There are many kinds of wonderful picture books. But my favorite, has always been the kind that invites me into a beautiful world that is lush with color, alive with whimsy, and still grounded in something substantial and firm. Because Barbara by Sarah Mackenzie and illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen is just such a book.
Category: Book Reviews
The Wonders of Donal O’Donnell
Any storyteller who tells folktales looks for ways to show how such tales speak powerfully to new listeners. Sometimes they speak powerfully when several of them come together and, in coming together, show something that any one of them alone might not have shown. – Gary D. Schmidt
Finding Winnie
Recently, I reviewed a delightful picture book about the true story behind Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally Walker. I love that book and think that every fan of Winnie-the-Pooh would appreciate it. Shortly after discovering that book, I learned of this book by Lindsay Mattick (the great-great-granddaughter of Harry Colebourn) and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Like Winnie, Finding Winnie is absolutely charming. And, for older readers, there is a rich chapter book also by Mattick and Blackall.
A Packet of Seeds
Why is this book out of print!? I just cannot fathom how this beautiful and heartwarming prairie story was allowed to slip out of print.
A Packet of Seeds by Deborah Hopkinson is a tender tale of a family who moved West because as Pa told Momma, “folks around here are getting as close as kernels on a cob.” Momma is grieved by the decision and does not want to leave her sister and friends.
Show Notes: Our Librarian Life – February, 2024
Join us as we chat with Librarians Sherry Early and Kristi Stansfield about inventory, contract renewals, making space, organizing historical fiction, and organizing picture books.
Life Story
This book is a marvel. It is the very definition of a living book. It invites our children (and ourselves) into the wonder and awe of life. And it does it with beautiful, thoughtful, teaching illustration and exceptional storytelling. It is science the way science should be taught.
Winnie
In 1914, Army Veterinarian, Harry Colebourn, was on a train traveling through Ontario, Canada when he saw a man sitting at the train station with a bear cub. Harry bought the cub from the man for $20 and named her Winnipeg after his company’s hometown. Winnie, as she came to be called, quickly became a mascot for the entire section. This is a must-have for all Winnie-the-Pooh fans.
Good Luck Duck
Timothy and his father and mother live in a quiet valley. It’s too far away from the woods to hear the crows calling all day, too far from the bigger valley to hear the trains rolling by, and streetcars and buses don’t go that far. The little family loves their quiet valley, but sometimes Timothy…
John Brown: His Fight For Freedom
Written and illustrated in that unique style that John Hendrix is famous for, John Brown: His Fight For Freedom is a powerful and exciting (while also tragic) picturebook biography of the 1850’s abolitionist John Brown. Published on the 150th anniversary of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, this picture book tells the tragic tale of John Brown’s attempt to make slavery economically untenable.
Big Machines
Big Machines: The Story of Virginia Lee Burton by Sherri Duskey Rinker and illustrated by John Rocco is a perfect picture book biography.
While Everyone is Sleeping
Oh, how beautiful this book is! While Everyone Is Sleeping is a brand new book written by Sarah Mackenzie and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard that has all of the charm and beauty of the older books that we love so much. This delightful picture book is a joy to read and a delight to behold.
Update: Echo, Little Men, Railway Children, Rascal, and The Labors of Hercules Beal
We are genuinely enjoying the work of creating book club guides for some of our favorite books in a wide variety of genres and levels. This month we are adding Pam Munoz Ryan’s excellent book, Echo, to our offerings.
Night Is Coming
Night is Coming by W. Nikola-Lisa is a sweet and tender picture book that would be perfect for the bedtime routine of many little ones.
Snow Treasure
I just finished reading Snow Treasure to my literature class of eight- and nine-year-old homeschooled students. I only see them for forty minutes once a week, and the timing just happened to work out that I had to leave the kids hanging for a whole week with the hero captured by Nazis and with only…
Mr. Hermit Miser and the Neighborly Pumpkin
A Plumfield Kids Book Review by Elsa, age 11
In a day when pumpkin pies are bought from the store, this book made me wish I knew how to make a “rich, spicy, luscious, crisp pumpkin pie.” I am not the greatest judge of children’s books but I’d say this one is a great story. The illustrations are simply stupendous. For instance, in the pictures on pages 18, and 31, the pumpkins look somewhat like they have faces. Also on the cover you can vaguely see a face on the pumpkin in the lower right corner. This seems to allow the child the opportunity to imagine the pumpkins as characters.