to those of Eric Carle as both often employ animals, birds, insects, and other creatures to tell a story about what it is to be human. Parallel Botany Among Lionni's books that were not intended for children, the best known is probably Parallel Botany (1978; first published in Italian as La botanica parallela, 1976). This detailed treatise on plants that lack materiality—in other words, imaginary plants—is richly illustrated with drawings of plants in charcoal or pencil and photographs of "parallel botanists". The text is a rich mix of plant descriptions, travel tales, "ancient" myths, and folk etymologies, leavened with historical facts and grounded in actual science. As an imaginary taxonomy, it is invoked by Italo Calvino as a precursor to the Codex Seraphinianus of Luigi Serafini. Selected works Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse The Alphabet Tree The Biggest House in the World A Busy Year A Color of His Own Colors to Talk About Cornelius: A Fable An Extraordinary Egg Fish is Fish A Flea Story Frederick (listed by the National Education Association as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" based on a 2007 online poll) Geraldine, the Music Mouse The Greentail Mouse I Want to Stay Here! I Want to Go There!: A Flea Story In the Rabbitgarden Inch by Inch It's Mine Let's Make Rabbits: A Fable Let's Play Letters to Talk About Little Blue and Little Yellow (a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year, 1959) Matthew's Dream Mouse Days: A Book of Seasons Mr. McMouse Nadarin Nicolas, Where Have You Been? Numbers to Talk About On My Beach There are Many Pebbles Parallel Botany Pezzettino Pulgada a Pulgada Six Crows: A Fable Swimmy (named by the National Education Association one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" based on a 2007 online poll) Theodore and the Talking Mushroom Tico and the Golden Wings Tillie and the Wall Una Piedra Extraordinaria What?: Pictures to Talk About When?: Pictures to Talk About Where?: Pictures to Talk About Who?: Pictures to Talk About Words to Talk About References External links Information from Random House Leo Lionni posters, hosted by the University of North Texas Libraries Digital Collections American Institute of Graphic Arts biography Art Directors Club biography, portrait and images of work Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Leo Lionni at Library of Congress Authorities — with 84 catalog records 1910