'This is how it all began'. From "A Necklace of Raindrops" to "The Patchwork Quilt", here are eight classic stories to treasure and enjoy. Beginning and ending with a birthday, this spell-binding collection conjures up a world filled with magic, where wishes can come true. A necklace of raindrops that keeps its owner dry in the heaviest rainstorm; a tiger that runs faster than the wind; a huge floating apple pie with a piece of sky in it; a baker's cat who swells to the size of a whale when his mistress feeds him yeast; and, a house that stands on one leg - these are just some of the objects and characters that figure in these delightful stories.

Author Biography

Joan Aiken was born on 4 September 1924 in Rye, East Sussex and produced one of her best-loved works, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, in 1962, the first in her highly acclaimed series, the 'Wolves Chronicles'. Many classics followed, and Joan was awarded the MBE for services to Children's Literature in 1999. Much loved as a writer of astonishing imagination for adults and children alike, she died on 4 January 2004 at the age of seventy-nine. Jan Pienkowski was born in Warsaw in 1936. After creating his first book at the age of eight, Jan went on to excel in his chosen field of design, working in such diverse areas as television, theatre and greetings cards. Published in 1968, A Necklace of Raindrops was the first of several wonderful collaborations between Jan and Joan Aiken - and it was also the very first book Jan illustrated. He has since twice won the Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration, and has created many instantly recognizable classics.