Marcia Brown

Discover the mingling of past and present in this rich African story following Shadow—featuring delightfully spooky art by Caldecott Medal winner Marcia Brown. Shadow itself has no shadow… It goes forth at night to prowl around the fires. It even likes to mingle with the dancers. Thus it is both prowler and dancer. Discover the eerie translation of the poem by Blaise Cendrars about the rich history of African storytellers and shamans passing into memory. Marcia Brown’s stunning illustrations in collage, inspired by her travels in Africa, evoke the atmosphere and drama of a life now haunted and enchanted by Shadow—the beliefs of the present and the spirits of the past.

First published in 1947, this classic picture book has remained one of Marcia Brown's most popular and enduring books. The story, about three hungry soldiers who outwit the greedy inhabitants of a village into providing them with a feast, is based on an old French tale.

Marcia Brown retells an Indian fable from the Hitopadesa in this Caldecott Medal–winning tale of a mouse who becomes a tiger. When a small mouse’s life is threatened by large jungle predators, a kindly hermit uses magic to change him into a cat, a dog, and a majestic tiger. But the proud tiger must suffer the consequences when he becomes ungrateful and forgets his humble origins. Marcia Brown’s magical woodcuts bring this Indian fable to life with the mastery that won her a second Caldecott Medal.