Our Little Library

Poetry Friday: The Naughty Boy

2012-02-17T08:19:00.000-08:00

We've been reading our books about snow, one of our favorites being The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (see my previous post here; Katie recently posted images from her book at The Marlowe Bookshelf here.) Since I've been looking at Ezra Jack Keats illustrations, I noticed this little book that is also illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats "in two-color collage": The Naughty Boy, a poem by John Keats.

There was a naughty Boy,

A naughty boy was he,

He would not stop at home,
He could not quiet be--

(read the complete poem on-line here).

Some of these, along with a few more images are included in this Vintage Childrens Books flickr set.

Do You Know What I'll Do?

2012-02-14T06:13:00.000-08:00

Do You Know What I'll Do? by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Garth Williams is a sweet book showing the love between siblings. I am interested to see how this page about Charlotte Zolotow's book turns out, comparing the newly illustrated version of this story to the classic Garth Williams illustrations. Burgin reviewed this book, here. I just wanted to add a few more of the lovely images from this out-of-print edition as we celebrate the gift of love on Saint Valentine's Day.

One day a little girl said to her little brother...

I'll bring you my baby to hug. Like this.

Poetry Friday: A Children's Book Of Verse

2012-02-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

We were watching Anne of Green Gables last weekend and when Anne recited (part of) The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, I had to pull out A Children's Book of Verse illustrated by Eric Kincaid to show the full poem to my husband. As I paged through this collection, I noticed a longer version of The North Wind Doth Blow than I shared last week and I couldn't find it on-line, so here it is:

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the robin do then, poor thing?
   He'll sit in a barn,
   And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing, poor thing!

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the swallow do then, poor thing?
   Oh, do you not know
   That he's off long ago,
To a country where he will find spring, poor thing!

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the dormouse do then, poor thing?
   Roll'd up like a ball,
   In his nest snug and small,
He'll sleep till warm weather comes in, poor thing!

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the honey-bee do then, poor thing?
   In his hive he will stay
   Till the cold is away
And then he'll come out in the spring, poor thing!

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the children do then, poor things?
   When lessons are done,
   They must skip, jump and run,
Until they have made themselves warm, poor things!

I found another poem about The Robin by Thomas Hardy along with many other wintry poems like Jack Frost by Cecily Pike, Winter the Hunstman by Osbert Sitwell, Jack Frost by Gabriel Setoun, The Eskimo Baby by Lucy Diamond and The Kitten in the Falling Snow by James Kirkup.

This is definitely a collection for slightly older children with many longer and more difficult poems by Tennyson, Longfellow, Wordsworth, Keats, Blake, and Coleridge along with nonsense poems by Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll. There are also verses by poets that I've seen in collections for younger children: Robert L. Stevenson, Eleanor Farjeon, and Christina Rossetti; and others that seem to fall somewhere between by Walter de la Mare, Eugene Field and Kenneth Grahame (from The Wind in the Willows - Eric Kincaid illustrated that too - I must update this post with some images).

pretty end pages

Eric Kincaid also illustrated Tales of Magic and Make-Believe, which I wrote about here. A lot of his fairies and giants and other creatures in this collection of poetry remind me those that he illustrated in that book, but in much softer colors, here.

back cover (The Dustman)

The BIG SNOW

2012-02-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

Much to the children's delight, we finally had another big snow (though you won't hear me complaining about the warm weather we've been enjoying this winter). We got about 6 inches of snow early in December, but with only and inch and a half of snow in January, the kids have been praying for more. As the snow began to fall on Friday evening, we read the 1958 Caldecott Award winner, The BIG SNOWby Berta and Elmer Hader (what a lovely couple) along with some other winter favorites including, Katy and the Big Snowby Virginia Lee Burton (post updated with some images here).

In The BIG SNOW, "Mrs. Cottontail and the littlest rabbit" observe the wild geese flying south and we learn that winter is on it's way. As the story continues we meet other animals who live on the big hill and learn how they are preparing for the cold winter months.

The illustrations alternate between soft watercolors and detailed drawings of the animals on the hill. When the BIG SNOW comes, there are animals who are safe and warm in their dens with their stores of food while the others begin to search for food in vain as the snow has covered the sources on which they rely.

When we woke up to almost 6 inches of snow covering everything (with more falling throughout the day for an official storm total of 9 inches), my girls got right outside to clear the snow off of the bird feeders and fill the bird bath with fresh water, like the little old woman and the little old man did in The BIG SNOW. This is a lovely lesson in natural history with an example of kindness and beautiful pictures!

NOTE: The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up February 17th-20th. Here's my post from last year.

Poetry Friday - poor little robin

2012-02-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

It is raining now, and a lot of snow is on the way so I have been thinking of this verse from Mother Goose:

The kids are looking forward to the Snow and I will be feeding the birds like the child in this lesser known Mother Goose rhyme as well as the little old lady and the little old man in Berta and Elmer Hader's 1949 Caldecott winner The Big Snow (which is a beautiful book that I finally have a copy of and just might have to find some time to post about next week).

From Mother Goose: The Original Volland Edition; Arranged and Edited by Eulalie Osgood Grover, Illustrated by Frederick Richardson. It is a lovely edition to have. You can see more of it on-line here.

What's the Matter with Carruthers?

2012-01-31T06:18:00.000-08:00

I love James Marshall. I loved his books when I was a kid and I love reading them to my kids, now. I posted about his George and Martha books last year, and his 1972 What's the Matter with Carruthers? is new favorite that I'm so glad I found.

"I'm worried about Carruthers," whispered Emily to Eugene. "He hasn't been himself lately. He's so grumpy and unpleasant." "It's not like Carruthers to be unpleasant," Eugene whispered back. "He always has a kind word for everyone."

With that, the two friends try to find a way to cheer up their grumpy friend. The story is pleasure to read aloud and the illustrations are perfect.

"Certainly he was in no mood to go visiting - but what bear can resist honey cakes?"

"And even after Carruthers had won several lovely prizes, he was still the grouch he had been all day."

"I don't see why we should help Carruthers rake his leaves," said Eugene to Emily, "after all we have done for him today."

They soon realize just why Carruthers has been in such a grumpy mood. It IS autumn, after all, and he IS a bear. If that doesn't give it away, notice the subtitle on the front cover: A Bedtime Story.

Poetry Friday: Grim Colberty Tales

2012-01-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

Reposting a link from Children's Illustration because it's so darn funny (but completely inappropriate for children - watch this when they're not around).

Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak (Part2)
There are a few good points made in Part1, but it also has more offensive parts and you may never be able to read a Maurice Sendak book the same way again. Click at your own discretion.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 2

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

This was also a happy coincidence because it gives me a lead in to a book of poems I absolutely do NOT recommend. (Note Maurice Sendak's comment about Laura Numeroff's Give a Mouse A Cookie. I have never liked those books. Felicia Bond's illustrations are cute, but the stories drive me crazy as I explained in an aside back when I started this blog). My 5yo Little Mouse picked out a library book called Do Poodles Like Noodles? by Laura Numeroff this week and we just read it. It was atrocious. I really have nothing good to say about it. My son was ready to put it down after the second "poem". They might have been cute if my 2nd grader had written them, and even she would recognize that monkeys doesn't rhyme with donkeys. Here's a gem from the poem "When I Was Sick In Bed":

I was so busy reading, actually,

Being sick didn't bother me!

Here are some unfavorable reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus Reviews that include some other laughable excerpts. I'll post something good next week.

2012 Caldecott

2012-01-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

jules wrote about Chris Rashka's A Ball For Daisy over at her amazing blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast (7-Imp) back in June. She's got some great spreads showing off this year's award winner. Check it out here if you haven't already. I haven't seen the book yet, but from her blog post it looks like one I'd like. I didn't like his illustrations in the 2006 winner, The Hello-Goodbye Window; and I haven't seen his 1994 Honor book, Yo, Yes? but we love his book Charlie Parker Played Be-Bop, which I wrote about here.

Honors went to Blackout by John Rocco (picture book trailer, here);
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (book trailer here); and
Me... Jane, by Patrick McDonnell (interview/video here).

Poetry Friday: Randoph Caldecott's Favorite Nursery Rhymes

2012-01-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

With the Caldecott Awards coming up soon, I wanted to share one book that I have found that was illustrated by Randolph Caldecott after whom the Caldecott Awards are named. Our public library discarded this collection of nursery rhymes a while ago and I grabbed it. You can read about Randolph Caldecott here. Project Gutenberg has many of his works available to view. I found this awesome page that links not only to his work; but many other pioneers of Children's Picture Books (Bookshelf)

Randolph Caldecott's Favorite Nursery Rhymes contains most of the original color pictures and drawings from the following, which I have linked to Project Gutenberg. These are a few of my favorite pictures from the book:

The House That Jack Built

This is the cat that killed the rat...

This is the cock that crowed in the morn...

Hey Diddle Diddle and Baby Bunting

The cow jumped over the moon.

To wrap the baby bunting in.

A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go

A Frog he would a-wooing go...whether his Mother would let him or no.

So there was an end of one, two, and three...

The Queen of Hearts and Sing a Song of Sixpence

The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey.

The king of hearts called for those tarts.

Poetry Friday - Shel Silverstein

2012-01-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

Just in case you didn't know, HarperCollins released a new collection of never-before-published poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein last year, Every Thing On It. I picked it up from the library today. The first poem in the book (which is the last in his collection, Falling Up) almost made me cry:

YEARS FROM NOW

Although I can not see your face

As you flip these poems awhile,

Somewhere from some far-off place

I hear you laughing--and I smile.

His first poetry collection is one I discovered just last year when our public library added it to their collection, Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies was not only his first collection of poetry, but was also his only full-color book. I read it to my 4yo son who thought most of the creatures were great.

When I was in elementary school, we memorized poems from his second poetry collection, Where The Sidewalk Ends. I remember checking this book out along with A Light in the Attic and reading them over and over. So, although I just had to recite, "The Crocodile's Toothache", I have several more memorized, including the two that my friends/classmates/neighbors practiced while swinging in my backyard: "Sick" and "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out".

I found this boxed set of his poems and drawings, which included his fourth poetry collection, Falling Up, when my girls were little. It was an amazon.com bargain that I stumbled across for the ridiculous price of $9.95! I still enjoy reading these. There are plenty of great poems that I've read to my younger kids; but in general, these are appropriate for students in the intermediate grades who have reached the age of reason and who have a more developed sense of humor.

I found it interesting that Tomi Ungerer and Ursula Nordstrom had to convince him to do children's books. "I never planned to write or draw for kids. It was Tomi Ungerer, a friend of mine, who insisted—practically dragged me, kicking and screaming, into Ursula Nordstrom's office. And she convinced me that Tomi was right; I could do children's books." He had published five titles, including Uncle Shelby's ABZ book for adults before his first children's book. His children's books are listed here; though they can definitely be appreciated by "children of all ages."

The last poem in Every Thing On It is as touching as the first; and it got me. What talent he had!

WHEN I AM GONE

When I am gone what will you do?

Who will write and draw for you?

Someone smarter--someone new?

Someone better--maybe YOU!

Rest in peace, Shel (1930-1999).

award winners...

2012-01-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

Minerva Louise was doing her reading homework and Aurora said that she didn't like the illustrations. Minerva Louise pointed out that it was done by an "award-winning" illustrator and when Aurora asked what that meant, she said, "It means that adults like the pictures."

So funny. So true. The adults will be deciding on the award winners from books published last year. Here is a recent blog post about some potential 2012 Caldecott and Newberry award candidates. I can't say that I've seen or read any of them yet (not even Wonderstruck, which has been checked out every time I've been to the library) so I'm not rooting for anyone in particular; are you?

FYI: The ACPL Mock Caldecott has a longer list of potentials and if you're interested, they've chosen a Mock Newberry, too. Chicken Spaghetti has a formidable list of lists of books from 2011...if you have time for that.

2012-01-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

In the comment section of a previous post, I read a question asking for children books with "scary" illustrations like wolf (or fox) eating pigs (or seven kids or Red Riding hood or birds in Chicken Little) or being pictured with a fat stomach. I happened to notice this question in the comments on another blog - perhaps it's been or will be answered there or even somewhere else, but I found it interesting and thought it was a good excuse to post about the outstanding, Little Red Riding Hood retold and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, one of her three Caldecott Honor books.

I immediately went to this book because I know the wolf actually eats Little Red in it. There are many versions of these fairy tales that are sanitized so as not to scare young children. Wolves and foxes threaten, but never actually eat the other characters. I've read and tend to agree that this is a great disservice to the fairy tale. In Little Red Riding Hood, retold and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, the woodsman finds "...the wolf fast asleep in the grandmother's nightgown and shawl, with a fat stomach full to bursting." He's about to shoot (pictured above) but "...wondered if the wicked old wolf might have swallowed the grandmother whole..." and so in order to save her,"...took out his knife and quickly killed the wolf while he was sleeping. Then he carefully cut open the wolf's stomach." And after heartfelt thanks, he "...skinned the wolf and took the pelt home to nail on his door." (pictured below)

Skimming through other fairy tale collections that I have, I found this line drawing of the wolf about to eat Little Red by Fritz Kredel in Grimms' Fairy Tales. SurLaLune Fairy Tales provides the The Annotated Little Red Riding Hood with a lot of interesting information on this particular tale.

I don't think that an illustration has to be explicitly gruesome or grisly to convey fear, though. There are plenty of scary illustrations like this image by Jessie Wilcox Smith which is one of the most frightening I've seen. (Please note that Trina Schart Hyman has a terribly menacing illustration of the wolf about to eat Little Red earlier in her story: Grandmother What Big Eyes You Have, 1983 pictured in this archived news article.) You can see even more of Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations at The Art of Children's Picture Books (click here).

Considering some of the other suggested fairy tales, I read The Annotated Three Little Pigs and learned a lot about that story. I do prefer the versions in which the first two lazy little pigs get eaten, though those are hard to find, especially with the popularity of creative retellings such as The Three Pigs by David Wiesner and The True Story of The Three Little Pigs as told by A. Wolf by Jon Sciezka. (I think both of these are great for older readers who have learned the moral from the original tale). At any rate, I have not found an illustration of the wolf devouring the first two pigs though L. Leslie Brooks shows a fat wolf licking his chops here. I have also found some of the wolf falling into the pot of boiling water at the end, including this one by L. Leslie Brooks here.

I found an unidentified illustration of a wolf with a goat in it's mouth in The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids at this link, but I can not tell you who it is by or which book specifically it is from.

The popularity of Disney's Chicken Little eclipses any illustrations that I might be able to find from a book in which the fox eats any of the characters. Although Paul Galdone doesn't let Henny Penny or her companions escape, he doesn't illustrate any of the carnage (and that's the only book I have of that tale). I don't have time to do much more looking around than this, but perhaps I'll come across another illustration in one of my books or another book at the local library. Perhaps someone else has or will answer this question, too, with a more thoughtful analysis on the psychology of scary illustrations. In the meantime, my interest in reading up On Fairy Stories has been piqued.

The Story of Christmas - Felix Hoffmann

2012-01-08T09:41:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate Epiphany Sunday and so I wanted to share one more Christmas story which I picked up specifically because of the illustrations of the wisemen...

the angels warning them in a dream to return to their countries by another route...

and then warning Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt...

Felix Hoffmann was a Swedish artist and from what I gather, his work was popular in Japan, which is where this book was printed and bound.

Poetry Friday - A Child's Calendar

2012-01-06T06:27:00.000-08:00

American poet John Updike described each month of the year and Trina Schart Hyman illustrated them for this Caldecott Honor Book, A Child's Calendar. Updike uses a simple 4-line rhyming scheme in his twelve poems which vary in length from four to six stanzas.

This series of poems seems to match the seasons that we experience in the Central Plains better than Sara Coleridge does in January Brings The Snow; and they also speak to modern American children with things like "...Little League..." in June; and "...costumes hinged on safety pins" in October. The poems combine the beauty of nature with some of the day-to-day things we may not think of as quite so beautiful; as do Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations.

January

The days are short,

The sun a spark

Hung thin between

The dark and dark.

Fat snowy footsteps

Track the floor,

And parkas pile up

Near the door.

The river is

A frozen place

Held still beneath

The trees' black lace.

The sky is low.

The wind is gray.

The radiator

Purrs all day.

NOTE: Each poem is printed next to a smaller illustration on one page and the facing page has a full page illustration. For January, the small illustration next to the poem is shown on the front cover.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

2011-12-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

While we are still celebrating the 12 days of Christmas I thought I would compare illustrations from my six copies of this traditional Christmas carol but was surprised to find the difference in lyrics made that hard to do. I learned the song from Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp, listening to and singing along with their Wee Sing for Christmas tape (which we also have on CD, now). A "gift" edition illustrated by Caroline Pedler matches these lyrics as did My Little Golden Book &; Record illustrated by Tony DeLuna. My Little Golden Book illustrated by Mike Eagle is also very close (9 ladies waiting versus 9 ladies dancing) with the only other minor variation between these being whether my true love sent or gave the gifts. The illustrated versions that I have found recently by "famous" illustrators are not the same.

The twelfth day of Christmas, | My true love sent to me | Twelve drummers drumming, | Eleven pipers piping, | Ten lords a-leaping, | Nine ladies dancing , | Eight maids a-milking, | Seven swans a-swimming, | Six geese a-laying, | Five gold rings, | Four calling birds, | Three French hens, | Two turtle doves, and | A partridge in a pear tree.

Jack Kent's hilarious version, previously reviewed by Burgin Streetman here, lists the gifts differently from nine through twelve along with some other minor variations.

The twelfth day of Christmas, | My true love gave to me | Twelve ladies dancing, | Eleven lords a-leaping, | Ten drummers drumming, | Nine pipers piping, | Eight maids a-milking, | Seven swans a-swimming, | Six geese a-laying, | Five gold rings, | Four collie birds, | Three French hens, | Two turtle doves, and | A partridge in a pear tree.

I was really excited to find a copy of Brian Wildsmith's Twelve Days of Christmas but was surprised by the difference in the lyrics for the ninth through twelfth gifts, again. I tried to find the "original" version and discovered that variations in the lyrics from the 9th through 12th days of Christmas is pretty common.

The twelfth day of Christmas, | My true love sent to me | Twelve lords a-leaping, | Eleven ladies dancing, | Ten pipers piping, | Nine drummers drumming, | Eight maids a-milking, | Seven swans a-swimming, | Six geese a-laying, | Five gold rings, | Four colly birds, | Three French hens, | Two turtle doves, and | A partridge in a pear tree.

From Wikipedia: The earliest attested version of the chant in England appears in The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, as follows:

The twelfth day of Christmas, | My true love sent to me | Twelve lords a-leaping, | Eleven pipers piping, | Ten ladies dancing, | Nine drummers drumming, | Eight maids a-milking, | Seven swans a-swimming, | Six geese a-laying, | Five gold rings, | Four colly birds, | Three French hens, | Two turtle doves, and | A partridge in a pear tree.

Brian Wildsmith's is the closest to this "original", with the only difference being between ten and eleven. I decided just to include his illustrations of the different birds from days 1-7 (less 5) because I love the birds he paints in all of his books. I found them at this site, where they used them as inspiration for some homemade tree ornaments. Interestingly, the Wikipedia article notes that a colly bird is a blackbird and that the fifth day of Christmas could have originally referred to a ring-necked bird such as a pheasant, making each of the first seven gifts of the avian variety.

Also, I discovered another blog that has lots of great illustrations; many from books. Here is her 12 Days of Christmas post. (Note that Ilonka Karasz uses the version that I learned as does Gennady Spirin; It seems that Jan Brett and Robert Sabuda do not.) She also has a great number of illustrations, including many from Denslow, of The Night Before Christmas on her own blog and even more on one she shares: children's illustration. Have fun checking those out!

The Night Before Christmas

2011-12-23T07:42:00.000-08:00

Last year I made a boring list of the books in our Christmas box that contain the poem, A Visit From Saint Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore. I wanted to share a few more images from one in particular this year because when I picture Santa, it is Florence Sarah Winship's illustrations that first come to my mind.

I can not find much information about Florence Sarah Winship, but an amazon search shows that she mostly illustrated books for the Whitman Publishing Company; many being Tell-A-Tale books. This is a Whitman Pillow book, which has a padded front and back cover. Whitman was a subsidiary of Western Printing and Lithographing, later Publishing Company, which is probably best known for their "Little Golden Books".

Do you have a favorite from your childhood? I am interested in seeing the illustrations that Jessie Wilcox Smith made for this classic poem. We like the version by Tasha Tudor from the library. Burgin's most recent Night Before Christmas post here at VKBMKL includes links to other vintage editions. How about a new classic? I have a paperback illustrated by Jan Brett, but would love to see more from the books illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger and Charles Santore.

Finally, the $10,000 question, Clement Clarke Moore wrote (as pictured below) "Happy Christmas to all..." as the final line of his poem. There are some who change it to: "Merry Christmas to all..." Your feelings about that?

ETA: Two more links. Jill recently posted images from Various Illustrators at The Art of Children's Picture Books and here is the post from Little Lamb Books that I linked to in 2009.

Poetry Friday: December

2011-12-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I shared this poem by Aileen Fisher from Baby's Christmas Treasury by Kay Chorao. I still love it and wanted to update with an image from the book.

December

I like days
with a snow-white collar,
and nights when the moon
is a silver dollar,
and hills are filled
with eiderdown stuffing
and your breath makes smoke
like an engine puffing.

I like days
when feathers are snowing,
and all the eaves
have petticoats showing,
and the air is cold
and the wires are humming,
but you feel all warm...
with Christmas coming.

Charles Mikolaycak

2011-12-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

I've recently seen some posts about Charles Mikolaycak (1937-1993) at the marlowe bookshelf and The Art of Children's Picture Books. At a library booksale I was attracted to his illustrations in a couple of books that I'd never heard of: Tam Lin by Jane Yolen and Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev, translated by Maria Carlson. Yesterday I found a discard from the local library Christmas collection, A Child Is Born: The Christmas Story Adapted from the New Testament by Elizabeth Winthrop, illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak and wanted to share it as Christmas approaches. (Wouldn't it be nice if I were to find a copy of the companion He Is Risen: The Easter Story during Lent...)

What was left of the dustjacket taped to the book cover.

I found a lot of information about his art here including this intersting biographical note: "While a student at Pratt Institute in New York City, Mikolaycak studied with the German-born American book illustrator and print maker, Fritz Eichenberg (1901-1990), who became his mentor."

A young Joseph with Mary and Jesus.

I found a little more information about him here including a lengthy quote about his work at the bottom of the page, of which this excerpt struck me. "I never 'draw-down' to a projected audience. I feel children are most surprisingly capable of meeting a challenge and instinctively understand a drawing. Perhaps it will lead them to ask a question or wonder in silence -- either will help them to learn or to extend themselves. I have experienced that if I am satisfied with one of my books, both children and adults will often get from it more than I ever realized I was putting into it."

The glorious heavenly host.

What Charles Mikolaycak says about illustration reminds me of C.S. Lewis' quote regarding great children's books, “A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.”

Again, the angels. Love how the colors illustrate their warning to the wise men.

My only complaint is that the adaptation of the Christmas story ends on a kind of "off" note after the wise men return to their country another way: "And when eight days were accomplished, the child's name was called Jesus," although the illustration shows them traveling. The Gospel of Matthew records that when they were departed an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and remain there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt. (I'll be adding a sticky note with that. Many storytellers seem to have a difficult time reconciling the Gospel of Luke with the Gospel of Matthew and want to put the wise men in the stable with the shepherds on the night Jesus was born when it is more likely that they arrived later. After all, Herod had all the male childred aged 2 and under slain according to the time the wise men told him the star had appeared.) Anyway, some of Mikolaycak's other Christmas titles I'll be keeping my eye out for are Babushka: An Old Russian Folktale, which he retold and illustrated; The Legend of the Christmas Rose by Selma Lagerlof, retold by Ellin Greene; and A Gift From Saint Nicholas by his wife, Carole Kismarick. I've got his Exodus on the way from Paperback Swap.

The Steamroller

2011-12-05T11:03:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law picked up this little paperback by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Evaline Ness at her library booksale. I'm sure that everyone knows of Margaret Wise Brown, but perhaps not Evaline Ness. I knew about Sam, Bangs & Moonshine, her 1967 Caldecott Award winner but since Jill wrote about her at The Art of Children's Picture Books earlier this year, I've been on the lookout for more of her work. As I read through this little fantasy, my mouth dropped open in surprise and I couldn't stop laughing. I thought for sure that the folks over at the blog Curious Pages had written about it, but they haven't. It certainly seems like it would fit in with their "recommended inappropriate books for kids".

In The steamroller: A fantasy by Margaret Wise Brown, a little girl named Daisy receives a steamroller for her Christmas present. She starts it up and takes off down the road, but as she does not know how to stop it, she squashes everything she comes across flat.

"Get out of my way becasue I can't stop. Get out of my way or I'll squash you flat." You would think they'd get out of the way, but no. She squashes everything from a pig and a chicken to a policeman and her teacher "flat in the road like a shadow." When her friends come running up for a ride, she heads the steamroller off across a field so it won't squash them (although it does squash some fences and a few fish in the ocean before it stops) and then she goes home where her parents give her another Christmas present...

"Get in that," said her father and mother, "and go scoop up the squashed flat pig and people and automobiles. Scoop them up out of their shadows and they won't be squashed flat anymore."

She restores everyone and everything to their former positions...and her teacher said, "Merry Christmas," again and Daisy said, "Merry Christmas."

Poetry Friday: Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening

2011-12-02T06:24:00.000-08:00

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers is one of my favorite seasonal books. When I checked this book out from the library one winter, long ago, I fell in love with the artwork of Susan Jeffers. Her snowflakes captivated me.

If ever I were to illustrate a children's book, this is the style I would imitate. I love the detail. While she works mostly in pen and ink and gouache, she uses pencil a lot in this book.

The other poems she has illustrated are (an excerpt from) The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; Wynken, Blynken and Nod by Eugene Field and her Caldecott Award winning Three Jovial Hunstmen by Mother Goose. Since it is the season, her other Christmas books are the lovely Silent Night by Joseph Mohr, which could also be considered poetry, and The Nutcracker, which remains on my wish list.

HUGO

2011-11-24T06:10:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty excited about this movie. We don't go to the movies much. In the last 10 years we've gone to see the first two of the three movies that made up The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (we missed the third in the theater). We went with a group to view The Passion of the Christ one Lent. Finally, we had an opportunity to see the third of the The Chronicles of Narnia movies. That's it. 5 movies in the theater in 10 years. I've never seen one in 3D (unless you count Born to be Wild - our family zoo membership came with free IMAX movie passes this year).

So, perhaps you can imagine my surprise when we saw the TV trailer for HUGO and my husband turned to me and asked if he could take me on a date. He remembers how much I enjoyed reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the 2008 Caldecott Award winner and he recognized that the movie was based on the book. This is one of a few Caldecott winners you won't find with the picture books. Sometimes they are non-fiction. This one is shelved in the Junior Fiction section of my library. It's 533 pages and more than 2 inches thick!

If you have time this weekend, there are a lot of great links and things to explore on the website, theinventionofhugocabret.com It is really a great book and I highly recommend checking it out (and reading it before seeing the movie, if possible). I'm also looking forward to being able to find this awesome book at used library book sales and thrift stores in a couple of years. That always seems to happen after a book is made into a movie. The library buys a few extra copies to satisfy demand and then discard them when demand has waned and they need space on their shelf for the newest great thing and/or people buy the book as a gift for their children and grandchildren because it's popular. The kids read it and then it sits on a shelf and ends up being donated somewhere a few years later because most people just don't keep home libraries like some of us. So, with a little patience I will eventually have my own copy of this great book!

Poetry Friday - A Child's Garden of Verses

2011-11-18T05:58:00.000-08:00

I think A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson must be one of the most enduring collections of poetry for children by one poet. First published in 1885, it is still in print. This collection has been illustrated by many artists and is frequently drawn from for poems to include in other collections of poetry, including the book I wrote about last week, The Random House Book of Poetry For Children.

The Cow illustrated by Eloise Wilkin

I've enjoyed finding out about many different artists who have illustrated A Child's Garden of Verses from B. Streetman at Vintage Kids Books My Kid Loves. (Provensens, Wildsmith, Duvoisin, Ruhman, Fujikawa...) I grew up with a Little Golden Book edition selected and illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. Containing 16 (+1) of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous poems, it was a sweet introduction. When I had my first child, I started looking at acquiring a complete copy and, while tempted by Tasha Tudor's illustrated edition, I saw that it did not contain all of the poems.

The Swing illustration by Margaret Tarrant

I was smitten with the array of beautiful art compiled by Cooper Edens for Chronicle Books' Classic Illustrated Edition of A Child's Garden of Verses. I am pretty sure I paid full price for a new copy of this beautiful book at the time, but don't regret it one bit. It is "illustrated with more than 100 pictures by the most distinguished children's book illustrators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries" including, most prominently, Charles Robinson, E. (Ethel) Mars, Millicent Sowerby, Florence Edith Storer, Jessie Willcox Smith, H. (Henriette) Willebeek LeMair, Ruth Mary Hallock and Margaret Tarrant.

Escape At Bedtime illustration by Millicent Sowerby

For my birthday this year, my mother-in-law gave me a beautiful 1902 edition of the original book illustrated by Charles Robinson that she had found at an antique shop. Dover still publishes an edition with these illustrations by Charles Robinson. You can view an original edition, presented as a virtual book on-line here. It is also here at Project Gutenberg, although the text is separated from his fantastic line illustrations.

Picture Books In Winter illustration by Jessie Willcox Smith

The edition illustrated by E. Mars and M. H. Squire is available for viewing here and also here at Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg also has editions illustrated by Millicent Sowerby, Myrtle Sheldon, and Jessie Willcox Smith. Tell me if you know of any other illustrated editions available to view on-line. Do you have a favorite poem from this collection? Mine varies with the season but I think I like his Happy Thought best; and it is an appropriate verse for memorization with Thanksgiving approaching.

Happy Thought illustrated by Charles Robinson

ETA: My sister-in-law picked out A Child's Garden of Verses illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa for my girls' Christmas present because she thought the pictures were so cute. It really is beautiful!

Oh, Were They Ever Happy!

2011-11-17T18:32:00.000-08:00

This is a book that I completely forgot about until I saw it in our Friends of the Library bookstore. The garish colors on the cover threw me off, but I saw it was by Peter Spier and opened it up.

I was immediately taken back to my childhood when I saw the endpapers...

the title page...

and I was lost to the world as I rediscovered this book, Oh, Were They Ever Happy!

I used to pore over the pages of this book, soaking in the color.

I can't quite put my finger on what it is about this book that I love, but I just couldn't wait to share it. Peter Spier has written and illustrated SO many great books including Noah's Ark, the 1978 Caldecott winner. This book was published in 1978 along with Bored-Nothing to Do! (which is a Reading Rainbow book that I frequently check out from the library). I'm so happy that I got to add it to the BOOKS of Our Little Library today.

Poetry Friday

2011-11-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

The Poetry Foundation has a nice article explaining Poetry Friday. Since I've been finding poetry books that I've been wanting to share, I thought, "Why not feature them on Fridays?" I don't think I'll join the link up, but you can check out the weekly links including archives back to October 3, 2008 if you're interested.

Here's a recent poetry collection that I found, illustrated by my one of my favorites: Arnold Lobel. There are quite a few books of poetry illustrated (and even written by) Arnold Lobel - some that I have and will feature in the future.

Today, I'd like to highlight The Random House Book of Poetry for Children: A Treasury of 572 Poems for Today's Child, selected by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Arnol Lobel. It's a good one that I've had fun reading. If you want to see more, just follow the link to Amazon and Click to Look Inside! Many times the copyrighted pages they share are pretty sparse, but this one is very generous. This is one of them, from the section "The Ways of Living Things." that includes an appropriate seasonal poem from Rachel Field, Something Told the Wild Geese (and the poem about The Hen is pretty good, too):

As you can see at Amazon, the book is indexed by Title, First Line, Author, and Subject, which makes finding a particular poem a little more manageable. Jack Prelutsky did a great job with this anthology. You can learn more about him at his very fun website. Shel Silverstein was the only children's poet I really knew about as a kid and I didn't find out about Jack Prelutsky until recently so was surprised to see that he has written and selected poetry for a lot of books!

Book It! (and another booklist)

2011-11-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

Do the kids in your school participate in the Book It! Reading Incentive program? My girls - even my oldest, who struggles with reading - love to set the timer every night and read for pizza. My 1st grader would rather play after a long day of school. In Kindergarten, I could read TO him, in 1st grade he has to read by himself. Anita Silvey pointed out today on her blog, Children's Book-A-Day Almanac that they are celebrating National Young Readers Week and in exploring the Book It site I found yet another booklist, 100 Great Books Every Child Should Hear and also a link called What's In Your Library? Types of books include: Alphabet Books, Counting Books, Picture Books, Wordless Picture Books, Poetry Books, Nursery Rhymes, Folk and Fairy Tales, and Informational Books. I feel like we are doing pretty well in having a selection of books in each of these categories except for Wordless Picture Books. They seem harder to come by. I will be thinking about those a little more. Below is the booklist that I will be marking up in my usual style as I find time.

Read more »

Brian Wildsmith and La Fontaine

2011-11-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Miller, the Boy, and the Donkey

I was the lucky winner of a recent Great Monday Give and received a copy of Squirrels by Brian Wildsmith. This is one of his many books that we did not yet have so I was happy to add it to The BOOKS of Our Little Library. I also realized that while I have mentioned Brian Wildsmith's Easter Story (here) in a previous post with a fleeting image, I have not written anything of substance about him. Married with four children, he was born in a gray mining town in England but currently lives in the south of France. A lovely quote of his from this article is " Our children are our inheritance and our immortality. A child’s soul is like an empty book in which anything may be written. We must write about love, humour, compassion, truth, understanding and justice. In every one of my books I try and get something about that." Bravo.

The Rich Man and the Shoe-maker

After illustrating some book covers and his award winning alphabet book, Brian Wildsmith's ABC, Wildsmith began to illustrate some of La Fontaine's fables because they "...had never been issued in picture book form." (quoted from Children's Books and Their Creators by Anita Silvey). Now, when I think of fables, I think of Aesop, and while this particular fable does appear in some of his collections I thought it was pretty cool that Wildsmith used the text from a different fabulist (that's the term for an author of fables).

The North Wind and the Sun

I found it laudable that Jean de La Fontaine adapted many of his fables for children, as he wrote in the preface of one of his books, to 'give them an attraction to useful lessons which are suited to their age [and] an aversion to the profane songs which are often put into their mouths and which only serve to corrupt their innocence.'" You can read his fables on-line here.

The Hare and the Tortoise

Brian Wildsmith illustrated La Fontaine's The Miller, The Boy and the Donkey, The Rich Man and the Shoemaker, The Hare and the Tortoise (reviewed by Burgin at VKBMKL here); The Lion and the Rat, (shared by Jil at The Art of Children's Picture Books here); and The North Wind and the Sun. All of these are sadly out of print, though you can find used copies of these five fables by La Fontaine, illustrated by Brian Wildsmith if you keep your eye out.

The Lion and the Rat

2 years later

2011-10-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

Looking back over the last two years I've not had a terribly consistent format and while some things have worked, others have not. Lack of comments (spam doesn't count) makes it hard to know exactly where to go with this. I'm just a mom with 5 kids who loves books. The sheer volume of books that I have and want to share compared with the time I have to share them can, at times, feel overwhelming so here's my plan:

I will list books that we have on a new page: The BOOKS of Our Little Library. It's up there under the header. There will be links to reviews that I've found on some of the book blogs that I love as well as links to the books I've shared here on my blog. If you want me to blog about one of the books I have listed or a book I have listed in one of my posts tagged new books, just send me an email: thisblessedmess (at) gmail (dot) com

recent additions

2011-10-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

2011 Library Booksale
Collections:
Tibor Gergely's Great Big Book of Bedtime Stories (32 Favorite Tales)
The Random House Book of Poetry for Children selected by Jack Prelustky, illustrated by Arnol Lobel
Sleeping Beauty & Other Favorite Fairy Tales chosen and translated by Angela Carter, illustrated by Michael Foreman
A Child's Treasury of Poems edited by Mark Daniel
Dean's Mother Goose Book of Rhymes illustrated by Janet & Anne Grahame Johnstone
Picture Books:
Be Nice to Spiders by Margaret Bloy Graham
The Bear's Water Picnic by Joh Yeoman, illustrated by Quentin Blake
Grandmother and I by Helen E. Buckley, illustrated by Paul Galdone
See Through the Sea by Millicent Selsam and Betty Morrow, pictures by Winifred Lubell
Addie Runs Away by Joan Robins, illustrated by Sue Truesdell (I Can Read)
Morris Goes to School by B. Wiseman (I Can Read)
Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren
The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen, retold by Ruth Belov Gross, pictures by Jack Kent
The Ghost's Dinner by Jacques Duqennoy
The Ghost With the Halloween Hiccups by Stephen Mooser, illustrated by Tomie DePaola
ANDY by Tomie DePaola
Pig Pig and the Magic Photo Album by David McPhail
Do You Want to Be My Friend? by Eric Carle
The Little Kitten by Judy Dunn, photographs by Phoebe Dunn
Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi
The Winter Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown, pictures by Charles G. Shaw
Chapter Books:
Dominic by William Steig
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, illustrated by Wesley Dennis
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Nancy Seligsohn
Tucker's Countryside by George Selden, illustrated by Garth Williams

Goodwill, Garage Sale and Thrift store finds
The Crows of Pearblossom by Aldous Huxley, illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Hippos Go Berserk! by Sandra Boynton
Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
The Circus Baby by Maud and Miska Petersham
The Story of Lengthwise by Ernestine Cobern Beyer, illustread by Don Madden
The Grown-Up Day by Jack Kent
Bear Party by William Pene Du Bois
The Mellops Go Spelunking by Tomi Ungerer
The Surprise Party by Annabelle Prager, pictures by Tomie de Paola
Johnny Lion's Bad Day by Edith Thatcher Hurd, pictures by Clement Hurd (I Can Read)
Johnny Lion's Book by Edith Thatcher Hurd, pictures by Clement Hurd (I Can Read)
Binky Brothers and the Fearless Four by James Lawrence, pictures by Leonard Kessler (I Can Read)
Good Hunting, Blue Sky by Peggy Parish, pictures by James Watts
Two Times the Fun by Beverly Cleary illustrated by Carol Thompson
The Hungry Thing by Jan Slepian and Ann Seidler, illustrated by Richard E. Martin
All About Alligators by Jim Arnosky
All About Frogs by Jim Arnosky
Angel Child by Val Teal, pictures by Pelagie Doane
All Gone! by Harriet Ziefert and Henrik Drescher
Wild Wild Sunflower Child Anna by Nancy White Carlstrom, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Agave Blooms Just Once by Gisela Jernigan illustated by E. Wesley Jernigan (a Sonoran Desert alphabet book)
A Pizza The Size of the Sun by Jack Prelutsky, pictures by James Stevenson
The Alley by Eleanor Estes

Paperback Swap and Better World Books 50% sale
Veronica on Petunia's Farm by Roger Duvoisin
Fly High, Fly Low by Don Freeman
Anno's Math Games by Mitsumasa Anno
Swan Lake by Pyotr Tchaikovsky retold and illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger
The Hare and the Tortoise, a fable by La Fontaine, illustrated by Brian Wildmith
Look Closer by Brian and Rebecca Wildsmith
The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode by Eleanor Estes
Favorite Tales from Grimm illustrated by Mercer Mayer
Frog on His Own by Mercer Mayer
Tales of Oliver Pig by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Arnold Lobel
More Tales of Oliver Pig by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Arnold Lobel

So...yeah. I've spent about $60 on used books in the last month or so. It sounds like a lot, but not when you consider how many books it bought (about 60!)

ETA: At the Monday-Tuesday 10cent sale I picked up a few more books for $1.50. They are mostly chapter books (including several Newberry winners) that were probably going to be recycled:
Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard
Outlaw Red by Jim Kjelgaard
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLaughlan
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl
Unwilling Pirate by West Lathrop
Egyptian Boats by Geoffrey Scott, pictures by Nancy L. Carlson
Treehouse Tales by Anne Isaacs, illustrations by Lloyd Bloom
The Flying Lesson of Gerald Pelican by Nathaniel Benchley, pictures by Mamarou Funai
+2 for me

2011 booksale favorite

2011-10-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

I went to our library preview sale last night and was happy to find some great books, as always. There is one in particular that I couldn't wait to share. I did not know this book existed until I picked it up last night and don't want you go another day in ignorance of the fact that there is a book called: Tibor Gergely's Great Big Book of Bedtime Stories!

It is a collection of 32 stories that Tibor Gergley illustrated. I got this for $0.50 so I'm not going to complain about the fact that some illustrations have been left out, and most have been re-formatted to fit the book. Many are oversized and cropped while others are reduced in order to fit several on a page. Paper quality is not an issue for me here because most of these books were originally printed cheaply as Little Golden Books and if you look at the originals, the printing is not high-quality. This book is for reading over and over by your kids like Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever! (Giant Little Golden Book). Unlike Richard Scarry's book, it has not been reprinted but there are several reasonably priced good (and even a couple of 'very good') used copies that you can find for the kids to love before they grow up.

In this collection you will find classics that have been reprinted and re-issued time and time again like Gertrude Crampton's Tootle and Scuffy the Tugboat and His Adventures Down the River along with harder to find treasures like Wheel on the Chimney by Margaret Wise Brown, which was not ever issued as a Little Golden Book. (Some original drawings from that Caldecott Honor book can be seen here). Tibor Gergley illustrated more than 70 Little Golden Books so these 32 favorite tales do not encompass even half of his work, but is 24 more than we had before!

Christopher and the Columbus by Kathryn and Byron Jackson
A Day in the Jungle by Janette Sebring Lowrey
The Jolly Barnyard by Annie North Bedford
Scuffy the Tugboat (and His Adventures Down the River) by Gertrude Crampton
Tootle by Gertrude Crampton
Travel by Kathleen N. Daly
Little Red Riding Hood told by Elsa Jane Werner
Little Gray Donkey by Alice Hunt
Five Little Firemen by Margaret Wise Brown and Edith Thatcher Hurd
Animal Gym by Beth Greiner Hoffman
The Taxi That Hurried by Lucy Sprague Mitchell, Irma Simonton Black, and Jessie Stanton
A Year in the City by Lucy Sprague Mitchell
The Merry Shipwreck by Georges Duplaix
The Three Bears told by Elsa Jane Werner
Seven Little Postmen by Margaret Wise Brown and Edith Thatcher Hurd
Little Yip-Yap and His Bark by Kathryn and Byron Jackson
Fire Engines
Houses by Elsa Jane Werner
The Happy Man and His Dump Truck by Miryam
Lion Cub's Busy Day by Barbara Shook Hazen
The Seven Sneezes by Olga Cabral
Rupert the Rhinoceros by Carl Memling
Make Way for the Thruway by Caroline Emerson
Daddies by Janet Frank
Wheel on the Chimney by Margaret Wise Brown
The Little Red Caboose by Marian Potter
About the Seashore by Kathleen N. Daly
Animal Orchestra by Ilo Orleans
The Deep Blue Sea by Bertha Morris Parker and Kathleen N. Daly
Gergely's Golden Circus by Peter Archer
The Happy Little Whale told to Jane Werner Watson by Kenneth Norris
The Golden Year by Peggy Parish

That's 384 pages of awesome. I'll list the other great books that I picked up in an upcoming post and you can tell me which, if any you want to see and hear more about.

Do your kids pore or pour over books?

2011-10-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

For the last year or so I have been noticing this common grammatical error on virtually every children's book blog site that I read. I know that I make many mistakes in my use of punctuation and grammar, but this is one that I would like to take a moment to address because it seems to be perpetuating.

Merriam-Webster defines pour (verb)
1: a to cause to flow in a stream
b to dispense from a container <poured drinks for everyone>
2: to supply or produce freely or copiously <poured money into the project>
3: to give full expression to VENT <poured out his feelings>

The definition of pore (verb) from the same source:
1 : to gaze intently
2: to read or study attentively - usually used with over
3: to reflect or meditate steadily

Therefore, when we have a book written and illustrated by someone like Peter Spier, we want to say that our children PORE OVER the pages rather than POUR OVER them. If they are pouring anything over a book they should be disciplined because they're going to ruin it. (That's supposed to be funny. Please laugh and come back soon to see some more of the books that my kids and I pore over).

A Zoo For Mister Muster

2011-09-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Arnold Lobel is one of my favorite author-illustrators, married to author/illustrator Anita Lobel. In the very first book that he both authored and illustrated, A Zoo for Mister Muster (1962) his drawings are overwhelmingly adorable. I can't pick up this book and look at the cover without being overcome by the cuteness. Just look at that giraffe and the monkeys!

See how the perfectly plump Mister Muster practically floats (on the tip of his tiny toes) to his favorite place, the park zoo. Such joy!

The animals adore Mister Muster so much that the elephant takes the key from the zookeeper (which reminds me of the modern classic Good Night, Gorilla) and the animals sneak into Mister Muster's apartment building to visit him! Does this sound familiar? Animals from the zoo, so enamored with a particular person that they go to his house? It is an enduring story idea that was recently given new life in the Caldecott winner, A Sick Day for Amos McGee.

When the zookeeper calls the police to help him find the missing animals and they track them down to Mister Muster's apartment building, the animals try to hide "anyplace they could find". Elephants under the bed? Priceless! Negotiations are made and (spoiler alert) Mister Muster accepts a position as assistant zookeeper and gets to live at the zoo "with his uniform, his badge and all of his friends close by all the time." I don't have the 1963 follow-up book, A Holiday For Mister Muster, but will be keeping my eye out for it!

Small Books

2011-09-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

I found what David Elzey had to say about Spectacles by Ellen Raskin interesting. This book caught my attention when Burgin highlighted it back in April since I have worn glasses since I was in Kindergarten, and my mother-in-law found a copy of it at a booksale this summer. I have often thought of trying to draw what I see with my glasses off because people often wonder what it's like. They want to put my glasses on, thinking that might make them see the way I do with them off, but it just distorts everything and makes them dizzy. My husband laughs whenever we drive by a field dotted with round hay bales because on one occasion I'd taken a nap while he was driving and when I woke up and glanced out the window, I thought they were buffaloes!

I digress. It was actually David's comment about the size of this particular book that caught my attention:

In fact, what initially startled me was that it was small for a picture book. At just under 6 x 8 inches – one-fourth the size of many picture books today – the book's intimacy draws in a reader's attention. Almost as if the book had been designed with a nearsighted reader in mind. But it raises an interested question today as many publishers point out the high cost of producing picture books: why not simply make them smaller? Not every book needs to be lap-sized, and an argument can be made for picture books to be manageable for younger readers. Just a thought.

Jim Arnosky's 'very first' concept books

I have noticed that my youngest son tends to select small books to page through on his own. While David is talking about a 6x8 inch book, I am thinking of books that are even smaller. Jim Arnosky's concept books were the first my little one claimed for himself. When I think about it, my little copy of Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson and even smaller A is for Always by Joan Walsh Anglund were two of my favorite books as a child. While having a Complete Treasury of Beatrix Potter's Tales is something I appreciate when I consider shelf space and economy, I loved selecting each of the individual little books from the library and still wish I could find the complete set at a reasonable price.

A recently acquired ex-library copy of The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter

While I have The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh, I have made a point to start collecting the individual stories in small books. I found four of them at once and have picked up a few more here and there. While I prefer to read aloud from the large book, it is not something they can steal away with and read themselves. It is just too unwieldy.

Big and little Winnie-the-Pooh

Maurice Sendak's Nutshell Library are four wonderfully fun little books in our small book collection. Joan Walsh Anglund also has many perfectly pocketsized books that would just not have the same effect if compiled as a treasury. I did recently find a small treasury of hers that works, though: The Adventures of the Brave Cowboy by Anglund contains three stories in one book; but since the stories are short it is still a small book (6.5" x 6.5") that is easily managed by small hands...like the Bill Martin Instant Readers we have (note the copy of City Song in the background. A birthday gift from my sister-in-law so I wouldn't covet her copy.)

Large picture books certainly have their place in schools and libraries and even at home when reading to several children at once and I love the economy of treasuries to read from (I recently acquired a used copy of Mad About Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans for $4); but there is a lot to be said for the appeal that little books have, especially to young children who have outgrown board books.

stairs...

2011-09-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

One of my friends has been posting pictures of things she saw on Pinterest on her blog. I clicked over to see what that site was all about and found this (as well as two other pictures that I added to my sidebar):

For some reason I feel like I've seen this before at a used bookstore. I know I won't be able to convince my husband that this would be a good idea for our home, but it's fun to think about what titles I'd choose to paint on a flight of stair risers. I count 13, here. What books would you select? How about some classic collections:

1) Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes
2) Aesop's Fables
3) Hans Christen Andersen's Fairy Tales
4) Tales from the Brothers Grimm
5) A Child's Garden of Verses
6) Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales
7) The Complete Stories and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh
8) The Golden Children's Bible
9) The Chronicles of Narnia
10) D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
11) Just So Stories
12) The Velveteen Rabbit*
13)

I know that The Velveteen Rabbit is not a collection, but it's more than a picture book, too. It fits for now. I'm having a hard time settling on a final book...trying to think of a classic collection of Tall Tales or Folk Tales...I'd love to hear your ideas.

Best In Children's Books

2011-09-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

When my mother-in-law found a used Best In Children's Books volume at her library booksale, she was so excited. She tried to explain it to me, but I didn't quite understand what she had. As soon as I took a look at it, however, I realized what a little gem it was. Ariel S. Winter wrote about this series back in January, before I started reading his blog, We Too Were Children, Mr. Barrie. The book I have is one that he mentioned, Best In Children's Books Volume 15 from 1958. There are 42 volumes in this series. Don't get me started!

Some of the stories in these volumes were published as separate storybooks. For example, Don Freeman contributed to volumes 11, 15, 16, 26, 31, 35, and 41. The last two contributions are his books, Mop Top and Pet of the Met. I do not believe that his illustrations for Androcles and the Lion, How the Whale Got His Throat , Best Birthday, Horse for a Prince, or Cornelia's Jewels can be found elsewhere, though. So, please enjoy his illustrations for How the Whale Got His Throat (with apologies that they are not nice neat scans, but slightly blurry skewed photographs):

Volume 15 also contains the following stories by acclaimed authors and illustrators:
They Sailed on the Mayflower by Michaela Gorham, illustrated by Fritz Kredel
How the Whale Got His Throat by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Don Freeman
The Oldest, the Youngest, and the One in the Middle by Lillian Gardner, illustrated by Dagmar Wilson
Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault, illustrated by Barbara Cooney (please forgive me for slipping in another image or two, here...)

The Little Red Hen illustrated by Andy Warhol (please click on the link to see all the images from this story on another blog)
Just-for-Fun Parties by Florence Hamsher, illustrated by Barbara Corrigan
Horatius at the Bridge retold by James Baldwin, illustrated by Henry C. Pitz
Our Vanishing Wildlife (non-fiction, photographs)
My Pet, Peepelo by Ellis Credle, illustated by Lloyd Goff
Let's Visit India (non-fiction, photographs)

My favorite *new* story in this volume is My Pet, Peepelo, which ends:
Tivo gave a last look at the beautiful fiesta, and they began the long trip over the mountains to home. As they were having their beans and tortillas that night, papa glanced at Peepelo sitting on the back of a chair. "What a foolish boy to bring your turkey back home. If you had sold him you could have bought yourself a wonderful new hat, a blanket, or a fine new toy." "Oh, maybe not so foolish after all," his mother replied. "A boy gets tired of a toy very quickly, and a new hat or a new blanket soon seems to him like any other hat or blanket. But he never grows tired of something he loves. It is always new and wonderful to him." Tivo held out a piece of tortilla to his turkey. "No, no I'll never grow tired of Peepelo," he said. "I'll always love my Peepelo!" "Gooble! Gobble! Gobble!" said Peepelo joyfully.

Butterflies!

2011-08-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

Last year we found a bunch of caterpillars on our dill and so we kept some in a jar and watched them transform into black swallowtail butterflies. This year Minerva Louise wanted to do it again and so we did.

Shortly thereafter my son, Crockett, found a different caterpillar on some milkweed at the end of our driveway and so we did the same thing,

replenishing the leaves until it turned into a chrysalis,

then watching every day as the bright green chrysalis turned duller and duller until...

a monarch!

With butterflies on my mind, I wanted to highlight a few of our butterfly books, starting with two new ones from my mother-in-law:

The Butterflies Come by Leo Politi
I hope you know about Leo Politi. His contributions to the world of children's books have been recognized and he was celebrated all over California during the centennial anniversary of his birth. Having lived in California during most of my childhood (3rd-11th grade), including 3 years in Redlands, these are especially meaningful to me.

At first Lucia did not see the butterflies, though almost every branch of every tree was filled with them. For when the butterflies rest and close their wings, the undersides of the wings look like clusters of dried leaves.
Suddenly a playful squirrel leaped from one branch to another. In a moment thousands of butterflies rose in the air. it was a glorious sight. The golden orange of their open wings sparkled in the sunlight that came through the trees. Lucia could not believe her eyes.

Where does the butterfly go when it rains by Mary Garelick with pictures by Leonard Weisgard
This is a special edition for the Scott, Foresman Invitations to Personal Reading Program. I have a few books from this series. All the illustrations in this book are rain washed blue-gray with an occasional spot of gold.

A mole can stay in his hole.
A bee can fly back to her hive.
I've heard
that a bird
tucks its head under is wing.
But where dows the butterfly go
when it rains?

The Lamb and the Butterfly by Arnold Sundgaard, pictures by Eric Carle
From Arnold Sundgaard's biographical note in the back of the book, "The inspiration for The Lamb and The Butterfly came, he says, from his long-time interest in the miracle of the migratory flight of both birds and butterflies. Why do these creatures make these incredible journeys? How do they know where and when to go? "I thought a lamb, who never leaves her mother's side, might ask the questions for me," he said."

Where Butterflies Grow by Joanne Ryder . pictures by Lynne Cherry
Children observe a caterpillar through the stages of metamorphosis and imagine what it would be like to transform into a black swallowtail.

Imagine
you are someone small
hidden in a tiny egg
growing bigger
growing darker
till one hot morning
you burst your shell
and creep
into brightness.

Good Night Sweet Butterflies: A Color Dreamland by Melanie Gerth and Dawn Bentley, illustrated by Heather Cahoon
This is a book my husband bought at a book fair that was set up where he works for our first born daughter. My big girls have outgorwn it, but it has recently found it's way off the shelf in need of some tape. I should have included it in a previous post about bedtime books or color concept books, but I've been a bit snobbish about it being a "toy" rather than a "book". Nevertheless, I look back at it fondly, not with a roll of the eyes, and look forward to reading it again and again with my baby girl.

From the library, our favorite butterfly book is Lois Ehlert's Waiting For Wings. It is recommended, along with several others on The Children's Butterfly Site. Do you have a favorite butterfly book?

Educator Classic Library

2011-08-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

The Educator Classic Library was originally published in 1968 and consisted of 12 volumes: Treasure Island * 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea * Pinocchio * The Swiss Family Robinson * The Jungle Books * The Virginian * Casebook of Sherlock Holmes * Arabian Nights * The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood * The Heroes * The Call Of The Wild * Paul Bunyan. Although the covers were all painted by Don Irwin, the illustrators of each book vary.

Valerie seems to have the most comprehensive information about this series (published by 3 different houses in 1968, 1969, and 1970) and has 30 books listed! These are all great classics which I am sure you have heard of. Being "classics" however, means that they are fairly difficult to read. Some more than others are filled with BIG words that will have most adults reaching for a dictionary. There are also technical concepts integral to some of these stories that many people are unfamiliar with. These editions are so great because the difficult language is defined in the margin right next to the occurrence of the word in the story. Unfamiliar objects are pictured and a brief description is given. It's a novel and picture dictionary all in one, which helps make these unabridged stories accessible to advanced readers in the intermediate grades as well as being easier for junior high and high school students to understand.

In the Foreword to the The Book of King Arthur the first margin note follows:

"hath afforded: Has given. The word usage in King Arthur seems strange at first. You will get used to it and understand the story more easily if you read the first few pages aloud."

I picked up Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Don Irwin at a booksale a few years although the binding was not in the greatest shape. I recently found 1970 editions of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, also illustrated by Don Irwin and The Book of King Arthur by Howard Pyle, illustrated by Ron King in like new condition at our library bookstore. I passed on the like new copy of Alice In Wonderland and White Fang because a) I really like the editions of Alice in Wonderland that I already have and am trying to control myself and b) I did not like the illustrations in White Fang (Dick Cole). Besides, I didn't want to set myself up to purchase the entire series, although there are a few more of these that I would probably pick up if I ran across them, particularly the two by Jules Verne!

new counting books

2011-08-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

You may recall the week of concept books that Margaret and I did last year in September. I had fun listing all of my number books. although it looks like I neglected to include Feodor Rojankovsky's Over In The Meadow, which we did have at the time. I will have to do a Rojankovsky post soon. Looking back over the last year I would have to say that Jim Arnosky's Mouse Numbers, and Mitsuamsa Anno's Counting Book are probably the top two counting books that I've seen off the shelf, selected by my 4yo son but I expect that Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar will get some time off the shelf soon, as my baby girl is growing up quickly...and I will have to read Chicka Chicka 1,2,3 at least 2,000 more times when each of my two youngest get to the "Chicka Chicka" unit studies in Kindergarten.

My mother-in-law introduced a few more number books to our collection when she went to her local library booksale a couple of weeks ago. First we have a familar counting rhyme: 1, 2, buckle my shoe with pictures by Margaret A. Cranstoun (1967). The text goes through the rhyme three times:

1, 2, buckle my

1, 2, buckle my shoe.

1, 2, 3, 4 buckle my shoe and shut the door.

The rest of the rhyme, from the middle of the book:

3, 4, shut the door.

5, 6, pick up sticks.

7, 8, lay them straight.

9, 10, a big fat hen.

Helen Oxenbury's Numbers of Things from 1968 has fun, colorful and I like how the text shows the numeral and the number word in both lowercase and CAPITAL letters. The numbers are from 1-10 and then by 10's to 50 ending on the last page (not pictured due to identifying library stamps) is a boy in a spacesuit on the moon with the night sky in the background wondering, "How many stars?"

Here are a few more images from One Wide River to Cross adapted by Barbara Emberley, illustrated by Ed Emberley (third printing...April 1967). If you missed Jill Casey's post on this book, check it out.

eight by eight...some came in by roller skate

ten by ten...let's go back and start again!

Finally, an unexpected treasure, Fritz Eichenberg's Dancing In The Moon (1955). A counting rhyme book that appears to be a companion to his rhyming alphabet book, Ape In A Cape (1953 Caldecott Honor) from which Jill Casey recently posted several images. I can see why he is one of her favorite children's book artists.

What a great dedication!

3 jaguars playing guitars

8 llamas wearing pajamas

9 bears saying their prayers

10 cats trying on hats

12 pets playing quartets (note the grouping: 12/3=4)

18 frogs sitting on logs (grouping, again: 18/3=6)

Come On, Rain!

2011-07-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have picked up this book by Karen Hesse and John J. Muth (pronounced m-you-th) several times since it appeared on the "summer" library shelf. I have not checked it out because it wasn't really hot, yet. June seemed to be unseasonably cold to me - and my garden. Well, this week changed all that. Now, in the midst of a week-long exessive heat warning, we are ready to cry out with the girl in the story, "Come on, rain!"

While this book reminds me more of the dry summer heat I remember from the years I lived in the drought-stricken west; this oppressive Nebraska heat and humidity begs for the relief of a refreshing summer rain. I know just how this mama feels after coming in from tending my own dry garden this morning. As this heat wave spreads, I'm sure you'll feel it, too.

Searching for images, I came across The Marlowe Bookshelf and Katie's post on this book from last summer. I haven't had too much time to browse her archives, but from her recent posts I recognize a similar love of George and Martha... Anyway. I love the watercolor illustrations in this book. John J. Muth is also the author-illustrator of the fabulous Zen Shorts (and others I'd like to read) and more recently Mo Willems' City Dog, Country Frog (which I've tried to like). Another of his books at our library is a Reading Rainbow book and Golden Sower Nominee, Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest. I'm going to have to tell you more about the Golden Sower Award another time. Right now, we're getting ready to go to the pool. There are two more days of 100+degree heat and humidity and then a chance of some cooling thunderstorms in the forecast.

Come on, rain!

more new books

2011-07-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law hit the jackpot at her public library booksale. She got over 130 (mostly hardback) books for less than $0.30 each. Some of the books I am most excited about include:

Brian Wildsmith: Fishes, The Rich Man and the Shoemaker, & The Miller, The Boy, and the Donkey

Leo Lionni: Frederick, Cornelius, Inch By Inch, Swimmy, Fish Is Fish, & The Greentail Mouse

Berta and Elmer Hader, The Big Snow & Cock-A-Doodle-Doo, & Two Is Company Three's A Crowd

Arnold Lobel, A Zoo For Mister Muster & Small Pig

Susan Jeffers, The Three Jovial Hunstman

Lisbeth Zwerger, Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant & Edith Nesbit's The Deliverers of Their Country

Ellen Raskin, Spectacles

William Pene du Bois, Lion

Leo Politi, Three Stalks of Corn & The Butterflies Come

Roger Duvoisin, Adelaide Holl's The Remarkable Egg & Louise Fatio's Hector Penguin

Marie Hall Ets, Mister Penny's Circus

Albert Lamorisse, The Red Balloon

Lloyd Alexander, The Fortune Tellers illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

Hansel and Gretel by Warren Chappell

One Wide River To Cross by Barbara and Ed Emberley

Other books include those by Beatrix Potter, Steven Kellogg, Margaret Wise Brown, Garth Williams, Jose Aruego, James Stevenson, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, Edith Thatcher Hurd, Evaline Ness, Robert McCloskey, Bernard Waber and more that I know I'm forgetting...plus several that I've not seen or heard of before. So exciting!

Echoes of Times Past

2011-07-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

The next section of the Horn Book Review's booklist, Children's Classics: A Booklist for Parents, includes "contemporary retellings of classics originally written for adults." I've included the books from Part One (Ancient Days through the Eighteenth Century) and Part Two (19th and 20th Centuries through 1920) in this post. I'm not going to argue for or against any of these classics. This, and the next two sections (Myths, Legends and Folklore; Nonfiction) continue to have few recommendations for Primary Grades, but many that you might be interested in keeping an eye out for at booksales for the home library that your children will eventually grow into. Books I've read or have are bolded and italicized, as usual.

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singable books

2011-07-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

A box of books that came to our house this weekend from a former school teacher included a paperback copy of Raffi's Everything Grows (the old one photo-illustrated by Bruce McMillan, not the newer, illustrated version) My kids were pretty excited when I sang it to them and they realized it was similar to one of their favorite board books, Down By The Bay.

These are just two of Raffi's Songs To Read, books which are "a natural bridge between singing and reading. Once children know a song, they find it's fun and easy to follow it in pictures and in words." These are great books that I'd recommend for any little library, particularly those available in board book editions as ours are being held together with duct tape.

Another set of singable books are Mary Ann Hoberman and Nadine Bernard Westcott's Sing Along Stories. We have board book editions of Miss Mary Mack, and Skip To My Lou.

We also had The Lady With the Alligator Purse before it met an untimely demise and we check out The Eensy Weensy Spider once in a while; there are more books available from this creative pair that take a familiar verse and imaginatively extend the story. They are great for pre-schoolers.

Another book in our box of freebies was a copy of Martha Alexander's A You're Adorable. I've seen the cute board book and paged through it at the library but wasn't particularly impressed with the way it read aloud. The paperback I just got has music on the endpapers that sets this book to the 1940's song made popular by Perry Como. OH! Now I get it. Maybe you recognize it from Sesame Street or perhaps, like me, you'd prefer to listen to Dean Martin sing it:

Two of my other favorites are Feodor Rojankovsky's Over In The Meadow (I wish I could figure out how to translate this blog) and Frog Went A-Courtin', (from Jill Casey's photostream) Ezra Jack Keats' Over In The Meadow is another favorite of ours from the library that Joy posted about a few months ago. There a list of SONG STORYBOOKS with titles I've never seen or heard of and others that I love. Abiyoyo is a classic Reading Rainbow book that we've checked out so many times I have it memorized. The songs Peter Spier illustrated (London Bridge, The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night, Erie Canal...) and Steven Kellogg's Yankee Doodle and I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago are books we own or check out often. We could go on an on with nursery rhymes and Mother Goose books. Do you have a favorite?

garage sale season

2011-06-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I did a wordless wednesday. So...I'm going to put up some images from some garage sale books we got last weekend at our local city-wide garage sales (for less than $6). Leave a comment if you can guess what books these come from and/or who illustrated them:

#3
(I just love this picture!)

#7
I was pretty excited to find this since my birthday was on monday

Here are the rest, which I don't think I'd be able to guess - or would guess wrong with the pertinent info.For less than $6 we found some....

George Washingtons' Breakfast by Jean Fritz. Paul Galdone drew the pictures.

Wise Dog by Josephine Wright , illustrated by Lillian Obligado

Let's Read and Find Out About Science books
1) My Visit to the Dinosaurs by ALIKI
2) Ducks Don't Get Wet by Augusta Goldin, illustrated by Leonard Kessler
3) What Makes Day and Night by Frianklin M. Branley, pictures by Helen Borten

(Maybe you know this Dr. Seuss Beginner book - I didn't)
The King, The Mice, and the Cheese by Nancy and Eric Gurney

I would have guessed Susan Jeffers illustrated this so I won't try to trick you
Tam Lin by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak

Hark, The Little Angel by Mircea Vasiliu
(click to enlarge and see all the little people in the windows listening to the angels singing...)

Oops - I left out the companion to #2 and a book that I think Little Bear picked out: Hand Rhymes by Marc Brown. I'm not a big fan of Marc Brown's Arthur series, but I like this book and this children's poetry book by Jack Prelutsky that he illustrated (that belongs to my MIL). Only 4 of these books were paperback! I hope you find some $0.25 and $0.50 goodies this summer, too!

What Can You Do With A Shoe?

2011-06-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

I found the hardback book, What Can You Do With A Shoe? listed on PaperbackSwap and although I had never heard of it, I ordered it. My big girls may be growing up (Aurora turned 9 last week!) I still have a 4yo boy and a baby girl who will enjoy the pre-school books that I didn't know about or wasn't able to find our own copy of before now.

The author, Beatrice Schenk DeRegniers (pronounced drain-yay) is known to me for authoring the Caldecott Award winning book, May I Bring A Friend? She wrote over 50 children's books her first being The Giant Story, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. (the link takes you to Burgin Streetman's review of The Giant Story. This was shortly after he was discovered by Ursula Nordstrom and launched his career with the illustration of Ruth Krauss' A Hole Is To Dig (1951) and A Very Special House (1952). He illustrated What Can You Do With A Shoe (which I believe was the third book Beatrice DeRegniers' wrote) in 1953 and recolored it in 1997. It was originally a two-color book (pictured below), now in full color (as above).

The long, narrow format of the book is unique. If I'd read this as a child I would have remembered it simply because of that. This is not a book that I remember, though I am sure my little ones will. The rhyming prose is fun and silly...

You can use it for a hair brush

Or a tooth brush

Or a bear brush
(If you've got a bear)

You can use it for a shoe brush

Or a glue brush

Or a chair brush

(I'm sure you've got a chair)

Now a broom would feel real tickly to a prickly porcupion

And it would seem quite scratchy on the batchy of a lion.

[What on EARTH are you talking about?

Just tell me what you do with a broom.

What does your mother do with a broom?]

...but it is the pictures that make the book. Maurice Sendak presents a brother and sister at play and the interaction between them is something that anyone with a sibling will recognize. Sometimes they are getting along quite nicely and having a lot of fun; other times they are...not.

Stories

2011-06-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

Stories from The Horn Book Review's Children’s Classics: A Booklist for Parents follow. I am certain that I've read the bolded titles and own the italicized ones. Books are mostly recommended for Intermediate grades. which is 4th-6th grade, in my mind. I think many of them make good read-aloud books for children in Primary grades and I would have no problem giving some of these to my primary grade children to read on her own (Minerva Louise already has her own copy of Charlotte's Web). I have noted those recommended for Primary grades as well as a few that were recommended for Young Adult. (Some of those surprised me since I was exposed to them in elementary school):

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Goodwill hunting

2011-06-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

Ok - so I realize that sounds like the movie (which is not based on a book) - but I'm talking about hunting for books at Goodwill. I don't go often, but when I do, I usually find a sackful of good titles and a couple of great ones for less than $1 a book. The other day I found some $0.59 paperback chapter books by Natalie Babbitt, Mary Norton, and Marguerite Henry and several $0.59 paperback picture books including Arnold Lobel's Caldecott winner, Fables; David M. Schwartz and Steven Kellogg's If You Made A Million; and Jean Fritz and Margot Tomes's And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? Minerva Louise picked out a book about sharks, because she loves all things pertaining to the ocean right now, and a vintage I Can Read Book called Bony by Frances Zweifel with pictures by Whitney Darrow, Jr. (which are reminiscent of Fritz Siebel's). It is about a boy named Kim who rescues a baby squirrel and learns that it does not make an good indoor pet. Very cute. I let Crockett buy a 3 in 1 hardcover for $0.59, Mater's Tall Tales, which is actually pretty funny.
.

My three favorites include one from my wish list: A Hole Is To Dig: a first book of definitions by Ruth Krauss, pictures by Maurice Sendak. I absolutely adore every single word and illustration in this book.

I found a few images doing a quick Google Search like the one above and this one:

but I want to direct you to this post, which is full of them, but first, here's another I found:

My second favorite find is a vintage I Can Read that I found called Hurry Hurry by Edith Thatcher Hurd, illustrated by her husband, the famous Clement Hurd.

I know I said that I didn't care for his paintings, but there are no paintings in this book; just delightful illustrations of a lady who gets into all kinds of predicaments as she hurries along. She is told each time, "'Don't be in such a hurry or something worse may happen.' And it did." In the end, she leans that "it's...a terrible bother to hurry" The book is actually based on a story with the same title published in 1938, though I can't find out anything about it quickly.

Finally, I paid $0.99 for a permabound book called The Diamond Tree: Jewish Tales from Around the World selected and retold by Howard Schwartz and Barbara Rush, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz.

There are, sadly, not many illustrations (only 10 for the 15 tales) and I'd never heard of this book, but it looked interesting so I took a chance and was glad I did. My kids recognize fairy tales and fables we know in some of these stories collected from different cultures (Iraq, Turkey, Babylon, Morocco, etc). Among them are variants of Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Tom Thumb/Thumbelina, and Grimms' The Wolf and the Seven Kids. (Sharon, I'd love to hear your opinion on this one!)

Peter and the Wolf

2011-06-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

One of the well-loved paperback books from my childhood bookshelf is a pinwheel book called Peter and the Wolf by Serge Prokofieff with illustrations by Warren Chappell. When I discovered the blog, We Too Were Children, Mr. Barrie, the March post on Warren Chappell and the book he illustrated, Peter and the Wolf caught my eye. I was struck by the differences in Ariel Winter's 1940 copy and my 1973 copy of this book and thought some of the changes were interesting. Note that the musical score is absent from my edition when comparing the 1940 to the 1973:

Also, all of the pictures are in color in my edition. I wonder if Warren Chappell created all his pictures in color originally, but only half were printed in color in the earlier edition for financial reasons; or if color was added to the black and white images in my 1973 edition. I noticed that while my book only has one cat on this left page of this spread compared to the two cats pictured in the 1940 edtion...

...there are a few additional / different illustrations towards the end of the story in my book. Again, was it Warren Chappell who illustrated these and why weren't they included in the earlier edition? While the first half of each book is quite similar, the layout really changes a lot between editions at the end due to the different images. This is where the editions really diverge.

The above image is not in the 1940 edition!?

I do have THIS image of the hunters in my book at this point in the story, but instead of Peter running as in the bottom right corner of this spread, I have this image on the final page:

Thank you, Ariel, for sharing your knowledge of Warren Chappell. It was fun to pull this off the shelf again.

Bill Martin Instant Readers

2011-05-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

New York, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Inc. published the Bill Martin Instant Reader series, which was designed to help children expand their language and literature experience by reading aloud. Bill Martin put together thirty books in a set he called the Instant Readers. The books were intended for school use with kindergarten and first grade students. They are mostly authored or adapted by Bill Martin Jr., who collaborated with different illustrators on this little library of small square books, as noted. My mom picked up the starred* books at a school library booksale in Colorado about 8 years ago. She didn't buy the scary looking "halloween" ones, but I wish she'd grabbed them all.

Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? with pictures by Eric Carle I wonder where this falls in the line of publication dates. You may remember (unless you're a new reader) that there were several different versions of this book printed with different storylines and different art. I wrote about it here.

*The Eagle Has Landed. Paintings by Frank Aloise. The title page has been torn out of this one. It is the wordiest of all the books we have. "Ladies and gentlemen, Here we are at Cape Kennedy. This is the day, July 16, 1969, that man begins his journey to the moon." It is interesting because it seems to be the only non-fiction book in this series.

*Fire! Fire! said Mrs. McGuire An old jingle adapted by Bill Martin, Jr. with pictures by Ted Schroeder. The ladies names rhyme with what they are saying and as they all rush through the city and converge on the fire, a surprise awaits them. This is a favorite.

A ghost story. With pictures by Eric Carle; handlettering by Ray Barber. Considering that this is written by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle, I'm surprised I can't find out more about it...or even find a picture bigger than this thumbnail from alibris that says, "Brief text and illustrations trace the journey of a spirit that lives in a bottle." and this excerpt from a listing on abebooks: "In a dark dark woods, there is a dark dark house. In the dark dark house, there is a dark dark stair "

*The Happy Hippopotami with pictures by Bob Velde. This book is full of hippopotamuses, hippopotamamas and hippopotapapas, hippopotadaughters and hippopotasons, hippopotapooses, hippopotamisses and hippopotamisters and more on their hippoholiday. Fun. Fun. Fun.

The haunted house with pictures by Peter J. Lippman; handlettering by Ray Barber. It has been republished as a Mini House Book. We had the firehouse book. These are fun but don't last forever.,,as I said, we HAD the firehouse book.

*I paint the joy of a flower, With paintings by various arists. Each page is a different painting showing "...the joy of a flower, the flaming of leaves, the boldness of mountains, the dance of a breeze..." Lovely.

*I'm going to build a super market one of these days, by Helen Baten and Heather von Molnar adapted by Bill Martin Jr. with pictures by Papas. I don't know who Papas is, but his pictures are as fun as the supermarket called "LAND OF MILK AND HONEY"

King of the Mountain. With pictures by Ivor Parry My sister-in-law has this one. "A boy, several animals, an astronaut, and a star name the kingdoms they rule over."

The Maestro Plays. Pictures by Vladimir Radunsky. Handlettering by Ray Barber. My sister in law has this one, too. I'm jealous. It was featured on a Reading Rainbow episode for Zin, Zin, Zin, A Violin. You have to check out Laura's review on YouTube.

*Monday, Monday, I like Monday with pictures by Dora Leder. This is very repetitive to read aloud and not terribly interesting, save the pictures, which are detailed and colorful.

*My Days Are Made Of Butterflies by Sano M. Galea'i Fa'apouli adapted by Bill Martin, Jr. with pictures by Vic Herman. This is a beautiful peek in the life of a young Mexican boy.

Old Devil Wind. Paintings by Robert J. Lee. Lettering by Ray Barber. A spooky cumulative tale for Halloween that was re-illustrated by Barry Root. This book actually begins "One dark and stormy night..."

Old Mother Middle Muddle with pictures by Don Madden. The cover alone makes me want to find a copy of this one. "Old Mother Middle Muddle's decision to make a cup of tea sends a wave of anticipation through the barnyard."

Silly Goose And The Holidays, by Annabelle Sumera adapted by Bill Martin, Jr. with pictures by Leon Wink and lettering by Ray Barber. Looks like it covers the major holidays with silly goose always celebrating the wrong one.

A spooky story. With pictures by Albert John Pucci and handlettering by Ray Barber. There are some images on this etsy listing that you should be able to see at least until it sells. The images look like the things nightmares are made of considering it is a pretty simple counting book.

*Tatty Mae & Catty Mae illustrated by Aldren A. Watson. I like thie pictures in this one but am not thrilled with the story. The cats who live on this messy boat clean up and then they can't find anything, so they go back to living on a messy boat qand promise never to clean it again. I can totally relate, but I want my kids to keep their rooms clean. ;)

*Ten little squirrels an old rhyme adapted by Bill Martin Jr., with pictures by Bernard Martin. The pictures are realistic and the rhyme is funny as each of the ten squirrels suggest what they should do when they see "a man with a gun."

Tricks or treats? Illustrated by Jim Spanfeller. Handlettering by Ray Barber. I found this strange cover image on amazon and a little more searching turned up this page from the book in a flicker photostream. It reads, "Down to the fifth floor. Knock on Wiffle Waffle's door."Tricks or Treats?" "Tricks," says Wiffle Waffle. So I change into a Waffle Wiffle." Looks intriguing.

*The Turning Of The Year. With paintings by Samuel Maltin. The paintings are abstract, but the colors capture the change of the seasons month by month. "In October autumn calls me out to behold the maples' raucous shout."

*Up and Down The Escalator. With pictures by Kelly Oechsli I love these pictures and I love the text. This is one of my favorites. The kids go up and down, in and out, over and under, on and off and all around the neighborhood. What a riot!

Welcome Home Henry: a monkeying around with print book with pictures by Muriel Batherman The link takes you to Burgin Streetman's review.

What to say and when to say it captions by Bill Martin, Jr. cartoons by Bob Shein. This is one that I had - didn't like it - got rid of it. It was just weird, but maybe weird is your style.

*When It Rains.. It Rains with pictures by Emanuele Luzzati. This is one that I can't decide about. I like it sometimes and other times I don't - mostly because of the pictures. The formula throughout the book is When it "X"..It "X" until the end: "When I'm good, I'm good. But when I'm bad...I'm perfectly horri- ...ble." Kids can relate in a big way.

*Whistle, Mary, Whistle...an old jingle adapted by Bill Martin, Jr. with pictures by Emanuele Luzzati and handlettering by Ray Barber. Some people appreciate Emanuele Luzzati's art more than others. My kids like it. Mary's mother tries various bribes to get her to whistle but Mary alwasys has some excuse until the end when presented with something she really wants: "I just found out I can!"

The Wizard. With pictures by Sal Murdocca. Burgin Streetman has this one. Looks good!

The following books were not written or adapted by by Bill Martin Jr.:

The Longest Journey in the World by William Barrett Morris, illustrated by Betty Fraser is a book that looks so familiar to me, but I don't have it. As caterpillar journeys across a yard, you get a bug's eye view of the world.

I Went To The Market an old Czechoslovakian folksong retold and illustrated with woodcuts by Joseph Domjan. This was a very interesting book illustrated with his signature color woodblock art. I have a friend who is very proud of her Czech heritage so I gave it to her to read to her kids. I knew she'd appreciate it more than us. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of it first and can not find one on-line...I'll see if I can get her to take a picture for me. ;)

*The Little Disaster an old anonymous jingle with pictures by John Rombola and handlettering by Ray Barber. This reminds me of The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate The Wash, to tell you the truth. A chain reaction of events on a farm O.

City Song. by James Steel Smith Illustrated by Fuka Hervert My sister-in-law has this one, too. Of all her books, this is THE best. I seriously want to find my own copy. "Lists in verse the great quantities of windows, people, streets, prices, noises, and other things found in a city."

There are also three leveled teachers guides on how to use these books in the classroom. (I love that little owl - you can find him on the spine of each of the leveled readers). This led me to Bill Martin Jr.'s own instructions on how to use Brown Bear,Brown Bear, What Do You See? I found it on Facebook (Little Hands Trust) of all places:

Bill Martin Jr

The linguistic pattern of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is question and answer. Once children have heard the first few pages read aloud, the picture clues give them both the question and the answer. The last page recapitulation of the entire book is in many ways a diagnostic of the children’s learning from their encounter with Brown Bear. Watch how accurately they name the red bird, the yellow duck, and listen for the intonation in their voices as they maintain the rhythm. And above all, note the glow of satisfaction as they successfully read the book.

Here are some extension activities:

1) Reading joyfully from cover to cover. Children launch themselves on a successful reading career when they begin to role-play themselves as a person who can read books from cover to cover. Brown Bear was designed with this purpose in mind and children the country over have confirmed the belief that the book works. Make the time to allow children to read the book as much as they want. As the child settles into the comfort of the pattern, their confidence as a reader will grow and grow.

2) Innovating on literary structure. Watch the children’s happy faces and listen to their confident voice as they chant “Big bus, big bus, what do you see? I see a driver looking at me.” Brown Bear has given them a pattern and literary structure on which they can innovate their ideas.

3) Analyzing sentence structure.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Angry Bear Hear?

Fuzzy Bear Want?

Big Bear Fear?

As children substitute adjectives for adjectives, nouns for nouns, and verbs for verbs, in the dependable Brown Bear sentence patterns, they will learn much about the order and function of words in English sentences.

4) Responding to Art.

The children’s first response to Eric Carle’s childlike collage will probably be a yen to experiment with similar pictures themselves. What better time to set up a table with art tissue paper and paints and invite the children to create their own characters and stories.

inspiration

2011-05-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

I have recently found two new children's book sites that made me wish my blog was more like theirs. The first is Anita Silvey's Children's Book-A-Day Almanac. I love her format and most of the featured books that I've read. Most that I haven't read are quickly filling my library booklist. She invites us to "Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics . . .The new books on their way to becoming classics . . .And events from the world of children’s books—and the world at large."

Another site that I was just made aware of through a guest post at Vintage Kids Books My Kid Loves is The Art of Children's Picture Books. Jil Casey welcomes us with: "I love looking at the art in children's picture books and I hope that you do too. My blog focuses on the art and artists of vintage children's books, largely from the 1950's through 1980's. Please join me as we look at these treasures and the artists behind them." I will gladly join you, Jil. I hope you will, too.

Another blog I've recently added to my reader is We Too Were Children, Mr. Barrie Being a Compendium of Children’s Books by Twentieth Century “Adult” Authors Currently Out of Print by Ariel S. Winter, also discovered via a guest post at Vintage Kids Books My Kid Loves. Lots of great pictures and information about some great old books, one of which I am going to post about soon.

My actual physical library is in a bit of disarray at the moment. I'm in the process of adding a couple bookshelves and getting our books organized. Perhaps once that project is complete I can blog with a little more focus here. Until then, check out the above blogs and see what you think.

Easter Books

2011-03-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

I am going to be taking a break for the 40(+) days of Lent and probably into Easter. One of my friends asked about favorite books for an Easter book basket and I thought I'd put together a list of the religious and secular Easter books that we have in ours (and those we want) before I go. Some of these are better for younger children and some for older.

RELIGIOUS BOOKS:

My hands down favorite is Petook: An Easter Story by Caryl Houselander and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. I wrote about it last year. I still can't get over how fabulous it is and beg someone to bring it back into print (along with Mary The Mother of Jesus by Tomie dePaola). See Petook crow just before the sun rises?

The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt, illustrated by Tim Jonke could be considered a spiritual classic for children. The three trees have great aspirations and though their dreams are crushed as they are cut down and fashioned into seemingly unimportant objects, they find that God had a better plan for them as they are transformed through their encounters with Jesus.

The Easter Story according to the Gospels of Matthew, Luke & John from the King James Bible with paintings by Gennady Spirin is absolutely gorgeous. Jesus is a luminous white in contrast to the muted colors of his surroundings. I don't particularly care for the King James translation, however.

The Easter Story illustrated by Brian Wildsmith is a fantastic interpretation of "...the world's greatest story..." captured "...in color, shape and form". These are some of the most brilliant pictures I've seen. Check out the Ascension!

At Jerusalem's Gate by Niki Grimes, illustrated by David Frampton tells the Easter story through poetry. The woodcuts are beautiful and the poems can be read on the appropriate days from Palm Sunday through the Feast of the Ascension. There are interesting notes preceding each poem in which the author explains the thoughts and questions she had that inspired her poetry.

The Family Easter Treasury by Michael Hague is a nice compilation that features scripture, poems, and stories pertaining to Easter. It is divided into sections: A Time of Faith, A Time of Rebirth, A Time of Celebration, and A Time of Love. Each section begins with one of the four Gospel accounts of the Easter story - King James Bible, again. The stories are sparsely illustrated - better for slightly older children with a longer attention span, but each poem is beautifully decorated. Here's a corner of one by William Blake.

SECULAR EASTER STORIES:

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Dubose Heyward, illustrated by Marjorie Flack is a classic secular tale that should not be missed. I wrote about it last year. It was a big hit.

The Easter Egg Artists by Adrienne Adams tells the story of a young rabbit who finds his calling.

Easter Treat by Roger Duvoisin is a fun story involving Santa's attempt to go incognito on an Easter vacation.

The Easter Egg Farm by Mary Jane Auch is funny chicken book in the illustrative style of Hen Lake and Peeping Beauty. One hen's eggs come out looking just like what she was concentrating on when she laid it, from a ladybug to the Mona Lisa. Then, some of them start to hatch!

The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard is one of those sweet Golden Books that everyone should have a copy of, at least for Easter. I love how the expression of the rabbit changes as he imagines what might be in the egg that he found.

A little board book with a soft padded cover that I can't help but like is Holly Pond Hill: A Child's Book of Easter by Paul Kortepeter and illustrated by Susan Wheeler. So cute! While most of the poems are about spring, there are two that are religious. This one is about swinging.

The Golden Egg by Maggie Kneen is a book we received as a gift. It is not much of a story - the rhyming prose makes me roll my eyes; but I do like the illustrations and young kids love to find the colored foil egg hidden under a large flap on each page.

The following are from the library until I find my own copies:

Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco was the first book by Patricia Polacco that I read. I fell in love with her work. Besides, decorated Ukranian eggs are amazing.

The Egg Tree by Katherine Milhous. This book makes me want to start this Pennsylvania Dutch tradition in our own house.

I had to read through The Easter Rabbit's Parade by Lois Lenski a few times before I liked it. She has a way of writing stories that makes parents go, (huh?) but kids love them. My girls enjoyed it, although it was too long for the boys. We'll check it out again this year.

I was also asked what books are not worth buying. I am obviously not going to recommend anything featuring a liscensed character (sorry Spongebob, you're not getting four stars, here). If you do go that route at least get something that has some kind of cool feature like die-cut or lift-the flap pages.

We found Benjamin's Box by Melody Carlson and illustrated by Jack Stockman in our library bookstore last year. I did not like it. I do like using homemade Resurrection Eggs to teach the Gospel story to children, but the book is kind of lame and I put it on my Paperback Swap bookshelf.

The Story of Easter by Patricia A. Pingry illustrated by Lorraine Wells, is not great, either. I've heard that her book The Easter Story illustrated by Mary Ann Utt is much better if you're looking for a board book that explains the meaning of Easter for a toddler. Tomie dePaola's My First Easter did not impress me because it just depicts the secular symbols.

The Story of Easter by Aileen Fisher and illustrated by Stefano Vitale is a library book that I am disappointed with every time I pick it up. The cover is so beautiful, but it is the best part of the book, in my opinion.

A Tale For Easter by Tasha Tudor is very pretty and sweet, but not particularly engaging. Every year I check it out and every year I'm the only one who reads it. My kids have never been interested in it. I'd probably pick it up cheap, though.

I'm sure that there are more great Easter books that I haven't seen as well as some that disappoint. That's all I've got this year. Hope it helps!

Obligatory Dr. Seuss

2011-03-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

By the end of the day everyone should know at least one new thing about Dr. Seuss as the blogosphere celebrates his birthday. Anita Silvey told me that Dr. Seuss's first book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was rejected by 24-27 different publishers before a friend gave this unconventional story a shot and saved Theodore Seuss Geisel from going into the dry cleaning business. Margaret Perry showed me a film I've never heard of, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T. It was his only live-action movie until recently. I'd like to share with you another film of his: Gerald McBoing Boing.

Although it was most popular as an animated film, Dr. Seuss's story had originally appeared on a children's record in 1950. My mom had memorized the story from this record and used to recite it to us. It was offered as a book in 1952 as an adaptation of the film and re-issued as a Little Golden Book in 2000. I bought her this book for Christmas several years ago and it was only then that we realized that Gerald McBoing Boing was a Dr. Seuss story based on an animated short that won the 1950 Academy Award. She only knew about the record! We promptly looked up the film on YouTube and I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!

Children's Classics: For Beginning Readers

2011-02-26T07:54:00.000-08:00

May I just say that this section of the Horn Book's Children's Classics: A Booklist For Parents is disappointingly brief. I think that this is where parents need the most recommendations - and the most books! Once kids start to read on their own we need a lot of books that they can read by themselves and fan that spark of interest into a love of reading.

The Cat In the Hat. Written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss
     +The Cat In the Hat Comes Back
     +Green Eggs and Ham

Frog and Toad are Friends. Written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel
     +others in the series

Little Bear. Written by Else Homelund Minarik. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak
     +others in the series

We love Little Bear. We have all 5 books in the series and wrote about them previously, here.

Frog and Toad were my favorite after Harold, of course. Really, any of Arnold Lobel's easy readers are awesome. We have Mouse Tales, Mouse Soup, and we check out Uncle Elephant and Owl At Home regularly. I finally got a copy of Days with Frog and Toad for ourselves, so we have all four easy readers written about these two best friends. Incidentally, I noticed the dedication in the first of these books is to none other than James Marshall, whose picture books about two best friends (George and Martha) are also recognized classics.

I'd like to add a few more suggestions based on the books that grace our shelves:

P.D. Eastman has some great easy readers. Go, Dog, Go! and Are You My Mother? are definitely classics. I also like his first book, Sam and the Firefly and Snow (especially because it's illustrated by Roy McKie) Speaking of Roy McKie, you really should have the companion book he illustrated by now: Summer by Alice Low. I also consider his Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo LeSieg (Dr. Seuss) to be a classic. Did you catch Burgin's series of posts on Roy McKie last month? Go read them, now. These are all Beginner Books, of which Dr. Seuss's The Cat In the Hat was the first and includes the listed The Cat In the Hat Comes Back and Green Eggs and Ham among the 100 published titles. Of these, we also have the following well-loved books:
      A Fly Went By by Mike McClintock and Fritz Siebel;
     Put Me In the Zoo by Robert Lopshire;
     The Bear Detectives by Stan and Jan Berenstain
     The Bike Lesson by Stan and Jan Berenstain
     One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss;
     Hop On Pop by Dr. Seuss; and
     Dr. Seuss's ABCs by Dr. Seuss
Fox In Socks is one Dr. Seuss classic Beginner Book that we don't yet have. Perhaps there are some more on that list that I missed out on but you feel are classics for which we should keep our eye out.

There is also a Bright and Early Books series "for Beginning Beginners". The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss was the first in this series, which includes many more Dr. Seuss and Berenstain titles...and we pick up these when we see them, as well:

     There's a Wocket in my Pocket! by Dr. Seuss
     Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss
     In a People House by Theo Lesieg (illustrated by Roy McKie)

The B Book by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Bears On Wheels by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Amelia Bedelia! Need I say more? Peggy Parish's original twelve plus her nephew, Herman's, fifteen (so far) are funny books that really make you think about choosing your words carefully. We've read all that the library has and have picked up a couple of copies for ourselves (Play Ball, Good Work, Teach Us, and Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia!) I almost had the 40th Anniversary collection. I found it at a garage sale for $1, but they were all falling apart. Bummer. It is interesting to me that there were three different illustrators for these books: Wallace Tripp, Fritz Siebel, and Lynn Sweat.

Let's not forget about one of my favorites, Frances! I do have all of the books in their original pastel colors, now. A Bargain For Frances was the only one originally published as an I Can Read book, but others have been updated with full color and added to the easy reader series. Although Russell Hoban's first book, Bedtime For Frances was illustrated by Garth Williams, his then-wife Lillian Hoban illustrated the rest.

I really enjoy the beginning readers by Syd Hoff, especially for boys. I think we could safely classify Danny and the Dinosaur as a classic. We also have Grizzwold, Julius, Mrs. Brice's Mice, Captain Cat, and Stanley. Whenever I see an I Can Read book by Syd Hoff, I grab it. They're always lots of fun.

While the remainder may not be classics, they are worth checking out:

Lillian Hoban's Arthur books, which I've written about before, are easy readers that Minerva Louise particularly enjoyed when she was six. We have most of them.

Jane Yolen wrote some very funny Commander Toad books that were illustrated by Bruce Degen and featured on Reading Rainbow. These sci-fi spoofs would be of particular interest to Star Wars and Star Trek fans. We have two, but I'm on the lookout for the rest.

James Marshall, sometimes writing as Edward Marshall, illustrated several easy readers including a series of Fox books that Aurora (8) enjoys. We have Fox at School and Fox on Stage. Fox In Love is at our library and there are more we haven't read. I don't necessarily recommend these and am trying to decide if they will remain in our little library. Minerva Louise (7) and I prefer his books, Three Up a Tree, Three By The Sea, and Four on the Shore in which each friend tries to tell a better story than the one before.

Leonard Kessler, perhaps best known for his Mr. Pine books (some of which Purple House Press has brought back in print) wrote many easy readers. We have Old Man Turtle's Winter Games from his Old Man Turtle series. Too Many Rabbits by Peggy Parish and illustrated by Leonard Kessler has been on my bookshelf since I was a kid. Here Comes the Strikeout was one of my brother's favorites. There are several others that are great for boys who are particularly interested in sports.

I've written about the On My Own History series and Step Into Reading books, as well. Any other suggestions?

coincidence

2011-02-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

The last time I was in my beloved friends of the library bookstore, I found a few gems that have recently been highlighted in other places around the blogosphere. I love it when I read a blog and can say, "I have that book!" or "We love that book!" or "I just got that book for $0.33!" I recognized, Charlie Parker Played Bebop from a PBS show we used to watch a lot of before it was moved to the 630AM time slot: Between the Lions. Such a clever show with fun music, we still go to You Tube to find our favorite clips.

Anyway, I'd bought this along with a copy of the Caldecott Award winner, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein and the Newberry Award winner, Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (the book Anita Silvey featured in her Children's Book-A-Day Almanac today - another coincidence). Yes, I got these 3/$1.

Then, what do I see at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, last week, but a review of Chris Rashka's newest book, Fortune Cookies with a link to her previous interview with Chris Rashka. I do not particularly love his work as she (and many others) do. I thought his Caldecott winner, The Hello,Goodbye Window was too busy. I liked the expressions and personality he was able to capture in his simply drawn characters - like it seems he's done in Fortune Cookie - but the bold swirling color in the backgrounds of The Hello, Goodbye Window was just too distracting to me. But - he is the author and illustrator of Charlie Parker Played Bebop, which we do love. Mouse (4) has been be-bopping around the house all week. Fun!

Birds

2011-02-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

It's coming up quickly: The Great Backyard Bird Count.

From Birds Eat and Eat and Eat by Roma Gans and Ed Emberley

From Feb 18-21, will you join us in counting the birds that visit your backyard for at least 15 minutes a day? My little Mouse (4) is excited because the other day we saw and heard a Downy Woodpecker in our big mulberry tree. We watched him through the binoculars for a little while and then looked at pictures of him on-line and read about what he was doing in our book, Birds Eat and Eat and Eat by Roma Gans, illustrated by Ed Emberley. I love Let's-Read-And-Find-Out Science Books. Roma Gans has several about birds*, though this is the only one in our little library.

From Snow by P.D. Eastman and Roy McKie posted here.

We're getting our feeders cleaned up and are going to try and keep the bird bath full of clean water, even though it will be getting cold again. I had big plans for checking out bird books at the library, but we've all got the flu so we'll make do with what we have at home.

From We Help Daddy by Mini Stein and Eloise Wilkin

I really should have my own copy of The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader...and I would love a copy of The Giant Golden Book of Birds, wouldn't you?

*How Do Birds Find Their Way; Bird Talk; Birds at Night; When Birds Change Their Feathers; It's Nesting Time; Birds Eat and Eat and Eat; and Hummingbirds in the Garden

George and Martha

2011-02-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

I've been collecting the George and Martha books by James Marshall slowly but surely and have recently acquired the last two. I probably should have just bought myself a new copy of George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends, but a copy of this book several years ago was not as inexpensive as it is, now on the used market. The seven individual books cost me about $8, so I didn't do too bad...though the seven individual books certainly take up more space than the complete collection would.

What can I say about these stories? I loved them as a kid and I love them as an adult. If you've never picked up a George and Martha, each book contains five very short stories about these two best friends. The five short stories may seem random, but always end up connecting in one way or another. I would have to say that George and Martha: Tons of Fun is my favorite. "The Photograph" makes me laugh-out-loud.

When I opened the last book, George and Martha Round and Round, I was surprised at the color palette. Mine is a Children's Choice Book Club reprint. While the first six books use red-green-yellow and gray, James Marshall adds blue, orange, purple and brown in his last book. I wonder if it was originally printed this way or if it was redone in full color later like the Frances books were. It seems like it was originally done in full color...which makes me wonder why.

Jon Scieszka - Lane Smith

2011-02-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

So - when I finally decided to check out The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, I was surprised to note that each of his books on the shelf at our library was illustrated by Lane Smith. I know that name. I even noticed it in the credits for James and the Giant Peach the other day and thought I'd better take a look at his website and see what else he's done. There, I learned about Molly Leach and found my way to this interesting article on book design.

Although not all of Jon's books were illustrated by Lane Smith, quite a few of them were, including the first eight of his Time Warp Trio chapter books. So, we have read, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Stinky Cheese Man (which Mouse has asked me to read more than once), Baloney (Henry P.) (which we've also read a couple of times - it is probably my favorite of these for little kids) and I've looked through Math Curse and Science Verse, which are both way over my kids' heads.

It seems like most of these picture books are geared towards the school-age crowd who have been immersed in and know their fairy tales, fables and nursery rhymes well and can appreciate Jon's dry, witty humor. Math Curse and Science Verse, along with the Time Warp Trio chapter books, are geared towards even older kids. I have a friend who teaches highschool chemistry and she uses Science Verse in her class!

While I feel that most of these books are more appropriate for older kids, I would like to point out that Jon has been working on a project for pre-schoolers: Trucktown. Illustrators David Shannon (whose work I don't really care for) and Loren Long (whose work I really do like) and David Gordon (who I've never really heard of) are all involved in this project. Have you heard of it?

CSN Giveaway

2011-01-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

I haven't had a giveaway here for a while. Today, I'm excited to offer a $25 gift certificate that can be used to purchase virtually any item at any of the 200+ CSN Stores* sites.

One of our large bookshelves recently bit the dust when a certain 4yo tried to climb up to get a book that was on a top shelf and the bottom shelf that he was standing on broke. My husband and I have been discussing different shelving options and styles for our little library. Since he is a handyman, he'd like to build some nice sturdy shelves so I've been browsing for inspiration.

CSNBookcases offers over 1,300 different kinds from wood to metal and traditional to contemporary styles so I'm not short on inspiration. We also need a new computer desk so it looks like our spare room is going to be getting a nice makeover as time and money allows. Our house is an old foursquare with an arts and crafts feel and we have a lot of mission style furniture, but we've also been looking at some simple modern office furniture for inspiration.

In order to enter this giveaway, leave me comment telling me what kind of bookcases you would love to shelve your little library on...and make sure I have a way to contact you! Giveaway ends at 11:59AM on Friday, February 4th.

*CSN Stores LLC began in 2002 and has grown rapidly into a Top 3 online U.S. retailer of home and office goods with 400+ employees. At this moment, CSN Stores, a $200 million company, is comprised of more than 200 different shopping sites under the overall csnstores.com umbrella. Most sites are named for their primary product offerings or the styles they provide. These include: Luggage.com, AllModern.com, WritingDesksAndMore.com, Cookware.com, and BedroomFurniture.com.

Days of the Blackbird

2011-01-28T12:36:00.000-08:00

As I write this, it is an unseasonably warm day. It is 45 degrees, the snow is melting and the roads are muddy. It feels like spring!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Days of the Blackbird, which are supposed to be the coldest three days of the winter. While they may not be the coldest for us here, there is a cold front approaching and the temperature High/Low will be dropping over the next 3 days: 30/13, 19/7, 14/0. February 1st will be even colder at 8/-4...and that might beat the coldest day of the winter thus far, which was 11/-5 last week.

Tomie dePaola imagined a touching "Emperor's Nightingale" version of this legend, though the essence of it is preserved.

La Columba, the white dove, becomes La Merla, the blackbird, when it retreats to the warmth and shelter of a chimney on the three coldest days of the winter. It is a lovely story that is gorgeously illustrated, as expected from Tomie dePaola.

I found another version of the legend here:

I Giorni della Merla

A long time ago it used to be that there were only 28 days to the month of January. A time when the merla was the color of white, white as the clouds in the sky, pure as the virgin snow. The merlo and his family lived among the trees, in a nest made of grass and twigs, and every winter the family of white birds waited for the cold days to come to an end.

It was never easy in the cold season, they survived on small insects and seeds that lay hidden under the ground. Then it happened, one January, on the 28th day, the weary merlo rejoiced and shouted to the heavens, "Più non ti curo Domine, che uscito son dal verno!" [Lord, I don't care about you anymore, winter is over!]

January, greatly enraged by this disrespectful outburst, asked his brother February to lend him three of his days. He turned the 29th, 30th, and 31st into the harshest of all the month, and the merlo, filled with worry and fear, moved his family away from the trees, away to a stone chimney on the top of an old farmhouse.

For three days they huddled next to the chimney top. Three days of horrendous ice and cold. And when the first day of February appeared in a hopeful ray of sunshine, the merlo and his family emerged, only to find themselves no longer white, but transformed to the color of night by the smoke and soot of the chimney. From that day on, the merlo was always born black. And that is how February came to have 28 days instead of 31.