For more than forty years children have discovered the joy of independent reading with I Can Read Books. These award-winning stories have set the standard for beginning reading books by featuring first-rate authors and illustrators who offer a full spectrum of topics and themes to young readers. From humor to history, poetry to sports, science to adventure to mystery, I Can Read Books get kids to love reading! In 1957 Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak collaborated to form a new kind of book: one tailor-made for children just learning to read. With the publication of their now-classic Little Bear, I Can Read Books were born. In the forty years since that breakthrough book, with over 40 million books sold and over 200 titles available, I Can Read Books continue to reward and entertain children who are learning to read. I Can Read Books have been awarded not only a loyal readership but also honors reserved for distinguished children's books: Newbery and Caldecott Honors, ALA Notable Awards, and Reading Rainbow Selections, to name a few. Many of the great authors of these books, such as Arnold Lobel, Betsy Byars, Katherine Paterson, and Peggy Parish, have also been recognized as the best authors in children's literature. With traditional themes and unforgettable characters, I Can Read Books are timeless treasures. Generations of early readers have shared the adventures of Frog and Toad, Amelia Bedelia, Frances, Danny and the Dinosaur, and many, many other beloved I Can Read characters. Now a new generation of early readers can fall in love with these favorites, as well as with new I Can Read Books destined to become classics. You can learn more about the I Can Read Books series at the HarperCollins I Can Read site.