On Story Bent

"One chilly fall day, Pa tells Laura and Mary that he must go into the Big Woods to look for a deer, for there is no meat left to eat in the little house. The next day Pa comes home not with a deer, but instead with a very special story to tell Laura and Mary." (from dustjacket) One of the first Little House picture books I remember from my growing up, this one is very autumnal and gentle. I must admit, with the passing of years, I do think this story of Pa's is curious. I can see him leaving the doe and her fawn, but, I mean, when (in that day and age particularly) would you not have shot the buck? My daughter must also be a country girl through and through as she was puzzling over the same question on her own. xD But on the other hand, though many details in the full length books were adjusted from the way they happened in real life, I'm not exactly sure why Laura or Rose would have felt the need to soften this particular story (when other similar frontier subjects ...

One that has already stood the test of time (decades now, so I think we can fairly definitively say that), I was debating whether it was even worth my time reviewing this one. But there are always new readers. (+ one must be consistent with reviewing, mustn't one? ;))  It's so well written... And though it was a groundbreaker upon publication, personally, I don't think it's stuck around just because it's on mandatory school reading lists. It's a day in the life of a young child, told simply and beautifully, and that immediately resonates. It's one I vividly remember from my own growing up; and I've since seen it genuinely loved and enjoyed by all different children alike -- boys and girls, the quiet ones and the loud and wiggly ones... Their attention is caught and they naturally identify with the little boy protagonist. So yes, altogether a classic and an absolute gem!

So historically I haven't always been able to make up my mind on Mother Goose rhymes, but after listening to some of the Stories are Soul Food podcast where Nate Wilson was talking (in one of the early eps) about the importance of rhyming books in developing a good ear for rhythm & for future storytelling etc., I got thinking on it again. Children need imagination food cultivating that sense of wonder & fostering the ability to see the world inside out and upside down and right side up. A sense of fitness and unfitness, and the absurdity and hilarity often popping between the two. Also ingraining the feel -- from even an early age -- of the rough edges of things. And I think all of that is something these early rhymes can uniquely supply. I really like the illustrations in this copy, sweetly and seamlessly flowing between people in Victorian garb and then tennis shoes. (I know that sounds corny but they actually do a really cute job.) There have to be 150+ rhymes, but my f...

This is a cute classic -- the story of a Christmas tree that keeps getting lopped smaller and smaller, finding it's way around the neighborhood and spreading good cheer. It's a recent addition to our family library and hasn't quite hit the top tier of favorites yet, but the rhyming text is fun to read and gives lots of room for using different dramatic voices. :) In a spirit of complete honesty, the main sticky bit is that it uses a couple phrases once each, 'good heavens' and 'jolly, by golly', which I agree are pretty innocuous on a scale, but I try not to use in toddler level reading. Generally it'd be easy to just drop them, but in this case (to paraphrase Wodehouse) it plays merry havoc with the rhythm of the thing. xD Anyhow, that quibble might not bother other folks at all, and it's obviously stood the test of time and earned its classic status. If I was using the star system I'd say four out of five stars. Now I didn't grow up on The ...

From the author's note at the beginning: "At Chrismastime, in the New Hampshire town where I live, it is traditional for white electric candles to be put in house windows and in the windows of the Baptist Church. It is a beautiful sight. But the early residents of this New England town and other villages weren't always so festive. [some early settlers] tended to avoid any observance of the holiday whatsoever. In fact, one source tells of an Irishman being chased out of a New England town in 1755 because he was 'a Christmas Man.' All of this set me to thinking, 'What might have happened in the early 1800s if a family accustomed to celebrating Christmas moved into a New England town? Using historical fact and my research as a departure point, I began to imagine that it could have happened this way..." I grew up with this story and it's just delightful. Tomie dePaola is, of course, well known in picture book circles and this one fits right in with his be...

So... I fully know it's heretical in some circles, but I can cheerfully admit I'm not always the biggest fan of Margaret Wise Brown. (That being said, there's a place for most everything and there is an endearing anthology of some of her little known children's poems that I'd like to find. And I may, may even slowly be coming round to start thinking about appreciating a certain astronomical rhyming bedtime book on which I've had strong feelings for years. ;-)) But we're here to talk about Little Fur Family, which is also a classic, and charming, and wistfully, enchantingly sweet. The funny thing is it's one of those that goes waaaaaaaaay back into my very earliest memories, checking piles out from the library (or rather, digging through the library basket) as a wee thing, but my parents never actually purchased it, so when I hunted it up for Princess E, I was flabbergasted to find out it was by MWB! (I honestly don't know why I was surprised,...

This has long been my tippity top favorite Jan Brett. It's been around for years now and still thoroughly fresh, lovely, and absolutely gorgeous. I was so excited to introduce it to the Little Princess this week! (And she loved it; getting very animated over the different animals. That and bees are a big thing right now, so there was that too, what with all the zum zum buzzzzzing. ;)) An absolute delight all round and definitely a classic. <3 I also just found this link for a Berlioz coloring page, so be sure to check that out. It's adorable.

Shirley Hughes is an incredibly talented British author/illustrator with a ton of charming books to her name. Seriously, I can't think of any other picture book author who better or more beautifully captures the world from the viewpoint of a little person. They're lovely! This particular title is a collection of lilting early poems, taking you through the year with a handful for each season. And they stick in your head. Check this out: "Shiny boots, Brand new. Pale shoots Poking through. In the garden, Out and about. Run down the path, Scamper and shout. Wild white laundry Waves at the sky. The birds are busy And so am I." Out and About is one I distinctly remember my mother reading waaaaaaaay back when and to say I'm downright thrilled to be sharing it with my own little princess is an understatement. ;D I can't wait to hear if you've heard of it!