On Story Bent

The girly found this one mildly funny -- and it's a classic -- so it's on my three strikes list for totally personal reasons. It's lively, it's quirky, it's funny, it's very unusual, it has the makings of a great read aloud, and some people might absolutely love it. I just don't. And I've tried. The entire portrayal of the elephant + the illustrations themselves just don't click with me. (Elephants are one of my top favorite animals so have to admit that does make me very very very picky.) It is kinda cute how the animals all pitch in to help as they can, but... ah well. So! I realize perhaps that's not all super helpful. My final recommendation would just be to get it from the library (especially as it's crazy expensive right now apparently). That way you're not out anything if you don't like it either. Or you might love it.

Small person actually liked it fine. Very similar concept to Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, but, on a scale, the illustrations definitely aren't as striking as the former.  The text is more gently matter of fact, though. (Fletcher is ever so slightly dramatic. ;P) All in all this one is nice but not frightfully memorable. A fine title, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find it. If you're really interested, would recommend checking it out from the library or picking up cheaply secondhand. Note: and we found it as a paperback, but I see it's also available as a board book, which totally makes sense and would probably be a great read in that format.

This cheerful rhyming book narrating the journey on the Mayflower through to the first shared Thanksgiving is an absolutely fantastic addition to our library. I particularly appreciate how the refrain for each section is a moment of thanksgiving for God's kindness and provision even through all the difficulties. Also love the colorful, historically accurate attire. Can be read to a variety of ages. Definitely deserves to be more widely known!  

"It's almost Halloween and little Sylvie Ann has found the biggest, fattest pumpkin. But before she can carve it into a giant, crooked-toothed pumpkin moonshine (or jack-o'-lantern), she has to get it home." (from the dustjacket) Inspired by the adventures of Tasha Tudor's niece, this classic is just darling. The text is sprightly and the artwork so sweet.  Obviously, the entire premise does revolve around All Hallow's Eve, but it doesn't delve more deeply into the festival beyond discussing jack-o-lanterns. Just an fyi, though, in case your family doesn't observe the occasion. That said, a standby I've read for years, it's grown on me even more over time and this autumn ended up being one of my particular favorites. :) Definitely one I look forward to pulling out in the future as well!

"When Bartholomew, Remember, and Mary Allerton and their parents first step down from the Mayflower after sixty days at sea, they never dream that life in the New World will be so hard. Many in their Plymouth Colony won't make it through the winter, and the colony's first harvest is possible only with the help of two friends, Samoset and Squanto. Richly detailed paintings show how the pilgrims lived after landing at Plymouth, through the dark winter and into the busy days of spring, summer, and fall. Culminating with the excitement of the original Thanksgiving feast, Three Young Pilgrims  makes history come alive." (from the back cover) If I had to choose one book about the pilgrims, this would be it. Absolute top favorite. I loved it as a child and I love it now. (And yes, my daughter enjoyed it too.) Beautifully illustrated and told perfectly, the author touches on all the salient points -- the voyage, the hunger and sickness, the loss even children had to face, and...

"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 ...

Follow squirrel as he zips round the farm getting ready for winter... While we have a full size copy of this, I can see why they also sell it as a board book, as it has that feel. It's really a charming little title with bright, cheerful illustrations, and a cute ending. A sweet read and perfect for short attention spans. Recommend!

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!

Perhaps not quite as much of a family favorite as Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn , this is still an absolutely lovely book. (And seriously, it probably just has to do with seasonal preference... plus the fall colors in the other one are stunning.) This book follows the same outline and I really like how it takes the reader through exploring the seasons in both country and town. This one also has a brother and sister duo experiencing everything together, which is very sweet.  The ending pages are exhilarating. On second thought, I feel like I might've been a little hard on it up above. The text is actually a tad smoother and easier to read than Summer/Autumn  and, as I'm flipping through it while typing this up, I'm falling even more for the restrained color scheme and the soothing simplicity of the illustrations. Definitely going on our favorites list after all. Highly recommend!

Didn't realize till recently that this was actually the very first ever Katie book! It has a good selection of paintings (and I especially love the one from Renoir). Works covered include: The Hay Wain by John Constable Madame Moitessier by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres The Umbrellas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir Surprised! by Henri Rousseau Dynamic Suprematism by Kazamir Malevich As aforementioned, studying  The Umbrellas was really fun -- discussing how he used the colors themselves to evoke the feeling of rain, etc. I do like the Katie books for their immersive nature -- they're absolutely excellent for making the art come alive and connecting with young readers. That said, this one also led to a fruitful discussion about how we should indeed look with our eyes and obey Do Not Touch signs, and some of the reasons for those signs (finger oils, etc.); and also the difference between our world and the magic of Katie's world. ;) It led, too, to some good discussion on appropriate...

This one always reminds me of Owl Moon -- what with the story revolving around the father-daughter duo going through the snowy forest, keeping an eye out for animals -- but the actual content is quite different so both are entirely valuable in their own right. Smoothly written, it's an excellent introduction to the subnivean zone -- that layer between snow and ground, which is an entire world in its own right -- full of hibernating animals and also those hunkering down with the larders they gathered earlier in the year and munching their way through the winter. A few top dwelling animals -- deer and foxes, etc. -- make an appearance as well.  There's a nice glossary at the back where it expands further on each animal mentioned, too.  A great selection for natural history.

Love this book and definitely a favorite for this exact time of year -- winter just breaking into spring. It follows a similar basic outline to Jan Brett's famous Mitten story, but (personally) I find this one particularly charming. It has more of an emphasis on unlikely friends all having to get along together under the protection and the watchful eye of a (very) patient guardian figure. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous (of course ;)) and the ending is very sweet. And, come the ending, the Small Person immediately asked where we can go see musk oxen and was more than a little disappointed at how far we'd need to travel... so all the more reason to enjoy and appreciate having this delightful secondhand glimpse into their home and habitat. :) An all around win and highly recommend!

One of the most well written and engaging in the entire series. There is a bit of overtly intentional mess creation in it, but (as always) Katie is careful to go back over her tracks and make sure everything is scrupulously put right, so I'm comfortable with how it all works out in the end. There are always artistic renderings of lots of other famous pieces on each page, but following is a list of the works specifically explored: Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh Breton Girls Dancing by Paul Gauguin Apples and Oranges by Paul Cezanne Tahitian Pastorals by Paul Gauguin  As aforementioned, this is one of the liveliest Katie books and we ended up really enjoying it and getting entirely invested in the story. It's tremendously vivid and colorful, too! In the recommendation line up, would probably place it just after  Katie and the Mona Lisa and Katie and the Starry Sky. (Note: I just remembered that one of the imitation paintings on page 5 does show a nude swimmer from the back, but ...

I really love this one! I was only able to find and add it to our collection this last Christmas, so it’s not as familiar as some of the others in the series, but I just loved the gentle narrative. It was the first story wherein the small person was really following historical differences then v. now (i.e. everyone taking turns in the washtub on a Saturday night and then the no running and jumping rules on Sundays). And then the birthday celebration was so sweet! It gave me the same feeling of simplicity and pure enjoyment I had when first reading the other books growing up. :) Happy to recommend it! <3

I kept wanting to like this one soooo much! And actually, I did like it -- about half of it rather enormously. The problem: the whole premise of a 'simple Christmas' in many ways typifies much of how I actually grew up celebrating Christmas and quite a few things I incorporate now in our own home. So therein lies the problem, because the little protagonist in the book isn't sure she'll enjoy it all -- the "focusing less on getting and more on giving", the making of homemade gifts and the giving away of cookies -- (and then, of course, she comes to find out that she has a marvelous time and it's all wonderful ;)), but you can see the issues that might create for a child who hasn't ever experienced... I don't know... a "normal crazy Christmas" (I guess ;)). It's all about frame of reference.  And note: personally, we're not against the purchasing of gifts and the layering on of festivities, because on the flip side we also don't...

I wasn't planning to do a 3 Strikes post this month, but we're decluttering during Advent and I'm trying to be diligent about dealing with things as they come up, so... ;) Someone gifted this to us years ago (which was so so kind of them!!) and it's been living at the bottom of our Christmas book box ever since while I tried to figure out what to do with it (it is a classic after all). It does have a bit of a nostalgic Narnia feel to it, i.e. with the basic concept + the ending, so that's interesting. But.... the time has come. In short, it's a definitive Santa book, and (while we appropriately honor the memory of the faithful Christian saint Nicholas who ran his race before us), we don't do Santa, and the whole point of this title is Santa-ness, so..... yes, this one's being donated.

Set just as fall is tipping into winter, this is a perfect story for this time of year. In true Jan Brett style, there's so much going on in the illustrations! We notice something new each time. And, as always, they're just gorgeous. My one caveat is that it has a bit of a secret ending... so still thinking over the pros and cons of that, to be quite honest. Basically, the characters in the story don't have all the information, but (due to the illustrations, mostly) we as the readers know the whole story, which basically all boils down to an easy mistake and a case of misappropriated credit. On the flip side of all that, it is thought provoking and does give good, age accessible and appropriate material for discussion. (And the small person definitely gets and loves the joke. ;)) So there are my rambling and indecisive thoughts on this one... Definitely one you might want to keep an eye out for and flip through at your local library!

A prestigious member of the c rème de la crème of seasonal books club, this is another one I remember from my childhood. It's stood the test of time and I'm now so happy to have it on our shelves. It's simple. It's straightforward. And it sticks with you. You remember it, when it pops up like an old traveling companion, years later, and when you have your own small ears to read to.  So yes, brilliantly capturing the nature of autumn and the very feel of the turning of the year, it's definitely a staple and a tip top recommendation for every home library!

"As the leaves fall from his favorite tree, Fletcher worries that something is terribly wrong. But then winter comes, and with it a wonderful surprise. Do you know what it is? Join Fletcher and find out..." Initially, I wasn't sure how much of a hit this one would be, but it's grown on us and actually become rather a favorite. The nature of the conflict (concern over a tree losing its leaves) is a little funny, but I think it's actually improved the Small Person's observation skills and it is interesting to step into sweet little Fletcher's shoes (as representative of a child's perspective), thinking through what the very first experience of fall is like. After one has lived through so many of them all the way to adulthood, it can be easy to forget what's really happening with the changing seasons and, by extension, how unique each leaf is -- like a snowflake -- and that our God knows and has delighted in coloring each one; and how, even though He...

This is one of -- if not the -- most surprising picture book finds I've run across in the last few years. (And, after a year, it's also the first fall title the small person picks off the seasonal book pile, so that's saying something.)  The pictures are sweet, unique, and beautiful. And it's the best little tale I've seen to date about the nature of being created in a very specific way, involving natural limitations, and then learning to enjoy where one is literally planted; plus happy resolutions happening in unexpected ways. All told in a very age appropriate way, in a sweet little story, and with an in-tune and not-too-terribly preachy Mommy and Daddy mushroom present on the scene. (And as a complete side note, the author references lingonberries! Having a Swedish grandpa, lingonberry jam on our pancakes is an Absolute Thing 😍😋 and I'm so tickled they were included in here. When does that ever happen?!?) All in all, it's a fairly darling little story ...