Sometimes when a reader loves an illustrated book, it's almost unbearable to see any new versions. But Jim Kay's stunning, full-color depictions of "the boy who survived" and his magical (mis)adventures are sure to win over even the most loyal fans of J.K. Rowling's original Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Kay is the Kate Greenaway Medal-winning British illustrator behind Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls, and in this deluxe, giant, unabridged, jacketed hardcover edition, the unicorn in the Forbidden Forest positively glows, and Fluffy the three-headed beast seems to leap off the page, nose first. Hagrid's "small wooden house" is a rustic thing of beauty, surrounded by cabbages and pumpkins, an owl in the chimney, and the best dragon scarecrow ever. More than 100 illustrations, including several sumptuous double-page spreads, will enchant longtime fans and newbies alike. (Plus, there's an elegant ribbon bookmark!) --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor