Cress Watercress [Paperback]

“When Maguire and illustrator Litchfield merge their creative geniuses, a spectacular woodland adventure full of quirky animal characters emerges. . . . A story that will be beloved for years to come.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

Gregory Maguire turns his trademark wit and wisdom to an animal adventure about growing up, moving on, and finding community. When Papa doesn’t return from a nocturnal honey-gathering expedition, Cress holds out hope, but her mother assumes the worst. It’s a dangerous world for rabbits, after all. Mama moves what’s left of the Watercress family to the basement unit of the Broken Arms, a run-down apartment oak with a menacing owl landlord, a nosy mouse super, a rowdy family of squirrels, and a pair of songbirds who broadcast everyone’s business. Can a dead tree full of annoying neighbors, and no Papa, ever be home? In the timeless spirit of E. B. White and The Wind in the Willows—yet thoroughly of its time—this read-aloud and read-alone gem for animal lovers of all ages features an unforgettable cast that leaps off the page in glowing illustrations by David Litchfield.David Litchfield’s luminous illustrations beautifully flesh out these characters. . . Maguire’s descriptions of [Cress’s] dark moods, bursts of anger and fear that she will end up like her father are piercing and sensitively written. . . . the story strikes a resonant chord: Like Cress, we must all continue to seek pleasure and connections in a dangerous and uncertain world.
—The New York Times Book Review

Maguire’s narrative offers wry puns, rich vocabulary, and entertaining dialogue, and Litchfield’s glowing, slightly stylized, full-color illustrations present an enchanting,lÓ*