Top 10 Picture Book Candidates

Once upon a time, a boy wanted to go on a big trip. Little Bear, his sister, wanted to go. "No, Little Bear," the boy said. He tied her to a door post. TRAMP, TRAMP, TRAMP. Little Bear followed. She carried the post. He tied her to a pine tree. TRAMP, TRAMP, TRAMP. Little Bear followed. She carried the tree. He tied her to a rock. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. Little Bear followed. She carried the rock. They came to a wide river. The boy asked, "How can we cross?" Little Bear pushed the rock in. She put the pine tree on the rock. It made a bridge. They walked across safely. "You can come," the boy said. They walked many days. They came to dark woods. They met a wolf. "The sun is gone," the wolf said. "An old woman took it." "I can find the sun," Little Bear said. "Give me maple sugar." The wolf gave her two lumps. Little Bear went to the old woman's house. She put the maple sugar in the old woman's rice. The rice was too sweet. The old woman left her house. Little Bear found the sun. She threw the sun into the sky. The old woman was angry. She stole the moon. The night was dark. The wolf told them, "The moon is gone." "I can find the moon," Little Bear said. "Give me salt." The wolf gave her two pinches. Little Bear went to the old woman's house. She put the salt in the old woman's rice. The rice was too salty. The old woman left her house. Little Bear found the moon. She threw the moon into the sky. The old woman was very angry. She caught Little Bear. She put Little Bear in a bag. She tied the bag to a tree. Little Bear bit a hole in the bag. She crawled out. She put pots and pans in the bag. The old woman came back. She hit the bag. CRASH! The pots and pans broke. The boy and Little Bear found sun gold. They found moon silver. They became rich. Little Bear stayed with her brother. They traveled together. Little Bear, who seemed like a burden, proved to be the cleverest and best companion of all.

Long, long ago, the world was very new. Father Sky was very close to Mother Earth. Mother Earth was dark. Nothing grew there. She did not know other ways. Father Sky and Mother Earth had a son. His name was Shining One. He had a dream. He dreamed of a high, blue sky. He dreamed of a bright, pretty Earth. Shining One grew up big. He asked Father Sky to move higher. Father Sky said, "No. There is no 'higher up'." Shining One gently lifted Father Sky. He put Father Sky on tall mountains. Father Sky felt a little uncomfortable. He grumbled. Shining One did not listen. He lifted Father Sky even higher. He lifted Father Sky far above mountains. He worked very hard. Mother Earth was not happy. She asked, "Why change our world?" "It was a dream!" she said. Shining One showed Mother Earth the new world. It was bright. Warm sun shone. Bright flowers grew. Happy birds sang. The air felt fresh. It was very pretty now. Mother Earth saw how pretty it was. She was very happy. But Father Sky still grumbled. "I am still plain!" he said. Shining One made a soft, blue blanket. It was for Father Sky. He put many bright stars on it. This was for the night. Father Sky liked the blanket. But he asked for one more. "This is too dark for day!" he said. So, Shining One made a light blue blanket. It was for Father Sky. It was bright and pretty. This was for the day. Now, Father Sky and Mother Earth were happy. They loved how pretty each other looked. They smiled at each other. All was well. Father Sky sent soft rain. It went to Mother Earth. Mother Earth sent soft clouds up. They went to Father Sky. They said "hello" each day. Sometimes, trying new things can make everything much more beautiful and happy for everyone!

Once upon a time, there was a king. King Leo loved a princess very much. But the princess had a bad spell. Fairy Flora said, "Step on her cat's tail." King Leo tried to step on the tail. The cat ran fast. The tail moved and moved. For many days, King Leo tried. One day, the cat slept. King Leo stepped on the tail! The cat changed. It became a big, angry man. He was Magician Grumpy. "You broke my spell!" he said. "Your baby will have a very long nose." "He will not know it is long." Grumpy left. King Leo was not too worried. But then King Leo died. He died before his baby was born. No one knew the bad magic spell. The baby was born. His name was Prince Wish. He had blue eyes and a sweet mouth. But his nose was very, very long. His mother was sad. People said, "A long nose is good!" Prince Wish believed them. Prince Wish grew up. He loved his long nose. He did not like people with small noses. One day, he saw Princess Darling. She had a small, pretty nose. But Prince Wish loved her. The court said, "Her small nose is special." Prince Wish sent for Princess Darling. He wanted to marry her. Magician Grumpy came. He took Princess Darling away. Prince Wish was very sad. Prince Wish went to find her. He met Fairy Flora. Her nose was very tiny. Fairy Flora talked and talked. "Your nose is very long," she said. Prince Wish did not understand. He thought she talked too much. Prince Wish walked on. People looked at his nose. They laughed. Prince Wish did not know why. He felt sad. Fairy Flora felt bad for him. She found Princess Darling. She put her in a glass palace. It was on Prince Wish's path. Prince Wish saw Princess Darling. He ran to the palace. He tried to kiss her. His long nose stopped him. He looked at his nose. "My nose is too long!" he cried. The magic spell broke. Fairy Flora appeared. His nose became small. He kissed Princess Darling. They were very happy. They got married. They lived happily ever after. Prince Wish learned that it is good to see yourself clearly. Then he was truly happy.

Long ago, a kind farmer lived there. They worked hard each day. They had a small rice farm. They grew many rice plants. The farmer and his wife wanted a child. They wished for a son. Life was not easy for them. At times, no rain fell. The rice plants turned yellow and dry. They did not have much food. The farmer and his wife were often sad. One summer day, it was very dry. Then, dark clouds came. Rain began to fall. The farmer was very happy. He worked in the rain. He loved the cool, fresh water. A big, bright light flashed. It was very loud. A rumbling sound came. It was right in front of him. The farmer closed his eyes quickly. He opened his eyes slowly. A sweet baby lay there. The baby was rosy and warm. It made happy sounds. The farmer was very surprised. He felt much joy in his heart. The farmer picked up the child. He took him home to his wife. "This is a special gift," he said. "A gift from sky. They named him Rai-taro." They loved their new son very much. Rai-taro grew into a good boy. He was kind and quiet. He liked to be outside always. He watched the clouds. He watched the water flow. He loved all of nature. The farm became very good. Rain always fell on their fields. The rice grew tall and green. The farmer had much food to eat. He also had much money. He and his wife were very happy now. Many years passed. Rai-taro was now a young man. It was his eighteenth birthday. He thanked his parents. "Thank you for your love," he said. Then, a magic thing happened. Rai-taro changed. He became a tiny white dragon. The dragon flew up. It flew into the sky. It grew bigger and bigger. It went to the white, tall clouds. The farmer and his wife were old. They did not work hard then. They lived a happy, quiet life. They felt very good. They felt much peace each day. They always thought of Rai-taro. He was their special son. They had a nice garden. A white dragon statue stood there. It made them think of him always. Be kind, work hard. Good things come. At times, special gifts come from above.

Once there is a boy. His name is Tom. Tom lives in a big, big castle. He helps everyone. Everyone likes Tom. Tom is a good boy. An old man lives in the castle too. He is kind. He says to Tom: "Do not go to the hill. It is not safe. Tom likes him." But Tom wants to see the hill. He thinks about it every day. One night, Tom walks to the hill. A small door is open. Light comes out. Tom goes in. He sees many tiny fairies. They are small. They wear pretty colors. Red and blue and green. Tom sees a silver cup. It is a magic cup. A fairy wants juice. The cup fills with juice! Tom wants the cup. Tom thinks: "I want that cup. I want to show the old man." The tiny fairies see Tom. "Come sit with us!" they say. Tom sits down. But then they are not nice. They say not-nice things. Tom does not like this. Tom is brave. He stands up fast. He picks up the magic cup. He puts out all the lights. Now it is dark! Tom runs out with the cup. He holds it tight. The tiny fairies run after him. They are fast. Tom runs and runs. Then Tom hears a kind voice. "Run to the water, Tom! Run to wet sand!" Voice is warm. Tom runs fast. He runs to the sea. He runs to the wet sand. Tom jumps on the wet sand. The waves made it wet. He is safe! The tiny fairies stop. They cannot walk on wet sand. Tom is safe now. The fairies go back to the hill. Tom walks to the castle. He holds the magic cup. He is happy. He is very happy. Tom grows up big and strong. He helps in the castle. The magic cup sits on a big shelf. Tom tells this story to children. They like it very much. And the magic cup is still there today.

Willie loves to watch birds fly. He dreams of flying too. One night, three small fairies came. They said, "Come fly with us." Willie told his parents. They laughed. "You had a dream," they said. Willie knew it was real. One sunny morning, Willie walked. He saw the three small fairies. They sat under a very big tree. They waited for Willie there. Willie took off his small cap. He said, "Good morning, friends." The fairies took Willie's hand. They walked to a quiet, green place. A very big balloon was there. It looked like a giant, round pear. It was ready to fly up high. Willie got in the balloon car. The fairies got in too. The balloon went up very, very fast. Willie looked down from high up. The earth got very, very small. Houses were like tiny, tiny dots. People were like small, black ants. They went into soft white clouds. The clouds looked like a big, sparkling sea. Willie felt very, very cold. He could not breathe well up high. His teeth went chatter, chatter, chatter. "It is so cold here," he said. Pippin had a special warm cloak. It was like the balloon cloth. They put it on Willie fast. Willie felt warm and good now. He could breathe well again. The balloon went higher and higher. Willie saw many sparkly things. They fell all around them. They looked like bright, tiny diamonds. Willie wanted to catch one. He put his hand out. He touched something very cold. It was thin, clear ice. It felt very cold. Pippin smiled at Willie. "This is water vapor," he said. "Cold air makes ice. It falls down. It turns to water." "Then it is vapor again." Pippin said, "We go down now." Willie saw wonders. They had shown him the big sky. The big balloon began to fall. The balloon went down very fast. It landed by the river bank. Willie got out safely. He went home for his dinner. Willie had a wonderful trip. He saw many new, exciting things. He will always remember them. He will remember the big, blue sky.

Once there was a little fairy named Hedgeflower. He lived in a wild rose. He wanted to see new places. He left his home. He looked for fun. He walked and flew. He saw a big garden. Many fairies were there. They talked very much. They made a happy sound. A Butterfly saw Hedgeflower. "Hello!" said the Butterfly. "Come meet my friend. He met a fairy." She was a Rose Fairy. She was Hedgeflower's cousin. The Rose Fairy smiled. "Come to the party," she said. "Princess Lily has a party. It is in the glass house. Hedgeflower felt happy." They went to the glass house. It was very big. Many flowers grew there. Many fairies were inside. They wore nice clothes. Hedgeflower looked around. He felt surprised. The Rose Fairy took him. They went to Princess Lily. Princess Lily was very pretty. She had golden hair. She smiled at Hedgeflower. He liked her smile. He felt very happy. A Spider was on the roof. It made a web. It did not look down. It moved lower and lower. It did not see the party. A fairy shouted. "Look out, Princess!" Hedgeflower flew fast. He tried to stop the Spider. But he was too late. The Spider fell down. It hit Princess Lily's flower. The flower broke. Petals fell down. Princess Lily's home was gone. She felt very sad. All the fairies felt sad. They talked very much. "Come live with me," they said. Each fairy had a home. They wanted to help Princess Lily. Princess Lily looked around. She did not speak. Then she asked, "Where is the kind fairy? He tried to help me." Fairies pushed Hedgeflower forward. He felt shy. Princess Lily smiled at him. She held out her hand. "I will go with you," she said. "I will be a wild-rose-fairy." Hedgeflower bowed low. "My home is simple," he said. "It has thorns. But it has open sky. No glass is there." Princess Lily smiled. "I like the open sky," she said. They took hands. They flew away fast. They left the glass house. They flew to the wild rose hedge. Princess Lily made a new home. She wore a pink dress. She was a wild-rose-fairy. She was very happy. Hedgeflower was happy too. They lived in the wild rose. They loved the open sky. A simple home and kind heart are best.

Once, a poor boy looked after sheep. He had no mother or father. He was kind and alone. One night, he heard crying. He saw a big Giant by the trees. The Giant had a hurt foot. “Please help me,” said the Giant. The boy was scared. But he wanted to help. He used his shirt. He tied the Giant’s foot. “Thank you,” said the Giant. “Come with me.” He gave the boy a belt. It was magic. “Put this on. You will be invisible.” They went to a hidden place. Many Giants were there. They had a big party. It was fun. There was music and dancing. The boy smiled and clapped. The boy was hungry. He took a loaf of bread. He put it in his pocket. It was a magic loaf. Later, he tried to eat the bread. He could not cut it. He bit it. A piece of gold fell out! The bread was magic. The boy was very surprised. The boy bought food with the gold. He was happy. He shared food with others. He saw the Lord’s daughter. She was kind and smiled. He wanted to give her a gift. He put on his magic belt. He took a bag of gold. He put it by her bed. He did this for many nights. The girl and her parents were surprised. “A fairy brings it,” they said. They wanted to see. They waited and watched. One rainy night, the boy forgot his belt. He put gold by the bed. The Lord saw him. “Are you taking the gold?” asked the Lord. The boy was sad. He could not explain. The Lord let him go. The boy went to town. He got nice clothes and a carriage. He went back to the Lord. The Lord was surprised. The boy told his story. He asked to marry the daughter. The Lord said yes. The boy and the daughter were happy. They had a big wedding. Kindness brings good things.

A king and queen lived long ago. They wanted a baby very much. A fish spoke to The Queen. "You will have a baby girl." She was happy. Soon, a baby girl came. The King was happy too. The King made a big party. Many good fairies came. They wanted to see the baby. One fairy was not invited. This fairy was very angry. The good fairies gave gifts. One gave kindness. One more gave good looks. The baby princess got many good things. She was a nice baby. The Bad Fairy came. She was very angry. She made a bad wish. "Princess Rose will touch a spinning wheel. She will fall into a deep sleep." One more good fairy spoke. She made the wish softer. "Princess Rose will not die. She will sleep for one hundred years. Then she will wake up." The King was sad. He was scared for Princess Rose. He told his people. "Break all the spinning wheels now. My daughter must be safe." Princess Rose grew up. She was fifteen years old. On her birthday, she went alone. She found an old room. An Old Lady was there. She spun thread. Princess Rose wanted to see. She touched the spinning wheel. Her finger pricked. She felt sleepy. She fell into a deep, deep sleep. All people in the castle fell asleep. The King fell asleep. The Queen fell asleep. The dogs slept. The birds slept. All people slept deeply. Big, green bushes grew. They grew around the castle. They grew very tall. The castle was hidden. No one could go inside. Many, many years passed. One hundred years passed. A brave Prince came. He heard about Princess Rose. He wanted to find her. The Prince went to the castle. He saw the big bushes. The bushes turned into flowers. Pretty flowers opened for him. He walked through them simply. He went inside the castle. It was very quiet. He found Princess Rose. She was sleeping in a bed. He gave her a soft kiss. Princess Rose opened her eyes. She woke up! All people woke up. The King and Queen woke up. The dogs barked. The birds sang. The Prince and Princess Rose were happy. They loved each other. They got married. They lived well ever after.

In Atami, lived a kind priest. His name was Kenji. He gave food to his people. He gave food to the children. Winter came. Fish were gone. Many people were hungry. Priest Kenji was hungry too. One day, no fish came. The people were very hungry. Priest Kenji felt sad. He went to a big tree. It was a camphor tree. He sat and prayed for his people. The tree opened. A goddess came out. Her name was Kannon. She wore a purple dress. Her face was kind. But her eyes were not happy. She said, "Do not pray here. Go to the shore. Look at the fish there." Priest Kenji went to the shore. He saw many fish. They were on the sand. They were not alive. They were not good to eat. The fish were hot. He felt very sad. Priest Kenji cried for his people. He went up a hill. He wanted to know why. He prayed to the gods. He looked at the sea. Far away, the sea was hot. The sea was bubbly. Fish jumped from the water. They were hot too. Priest Kenji knew why. Priest Kenji called a young man. "Go quickly," he said. "Bring a branch from the camphor tree. Hurry, please!" The young man ran fast. The young man brought the branch. Priest Kenji held it. He prayed to Goddess Kannon. "Help my people," he said. "Stop the hot sea. Give us fish to eat." He threw the branch. It went far into the sea. The branch was special. There was a big sound. The ground moved. A hill changed shape. Hot water came out of the ground. It went high in the air. It looked like a big cloud. This was a miracle. The people came. They made paths for the water. The hot water flowed. People bathed in it. It made them feel better. They called it the Spring of Kindness. Fish came back to the sea. The people had food. Priest Kenji was very happy. His people thanked him. They gave him many gifts. They loved their kind priest. The camphor tree still grows there. It is old and strong. Priest Kenji was kind. His prayers helped his village. Good things can happen. We are kind and help others. The hot spring was a gift. The people were happy. Priest Kenji was happy too. He helped everyone.