Books by Tony Johnston
Day of the Dead
Above a small town in Mexico, the sun rises like a great marigold, and one family begins preparations for an annual celebration, El día de los muertos, the Day of the Dead. Soon they will go out into the night, join their neighbors, and walk to the graveyard to welcome the spirits of their loved ones home again. Framed by decorative borders and peppered with Spanish words, Day of the Dead is a glorious introduction to a fascinating celebration. A note at the end of the book provides factual information about the holiday.
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The Cowboy and the Black-Eyed Pea
This hilarious retelling of The Princess and the Pea with a Wild West twist is perfect for a read-aloud!
Farethee Well is a woman of strong mind and bodacious beauty, but when suitors come to ask for her hand in marriage, can she tell a real cowboy from a fake?
“This excellent retelling of Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea . . . is by far the most original to come along in the past few years.”—School Library Journal
“Johnston’s clever parody is rich with the language and details of the Wild West. Ludwig’s colorful illustrations heighten the story’s exaggerated humor . . . A great choice for a read-aloud.”—Booklist
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The Worm Family
Despite being different from their shiny neighbors, the Worm family is happy being who they are and so, instead of packing up and moving away, decide to stay put in order to get to know their neighbors in the hopes of teaching them just how special they are.
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Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea: A Fairly Fabricated Story of a Pair of Pants
Wild West chaos and creative problem solving are the force behind a well-loved American institution.What’s a California miner to do when gold dust sifts right out of his holey pockets? With such a raggedy wardrobe, he may as well be mining in the vanilla (that is, his birthday suit)! Good thing Levi Strauss is out west, ready with his needle and a head full of bright ideas. With some quick thinking, quicker stitching, and handy arithmetic, Levi keeps all the gold rushers clothed—and becomes a modern American hero. A Wild West tall tale, Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea celebrates creativity, innovation, and the ubiquitous item that fills the closets of grateful jeans wearers worldwide.
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Sunsets Of The West (Sweep, 12)
When Pa decides to leave New Hampshire for a new life in the west, the family packs up and gets on the move, but their journey becomes more treacherous than they had expected and they have to stay united to make the trip successful.
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Off To Kindergarten
Award-winning author Tony Johnston and illustrator Melissa Sweet create a joyful story about the first day of kindergarten!
"I'm off to kindergarten now.
I'd better take my bear.
He likes to sit beside me so
I'll take a little chair. . . ."
So begins the long list of things Bill absolutely needs for his first day of school. Along with his pillow and some cookies, he also plans on bringing his sandbox, some digging moles, and a moving truck!
A touching story of first-day jitters and hopes, Tony Johnston's rhyming text is paired with Melissa Sweet's delightful illustrations!
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10 Fat Turkeys
Gobble gobble up this board book for a Thanksgiving treat!
"Looky!" says a silly turkey swinging from a vine.Gobble gobble wibble wobble.Whoops! Now there are nine."Girls and boys will gobble up this hilarious counting story about ten goofy turkeys roller-skating on a fence, doing a noodle dance, and more! Give thanks! This Thanksgiving favorite is now available as a board book with foil cover.
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The Quilt Story
After a move to a new home, comfort comes from a surprising place.
Long ago, a young girl named Abigail put her beloved patchwork quilt in the attic. Generations later, another young girl discovers the quilt and makes it her own, relying on its warmth to help her feel secure in a new home.
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The Vanishing Pumpkin
A classic Halloween story about a pumpkin gone missing is certain to delight readers of all ages!
When a 700-year-old woman and an 800-year-old man want to make pumpkin pie on Halloween, they can’t find their pumpkin. “Our pumpkin’s been snitched,” cries the woman. And off they go to find it.
“A good bet for Halloween story hours.”—School Library Journal
“There can never be enough Halloween stories. This one is appealing, participatory, fast-paced and a delight in the telling.”—Children’s Book Review Service
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Loving Hands
Loving hands lift, carry, hold, and give in a tender meditation on the everlasting bond between a parent and a child.
Hands wave hello, hands hold, hands heal. Hands say, I am here for you always. In simple, stirring rhymes, author Tony Johnston pens a timeless ode to parenthood. The small moments and quiet scenes that make up childhood — learning to clap, planting a garden, waving good-bye on the first day of school — fill the pages of this gentle tale, capturing the reassurance and love that parents hand their children every day. Warm illustrations by Amy June Bates show a young boy reaching for his mother’s hand as he grows older and more independent . . . until, perhaps, he can be the one to offer love and support with hands that say, I am here for you always. An eloquent look at the passage of time and the power of connection and care, this book is a heartfelt gift for loved ones at any and all milestones in life.
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Trees
by Percival Everett, Tony Johnston, Francis Halle, Bruce Albert, Carme Lemniscates, Verlie Hutchens, Stefano Mancuso
A lyrical narrative and lovely, graphic illustrations pay tribute to the beauty and importance of the trees all around us.
Trees change through the seasons — springing to life, bearing fruit, and losing their leaves before a period of sleep. They clean the air we breathe, provide seeds and homes for creatures, and extend their shade to everyone equally. Throughout all these changes, trees are constant, patiently learning to grow and flourish wherever they might be. Trees is a reverent and poetic homage that invites the reader to take a closer look at these magnificent beings.
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Trees
by Percival Everett, Tony Johnston, Francis Halle, Bruce Albert, Carme Lemniscates, Verlie Hutchens, Stefano Mancuso
Every tree has its own story to tell in this evocative collection of poems celebrating the many varieties—from maple to willow to oak.
There are so many different kinds of trees in the world, and each has special qualities that make it unique. This lyrical, fanciful collection of poems celebrates the singular beauty of each tree, from the gnarled old apple tree to the tall and graceful aspen.
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Trees
by Percival Everett, Tony Johnston, Francis Halle, Bruce Albert, Carme Lemniscates, Verlie Hutchens, Stefano Mancuso
Explore a fantastical forest in this exquisite and lyrical picture book that celebrates all trees, from maple to elm to ginkgo to magnolia to redwood—written by award-winning author Tony Johnston.
Part poetry, part celebration of nature, each page of this stunning book brings readers deeper into the majestic world of trees. Old trees. Trees with shiny leaves shimmering after rain. And at night, trees holding out their limbs for the stars. Debut illustrator Tiffany Bozic created her striking artwork by painting directly on tree bark and the authenticity shines through in this meditative work.
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Trees
by Percival Everett, Tony Johnston, Francis Halle, Bruce Albert, Carme Lemniscates, Verlie Hutchens, Stefano Mancuso
From July 12th 2019 to January 5th 2020, the Fondation Cartier presented Trees, an ambitious exhibition devoted to trees, these exceptional living beings with unexpected faculties and yet widely threatened today. Underestimated by biologists for a long time―like the entirety of the plant kingdom―in recent years they have been the subject of scientific discoveries that have allowed us to see these organisms in a new light. Interestingly, some of these are among the oldest and largest members of this community of living things. Boasting sensory and motor skills, capable of communication, existing in symbiosis with other species and the climate, trees are equipped with unexpected faculties whose discovery confirms what traditional knowledge has long since incorporated. The veil has been lifted on a fascinating world―the world of plant intelligence―which could be the answer to many of today’s technological and environmental problems.
Trees allows readers to discover all of the works presented in the exhibition through almost 500 images, as well as a rich ensemble of scientific and critical texts. Combining the work of painters, photographers, architects, sculptors, philosophers, botanists and climatology specialists, this publication highlights the beauty, ingenuity and biological wealth of trees.
Contributors include: Emanuele Coccia, Cesare Leonardi, Bruce Albert, Luiz Zerbini, Raymond Depardon, Jean Nouvel, Tony Oursler, Adriana Varejao, Lothar Baumgarten and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
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Trees
by Percival Everett, Tony Johnston, Francis Halle, Bruce Albert, Carme Lemniscates, Verlie Hutchens, Stefano Mancuso
Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize
Winner of the 2022 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
Finalist for the 2022 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award
Finalist for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award
Longlisted for the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
An uncanny literary thriller addressing the painful legacy of lynching in the US, by the author of Telephone
Percival Everett’s The Trees is a page-turner that opens with a series of brutal murders in the rural town of Money, Mississippi. When a pair of detectives from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation arrive, they meet expected resistance from the local sheriff, his deputy, the coroner, and a string of racist White townsfolk. The murders present a puzzle, for at each crime scene there is a second dead body: that of a man who resembles Emmett Till.
The detectives suspect that these are killings of retribution, but soon discover that eerily similar murders are taking place all over the country. Something truly strange is afoot. As the bodies pile up, the MBI detectives seek answers from a local root doctor who has been documenting every lynching in the country for years, uncovering a history that refuses to be buried. In this bold, provocative book, Everett takes direct aim at racism and police violence, and does so in a fast-paced style that ensures the reader can’t look away. The Trees is an enormously powerful novel of lasting importance from an author with his finger on America’s pulse.
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Cat, What Is That?
A poetic read-aloud for young cat lovers with exquisite art and text.
Just why are cats so special? This joyous celebration of our feline friends has some answers, “It is the curl-up-in-your-lap. At any time, it is the nap.” Clever verse and minutely observed paintings invite us to explore the many moods and passions of kitties. From a tiny gray kitten eyeing a goldfish to a fat marmalade lolling on the sofa, here is a panorama of pleasures for the youngest cat lover.
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Bone by Bone by Bone
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 threatens to kill him if he does. David tries to change his daddy's mind. but when Malcolm crosses the line, Dr. Church grabs his shotgun.
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Sequoia
Standing tall above the tree line, Sequoia stretches his ancient arms and gathers clouds to him. He watches as days, seasons, years pass by. His branches are home to owls and choirs of frogs. Beneath his broad canopy, a world grows.
This is his story. Through controlled verse and luscious illustration, Tony Johnston and Wendell Minor do justice to the enormous figure of the sequoia tree. A Neal Porter Book
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Puma Dreams
“A lovely, beautifully illustrated story of a child's dream fulfilled.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Beautifully illustrated with a strong conservation message.” —School Library Journal
“A lyrical panoramic beauty of a book.” —BookPage
From award-winning duo Tony Johnston and Jim LaMarche comes a stunning, lyrical picture book about a girl’s desire to see an elusive California puma in the wild that includes interesting facts about this beautiful and threatened animal.
A girl visiting her grandmother longs for a glimpse of the solitary and rarely seen puma. Her grandmother tells her that if she’s patient, one day her wish will come true. But patience is hard, the girl thinks. So, the girl and her grandmother stand watch each day, and then finally, without warning, she sees the beautiful animal from afar. Knowing she may never see a puma again, she now knows it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect these increasingly threatened animals.
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Beast Rider
by Tony Johnston, María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
In Beast Rider, award-winning author Tony Johnston and psychotherapistMaria Elena Fontanot de Rhoads “offer a sympathetic, illuminating portrait of the challenges faced by one undocumented immigrant” (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review).
Twelve-year-old Manuel leaves his small town in Mexico to join his older brother in Los Angeles. To cross the US border, he must become a “beast rider”—someone who hops on a train. The first time he tries, he is stopped by the Mexican police, who arrest and beat him. When he tries again, he is attacked by a Mexican gang and left for dead.
Just when Manuel is ready to turn back, he finds new hope. Villagers clothe and feed him, help him find work, and eventually boost him back onto the train. When he finally arrives in LA and is reunited with his brother, he is elated. But the longer he’s there, the more he realizes that something isn’t right.
Thrilling and heartfelt, Beast Rider is a coming-of-age story that reveals how a place and its people help to define you.
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My Mexico / Mexico Mio
Sway to the sounds, reach for the colors, dance to the rhythms, and you will find your own Mexico in these poems in both English and Spanish.
"Johnston regales the senses with idyllic scenes of streets lined with a rainbow of adobe houses, with the scent of roses growing in coffee cans and lilies in chile jars, and with the sounds of fields of corn shaking quietly in the warm wind. The overall impression is one of sunbaked cheerfulness, warmth, and color ably reinforced by Sierra's pastel-tinted artwork." --The Horn Book
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Born Naughty My Childhood in China
Share in the joyful, adventure-filled shenanigans of a child growing up in a small mud hut in Inner Mongolia in this charming, illustrated memoir for young middle grade readers.
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Growing up in Inner Mongolia, Jin Wang was rambunctious and boisterous and did not always listen to her Ma. Jin and her family were poor, but like kids everywhere, she still found a way to have fun and get into lots of mischief climbing trees, digging for mushrooms, and even looking for wolves.
Paired with delightful, kid-friendly illustrations, this early middle grade memoir invites readers to join Jin and her family in the outskirts of Inner Mongolia to remind us that though we all have different customs and traditions, we are more alike than not, and that mischief lives within all of us.
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