On Story Bent

I'm SO excited about these!! Ok, so this is a little departure from my normal model, but I'm about to loan these out and wanted to write this up while I still had them. So far I did the in-depth page by page skim for tone and content thing, but they were definitely so good that some day I'd like to read them personally and write up proper individual reviews. They're lighthearted -- actually very well written -- entertaining action mysteries. Relevant, but historically respectful (I'm a big stickler on that, especially when it comes to the ancient world where they had such different thought paradigms etc), not corny, and definitely not stuffy. They're FUN! :)  It's challenging to find good Egyptian historical fiction period, so this is just a win win win and you can understand my excitement. Really hoping my little history class will enjoy them!  So far there are four in the series: 1) Mystery of the Egyptian Scroll 2) Mystery of the Egyptian Amulet 3) Zet an...

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,...

In the interest of waking up and revitalizing this blog, I'm gonna keep this short and sweet, but the long and the short of it is, the little princess has recently Come of Story Time Age (I know, I know, that can start waaaaaaay earlier, so more on that at another time in another place), but as I was saying, come story time, she always seems to grab this one and it generally appears near the top of the stack. The text is fairly prosaic, though does nicely build tension and has some fun onomatopoeia (ha! I've tried to work out a way to use that word for a long time ;D), but as always, the pictures are deeply worth reveling in and alive with action. And we love studying our African animals around here and it's so fun to see Princess E enjoy and go through naming them all as we read. So yes, all in all a winner!

Ok, this one's rather weird. Based off the cover I had high hopes for it being cute + a lot of fun to read, what with all the different animal noises, etc. But, as aforesaid, sadly it was a disappointment, at least for us. I thought the simple illustrations would act kind of like a Dr. Suess, but instead they just seemed scraggly and didn't capture the interest of Princess E at all. (Instead she was actually disturbed and concerned about the mother dog on one of the pages. Honestly, it was more than a little disturbing.) And I thought the premise was that of a young dog learning how to bark, but *spoilers* the problem is actually that he has a bunch of other animals inside him making all the wrong noises. (Parenthetical note: through it all the mother dog also has no sense of humor. :/) Anyhow, the way they go about solving the problem is, yeah... just kinda weird for the young age group it's geared for, IMHO. Not bizarre necessarily, the overall effect's just... o...

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.

Reminding me a lot of Eloise Wilkins illustrating style, this was a lovely gift from a friend when Princess E was born and one she likes pulling out often and a lot. It's so sweet and just all around charming. (Also delightfully reinforces the importance of EVERYONE -- old and young -- hugging, cuddling, and loving the little ones. ;)) A great baby shower gift. We love having it in our collection!

(From the dustjacket) "Round objects, from pancakes to cakes to balloons, fill this book as townspeople busily prepare a sumptuous feast for the king. Children will delight in picking out the items mentioned in the catchy verses that wind playfully through the pages. Illustrator Yu-Mei Han's make-believe setting, renderd in splashy, luscious, colors, hums with energy. This merry concept book offers children boundless visual enjoyment on pages full to bursting with fun. An all-around winner!" Yes, indeed. A tasteful, riotous explosion of color, this one's straight up luscious, scrumptious, gorgeous, and one of the happiest books you'll ever pick up. I mean, you just can't read it and be sad. Definitely one that gets read multiple times in a row -- but the great thing is there're so many fascinating things going on and running through from page to page that even as the Read-Alouder it remains interesting on the third or fourth time through. ;) (I'...

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!