I don’t recall how I acquired A Blizzard Year. It’s a very interesting little book that could have belonged to one of my children once upon a time, or I may have picked it up at the library book sale. No matter, I have had it a while, and picked it up on a whim … Continue reading A Blizzard Year
Miss Moore Thought Otherwise
I recently started off on a rabbit trail that leads back through prominent librarians of the 20th Century to the first women librarians in America. These women were influential in shaping ideas about the kinds of books that should be written for children. Many of them resorted to writing children’s books themselves. While sorting … Continue reading Miss Moore Thought Otherwise
Stick
Stick is another of my serendipitous library finds. The little frog on the first page is so cute I couldn’t resist taking him home. I assumed, from the first page, that the story wasn’t going to be terribly original. We all know this story. The young frog is going to insist on doing things … Continue reading Stick
I’d Know You Anywhere
I’d Know You Anywhere, My Love by Nancy Tillman There are things about you quite unlike any other . . . Things always known by your father or mother. So if you decide to be different one day, No worries . . . I’d know you anyway. The things people throw away! I picked up … Continue reading I’d Know You Anywhere
Amos and Boris
I enjoyed William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble years ago, but not so much that I set out to find everything Steig had written. More recently, I read Dr. De Soto and didn’t love it. I also remember feeling that the cover of The Amazing Bone is a bit creepy; flashbacks to childhood nightmares … Continue reading Amos and Boris
A Fly Went By
A Fly Went By By Mike McClintock Illustrated by Fritz Siebel A Fly Went By is another old (1958) favorite picture book in the “I Can Read It All By Myself” series. I loved reading it all by myself when I was learning to read. My kids loved it, and now I’m using it with … Continue reading A Fly Went By
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
When I found this book, I had previously considered myself well-versed in Dr. Seuss. I had never even heard of this one before. The copy I bought at a library book sale was already tattered, so I assumed someone must have loved it. Because it was fun for me to read, my small son loved … Continue reading Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
Robert the Rose Horse
Robert was a happy little horse. He lived on a farm. He lived with his mother And father. That is, until the fateful birthday party. All of his friends come. They wait expectantly as Robert’s mother brings in the cake decorated with beautiful red roses. Robert puts his nose right into a rose and takes … Continue reading Robert the Rose Horse
Pickle-Chiffon Pie
Do you read dust jackets? Be honest. Do you? Do I? If I am honest, only sometimes. Last fall Jill Morgan sent me a box of some of her favorite Purple House Press books hoping that I would like them as much as she does. It turns out that I do. I. Really. Do. When … Continue reading Pickle-Chiffon Pie
Miss Jaster’s Garden
Miss Jaster’s Garden by illustrator turned author N. M. Bodecker is one of those picture books that every family library should have. The illustration has a daydream-like quality with soft watercolors, the story line is adorable and the kind that children love to giggle at, and the writing is charming and intelligent. If Anne Shirley-Blythe … Continue reading Miss Jaster’s Garden