Most Popular Books by Kate Banks

A little tiger takes an imaginative journey The little tiger lay on his back in the tall grass. "Close your eyes, little tiger," said his mother, "and go to sleep." But the little tiger is worried about what sleep might bring. His mother reassures him that once he closes his eyes, he will dream of magical places. And when he awakens, she will be right there, waiting for him. Alternating between real-life scenes with the baby tiger and his mother and enchanted dream scenes of sleep''s possibilities, Kate Banks''s simple, comforting text and Georg Hallensleben''s bright, colorful illustrations make this a charming bedtime story for small children. Close Your Eyes is a 2002 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year and a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children''s Book of the Year.

As evening progresses into nighttime, the moon looks down on a variety of nocturnal scenes, including a child getting ready for bed.

A story of woodland creatures discovering a lost doll is transformed into the perfect parable of love in this sweet, timeless picture book for fans of Corduroy and The Velveteen Rabbit. The wood mouse and the rabbit find a rag doll in the woods. Nothing about it is familiar: it doesn''t smell like the fresh air of spring or feel like the rough bark of a tree. As the group of animals grows and searches for a clue to where the doll came from, they encounter more mysteries—and discover the one thing their hearts know to be true. Whether between parent and child, siblings, or friends, this beautifully illustrated story is about the way we show one other how much we care.

While waiting for it to be born, a young child wonders what its new sibling will be like. Banks''s lyrical poetry pairs with Swiatkowska''s playful dreamlike scenes to create a must-have book for all children who are about to have new siblings. Full color.

Kate Banks''s soft and rhythmic text is brought to life by Georg Hallensleben''s strong, expressive paintings in this bedtime read that will carry young readers through the seasons. It''s time for bed, and a little boy chooses his favorite book for his mother to read to him. The bear in the book is preparing for his own deep slumber, hibernating through the winter while humans and other animals explore the snowy landscape around him. Just when the bear wakes up to greet the spring, the boy drifts off to sleep.

When sixteen-year-old Baz becomes apprentice to a powerful but kind magician, he makes a long journey across the desert and into the mountains, ultimately discovering himself by learning to dispel illusions.

A boy provides instructions as he searches high and low for an elephant, which the reader can find in the illustrations.

During the summer that he turns ten years old, Dillon Dillon learns the surprising story behind his name and develops a relationship with three loons living on the lake near his family''s New Hampshire cabin that help him make sense of his life.

An easy-to-read book about a globe-trotting cat that crosses paths with a vacationing family in the great cities of Europe. Includes facts about the cities.

Max and his brothers drive to Shapeville and Count Town searching for problems, and are able to use their skills in arithmetic and sleuthing to help get things ready for a rocket launch.

Third-grader Howie Bowles copes with having to change schools twice in one year by pretending to be a secret agent named Agent Bean Burger.

When a father and child go fishing together, each does certain things his own way, and both have a wonderful day.

An ingenious sequel to Max''s Words and Max''s Dragons, Max''s Castle shows readers just how much fun wordplay can be in this winning collaboration between author Kate Banks and illustrator Boris Kulikov. When Max finds a pile of forgotten toys under the bed, his brothers Benjamin and Karl wonder what''s so special about some old blocks. So Max shows them. With some clever twists of both blocks and imagination, he constructs not only a castle but an entire adventure, complete with pirates and knights, a dark dungeon and a dragon.

Banks'' s recounting of her outer journey in a physical body is seamlessly woven into the inner journey of her soul in this collection of breathtaking verse where a mastery of words and a spellbinding sense of presence become the vehicles for revelation. Her past, present, and future are anchored in the eternal rather than the linear. Mystical moments of suspended belief and forays into other dimensions are as real as encounters with the natural world. No matter how small the moment or object, it becomes a beacon in a universe far larger than we think. Yet, despite their tender beauty, there is nothing glorified about Banks'' s observations. She doesn'' t shy away from hardship or writing about her rare, incurable illness. Her gracious words encourage us to embrace life and death as part of a continuum shared by all the living. Here, in Into the Ether, is a world of hope that readers will want to return to again and again.

Lester has just moved to Cape Cod and is starting in a new school, and George is missing his best friend who has moved away, but the two develop a friendship and learn about scientific experimentation when they start working on a school science project, testing psychic ability in dogs, based on an experiment developed by Dr. Rupert Sheldrake.

This deeply emotional read-aloud about a lost wolf pup who is raised by a loving polar bear is sure to resonate with families – particularly non-traditional ones. You are not my mother, said the wolf pup. I am not your mother, said the polar bear, but I can cuddle you and keep you safe. Here is a picture book that celebrates differences and promotes kindness , sure to resonate with the many fans of the beloved classic, Mama Do You Love Me? During the ice melt that follows an Arctic winter, a wolf cub finds himself spinning out to sea on a sheet of ice. He awakes lost and alone to an unfamiliar smell: a polar bear. And while the polar bear is not the wolf''s mother, she takes him on her back to her den, where she feeds him, keeps him warm, and does everything a mother would do. Time passes, the cub grows into a wolf, and soon it''s time for him to venture out into the wide world alone. Years later, the now grown wolf comes upon a tiny lost polar bear cub--and the cycle begins again. With poetic prose this beautiful picture book about the love and kindness of a stranger is sure to touch a deep chord, particularly with parents and children who have found each other in unexpected ways.

"As the days grow shorter and the air becomes colder, the spring birds fly south for winter--except for one nightingale with an injured wing. Unable to fly, the nightingale worries about how to prepare for weather it has never experienced before. Luckily, the forest animals who are used to the frosty conditions help the nightingale survive as its wing heals."--

A companion to Thank You, Mama, Kate Banks and Gabi Swiatkowska''s Please, Papa is perfect for a quick and playful lesson in manners. Alice was making a farm in the middle of her bedroom. She asked Mama for a pig and chickens for her farm, but when Mama didn''t have a horse, Alice turned to her papa. "Please, Papa," said Alice. "Okay," said Papa, who, since Alice asked so nicely, put her on his back and trotted around like a horse himself. A playful story where, with the use of a single polite word, lines between the real and the imaginary become blurred as toy animals come to life.

Where the Wild Things Are meets Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in this emotionally satisfying picture book tailor-made for reading aloud, which celebrates creativity and the power of imagination. In a spare, lyrical text, young listeners and readers will follow a little boy through his day, from early morning till bedtime, and watch as what fills his active imagination becomes real. Toys grow to life-size: a tin monkey plays a real drum and fiddle--rat-a-tat, toot!--a stuffed lion roars--rumble, grumble--and a dump truck empties its load--BANG! But when quiet time comes, and a hush settles over his bedroom, animals nap, and the boy becomes absorbed in other activities, like reading and drawing. Here is an irresistible read-aloud by a picture-book master that captures all the joy of a child''s play, and renders a boy''s imagination real. Praise for And If the Moon Could Talk by Kate Banks: "With quiet phrases and luxurious color, Banks . . . evoke(s) a perfectly peaceful bedtime." --Publishers Weekly Praise for City Cat by Kate Banks: "If you have to pack a suitcase, . . . make room in it for this book." --The New York Times

While a farm family bustles about, preparing for the arrival of Christmas, they do not notice the great anticipation spreading among the animals, who know that something very special is on its way.