Children see characters everywhere - in everyday items, beloved toys, and, if they are fortunate, in the pages of great literature. Fictional personalities offer children a way to see bits of themselves in others. Characters who show children their truest reflections - in which they are mischievous, imaginative, trusting, independent, and often far wiser and more clever than grown-ups think - these are the characters that become "classics." Many of these most memorable and dearly loved characters are collected for the first time in this handsome volume, introduced by the historian and critic of children"s literature, Leonard S. Marcus. Here are the characters who have warmed the hearts of millions and left an indelible impression in the memories of generations of children and adults alike. In this richly illustrated collection spanning nearly a century of the finest writing for children, readers will find such time-honored favorites as Peter Rabbit, Winnie-the-Pooh, Corduroy,...