Book excerpt: Little Tim lived in a house by the sea. He wanted very much to be a sailor, but his parents said he was much too young and must wait for years and years, until he was grown up. So when Tim got a chance to stow away on a steamer, of course he jumped at it, little expecting the hard work, the stormy sea, and the sinking ship to come! First published between 1936 and 1977, Edward Ardizzone's Little Tim books have been loved by generations of children for their spirited adventures and totally matter-of-fact tellings by a storyteller who spoke straight to children's imaginations. As Maurice Sendak has said, "The opening lines of the very first story were a droll Ishmael-like call to adventure that gave great promise of wonderful things to come." We are proud to bring Little Tim to a new generation of readers.