Two best-selling novelists combine their creativity and skill for two stories threaded together by the concept of a story jar-a place for memories and mementos that honor and encourage mothers. In Bedford's The Hair Ribbons, a mother's love and strength are passed down to a daughter facing the same disease that took her mother-breast cancer. In Hatcher's Heart Rings, a mother and daughter learn to reach across the generation gap and ultimately accept...

In simple, rhyming text, a mother expresses her love to her unborn child.

Daisy the duckling becomes so engrossed in playing with dragonflies and lily pads that she temporarily loses her mother.

The night finally arrives when Billywise the owlet, guided by his mother, jumps from the nest and flies.

After spending too much time playing with his favorite toy, Billy and his mother are very late for nursery school and his mother forgets some crucial things as she rushes to work.

"Fresh dirt, a kale recipe, and other clues lead a girl to Mommy--in the garden!"--

"When Mama and Baby Bear go out to look for food one night, curious Baby Bear wants to wander and explore. Each time his Mama Bear calls for him, Baby Bear turns up in a different place. Where, oh where, could Baby Bear be?"--

Leo, upset that he has been hearing the word "no" all day, lets three words slip out that he wishes he could take back.

Three mothers and their offspring--fox, rabbit, and human--wait for the first snow of winter.

Mama and Baby clap and play hide-and-seek and pat-a-cake. Mama and Baby . . . Mama? Where did Mama go? In a series of spreads, simple, bold illustrations show a mother on one side and a baby on the other, interacting in universally familiar ways ? until Mama dips out briefly, then returns to her crying child to offer comfort again. With his usual flair, the redoubtable Chris Raschka offers a reassuring moment that will resonate with mamas and babies...