Virginia Lee Burton, author of such classic children's books as The Little House and Katy and the Big Snow, offers a touching portrait of love and dedication while commenting on the modernization that continuously shapes our lives. www.bettybookmark.co.uk Pictures and words combine appropriately to leave the same sense of satisfaction you get at the end of a good meal. Carousel This race against time story, as Mike and his team shovel dig the foundations for the new town hall, leaves you breathless. Ingenious, with a perfect twist at the end. -- Michael Morpurgo Junior

Virginia Lee Burton created some of the most enduring classics of all children's literature. The winner of the 1942 Caldecott Medal for The Little House, Burton's books include heroes and happy endings, lively illustrations, and a dash of nostalgia. Burton lived with her two sons and her husband, the sculptor George Demetrios, in Folly Cove, Massachusetts. Here she taught a class in design and from it emerged the Folly Cove Designers, a group of professional artisans who were internationally known. Virginia Lee Burton died in 1968.