Carson Ellis

What does "home" mean to you? Is it a cozy kitchen, a towering castle, or maybe a giant shoe? Join author and artist Carson Ellis on a beautiful journey around the world and beyond to discover all the different kinds of homes people, animals, and fantastical creatures live in. You'll get to peek inside a bustling city apartment, a quiet house on the moon, and even explore homes for busy bees or brave knights! With wonderful, detailed illustrations on every page, you'll want to look closely and imagine your own perfect place. This book is a feast for your eyes and imagination! It's a gentle reminder that home can be anywhere and it’s always a special place. Get ready to wonder about all the amazing places people, animals, and even magical beings call home.

To describe the world around them, these creatures find it takes a language all their own. (Ages 4 to 8)

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A group of insects, who speak in an imaginary language, turn a growing tree into a fort.

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Du iz tak? What is that? As a tiny shoot unfurls, two damselflies peer at it in wonder. When the plant grows taller and sprouts leaves, some young beetles arrive to gander, and soon—with the help of a pill bug named Icky—they wrangle a ladder and build a tree fort. But this is the wild world, after all, and something horrible is waiting to swoop down—booby voobeck!—only to be carried off in turn. Su! With exquisitely detailed illustrations and tragicomic flair, Carson Ellis invites readers to imagine the dramatic possibilities to be found in even the humblest backyard. Su!

As the sun sets on the shortest day of the year, the long night begins. Long ago, early people gathered together to prepare for the darkness. They built warm fires, lit glowing candles, and played music to bring their own light to the shadows. They wondered if the sun would ever rise again, holding onto hope and tradition. This beautiful celebration of the winter solstice captures the magic behind the returning of the light. It explores the deep yearning for traditions that connect us with generations of the past, and the hope for peace that we carry into the future. With rich, striking illustrations that span centuries of human history, this poetic journey evokes the joy and community found in the ongoing mystery of life. Welcome Yule, and celebrate light, thankfulness, and festivity at a time of rebirth.

A young girl's midnight seance awakens a long-slumbering malevolent spirit . . .
A band of runaway orphans ally with an underground collective of saboteurs and plan a daring rescue of their friends, imprisoned in the belly of an industrial wasteland . . .
Two old friends draw closer to their goal of bringing together a pair of exiled toymakers in order to reanimate a mechanical boy prince . . .
As the fate of Wildwood hangs in the balance.

The third book in the Wildwood Chronicles is a rich, moving, and dazzling story, by turns funny and profound. Both Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis are at the height of their gifts with Wildwood Imperium.
Praise for the Wildwood Chronicles
'A richly satisfying weave of reality and fantasy.' New York Times Book Review

'Meloy's debut is the kind of delicate, elaborate fantasy that is so well versed in classic Narnian tropes that it is destined to be enthusiastically embraced.' ALA Booklist (starred review)

'Meloy has an immediately recognizable verbal style and creates a fully realized fantasy world. Ellis's illustrations perfectly capture the original world and contribute to the feel of an instant timeless classic.' SLJ (starred review)

Meloy's storytelling skills, honed on his epic ballads for the Decemberists, translate well to prose. Ellis's precise, detailed style evokes a folksy charm that is just right for the overgrown natural world of Wildwood and its inhabitants.' The Atlantic

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A young girl's midnight seance awakens a long-slumbering malevolent spirit . . . A band of runaway orphans ally with an underground collective of saboteurs and plan a daring rescue of their friends, imprisoned in the belly of an industrial wasteland . . . Two old friends draw closer to their goal of bringing together a pair of exiled toymakers in order to reanimate a mechanical boy prince . . . As the fate of Wildwood hangs in the balance. The third book in the Wildwood Chronicles is a rich, moving, and dazzling story, by turns funny and profound. Both Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis are at the height of their gifts with Wildwood Imperium. Praise for the Wildwood Chronicles 'A richly satisfying weave of reality and fantasy.' New York Times Book Review 'Meloy's debut is the kind of delicate, elaborate fantasy that is so well versed in classic Narnian tropes that it is destined to be enthusiastically embraced.' ALA Booklist (starred review) 'Meloy has an immediately recognizable verbal style and creates a fully realized fantasy world. Ellis's illustrations perfectly capture the original world and contribute to the feel of an instant timeless classic.' SLJ (starred review) Meloy's storytelling skills, honed on his epic ballads for the Decemberists, translate well to prose. Ellis's precise, detailed style evokes a folksy charm that is just right for the overgrown natural world of Wildwood and its inhabitants.' The Atlantic

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from publisher: From Colin Meloy, lead singer of the Decemberists, and Carson Ellis, acclaimed illustrator of The Mysterious Benedict Society, comes the stunning third book in the New York Times bestselling fantasy-adventure series the Wildwood Chronicles. A young girl's midnight séance awakens a long-slumbering malevolent spirit.... A band of runaway orphans allies with an underground collective of saboteurs and plans a daring rescue of their friends, imprisoned in the belly of an industrial wasteland.... Two old friends draw closer to their goal of bringing together a pair of exiled toy makers in order to reanimate a mechanical boy prince.... As the fate of Wildwood hangs in the balance. The Wildwood Chronicles is a mesmerizing and epic tale, at once firmly steeped in the classics of children's literature and completely fresh at the same time. In this book, Colin Meloy continues to expand and enrich the magical world and cast of characters he created in Wildwood, while Carson Ellis once again brings that world to life with her gorgeous artwork, including six full-color plates.

A girl’s brother is kidnapped by crows.

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Prue McKeel's life is ordinary. That is, until her brother is abducted by a murder of crows and taken to the Impassable Wilderness, a dense, tangled forest on the edge of Portland. No one's ever gone in—or at least returned to tell of it. So begins an adventure that will take Prue and her friend Curtis deep into the Impassable Wilderness. There they uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval—a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much greater as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness. A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.

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Prue McKeel's life is ordinary. At least until her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows and taken to the Impassable Wilderness, a dense, tangled forest on the edge of Portland. No one's ever gone in, or at least returned to tell of it. So begins an adventure that will take Prue and her friend, Curtis, deep into the Impassable Wilderness. There they uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval, a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much greater, as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness. A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.

Under Wildwood is the second book in the New York Times bestselling adventure series the Wildwood Chronicles from Colin Meloy, lead singer of the Decemberists, and Carson Ellis, the acclaimed illustrator of The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Ever since Prue McKeel returned home from the Impassable Wilderness after rescuing her brother from the malevolent Dowager Governess, life has been pretty dull. School holds no interest for her, and her new science teacher keeps getting on her case about her dismal test scores and daydreaming in class. Her mind is constantly returning to the verdant groves and sky-tall trees of Wildwood, where her friend Curtis still remains as a bandit-in-training.

But all is not well in that world. Dark assassins with mysterious motives conspire to settle the scores of an unknown client. A titan of industry employs inmates from his orphanage to work his machine shop, all the while obsessing over the exploitation of the Impassable Wilderness. And, in what will be their greatest challenge yet, Prue and Curtis are thrown together again to save themselves and the lives of their friends, and to bring unity to a divided country. But in order to do that, they must go under Wildwood.

In Under Wildwood, Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis reveal new dimensions of the epic fantasy-adventure series begun with the critically acclaimed, bestselling Wildwood.

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Ever since Prue McKeel returned home from the Impassable Wilderness, life has been pretty dull. Her mind is constantly returning to the verdant groves and sky-tall trees of Wildwood, where her friend Curtis still remains as a bandit-in-training. But all is not well in that world. A hard winter has come and discord reigns in the wake of the so-called Bicycle Coup. Dark assassins with mysterious motives conspire to settle the scores of an unknown client. A titan of industry employs inmates from his orphanage to work in his machine shop. Under a growing threat, Prue is drawn back into Wildwood, where she and Curtis will face their greatest challenge yet: to save themselves and the lives of their friends, and to bring unity to a divided country. But in order to do that, they must go under Wildwood. Praise for Wildwood Chronciles: 'A richly satisfying weave of reality and fantasy.' New York Times Book Review 'Meloy's debut is the kind of delicate, elaborate fantasy that is so well versed in classic Narnian tropes that it is destined to be enthusiastically embraced.' ALA Booklist (starred review) 'Meloy has an immediately recognizable verbal style and crates a fully realized fantasy world. Ellis's illustrations perfectly capture the original world and contribute to the feel of an instant timeless classic.' SLJ (starred review) 'Meloy's storytelling skills, honed on this epic ballads for the Decemberiests, translate well to prose. Ellis's precise, detailed style evokes a folksy charm that is just right for the overgrown natural world of Wildwood and its inhabitants.' The Atlantic

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YA. Ever since Prue McKeel rescued her brother from the wicked Dowager Governess and returned home from the Impassable Wilderness, life has been pretty dull. But when dark assassins, a dangerous businessman and a freezing winter all threaten the residents of Wildwood, Prue is drawn back in to their world. Together, she and her friend Curtis will face their greatest challenge yet: to save themselves and the lives of their friends, and to bring unity to a divided country. Ages 14+

There is terrible news inside the symphony hall today. The composer has been found dead, and everyone in the orchestra is suddenly a suspect. If you have ever listened to musicians play, you already know that they are usually guilty of something. You will join the clever Inspector as he marches across the stage to interrogate the instruments to find out exactly where they were on the night in question. You must listen closely as the violins offer their excuses and the trumpets protest a little too loudly. Everyone seems to have a solid alibi, and everyone has a secret motive. This deeply amusing mystery introduces you to the different sections of an orchestra in a highly entertaining way. It is a witty and musical adventure that invites you to carefully examine the clues and see if you can solve the crime yourself.

Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities? When this peculiar advertisement appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mind-bending tests. But only four succeed: Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance. They have been selected by the eccentric Mr. Benedict for a highly dangerous mission. An unexplained blackout is sweeping through Stonetown, and the clues point straight to the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened. The only way to uncover the truth is for the four children to go undercover as students. Together, they form the Mysterious Benedict Society. But the institute is run by the sinister Mr. Curtain, and his plans are far more dangerous than anyone imagined. To save their city and their families, these four brilliant misfits must rely on their unique talents, solve complex puzzles, and learn to trust one another. Dive into this classic chapter book where intellect and friendship are the ultimate weapons against evil. Will you pass the test?