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McGraw's Emporium

by Jim Aylesworth
Illustrated by Mavis Smith
(Holt, 1995)

A young boy visits McGraw's Emporium to look for the perfect gift for his sick friend. Rhyming couplets name 88 unlikely items for children to find and identify. Smith's full-color collage illustrations include each of the treasures and many, many more. Smith's collages include photographs of objects against hand-colored backdrops, giving the illustrations a surrealistic feel -- and perfectly complementing the setting created by Aylesworth's unusual list of possible gifts. After all the searching, however, the gift chosen is one which is not available at the Emporium. A fun and surprising conclusion.

This book is currently available as a Owlet paperback edition (see below).

"Aylesworth's rhymes--Khyber Pass and hourglass; swan and Saskatchewan [are] jaunty but not too fast, giving children plenty of time to browse the intriguing pictures. A book that might lead to imitative projects in the classroom." -- Booklist, 1991.

"...infectiously readable..." -- Horn Book, 1995.

"... Delightful." -- Publishers' Weekly, 1995.

"McGraw's Emporium [is] a store brimming with wonderful things" -- School Library Journal, 1995.


Aylesworth, Jim. McGraw's Emporium. Illustrated by Mavis Smith. Holt, 1995. 32 pages. ISBN: 0805033017 o.p.; ISBN 0805057978 (paperback - An Owlet Book, 1998).
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