Leo Lionni
Bibliography

Welcome to the Internet School Library Media Center Leo Lionni bibliography. For biography and lesson plans, see Leo Lionni Page. The ISLMC is a meta-site of educational materials for school librarians, teachers, parents and students. Be sure to visit your school or public library to find Leo Lionni's books.

Citations are from the Library of Congress and Barnes and Noble. You can search this site, use an index or sitemap. Revised 6/17/02

[Fiction] [Nonfiction] [About Leo Lionni] [Study and Criticism]

Fiction

Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. New York: Knopf/Pantheon, 1974; New York: Pantheon, 1969. 1972 Caldecott Honor Book
Alexander, a real mouse, wants to be a toy mouse like his friend Willy until he discovers Willy is to be thrown away.

The Alphabet Tree. New York: Pantheon, 1968.

A strong wind blows most of the letters off the alphabet tree and those that remain hide among the branches. Then a bug and a caterpillar come along and teach them how to arrange themselves into words and sentences to form a special message.

The Biggest House in the World. New York: Pantheon, 1968.

A snail's father advises him to keep his house small and tells him what happened to a snail that grew a large and spectacular shell.

A Busy Year. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1992.

Mouse twins befriend a tree and watch it grow and change throughout each month of the year.

A Color of His Own. New York: Pantheon Books, 1975; Scarborough, Ont.: Nelson Canada; Albany, NY: Delmar, 1990.

A little chameleon is distressed that he doesn't have his own color like other animals.

Colors to Talk About. New York: Pantheon, 1985.

A group of mice invite the reader to identify colors. On board pages.

Cornelius : A Fable. New York: Pantheon, 1983.

Cornelius, a crocodile who walks upright, sees things no crocodile has ever seen before.

An Extraordinary Egg. New York: Knopf; Distributed by Random House, 1994.

Jessica, the frog, befriends the animal that hatches from an egg she brought home, thinking it is a chicken.

Fish Is Fish. New York: Pantheon, 1970.

When his friend, the tadpole, becomes a frog and leaves the pond to explore the world, the little fish decides that maybe he doesn't have to remain in the pond either.

A Flea Story. REISSUE ed. Pantheon, 1995.

Formerly titled: I Want to Stay Here! : I Want to Stay There! : A Flea Story

Frederick. New York: Random House, 1973; New York: Pantheon, 1967. 1968 Caldecott Honor Book

Frederick, the poet mouse, stores up something special for the long cold winter.

Frederick and His Friends : Four Favorite Fables. [Sound disc] Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.

Includes "Frederick," "Fish Is Fish," "Alexander and the
Wind-up Mouse,", "Swimmy."

Frederick and Ten Other Stories. [Sound Recording] Caedmon TC 1496, p1976.

Frederick. [Film] By Leo Lionni and Giulio Gianini. Italy, 1971. Released in the U.S. by Connecticut Films, 1971.

Frederick and His Friends : Four Favorite Fables. [Book + Cassette] By Leo Lionni; music by Blane and DeRosa Productions, New York: Knopf, 1989.

Includes Swimmy, Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, Fish Is Fish, Frederick

Frederick's Fables : A Leo Lionni Treasury of Favorite Stories. 1st ed. New York: Pantheon, 1985.

A collection of 14 of Lionni's previously published books, published in the same format.

Frederick's Fables : A Treasury of 16 Favorite Leo Lionni Stories. Rev. ed. New York: Knopf; Distributed by Random House, 1997.

Geraldine, the Music Mouse. New York: Pantheon, 1979.

After nibbling an enormous piece of parmesan cheese into the shape of a giant mouse holding a flute, Geraldine hears music for the first time.

The Greentail Mouse. New York: Pantheon, 1973.

The mice become so involved in their Mardi Gras masquerade they forget it is all in fun.

I Want to Stay Here! : I Want to Go There! : A Flea Story. New York: Pantheon, 1977.

Two fleas, one who loves to travel and one who prefers staying home, decide to go their separate ways.

In the Rabbitgarden. New York: Pantheon, 1975.

Despite the old rabbit's warning, two young rabbits find a way to get apples from the apple tree without being caught by the fox.

Inch by Inch. New York: I. Obolensky, 1960; 1st Mulberry ed. New York: Mulberry, 1995. 1961 Caldecott Honor Book

To keep from being eaten, an inchworm measures a robin's tail, a flamingo's neck, a toucan's beak, a heron's legs, and a nightingale's song.

It's Mine!. New York: Knopf; Distributed by Random House, 1986.

Three selfish frogs quarrel over who owns their pond and island, until a storm makes them value the benefits of sharing.

Leo Lionni Favories : Six Classic Stories. New York: Knopf, 1994.

Let's Make Rabbits : A Fable. 1st miniature ed. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1992; New York: Pantheon, 1982.

Two rabbits made with a pencil and scissors become real after eating a real carrot.

Let's Play. Random House, 1993.

Two mice imagine all the things they could do until bedtime -- eat cheese, play ball, gather leaves, and go swimming.

Letters to Talk About. Pantheon, 1985.

Playful mice introduce the letters of the alphabet. On board pages.

Little Blue and Little Yellow : A Story for Pippo and Ann and Other Children. New York: McDowell, Obolensky, 1959; 1st Mulberry ed. New York: Mulberry, 1994.

A little blue spot and a little yellow spot are best friends, and when they hug each other they become green.

Matthew's Dream. New York: Knopf, 1991.

A visit to an art museum inspires a young mouse to become a painter.

Mouse Days : A Book of Seasons. By Leo Lionni; with text by Hannah Solomon. 1st ed. New York: Pantheon, 1981.

A group of mice experience the weather and activities characteristic of each month of the year.

Mr. McMouse. New York: Knopf; Distributed by Random House, 1992.

Timothy, a city mouse who has been transformed into a tiny man, searches for his true identity among a group of field mice.

Nadarin. pa. Lectorum, 1998. [Swimmy]

A little fish, the lone survivor of a school of fish swallowed by a tuna, devises a plan to camouflage himself and his new companions.

Nicolas, Where Have You Been?. New York: A.A. Knopf; Distributed by Random House, 1987.

Mishap turns to adventure as a young mouse learns that all birds aren't the enemies he thought they were.

Numbers to Talk About. New York: Pantheon, 1985.

A group of mice introduce the numbers one through ten. On board pages.

On My Beach There Are Many Pebbles. New York: Obolensky, 1961; 1st Mulberry ed. New York: Mulberry, 1994.

Pictures and words describe the many different shapes and markings of pebbles--"fishpebbles," "peoplepebbles," "letterpebbles"--found on the beach. Note: Mulberry ed. is titled On the Beach There Are Many Pebbles

Pezzettino. 1st ed. New York: Pantheon, 1975.

Little Pezzettino is so small he is convinced he must be a piece of somebody else. A wise man helps him discover the truth.

Pouce Par Pouce. Astor-Honor, 1961.

Prohibido a Los Gatos! : El ANO Del Raton. Translated by J. L. Gimenez-Frontin. Lectorum, 1998.

Pulgada a Pulgada. Astor-Honor, 1961.

Six Crows : A Fable. New York: Knopf, 1988.

An owl helps a farmer and some crows reach a compromise over the rights to the wheat crop.

Swimmy. New York: Random House, 1973; New York: Pantheon, 1963. 1964 Caldecott Honor Book

A little black fish in a school of red fish figures out a way of protecting them all from their natural enemies.

Swimmy. Dutch. Deventer, N. Kluwer, 1968.

Theodore and the Talking Mushroom. New York: Pantheon, 1971.

The blue mushroom says only one strange word but Theodore the mouse convinces his friends that it means nice things about him.

Tico and the Golden Wings. New York: Pantheon/Knopf, 1975; Pantheon, 1964.

A wingless bird is granted his wish for a pair of golden wings.

Tillie and the Wall. New York: Knopf, 1989.

Unlike the other mice, who are incurious about the wall that has always been part of their world, Tillie is determined to find out what lies on the other side of the wall.

Tili Y El Muro. NTC Publishing Group, 1992.

Una Piedra Extraordinaria. Translated by Veronica Uribe. Ediciones Ekare, 1999.

What? : Pictures to Talk About. New York: Pantheon, 1983.

Mice explore such well-known objects as a telephone, eyeglasses, and a book.

When? : Pictures to Talk About. New York: Pantheon, 1983.

Mice experience day, night and seasons.

Where? : Pictures to Talk About. New York: Pantheon, 1983.

Mice discover such places as trees, boxes, shoes, and mouseholes.

Who? : Pictures to Talk About. New York: Pantheon, 1983.

Friendly mice discover the other animals who share their world.

Words to Talk About. New York: Pantheon, 1985.

Playful mice introduce vocabulary words for the beginning reader. On board pages.

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Nonfiction

Leo Lionni at the Library of Congress. [An International Children's Book Day Lecture, presented on May 12, 1988] Edited by Sybille A. Jagusch. Washington: Library of Congress, 1993.

Leo Lionni : Art as a Celebration. A cura di Paola Vassalli, Andrea Rauch con la collaborazione di Kyoko Matsuoka. Siena: Assessorato Alla Cultura, 1997.

Parallel Botany. Translated by Patrick Creagh. 1st American ed. New York: Knopf, 1977.

Translation of La Botanica Parallela

Martin Triana, Jose Maria. Suite Lirica : En Homenaje a Wallace Stevens. By Jose Maria Martin Triana; with a translation by Alastair Reid and illustrated by Leo Lionni. Verona, IT: Plain Wrapper Press, 1982.

Inspired by Wallace Stevens' Final Soliloquy of the Interior Paramour. Limited to 90 numbered copies.

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About Leo Lionni

Lionni, Leo. Between Worlds : The Autobiography of Leo Lionni. 1st ed. New York: Knopf: Distributed by Random House, 1997.

Meet Lio Lionni. SRA, 1995.

Smaridge, Nora. Famous Author-Illustrators for Young People. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1973.

Includes nineteen author-illustrators

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Study and Criticism

Hollenbeck, Kathy M. Teaching with Favorite Leo Lionni Books : Creative Discussion, Writing and Art Activities for Exploring Friendship, Self-Esteem, Cooperation and .... Scholastic, 1999.

Paley, Vivian Gussin. The Girl with the Brown Crayon. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1997.

Leo Lionni is the focus of Paley's final year in her long career as a kindergarten teacher. She and her kindergartners take a metaphorical journey of discovery and self-discovery. Case studies in teaching and the language arts.

Developed by: Inez Ramsey