Children's Signature Editions – serie

This special collection explores themes of love, family, friendship, and coming-of-age through the eyes of three of literature's most beloved heroines: Anne Shirley, Heidi, and Mary Lennox.

When the imaginative, outspoken orphan Anne Shirley arrives on Prince Edward Island, Matthew Cuthbert and his sister, Marilla, are surprised to say the least. After all, the Cuthberts had requested that the orphanage send a boy to help with the work around their farm. They certainly didn’t bargain for talkative Anne’s outlandish ideas and independent ways. Soon her high spirits win over Matthew and Marilla, even when these same traits lead Anne into mishap after mishap as she makes friends and discovers an exciting new life in the quirky town of Avonlea.

Young Philip Pirrip, nicknamed Pip, is meant to become an apprentice for his brother-in-law, a poor blacksmith. But his destiny changes upon meeting three unusual people: an escaped convict, a tragic woman, and a captivating young girl. Pip’s life is altered in an instant when a secret benefactor gives him a large sum of money. Pip has “great expectations” for his new life as successful and wealthy life as a young gentleman. Has his life actually changed for the better . . . or for the worse?

When Heidi’s parents die and she can no longer live with her aunt, she must stay with her ill-tempered grandfather who lives alone in the Swiss Alps. The townspeople worry that such a young girl has been left with a bad-tempered hermit. But Heidi thrives in the mountains and loves living with her grandfather. She is happiest playing with the mountain goats, picking wildflowers, and making friends. Then Heidi is taken away to serve as a companion to a lonely woman. Will she ever get back to the people and the mountains she loves so much?

For most children, reading the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm is an essential experience when growing up. Grimm’s Fairy Tales collects some of the best-known fairy and folk tales set down by the Brothers Grimm, including “Sleeping Beauty,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “The Frog-Prince,” and “Rumpelstiltskin.”

Dorothy and her little dog Toto are swept away from their home in Kansas by a powerful tornado and dropped into an enchanting new land called Oz. To get home, the Witch of the North tells her she must follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and ask the mysterious Wizard of Oz for help. Along the way, she meets the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion, and together they embark on a strange and magical adventure.

Ladylike Meg, artistic tomboy Jo, frail Beth, and charming Amy—each March sister has her own dreams, struggles, and fears. The March sisters learn that learning how to be a “little woman” is never simple, but it’s much sweeter to do when they have their sisters by their sides. This rich and realistic portrait of growing up is now available in its entirety in this paperback edition, perfect for young readers’ libraries.

New friendships and new beginnings abound in The Secret Garden, now available as an unabridged paperback edition for today’s young readers. When Mary Lennox begins living with her uncle in the English countryside, she feels bored and lonely. Before long, however, she discovers many mysteries hiding within the walls of the estate. What will it take for Mary to unearth these secrets? This unabridged edition of the beloved twentieth-century classic is perfect for young readers’ libraries.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you do? Young readers can read and imagine in this unabridged paperback edition of The Swiss Family Robinson. After their ship crashes onto a deserted island, the Robinson family begins a castaway life of adventure, scientific exploration, and the primal instinct to survive. As the years pass, the family begins to wonder: do they want to be rescued and return to civilization, or continue their island life forever? This high-action novel—available in its unabridged entirety—is perfect for young readers’ libraries.

Sail the high seas and search for treasure in this paperback edition of the classic novel—but beware of pirates! Jim Hawkins sets sail with a treasure map in hand, but he eventually discovers that his crewmates are pirates-in-hiding, hungry for gold. Will Jim be able to safely find the treasure, or will the infamous Long John Silver beat him to it? This swashbuckling adventure—in its unabridged entirety—is perfect for aspiring pirates and any young reader who loves action and thrills.

The Jungle Book, one of the most famous children’s books today, buoyed by multiple Disney film adaptations, is now available in an unabridged paperback edition including Rudyard Kipling’s fantastical short story collection Just So Stories. This Children’s Signature Classics edition will include both The Jungle Book and Just So Stories, a that whimsically explores animals’ origins, like how the zebra got its stripes. The Jungle Book’s story of survival, belonging, and growing up is perfect for young readers’ libraries.

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic rags-to-riches tale is now available in an unabridged paperback edition for today’s young readers. Little Sara Crewe, once pampered by her beloved father, is suddenly penniless and abandoned in a boarding school. Though she endures the mistreatment of the cruel headmistress, Miss Minchin, Sara manages to keep her kind heart despite her circumstances. This timeless story of a poor but compassionate orphan has won children over for generations.

The Turn of the Screw, a novella written by Henry James in 1898, is perhaps one of the most widely read ghost stories in classrooms across the country. The story’s ambiguity and characters’ unreliability also mark the book as a work of impressionism, an important literary movement that’s often left out of the children’s literary “canon.” While best-known for The Turn of the Screw, James wrote many ghost stories during his illustrious career. “The Romance of Certain Old Clothes” and “The Ghostly Rental” are two of those short stories that young readers will enjoy reading, featuring relatively accessible plots and writing.

This powerful narrative, told from the perspective of a horse, is now available in an unabridged paperback volume in Union Square & Co.’s Children's Signature Editions series. Despite Black Beauty being her only published work, Anna Sewell is widely regarded as one of the most successful children's novelists from England. Black Beauty chronicles the life of a horse in Victorian England. At the hands of different owners, he experiences discipline, friendship, overwork, and, ultimately, love. Young readers will be moved by this empathetic novel about animal treatment—a story that’s still relevant today. This rich and realistic classic animal story is now available in its entirety in this paperback edition, perfect for young readers’ libraries.

The beloved children’s classic featuring Toad, Ratty, Mole, and Badger is now available in an unabridged, paperback volume in Union Square & Co.’s Children's Signature Editions series. Mole, Ratty, Toad, and Badger are four friends living in the Wild Wood. From racing in a motorcar to getting lost in the forest, their days are always full of high-energy antics and adventures. Today’s young readers will be charmed by this story of friendship and generosity.

One of the true classics of children’s literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is now available in an unabridged paperback volume in Union Square & Co.’s Children's Signature Editions series. Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, are swept away from their home in Kansas by a powerful tornado and dropped into an enchanting new land called Oz. To get home, the Witch of the North tells Dorothy she must follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and ask the mysterious Wizard of Oz for help. Along the way, she meets the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion, and together they embark on a strange and magical adventure.

Alice’​s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass is a cherished collection of stories featuring the titular character, Alice, and her misadventures through the curious and fantastical Wonderland. It is now available in an unabridged, illustrated paperback volume in Union Square and Co.’s Signature Editions series. Original, experimental, and charmingly nonsensical, Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland follows seven-year-old Alice down a rabbit hole and into the topsy-turvy dream world of Wonderland. In this fantastical place, food can shrink you to the size of a mouse or turn you into a giant, babies turn into pigs, and time stands still at the Mad Hatter's tea party. Filled with sparkling wordplay and unbridled imagination, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland &Through the Looking-Glass have enchanted young readers for generations.

A carefully curated collection of Hans Christian Andersen’s most famous fairy tales is now available in an unabridged, paperback volume in Union Square and Co.’s Signature Editions series. Hans Christian Andersen’s iconic fairy tales have been shared and treasured for generations. Readers across the world know his poignant tale “The Little Mermaid,” whose title character chooses love above all, and “Thumbelina,” about the very tiny girl who goes on a big adventure. Now, fifteen of his beloved stories, including “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Emperor's New Clothes,” and “The Snow Queen,” are collected in this edition.

A collection of the best-known fairy and folktales set down by the Brothers Grimm is now available in an unabridged, paperback volume in Union Square and Co.’s Signature Editions series. This edition of Grimm’s Fairy Tales brings together the best-known fairy and folktales set down by the Brothers Grimm, including “Sleeping Beauty,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “The Frog-Prince,” and “Rumpelstiltskin.”

A classic of science fiction, Journey to the Center of the Earth is now available in an unabridged, paperback volume in Union Square and Co.’s Signature Editions series. Renowned geologist Professor Liedenbrock sets out on a fantastic adventure through time and place with his 16-year-old nephew: from Iceland’s frozen tundra far down into underground prehistoric worlds and back up again through the fires of an erupting volcano, they experience one of the most incredible journeys ever imagined.

George MacDonald’s beloved and highly influential classic of children’s fantasy is now available in an unabridged, paperback volume in Union Square and Co.’s Signature Editions series. One of the most successful and pioneering works of children’s fantasy, The Princess and the Goblin tells the story of young Princess Irene and a miner’s son named Curdie, who must defeat a group of goblins who live in caves beneath her mountain home.

The heroic legends of King Arthur and his brave Knights of the Round Table is now available in an unabridged, paperback volume in Union Square and Co.’s Signature Editions series. Although the folklore of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table is centuries old, their spirited adventures continue to capture the hearts of young readers today. Camelot, Merlin, Morgana, the Holy Grail—all originating from Arthurian legend—have been widely adapted in media and modern fantasy world-building.