"Entertaining . . . A lovely keepsake celebrating books that remain
key parts of childhood for people all around the world."--Foreword
Reviews
Did you know that the Very Hungry Caterpillar was originally just a fat
worm named Willi?
Or that the author of Charlotte's Web hatched real spiders on top of
his dresser?
In The Stories Behind the Stories, you'll hear the incredible
behind-the-scenes tales of twenty-nine beloved children's classics.
Discover the childhood inspiration behind Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory, the original name of Curious George, the mysterious origin of
Mother Goose, and what happened when Maurice Sendak told his editor he
couldn't draw wild horses (spoiler alert: he drew wild things instead).
It's a celebration of children's literature, and you're invited!
From the Author's Note:
In my research of these authors, I began to see that our most treasured
children's books weren't just built on creativity and
imagination--many were born from extraordinary persistence and grit.
Considering Benjamin Franklin's quote, that a person should either write
something great or do something great, it's clear to me that the
authors we admire most have done both. And perhaps it's this secret
ingredient that's made their writing so genuine, so engaging, and so
enduring.