Admittedly, I'm from Ann Arbor. But Willard is quite magical in capturing the feel of (what was then, before WWII) a smallish Michigan city, from an utterly unexpected angle. The book is one of the most successful examples of magical realism I have ever encountered, and Willard's prose itself is enchanting. I've read this book (and its successor, Sister Water, now out of print) many times, always with fondness, and I recommend it to anyone else who wants a thoroughly good read.

I just ordered a hardback copy of this book, because my paperback is falling apart from so many readings! I was not surprised to see so many other reviews for a book so old; because this is a wonderful, magical book. I picked it up at a used book-store, even though it looked to be a "fantasy", which I don't read. But this novel cannot be wedged into any genre. If you love baseball, are interested in (or lived through) WWII, grew up in S. Michigan, went to U. of Michigan, or believe in miracles, this book WILL resonate with you. And you may love it without any of those points of resonance! It also has those subtle references that make re-reading worthwhile. Example: a scene set in early December 1941, where Death-a little man who is a main character in the book-attends a seance several days early, because "he has important business on Sunday". It was my third reading before I followed the book's timeline well enough to realize Death had to be at Pearl Harbor that Sunday.

This book leaves you with not just a good feeling, but a tingle of wonder--like maybe there are always little miracles afoot in the world???? If Nancy Willard only had one "big novel" in her, I'm glad its this one; but I'd love to see more from her.

This book turned my teenaged niece from a non-reader to an avid reader. Can there be a better tribute to any book?

I am an elementary school teacher and one of my students - an extremely thoughtful and insightful 7 year-old - gave me an angelfood cake (with this book) for an end-of-the-year gift. She told me to be careful when I eat the cake and to look for the surprise. I was finishing up my room cleaning and had a piece of the cake, but unfortunately, the rest of the cake went bad in the heat. I looked through the rest of the cake to find a thimble. Puzzled, I read the book and cried through the last part of it. For anyone who is wanting to show good wishes, love, luck, modern angels watching over you or just a TERRIBLY wonderful and sentimental gesture towards someone...Read this book, bake an angelfood cake with a thimble in it and give book and cake as a gift. My thimble is in my china cabinet next to my fine crystal and Hummell figurines - it has that much heartfelt value. If you are "angel phobic" or concerned about religious undertones - it really has none. No preaching involved, just simply a FEEL GOOD story.There's no rhyme or reason to the illustrations which are detailed, subtle, yet bright and the storyline is quite cleaver and unpredictable. But it is the meaning woven into the words and storyline that is honest, loving and genuine. One to treasure for generations!

When I was nine, my favorite teacher gave me this book to read. It was incredibly imaginative and it put a smile to my face on even the worst of days. For my mother's birthday, i used the exact recipe and directions for the The High Rise Glorious Skittle Skat Roarious Sky Pie Angel Food Cake to bake her the very best birthday surprise ever! Read it today!

What a perfect marriage of words and pictures! This is the story of a girl who wants to give her mother a birthday gift more precious than gold: something that blends love, nostalgia and magic with good cake. She is aided (and abetted) in this venture by her goofy, unwitting uncle, and a trio of the most endearing angels ever illustrated. (Check out how the oldest angel's socks don't match!) The finely drawn pictures are delightfully evocative and reward close inspection. The whole book soars with whimsy, glory, and love. A keepsake.

This precious book caught my eye mainly because of the "snow ice cream" in the title! How fondly I remember my mother scooping up great heaps of freshly fallen snow to make that wonderful treat! And in this book we have the RECIPE!

I bought the book as a gift for a 10-year-old girl who lives on a farm, plus an extra copy for myself!

There are many, many wonderful thoughts, facts, pictures, and memories to beguile almost anyone, any age. Don't miss it!

I found this book to be very delightful. It brought back memories of my own great grandmother and the stories she told. The recipes and the helpful tips sounded a lot like the things my great grandma used to share. I found it to be refreshing and nostalgic. I would recommend this to anyone who likes to hear from the past the wisdom and the winsome.

"East of the sun" is my favorite folktale. Willard transforms the tale into something even more enchanting and the illustrations by Moser are beautiful (most of them are face and upper torso shots of the characters in the play, but the illumination on the sides of the pages and acts are a nice touch). It makes a great "story" to read aloud, and better if you get people to play the different roles. I've found myself, at nearly 32, singing parts of it aloud. It's a fleshed out rendition of the tale, adding a lot of character to the flat folktale people and beasts. I've not bought anything by Willard before and was pleased to get this; Moser is one of my favorite artists--his most recent masterpiece is adding dimension and depth in illustrating the Bible. I don't think you could be disappointed with this (unless you're a folktale purist) and if you have children, they will enjoy acting it out for you.

I got the lead role in this play that we performed for the school. I had a lot of fun. I think this is a very worthwhile performence for anyone who wanted to perform a play. This was a great play to perform and I reccomend it to anyone who wants to read or perform a play.

This is a book I read when I was -- I don't know, eight. And like almost all the other books I read when I was eight, I put it away when I was done.

However, this is one that stuck in my memory.

Dropped by to try and replace my copy after finding what was left of it. Pity that it's out of print.

i first read this book when i wa 9yr. old. then lost the book which is y i came to amazon to buy it again. it is worth paying for. this story takes u to another world. it has beautifull descriptions and wonderfull illustrations. the only other books i can compare it to is the harry potter series and the wrinkle in time. it makes your imagination work and makes reading fun even for the most hesitant reader. if you like harry potter you'll like the firebrat. don't be fooled by it's slow beginning it quickly speeds up.

This is a book from my childhood, and I was curious to
find if it was still in print! It is one of the most
supremly vivid and special books and memories of my past,
I cherish this book with the upmost grace!! The illustrations
will mezmerize any reader, the brilliant watercolor washes are
astonishing. The words are simple, bright, they seem almost
ancient in many ways. It is a timeless book, I love it.

The Nightgown of the Sullen Moon is a wonderful story. Theprose are simple and easy for children, grades 2-4, to read. The storygives a mythological persepective as to why the moon is sometimes full and sometimes missing from the sky. I read this story over and over to my kids. They love it.

This book was read to me as a child by my father. It taught me a lesson that keeping things simple in life is the key. The phrase "simple Pictures are best" was used in my home from the age of 6 to 21. Anytime I would ask my parents there opinion regarding an outfit I was wearing or an ensamble I was puting together my father would say "simple pictures are best" . I am now 26 and have a baby of my own on the way.I always smile and laugh when I am getting dressed or buying an outfit for my son to be and think of my father saying that key phrase.I just ordered a used version of this book from the 1980's so I can read it to my son in utero. Of all the books that were read to me as a child I have the fondest memories of this book and the lesson that I learned is so valuable.

I've read a lot of books on photography. So, when I saw this book, the title immediately caught my eye. I looked through it and immediately knew I should pick this up to read to my children. It was funny, they laughed, and, I really enjoyed it because it drives home a really fundamental concept of photography. My kids always get a laugh out of the ending; and, the illustrations are great. It's a fun book to read.

I highly recommend it.

I am an elementary school librarian and have read "The Tortilla Cat" to at least half a dozen classes of 3rd and 4th graders. They have uniformly adored Willard's tale of a magical cat who can heal a deadly fever with the tonic of a tortilla. Willard's blend of whimsy and family love is right on target, and the doctor whose family receives the visitations of the mystery cat presents an appropriate touch of scientific skepticism at events he cannot explain. But even he is won over by story's end. This brief story, longer than a picture book but shorter than a short novel, also offers a wonderful chance to deal with children's thoughts and concerns about death, especially the death of a parent.

A splendid, colorful and touching book. Its message of transgenerational compassion will linger long after you put it down, and rekindle as soon as you pick it up again.

It is amazing that poetry has sunk so far in value to our culture that much of it has to be packaged as books for children. In this wonderfully illustrated book, some of the best poems by Nancy Willard and Jane Yolen (both established authors of adult literature), all dealing with angels, have been collected. This book is a great way to introduce children to the complexities and fun of poetry, but is also a good book for adults who appreciate fine poetry.

Nancy Willard is probably best known as a children's poet for her justly celebrated William Blake's Inn, but to my taste this book surpasses the better-known one. Like William Blake's Inn, this book consists of a cycle of poems, most of them roughly in ballad style, some mainly narrative and some mainly lyrical, some more whimsical than others, some quite complex. The central character is a "wise woman of Clare" who communes with animals and helps those in need (including a gypsy queen and a poor man who has killed his landlord). The poems are far from simple, but they are consistently affecting and satisfying both to children and to adults. I have loved reading it to my children, and I have found it to be a wonderful introduction to the pleasures of "real" poetry for them - this is real poetry, not doggerel at all, although written to be appreciated by children. I wish I could find more copies in print.