Three classic graphic novels in one deluxe hardcover edition: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Shooting Star, and The Secret of the Unicorn.

The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin) is a series of comic strips created by Belgian artist Herge the pen name of Georges Remi (1907 1983). The series first appeared in French in Le Petit Vingtieme, a children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtieme Siecle on 10 January 1929. Set in a painstakingly researched world closely mirroring our own, Herge's Tintin series continues to be a favorite of readers and critics alike 80 years later.
The hero of the series is Tintin, a young Belgian reporter. He is aided in his adventures from the beginning by his faithful fox terrier dog Snowy (Milou in French). Later, popular additions to the cast included the brash, cynical and grumpy Captain Haddock, the bright but hearing-impaired Professor Calculus (Professeur Tournesol) and other colorful supporting characters such as the incompetent detectives Thomson and Thompson (Dupond et Dupont). Herge himself features in several of the comics as a background character; as do his assistants in some instances.
The success of the series saw the serialized strips collected into a series of albums (24 in all), spun into a successful magazine and adapted for film and theatre. The series is one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, with translations published in over 50 languages and more than 200 million copies of the books sold to date.
The comic strip series has long been admired for its clean, expressive drawings in Herge's signature ligne claire style. Engaging, well-researched plots straddle a variety of genres: swashbuckling adventures with elements of fantasy, mysteries, political thrillers, and science fiction. The stories within the Tintin series always feature slapstick humor, accompanied in later albums by sophisticated satire, and political and cultural commentary.

The Crab with the Golden Claws is best known for introducing Tintin's best friend and one of the series' most memorable characters: Captain "Blistering Barnacles" Haddock. As Tintin is investigating a mysterious can of crab and a drowned sailor, he meets Haddock, a "miserable wretch" who's being kept in ample alcohol so his insidious first mate, Allan, can run a drug operation. Crab had to be lengthened to fit the standard 62-page format; fortunately, Herge achieved this by, among other additions, creating four marvelous full-page spreads. --David Horiuchi

Poor Hermit Crab! He's outgrown his snug little shell, so he finds himself a larger one -- and many new friends to decorate and protect his new house. But what will happen when he outgrows this shell, and has to say good-bye to all the sea creatures who have made Hermit Crab's house a home?

Children facing change in their own lives will relate to Hermit Crab's story -- and learn a lot about the fascinating world of marine life along the way.

"Time to move," said Hermit Crab one day. "I've grown too big for this little shell." Much-loved master of cut-paper collage Eric Carle created A House for Hermit Crab to comfort any little ones (okay, and adults, too) who dread change--whether the new shell is a new home, a new school, or a new experience. In this soothing, upbeat story, Hermit Crab casts his eyestalks on a newer, bigger shell, but it seems plain and unwelcoming at first. When he meets some beautiful, swaying sea anemones, he asks if one of them will come to adorn the outside of his shell. In time a colorful sea star, some coral, an industrious sea snail, a fortress-protecting sea urchin, and an illuminating lantern fish all join forces with him, making his house a home. Much to his dismay, just when his dwelling and new family fit him to a T, he finds he's physically outgrown his shell yet again. Instead of bemoaning his fate, he eagerly spots a newer, bigger shell--to him a fresh, blank artist's canvas--and relishes the thought of all the undersea home-improvement possibilities: sponges, barnacles, clown fish, and more! Kids will love Carle's rich, affectionate portrayal of Hermit Crab's ocean odyssey, and the gentle story may help them see that giving up the old for the new is not a loss, but an opportunity. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson

Beginning Reader Featuring Phonetically Correct Words and Fun, Child-Friendly Plots
Rhonda Lucadamo, a certified AMI Montessori teacher, discovered in the classroom that children had the most success when first given realistic stories to read. So Rhonda penned some for her youngest readers. Each book contained phonetic words so children could sound out complete sentences. The children's accomplishment was immediate! They laughed, asked questions and reacted to each story. But most importantly, they read. And then they picked up another book, and another, and another.
Seven other books are available from Miss Rhonda's Readers Set ONE.

Beginning Reader Featuring Phonetically Correct Words and Fun, Child-Friendly Plots
Rhonda Lucadamo, a certified AMI Montessori teacher, discovered in the classroom that children had the most success when first given realistic stories to read. So Rhonda penned some for her youngest readers. Each book contained phonetic words so children could sound out complete sentences. The children's accomplishment was immediate! They laughed, asked questions and reacted to each story. But most importantly, they read. And then they picked up another book, and another, and another.
Seven other books are available from Miss Rhonda's Readers Set ONE.

The Octonauts follows a team of adventure heroes who dive right into action whenever there is trouble under the sea. In a fleet of amazing aquatic vehicles, the Octonauts explore incredible new underwater worlds, rescue wonderful sea creatures, and often save the day before returning safely home to the Octopod. Under the leadership of Captain Barnacles Bear, closely flanked by Lieutenant Kwazii Cat and Medic Peso Penguin, the Octonauts are always ready to embark on an exciting new mission! The Octonauts and the Decorator Crab When an important object goes missing from their ship, the Octonauts decide stake out the thief. There's lots of tension and a whodunnit feel as more and more pieces of Octokit go missing! The unlikely culprit is finally exposed as a decorator crab, salvaging the crew's things to cover his shell.

Jim Toomey's environmentally aware comic strip, Sherman's Lagoon, appears in 150 newspapers in 30 countries and in 6 languages. Inside this latest cartoon collection, Discover Your Inner Hermit Crab, more than 42 weeks of Sherman's Lagoon stand ready to transport readers to an imaginary lagoon near the South Pacific island of Kapupu in the Palauan archipelago of Micronesia, where a cast of coral-reef critters battles the encroachment of the hairless beach apes with their so-called civilized human ways.

Inhabitants of this nautical neighborhood include Sherman, an always-hungry-but-otherwise-typical great white shark; his witty, pearl-wearing wife, Megan; friendly Fillmore the turtle; geeky fish Ernest; macho hermit crab Hawthorne; and salty old Captain Quigley, who remains vengeful having lost his leg to Sherman.

Lauded for promoting marine conservation, Toomey has been described as a "breath of fresh water" by the Washington Post and designated as an Environmental Hero by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in recognition of his efforts to protect and preserve the nation's environment.

William Warner exhibits his skill as a naturalist and as a writer in this Pulitzer Prize-winning study of the pugnacious Atlantic blue crab and of its Chesapeake Bay territory. Penguin Nature Library.