A Toni Morrison Treasury: The Big Box / The Ant or the Grasshopper? / The Lion or the Mouse? / Poppy or the Snake? / Peeny Butter Fudge / The Tortoise or the Hare / Little Clou

Presidential Medal of Freedom, Nobel Prize, and Pulitzer Prize recipient Toni Morrison’s eight children’s books, cowritten with her son, are collected in one hardcover volume for the first time in this beautiful keepsake treasury with a foreword by Oprah Winfrey!

The three Who’s Got Game books slyly and exuberantly retell some of Aesop’s fables. Three of the stories feature illustrations by Pascal Lemaitre: The Ant or the Grasshopper? examines friendship, betrayal, and survival while The Lion or the Mouse? takes a hilarious, subversive look at bullying and ego, big and small, and The Poppy or the Snake? shows how an accidental injury spirals into a battle of wills.

In The Tortoise or the Hare?, illustrated by Joe Cepeda, slow and steady wins the race…or does it?

Peeny Butter Fudge, also illustrated by Joe Cepeda, celebrates the relationship between three kids and their Nana. Nana can take an ordinary afternoon and make it extra special! Nap time, story time, and playtime are transformed by fairies, dragons, dancing, and pretending—and then mixing and fixing yummy, yummy fudge just like Nana and Mommy did not so many years ago. A lot can happen when Nana is left in charge!

Little Cloud and Lady Wind features artwork by Sean Qualls and follows Little Cloud, who likes her own place in the sky. Away from the other clouds, the sky is all hers. Can Lady Wind show Little Cloud the power of being with others?

Shadra Strickland’s charming illustrations illuminate Please, Louise. One gray afternoon, Louise makes a trip to the library. With the help of a new library card and through the transformative power of books, what started out as a dull day turns into one of surprises, ideas, and curiosity! This engaging picture book celebrates the wonders of reading, the enchanting capacity of the imagination, and, of course, the splendor of libraries.

Toni Morrison’s first book for children, The Big Box, illustrated by Giselle Potter, introduces three feisty children who show grown-ups what it really means to be a kid.