Marie-Louise Gay

Ever-inquisitive, carrot-top Stella takes a peek at her early days when she couldn't read but, now that she's grown, she can read to her little brother.

Princess Pistachio is worried about Dog. He has such a boring life. She thinks he needs more adventure and excitement. Pistachio brings him to school with disastrous results. Then she takes Dog to a theater audition and transforms him into Maurice the Magnificant, star of the stage. Maurice is an overnight success. That's when things start to go really wrong.

Caramba the cat wishes he could fly.

A strange little man helps the miller's daughter spin straw into gold for the king on the condition that she will give him her first-born child.

Many children want to know where stories come from and how a book is made. Marie-Louise Gay's new picture book provides them some answers though a fictional encounter between an author and some very curious children. Together, they write and illustrate a story. Marie-Louise Gay has scribbled, sketched, scrawled, doodled, penciled, collaged, and painted the words and pictures of a story-within-a-story that show how brilliant ideas creep up on you when...

Stella and her little brother, Sam, are spending the day playing in the snow. The forest, snowballs, snow angels and the mysterious white stuff itself provide fuel for Sam's questions and Stella's answers as they discover the world of winter together. Exquisite, evocative watercolors bring a snowy day alive and make this a wonderful winter story. Gently humorous, the book also captures the relationship between an older sister and her little brother...

Stella and her little brother are spending the day at the sea. Stella has been to the sea before and knows all its secrets, but Sam has many questions: "Does a catfish purr? Does a seahorse gallop?" Stella has an answer for them all. The only thing she isn't sure of, and neither are we, is whether Sam will ever come into the water. Exquisite, evocative watercolors bring a diaphanous day at the beach alive in this perfect summer story. Gently humorous,...

Houndsley, Catina, and their friend, Bert, can't wait to go to the library, but when they get there, they find out it might be closing because the librarian is retiring and doesn't have a replacement.

"Stella," whispered Sam, "are you sleeping?" "Yes," answered Stella. "Aren't you?" Sam can't sleep without his beloved dog, Fred. But where could he be? Sam knows that Fred is afraid of the dark, of the monster that lives in the closet and of the giant toad that lurks downstairs. Luckily, Stella is there to reassure Sam as they search everywhere.