Most Popular Books by Chris Raschka

In his apple orchard, a farmer meets a little man named Take and follows his advice, which does not turn out well, and the next day meets a little man named Give, whose advice is just as bad.

A fabulous and funky alphabet book from Caldecott Honor artist Chris Raschka "Good morning. How are you? Talk to me about the alphabet. Don’t give me numbers. Don’t give me 1, 2, 3. Give me letters! Give me ABC!" Sound it out, listen, maybe even shout . . . This isn’t just any old conversation. We’re talking about the alphabet! Chris Raschka brings his rhythm and street-smart style to an alphabet book, where A is for Attitude and W is for Way-cool Wheels. Raschka’s artistic energy will make everyone, big and small, look at the alphabet in a new way.

Two lonely characters, one black and one white, meet on the street and become friends.

A boy thinks about the life of a little black crow that he sees, wondering where it goes in the snow, where it sleeps, and whether or not it worries like he does.

From Caldecott Award–winning and New York Times bestselling author Chris Raschka, this tender and fun-filled picture book celebrates unexpected friendship and city life from the perspective of pigeons! How do two friends find each other? Why choose this one, not another? Are two friends just meant to be— I for you and you for me? Two pigeons fly through the city hoping to find a friend—but where do friends come from? In this brightly illustrated love letter to cities, the fine, feathered characters discover the magical, unlikely connections that happen best in the hustle and bustle of a big city.

CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This charming, wordless board book vibrantly explores the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring. A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST PICTURE BOOK OF THE CENTURY “Raschka’s genius lies in capturing the essence of situations that are deeply felt by children.” —School Library Journal (starred review) Daisy is a dog whose world revolves around her favorite toy ball. She always has it with her—on walks, during naps on the couch, even on visits to the local dog park. But when another dog at the park accidentally pops Daisy’s ball, her sadness at the loss is overwhelming. Expertly and wordlessly told through gorgeous watercolor illustrations, Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka has created a comforting narrative to help children navigate feelings of loss, sadness, and uncertainty. His illustrations powerfully portray Daisy’s emotions, and the satisfying, cheerful ending will appeal to young dog lovers, teachers, and parents of children who are missing something special. With impressionistic artwork and a positive message at its core, A Ball for Daisy is an affectionate story that shows how embracing change and forgiveness can result in beautiful new beginnings.

Celebrated picture book creators Chris Raschka and Vladimir Radunsky offer one possible answer to the age-old question: Who was Mother Goose? We all love to hear Mother Goose rhymes and riddles. But did you know that there was a real Mother Goose who lived in Boston more than three hundred years ago? In 1692, Elizabeth Foster married a widower with ten children. His name was Isaac Goose, and after they married, Elizabeth became Mother Goose. She and Isaac had four more children together, and to help her care for such a big and boisterous family, Mother Goose sang songs and lullabies and made up rhymes and poems. Her nursery rhymes and stories were published at a print shop on Pudding Lane in Boston, though no copies of her book exist today. In a book featuring some of Mother Goose’s best-loved works, Vladimir Radunsky’s bright and humorous illustrations and Chris Raschka’s rhyming poems tell the little-known story of the Goose children, Isaac, and Elizabeth herself — the Mother Goose of Pudding Lane.

A Shaker hymn about acceptance and sharing.

Two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka''s dazzling fiction debut. Now that the whole thing is over (and we all survived!), I can tell you what happened. Picture this for a second. Rock wall six inches on my left. Sheer cliff hundreds of feet down on my right, my best friend Norman in front of me, mumbling something, and my mom behind me saying, "Step, step, step." EEEEEEYAAAAAH! Next time my mom bugs me about sitting in front of the computer too much, I''m going to say, "Thanks, I prefer it where the near-death experiences are virtual!" No, seriously, this story is about Norman and about how he grows and learns stuff. Uses his imagination. Observes things. Like his dad, who is so devoted to . . . money! Like how his dad is mixed up with weird creeps of the underworld. All over the world! Why, why are grown-ups so insane? That''s exactly the question that Norman, Anna and Emma (the twins), and I, Leonard, try to answer. And with the help of Norman''s new tutor, Balthazar Birdsong (also fairly nuts), we nearly do it, too. Praise for SERIOUSLY, NORMAN! A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW NOTABLE CHILDREN''S BOOK "Appealingly quirky and adventurous; a celebration of the power of thinking outside the box."--KIRKUS REVIEWS "This rousing tale contains strong wordplay and a lot of humor."--HORN BOOK "A visual, loopy, absurdist experience."--THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

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From Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka comes a sweet, simple picture book dialogue between a mother and baby, for the youngest of children. Mama and Baby clap and play hide-and-seek and pat-a-cake. Mama and Baby . . . Mama? Where did Mama go? In a series of spreads, simple, bold illustrations show a mother on one side and a baby on the other, interacting in universally familiar ways — until Mama dips out briefly, then returns to her crying child to offer comfort again. With his usual flair, the redoubtable Chris Raschka offers a reassuring moment that will resonate with mamas and babies everywhere.

From Caldecott Medalist and New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Chris Raschka comes a gorgeously illustrated retelling of Mozart’s classic opera, The Magic Flute. The Magic Flute is the favorite choice of many opera lovers. But ask any of them to tell you the rambunctious, mystical, and downright oddball story of the opera and no two tellers will agree. Enter Chris Raschka, an opera goer himself. His stunning version of the original plot and the otherworldly events which inspired Mozart’s glorious music showcases his interpretation from the storytelling front curtain at the start, to the radiant finale at the end. Readers will be exclaiming, Bravo!

“[Raschka''s] marvelous sequences, fluid style, and emotional intelligence capture all of the momentum and exhilaration of this glorious accomplishment,” raves School Library Journal in a starred review. Learning to ride a bike is one of the most important milestones of childhood, and no one captures the emotional ups and downs of the experience better than Chris Raschka, who won the 2012 Caldecott Medal for A Ball for Daisy. In this simple yet emotionally rich "guide," a father takes his daughter through all the steps in the process—from choosing the perfect bicycle to that triumphant first successful ride. Using very few words and lots of expressive pictures, here is a picture book that not only shows kids how to learn to ride, but captures what it feels like to fall . . . get up . . . fall again . . . and finally "by luck, grace, and determination" ride a bicycle!

Theme: Feeling Grumpy. Crabby Crab is not in a good mood. No, Crabby Crab would rather complain than do anything else! Young readers will be drawn in by this humorous look into an all-too-familiar situation, and be comforted in the end. Chris Raschka’s expert balance of visual and textual humor will charm even the grumpiest of readers!

From top dogs Chis Raschka and Vladimir Radunsky comes an uplifting tale of canine self-reliance told in acrobatic, infectious rhyme. I''m the zoom-est and the boom-est, spread no gloom-est, say no doom-est. I''m the top-est, never stop-est, Boston Pop-est, be be bop-est. I''m the jazz-est, razzmatazz-est, dazzle dazz-est, most pizzazz-est. Think I kinda like it as the Hip Hop Dog. In an empowering story of an underdog who finds his voice and sense of self-worth through music, here is one hip dog who starts out as a dejected mutt but finds his groove—and his place in the world—through hip hop.

"A must for Daisy fans everywhere," declares School Library Journal in a starred review. With the same emotional intensity that he brought to his New York Times bestselling, New York Times Best Illustrated, and Caldecott Medal-winning picture book A Ball for Daisy, Raschka has created a story that explores fear as only he can. Any child who has ever felt lost will relate to Daisy''s despair upon finding herself in an unfamiliar part of the park after chasing a squirrel. In a nearly wordless picture book, Daisy encounters the unease of being lost and the joys of being found. Raschka''s signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers, teachers, parents and, of course, the legions of Daisy fans out there.

“[Raschka''s] marvelous sequences, fluid style, and emotional intelligence capture all of the momentum and exhilaration of this glorious accomplishment,” raves School Library Journal in a starred review. Learning to ride a bike is one of the most important milestones of childhood, and no one captures the emotional ups and downs of the experience better than Chris Raschka, who won the 2012 Caldecott Medal for A Ball for Daisy. In this simple yet emotionally rich "guide," a father takes his daughter through all the steps in the process—from choosing the perfect bicycle to that triumphant first successful ride. Using very few words and lots of expressive pictures, here is a picture book that not only shows kids how to learn to ride, but captures what it feels like to fall . . . get up . . . fall again . . . and finally "by luck, grace, and determination" ride a bicycle! This Read & Listen edition contains audio narration.

A delightful middle grade adventure by two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka about good, evil, and cats. Generously illustrated with black-and-white illustrations. When a twelve-year-old girl named Cleo and her cat, Muffin, become the newest members of PURR (Peace Urgently Requires Reasonableness), a secret society of cats fighting for peace, they aren’t exactly sure what they’re getting themselves into. Then, PURR discovers that KLAW (Cats Loving Awful Warfare), an evil secret society of cats, is planning to send dogs to space for ransom. PURR tasks Cleo to infiltrate KLAW as a secret spy so together they can stop them. It will take the intelligence, confidence, and tenacity of a feline to save the world from KLAW’s evil plans. Does Cleo have what it takes? Includes gorgeous black-and-white watercolors by two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka. A Children’s Book Committee Best Book of the Year!

A New York Review Children’s Collection Original An ALPHABET book? An ALBUM of old photos? We named it ALPHABETABUM. Here celebrated artists and authors Vladimir Radunsky and Chris Raschka put a delightful new old-fashioned spin on the alphabet book. Radunsky has selected portraits of children from his spectacular collection of antique black and-white photographs. Raschka has given the children names and written deliciously teasing rhymes about them. The result is ALPHABETABUM, a book of letters and pictures to which readers will happily return again and again both to look and to learn.

Theme: Wanting attention. Buggy Bug has something to say. But what could it be? We may never know, in this pitch-perfect portrait of the inconsistencies of toddlerhood. Buggy Bug’s insistence on attention—and then denial of attention—will prompt giggles upon each reading. Chris Raschka writes humor between the lines and paints in subtleties that will tickle readers of all ages.