them in turn to his black friend, Malcolm. In a rage, Dr. Church forbids Malcolm to ever enter their home--and...

From award-winning author Tony Johnston and David Walker comes the perfect book for first time First Graders! Kindergarten? Done! "I'm zooming off to first grade now.I need about five friendsto play good games like hide-and-sneakand where-the-sidewalk-ends."Tony Johnston's playful stanzas meet with David Walker's joyful art to create a remarkable foray into first grade--with all its peaks and valleys. There's reading and counting, sure, but also...

When the Nazis invaded Poland, a family is split apart. The parents are sent to one concentration camp, their son to another. Only his father's gift, a harmonica, keeps the boy's hopes alive and, miraculously, ensures his survival. Tony Johnston's powerful story, inspired by the life of a Holocaust survivor, is enhanced by Ron Mazellan's luminous artwork. A testament to the human spirit and the transcendent power of music.

A witch's hat causes its owner some problems when it turns into a bat, then a rat, then a cat, and still won't behave after that.

Two good friends, Possum and Alien, spend time together celebrating their birthdays, discovering their uniqueness, and hanging out together in a tree.