The Wayback Machine

2011-08-18T09:38:00.002-05:00

Cyndy Szekeres, Western Publishing Co., 1983

Found this little gem at my friend Jenny's house. I had not idea who Cyndy Szekeres was but examination proves I'm quite familiar with her work and I love it. I have a soft spot for mice and the ones in this little counting book are as cute as it gets!

Fisher Price Little People

2011-08-17T09:51:00.000-05:00

Fisher Price Play Family "A" Frame House, Fisher Price, 1974

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit some friends and spend time with their family. Their youngest asked me if I wanted to play "Little People" and I seized the opportunity. Soon he was lugging a plastic tub of people and vehicles and next the castle appeared and what looked like a Main Street set complete with stop signs and a blue postal box. We started setting everything up and then I said, "Wait, I'm going to go out to my car and get my "Little People" house." The look on Griffin's face was priceless... his little kid brain was whirring.... She carries "little people" stuff around with her in her car??? In truth, I'd just picked up the A-Frame House at a garage sale and it came without it's door and any furniture or people. Though I just found a site where I can order those things piece by piece! I love its sliding glass doors, such a nice touch!

We created a park next door to the house.

They have the castle and so do I, but they seemed to have more of the pieces that went with it. Even in the Fisher Price playsets I had as a child I have managed to lose most of the beds, people, thrones, etc.

I'm not even sure which set this one is. But I love it!

It's my Birthday! Yippee!

2011-06-04T08:50:00.000-05:00

My 7th birthday. Mom made our hats.

Old Witch and the Polka-Dot Ribbon

2011-04-28T18:13:00.000-05:00

Wende & Harry Devlin, Parents Magazine Press, 1970

I loved the Cranberryport books by the Devlins when I was young and I just discovered Old Witch and the Polka-Dot Ribbon by Wende and Harry Devlin and I'm sort of surprised I didn't read this one when I was young since my parents seemed to have collected all of the Parents' Magazine Press books. Their illustrations are very distinct and while they aren't my typical aesthetic there's a kind of nostalgia there that I can't ignore.

Old Witch lives in the attic of the Jug and Muffin Tearoom in Oldwick. One day she wakes up to discover Nicky and his mother baking a cake for contest. The contest is part of a fundraising carnival aimed at raising funds for a new bandstand. Old Witch raises some havoc in the kitchen until she's banished and she sulks outside muttering little rhymes like the one in the next illustration.

Finally Old Witch gets an idea to enter the contest herself and she unwittingly discovers some contest fraud and solves the problem in her own unique way. The story is full of clever, wry language that makes me chuckle and like all Devlin books it comes complete with a recipe for Old Witch's Magic Nut Cake.

Modern Monday -- Just Being Audrey

2011-04-25T22:25:00.004-05:00

Margaret Cardillo, author; Julia Denos, illustrator
Balzer + Bray, an imprint of Harper Collins, 2011

I discovered this picture book on the newly arrived shelf at our local library and I snatched it up, read it once and now it's on my "must-have" list. I love Denos' illustrations, and the simple story really captures the greatness of Audrey Hepburn. I've long loved this classic actress for her style, her quirky mannerisms, and her fantastic movies. One of my favorites is Charade with Cary Grant. I recently purchased a book for "grown-ups" called Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson.

The story begins with a ten-year-old Audrey who dreams of becoming a ballerina. It describes how she and her family survived WW II in Europe and how following the war she and her mother moved to London where Audrey traded her dreams of dancing for the reality of being an actress. The illustrations capture Miss Hepburn's classic look--her hair, her expressions, and some of her most notable acting roles (Funny Face, Sabrina, My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany's and more) and the costumes that defined them.

Here's a short trailer for the book with even more illustrations!

And because it's just not right to pay tribute to Audrey Hepburn through a children's book without a glimpse into the real life wonder, here's the original trailer for Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Stay Gold, Ponyboy.

2011-04-07T08:02:00.002-05:00

The Outsiders, Francis Ford Coppola, 1983

Coppola's film is based on S.E. Hinton's classic book, first published in 1967. I read the book before I saw the movie, as it should be. I was in 5th grade. I still remember where I was when I finished the final pages. Sitting in the van outside my aunt and uncle's house. We were gathered for some event, a holiday meal perhaps. I had to compose myself before I could go inside because I was crying so hard--the kind of cry where tears splash down on the neck and there aren't enough tissues to really mop up the sorrow.

I watched this film again on New Year's this year and I was reminded of the power behind both the film and the book. The all-star nature of the cast is almost unbelievable: Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, and Tom Cruise and I'd nearly forgotten Diane Lane as Cherry Valance.

As an English teacher I usually touch on some Robert Frost poetry in my American Literature class and I'm always impressed when students recognize "Nothing Gold Can Stay" and make the connection between The Outsiders (whether film or book) and the poem.

Nothing Gold Can Stay
by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

I believe it was S.E. Hinton who really kicked off the era of "young adult literature." If you've not read the book or seen the movie, though I find that hard to believe, it's about a group of kids, "greasers," who are from "the wrong side of the tracks" in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They constantly clash with the Socs, the preppy kids in town. It has all the 60s good stuff like drive-in movies and rumbles. Great nicknames like Ponyboy, Two Bit, and Sodapop. And then there's Johnny. Everyone loves Johnny. Without saying too much more, I'll just add that it's a tragic, yet feel-good drama that reminds us all of the power of friendship, resilience, and the challenges life throws at us.

Love Those Little Golden Books

2011-04-06T06:40:00.000-05:00

Ryan Novelline, designer, 2011

Apparently I'm not the only one. I just ran across this gem in the School Library Journal. Artist, Ryan Novelline used approximately 1500 pages from 300 Little Golden Books which he found at thrift stores and sewed together with golden thread. There are AMAZING pictures of this wild dress here on his site. Do check them out.

Messy by Barbara Bottner

2011-04-05T22:30:00.003-05:00

Barbara Bottner, Delacourte Press, 1979

Messy by Barbara Bottner is the story of Harriet, the messiest six-year-old girl around. Mostly she's okay with her mess, but she's aware of the stark contrast between her messy ways and those of her friends and ballet classmates. However, Harry's esteem soars pretty high, much like her quality dance moves, when she's praised by her dance teacher, Mrs. Markova, and when she is offered the role of princess in their recital she vows to become a changed woman... or six year old. It mostly works.

It's a simple book--nothing profound--but I've been looking for this one for years. I've found little evidence of its existence online (one reference with no images on Amazon) and then one day I managed to find a copy through inter-library loan. There is satisfaction in simply knowing I didn't "make this book up" in my brain.

The Trampoline- 1970s Farmgirl Style

2011-04-04T21:19:00.000-05:00

Jason and Me, 1977

Tupperware Toys -- Busy Blocks

2010-08-15T12:02:00.003-05:00

Tupperware, 1971

All of I have of this toy from my childhood is a single green figurine. We were hard on toys and then when my mom had a house fire little was left of the things she still had at her place. Sadly, these blocks were a casualty. I remember bringing them with me in a little suitcase when I went over to Carlson's to babysit. We'd link them together and play with the figures. I didn't remember that they were alphabet blocks but now that makes the choices of the little green figures make sense.

Airport, Boat, Camel, Dog, Elephant, Fox, Giraffe, Horse, Indian, Jeep, Kangaroo, Lion, Monkey, Nurse, Owl, Pig, Queen, Rabbit, Seal, Train, Unicorn, Violin, Whale, Xylophone, Yacht, and Zebra.

I LOVE that there was a unicorn. Yay, Tupperware!

The Bunny Book by Richard Scarry

2009-04-10T05:18:00.004-05:00

Richard Scarry, Western Publishing Company, 1965

This book is more informative than anything. Simple descriptions and explanations introduce young readers to the variety of characteristics that make up the bunny. This book appears to have many different cover options, but it's the content I care about. I simply adore this "Rabbits have large families" image.

Young readers will learn that some rabbits have giant ears and some have tiny ones and rabbits can run very fast. The book also focuses in on a few rabbit examples: the snowshoe rabbit turns white in winter and brown in summer, Angora rabbits have soft, cuddly fur. Lop-eared rabbits have long, floppy ears. Then on one page five different breeds are illustrated: Dutch, Chinchilla, Flemish Giant, Vienna Blue, and Cottontail. Ah yes, this is more than just your "Easter bunny" book. Though there is a page dedicated to that too.

There is only one "true to form" busytown looking page with two little bunnies dressed to the nines. "Rabbits like to get all dressed up if they are going to be in a story book." Yeah, you can't beat that!

The Golden Egg Book

2009-04-08T06:22:00.000-05:00

The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrated by Lilian Obligado, Western Publishing Company, 1947

I've managed to pull together a handful of bunny books in time for Easter and trust me, there are more. It turns out that bunnies and rabbits are a great subject for the children's book.

This Little Golden Book is a lovely story about a duck and a bunny. It begins with bunny finding a mysterious egg and wondering what is inside. In his impatience, he pushes it with his foot, rolls the egg down the hill, throws rocks at it and finally gets so worn out from wondering and waiting that he falls asleep.

Of course, a watched egg never hatches but when bunny sleeps, duck emerges. Duck is mystified by this furry thing beside his egg and he tries to rouse it by doing all the same things bunny did to the egg... nudges him with his foot, throws a rock, rolls him down the hill until finally the bunny wakes and the two embrace and no one was ever alone again!

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

2009-04-07T07:04:00.003-05:00

Dorothy Kunhardt, Golden Books Publishing, 1940

I distinctly recall this 18 page Golden Touch and Feel book from my younger days. Anything scratch and sniff was hugely exciting for me, and this book had all sorts of sensory treats. I love this sandpaper jaw image how Judy can feel daddy's scratchy face. Readers can play peek-a-boo with Paul or look in the mirror and my flowers still smell fragrant.

For years this was a standby for a baby gift since I'd found the softest sweetest bunny to go with the book. It's been awhile since I've seen Pat the Bunny dolls but if I find some I may need to stock up. Those friends of mine keep on having the babies and babies must be given books!

"My mother wrote "Pat the Bunny" in 1940 when I was 12. "Wrote" is not quite the right word, even though the book is 135 words long; "made" would be more accurate. Before "Pat," books for very little children were for reading aloud and looking at. This one was for playing with as well. Right on the pages themselves were a variety of real things all babies love to go after. There was a fluffy little cottontail to pat, a peekaboo cloth to pick up and peep behind, a red ball that squeaked, a shiny mirror to look into, a daddy's scratchy beard to feel, a miniature book about a bunny with pages to turn and a mother's wedding ring to stick a finger through. It was the original "touch and feel" book, as they call the genre in the trade today, and even though it has inspired a hutch of imitations, Golden Press still goes on cutting and gluing and stamping out and hand-finishing a quarter of a million new copies of "Pat" each year, annually using up acres of sandpaper beard, six football fields of peekaboo cloth and enough metalized polyester to mirror over a small lake...."

Check out the rest of this article by Philip B. Kundhardt Jr. about Pat the Bunny's 50th anniversary, back in 1990! Good stuff!

Modern Monday -- La Cucaracha Martina: A Carribean Folktale

2009-04-06T06:48:00.004-05:00

La Cucaracha Martina A Carribean Folktale
retold and illustrated by Daniel Moreton
Turtle Books, 1997

Simply put: While searching for the source of one beautiful sound, Martina, a ravishing cockroach who is tired of the city life, rejects marriage proposals from a menagerie of city animals which woo her with their noises. All ends well when she finally meets the cricket of her dreams and after the wedding they move to the country.

The illustrations are sharp and colorful and were created on a Mac with Adobe Illustrator. The book has a ton of delicious details and a spattering of Spanish: Aeropuerto, Telefono, Autobus... by way of example. The signage in particular is all in Spanish, and the porcine waiter wears a name tag which reads "Me Llamo Puerco."

The sounds the various animals make are all written in large funky fonts and the illustrations feature text all over the place, not exactly in the hyper text sense but in something fresh and unusual from the picture books of the past.

While I'm not a fan of the common cockroach in regular life, I have a soft spot for Miss Martina and I'm glad she found her wonderful noise and the creature that belonged to it!

The King of the Elephants

2009-04-05T07:33:00.002-05:00

Laurent de Brunhoff, Random House, 1973

As they move through the four seasons in and around Celesteville, the city of elephants, we see the lives of Babar and Celeste and their children--Alexander, Pom, and Flora. We meet Old Lady (also their teacher) and cousin Arthur and his friend Zephir, the monkey.
This is a family "on the go" and we follow Babar and Celeste from the domestic fun of gardening to tennis, warm days of swimming in the lake to throwing parties at Celesteville gardens. Sometimes they go sailing or for drives in the country. The children enjoy soccer and like their teacher who is not strict. In the winter they go ice skating, and downhill skiing and one of the children suffers a small mishap which requires a doctor visit. "This is not too serious," he says. Though I think the wound looked pretty nasty!

I really don't remember Babar from my youth though I seem to have a few books. I guess I was always vaguely aware of this French elephant. I think I'm more intrigued by him and his family now than I was when I was small. This particular 8 X 8 book is a sanitized and simplistic version of the Babar stories which merely serves to intoduce the characters.

I realize now that Laurent is the son of the original author, Jean de Brunhoff. Jean first published his popular French children's book in 1931. He wrote six more before his untimely death and his son Laurent has continued the series.

Jean de Brunhoff's Babar books, and the titles of the English translations, were:

* Histoire de Babar (1931) - The Story of Babar
* Le Voyage de Babar (1932) - The Travels of Babar, or Babar's Travels
* Le Roi Babar (1933) - Babar the King
* L'ABC de Babar (1934) - A.B.C. of Babar
* Les vacances de Zéphir (1936) - Zephir's Holidays, or Babar and Zephir
* Babar en famille (1938) - Babar and His Children, or Babar at Home
* Babar et le père Noël (1941) - Babar and Father Christmas

You can read more about Babar's history here, on the TV website-- Babar is also a popular TV show.

In a People House

2009-04-04T07:52:00.004-05:00

In a People House by Theo LeSieg
Illustrated by Roy McKie
Random House, 1972

Even in this remarkably simplistic book, Dr. Seuss uses rhyme and rhythm to capture the attention of his young readers as mouse gives bird a tour of the "people house."

"These are doughnuts. Here's a door. Come along, I'll show you more...."

One of my favorites is a page with baked beans, bureau drawers and books, and mini me crossed OUT the word bureau and wrote "dresser" because I was apparently concerned someone might not understand that word since it wasn't the one --I-- used in describing that bit of furniture. I love my young editorial marks in books, they really crack me up!

R is for Remarkably Cute.

2009-04-03T07:49:00.011-05:00

Richard Scarry's Chipmunk's ABC by Roberta Miller
Illustrated by Richard Scarry, Western Publishing Company, 1963

I love Lowly Worm and the rest of the Richard Scarry gang, but I think my heart will never be the same after looking through these darling pictures. His work is softer and more tender in this ABC book from 1963. I love the head bandage, the picture of cheese on the wall, the way the mouse's records are strewn about, and how his pal chipmunk is saying hello from the window, because "Mouse has Mumps!"

My cover is the white one, and the woodsy one seems to be an earlier copyright. I just couldn't scan all the pictures in, but I ADORE the one with Froggie playing the oboe and Donkey drinking from an orange up. Something about these animals in bibbed overalls, in life jackets on the lake, carrying tea kettles and getting phone calls just makes my heart pang.

Here is a comparison between the pages of a 1963 and a 1991 version of Richard Scarry's The Best Word Book Ever. Very interesting stuff. Scarry wrote and/or illustrated over 300 books.

A Picnic Hurrah!

2009-04-02T07:41:00.005-05:00

A Picnic Hurrah! by Franz Brandenberg
Illustrated by Aliki, Random House, 1978

This book probably counts as a beginning reader but it's not labeled as such and for me, it was just a great story. Writing letters was a very big thing for me when I was a kid and so I'm sure the idea of sending out invitations and watching the mail for responses was something that resonated. I also love the imaginative way that Elizabeth and Edward handle their picnic plans that were spoiled by the rain. Their father suggests an indoor picnic, and I can only imagine mini me loved the idea of doing things differently, an INDOOR picnic? How absurd! They don't let it stop their fun and they find ways to still do all the things they wanted to do outside.

Here's a sweet Harper Collins link to How a Book is Made featuring Aliki.

Aliki, or Aliki Brandenberg, was born 1929, in Wildwood Crest, NJ; Education: Graduated from Philadelphia Museum School of Art (now Philadelphia College of Art), 1951. Hobbies and other interests: Macrame, weaving, music, baking, traveling, reading, gardening, theater, films, museums. Muralist and commercial artist in Philadelphia, PA, and New York, NY, 1951-56, and in Zurich, Switzerland, 1957-60; commercial artist, writer, and illustrator of children's books in New York, NY, 1960-77, and London, England, 1977—. Has also taught art and ceramics. She was also married to the author of this book! Hurrah!

Choose Your Own Adventure

2009-04-01T07:59:00.006-05:00

Deadwood City by Edward Packard

Illustrated by Paul Granger
Bantam Books, 1978

You are the star of the story! Choose from 37 possible endings! I do find it somewhat annoying to read a book in "second person" or whatever this point of view is actually called. I do like that the main character shown in the pictures is a cowgirl, a gun-toting girl.

Edward Packard, practicing lawyer and the author of this book, conceived of the idea for the Choose Your Own Adventure series in the course of telling bedtime stories to his children. This title is just one I picked up at a thrift store, but I remember reading these as a kid. I scanned the list of titles for a familiar one but nothing is triggering a memory. Here are a few of the wonderful adventures YOU could go on:

The Cave of Time
Journey Under the Sea
By Balloon to the Sahara
The Third Planet for Altair
The Mystery of Chimney Rock
The Lost Jewels of Naboo

Hippity Hoppity!

2009-04-01T05:33:00.002-05:00

Man, I love that outfit. I totally remember it too. Apparently I had a strong connection to my clothes even then. I sort of wish my mom had done something different with my hair. It looks like me and my bro have the same 'do. Nice.

I may be wrong, but I think this is 1979.

A Knight Like No Other

2009-03-31T07:38:00.006-05:00

Hilary Knight, Random House, 1978, w/new illustrations in 2001

Hilary Knight's fantastic style fits right in with the magic and wonder of the Cinderella tale. His cinder-sitting girl seems even more lovely and delicate and pure than the famous Disney face we've all grown to love. Knight, famous for his work on the Eloise books with Kay Thompson, has illustrated fifty books for children. The message from Hilary Knight recognizes his mother as the inspiration for the styling of this famous story. I love love love it, so thank you Katharine Sturges Knight for your fine inspiration. A few favorite elements: The woodsy font on the title page, the chubby freckly prince who seems so happy, the mousey little blue fairy godmother who truly does seem like a tiny sprite of a fairy, and the recipe for her party garb:

""Now, Cinderella," ordered the fairy, "fetch me the following":
Guinea-fowl feathers and bottles of blue,
Mothwings and cobwebs sprinkled with dew!
I'll mix them with berries and sassafras,
And dress you in gossamer with slippers of glass!"

Modern Monday-- The Seven Silly Eaters

2009-03-30T07:32:00.004-05:00

Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
Illustrated by Marla Frazee
Voyager Books-Harcourt, 1997

Each of Mr. and Mrs. Peters SEVEN children is fixated on one particular food in this charming story told in rhyme, written by Mary Ann Hoberman, our current children's poet laureate! I love the way it unfolds and how the busy kid-filled illustrations hold details about their lives: Mom plays cello, they live in a home on lake, mom looks sporty, love dad's beard. Frazee does a great job capturing the spirit of the story in her illustrations -- someone is always reading, the laundry is always in progress, their are cats and dogs all over, chaos abounds but in a good and loving, happy sort of way.

Now time went by as time will do;
And as it passed, the children grew.
The problem was that as they grew,
Their appetites kept growing, too!
But not their choice of what to eat:
Each child continued to repeat
They wanted what they'd had before--
The trouble was
they wanted more!

Finally both mom AND the house are a wreck and the children decide to surprise HER for a change on her birthday by making all their favorite foods. A great for picky eaters and parents alike!

Illustrated Classics Edition

2009-03-29T06:32:00.008-05:00

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
adapted by Mitsu Yamamoto, Illustrations by Pablo Marcos Studio
Moby Books - I. Walman & Son, Inc, 1979

The back of the book reads:
"After fourteen years in a dungeon, Edmond Dantes escapes by taking a dead man's place. Because Dantes is starting life over as a penniless sailor, his pursuit of vengeance will only be poosible if a huge treasure, revealed to him by a babbling, dying prisonmate, actually exists on the Island of Monte Cristo. Follow Edmond Dantes as he discovers the long-lost treasure and becomes wealthy, powerful and hard-hearted Count of Monte Cristo, whose one aim in life is revenge on the three men responsible for his imprisonment."

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
Adapted by Lucia Monfried, cover illustration by Al Leiner
Moby Books- I. Waldman & Son, 1977

This is the book I remember owning. I was never a fan of these books simply because they weren't the "originals." I considered them inferior because they were adapted or edited or abridged books. I also had a copy of The Wizard of Oz among other books and was always fascinated by the bits and pieces of the novel version that were so far away from the film version. Yet, to this day I've not read any of the Frank L. Baum versions though I've always meant to. They look so intriguing, book after fantastical book, all lined up on the shelves at the library or the bookstore.

The back of this book reads:
"Knocked on the head in the nineteeth century, Hank Morgan wakes to find himself in King Arthur's England! The Connecticut Yankee uses all his scientific knowledge to become the King's chief minister, outwits the master magician, Merlin, and finally wins the kingdogm. But can he ever get back to Connecticut? Or is it all a dream?"

I enjoy time travel books and films (reminds me a wee bit of Kate and Leopold) and this makes me think of the recent essay I heard Chuck Klosterman read at the UND Writers Conference. What fun!

This book doesn't mention an illustrator but all three books have the same cover designer -- Al Leiner.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Adapted by Mitsu Yamamoto, Illustrated by Brendan Lynch
Moby Books - Waldman Publishing Group, 1983

The back of the book reads:
"Henry Jekyll, though a respected medical doctor, is shunned by his friends and associates because of his incredible belief that man is not truly one person, but two! Determined to prove his belief and to separate one man into two personalities and two bodies, Jekyll concocts a drug and tests it on himself. After that his life changes, bringing him into contact with the evil Mr. Hyde. Everyone but Jekyll despises the slimy Hyde as soon as he shows his repulsive self, but the doctor befriends him and even makes him his heir. What is the mysterious hold that the murderous Hyde has over Dr. Jekyll? Can it be broken--or will Jekyll become Hyde's next victim?

Is it just me or do the backs of these books tell a teensy bit too much? I really am a purist when it comes to not having TOO much knowledge going in to a book. I prefer the blank slate or the barest bit of an idea of the plot. Oh well. I guess many people know the basic premise of each of these stories. Though a "young reader" about to read one of these books for the first time may not. Of course, they may be pared down so much that one needs this extra bit of info. Who knows? At any rate, it was fun to revisit these blasts from the past. Here's a listing of some of the other titles in the series.

Bambi Grows Up

2009-03-28T18:47:00.003-05:00

Walt Disney Productions, Random House, 1979

This book takes us from newborn fawn to young stag in the life of Bambi, the young prince. We meet his best pal, Thumper and we encounter a skunk called Flower. His mother explains how to behave when hunters are near and tells him about his father. We also meet Faline, his love interest and watch as Bambi challenges Ronno, a strange deer, for Faline. He's all grown up and his father "The Great Prince of the Forest" is proud.

In a small way this is a precurser to The Lion King without all the Hamlet. I adore the artwork in this book. I realize it's just "Disney," but that doesn't change the appeal for me... Nearly every picture is one I'd like to frame.

Weeny Witch by Ida DeLage

2009-03-27T06:44:00.004-05:00

Weeny Witch by Ida DeLage Illustrations by Kelly Oechsli
Xerox Education Publications, 1968

I simply adored this book as a child. I think the pictures have a lot to do with it, but the story is pretty wonderful too. It's about the witches plot to keep the night dark by capturing the night fairies who light the sky with their wands. Their plan is to gather spider's webs and capture the fairies by dawn. The main character is a tiny misfit witch who can't seem to do anything "right"... she's late for the witches meeting, she's afraid of spiders, she likes the night bright with stars. Instead of searching for webs for the net, she plays zooming around with her broom until a great horned owl decides to make her his meal and she and her broomstick are knocked from the sky. Unable to fly with a broken broomstick, Weeny set off on foot toward the Witches Hollow.

This turn of events works in the favor of both Weeny and the night fairies whom she rescues by sweeping away the sticky silken net holding them captive. They take her with them when they fly to freedom to protect her from the witches' rage, but there is a surprise in store for Weeny.

Play it Again, Charlie Brown.

2009-03-26T06:41:00.004-05:00

Charles Schulz, World Publishing Company, 1971

Dear sweet serious Schroeder. I love his dedication to the craft of composing. I love his devotion to Beethoven. And Lucy, forever fighting a losing battle for his affection. She's willing to try anything...

"Beethoven now comes in spray cans."

I'm not even sure what that means! In this story she volunteers Schroeder to do a concert for the PTA at the suggestion of Peppermint Patty. After he agrees and actually thanks Lucy, she finds out that it's meant to be a rock concert and Beethoven will not be welcome there. He refuses to play with a "combo" and feels it would be selling out.

When Lucy fails to produce an act for the PTA performance she is apologetic to Peppermint Patty and suddenly has an idea...

"PTA programs also come in spray cans."

Seriously. What the heck? This must be some bit of 1970s Peanuts humor I am just not getting.

In ND, the Weather is Important.

2009-03-25T18:30:00.000-05:00

Harry Devlin, Parents Magazine Press, 1975

Harry Devlin of the Cranberry Port books writes a book about weather. This is a timely tale considering today is a snow day and the flood waters are rising. Devlin's tales focus on thunder and lightning, but I am guessing there are tales for these other phenomena too.

An excerpt from Devlin's foreword:

"A wild crashing thunderstorm is awesome to us all. But to a child the explosive fury of lightning, followed by thunder's sonorous booms can be a terrifying experience.

By the time we reach adulthood, most of us vaguely understand the causes of electrical storms. We have respect for, but little fear of, the phenomena.

Whether thunder and lightning will frighten or delight a child, however, depends on how that child relates imaginatively to storms. And this, no doubt, explains the folklore collected in this book..."

He goes on to explain how the the 15 tales in the book were collected largely through personal encounters with people from many cultures and bits of those cultures were reflected in the tales. Devlin marvels over how often people from different cultures, separated by many miles often told very similar stories.

The book identifies the cultures and includes a Devlin illustration for each of the 15 tales. The first illustration I included was from the Mayan tale called "The Giant Who Smoked Cigars" which identified lightning as the sparks that flew as one of the gods striking a great piece of flint to light his cigar and the loud noise it made was the first thunder and I suppose the black clouds would be the cigar smoke. Some of the other cultures represented include German, Polish, Nigerian, Peruvian, Irish, Czech and more.

When I was young I believed thunder was "God rearranging the furniture in heaven" which more or less matches the tale from Trinidad below. (click on each image to read the text or see a bigger pic)

I happen to love Norse myth so I included this story here too.

Ode to Spring.

2009-03-24T06:23:00.005-05:00

Pussy Willow by Margaret Wise Brown
Leonard Weisegard, illustrator, Western Publishing, 1951

Mud puddles, chirping birds, the crocus, buds on trees, and the pussy willow are all happy signs of spring. Oh, and the opening of Dairy Queen. :) I decided to post on this Little Golden Book in celebration of spring's arrival, though it seems to be in fits and starts.

Weisgard's illustrations in this book stand out to me in part because of the page layouts. I find it intriguing how the entire page is an illustration and then the text is written on solid colored squares that almost look like they were pasted on by some amateur scrapbooker. Yet, I like it. This little kitty seems too sweet for words, not like those mind-reading-spooky-little-buggers.

Modern Monday--The Library by Sarah Stewart

2009-03-23T06:18:00.004-05:00

The Library by Sarah Stewart
David Small, illustrator, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995

In my quest to reign in my own overindulgence in books, I was reminded of this gem of a book by Sarah Stewart.

The Library is written in rhyming verse telling the story of Elizabeth Brown from infancy to old age. She is never without a book. In one illustration, we can see other young people hand in hand outside the window and we see Elizabeth's feet propped on the sill as she reclines in the chair wrapped up in a good book.

The problem, however, is clear. Her books are taking over and so her solution is to donate her house and her books to the city to be used as a library and she moves in with a friend. I'm not quite at that stage yet!

David Small's watercolor and ink illustrations offer touches of humor throughout the book. Note the sweet image of baby Elizabeth falling to Earth.

Best Tag Line Ever.

2009-03-22T17:35:00.000-05:00

Andre Norton & Dorothy Madlee, Arch Paperbacks, 1978

Best tag line ever: Jim and Elly Mae must save their cat friends from killer robots.

Not long ago, my pal Jennifer and I were reminiscing old books from our childhood and she reminded me of this Andre Norton novel which we both read. I was trying to find out the title of one of the scariest books from my past, one that involved aliens taking over earth in a kind of body snatcher way and the last lines of the book involved the main character turning to her friend who now had "jelly eyes" which was apparently the sign that the baddies had taken over the body. Still don't know what that one was... anyone out there have a clue? Anyway... pardon the digression.

Star Ka'at World is apprently the second book in the series, but it's the only one I've read. In this one, Jim and Elly Mae are taken from earth by their cat companions who are more than house cats, they are part of an alien race called Ka'ats. These "cats" can communicte using their minds and in ancient times on Earth they coexisted quite nicely with humans. Over time, humans changed and were unable to understand the Ka'ats and to adapt to these changes the Ka'ats changed too, learning to hunt and survive in new ways. Some even forgot their mind communication skills. Now a fresh wave of Ka'ats have come to earth to liberate their cat friends and they discover there are still humans who can communicate with them.

Both Jim and Elly Mae are orphaned and have limited ties to others on Earth and so they are willing to embark on this space voyage. The world of the Ka'ats is quite different: green skies, different smells, food you think into creation using their special machine that you instruct with your mind. I started rereading it last night and would have kept going if I could have stayed awake. I am not really sure how it ends. I know the humans begin to regret their stay in the Star Ka'at World. And it sounds like there is some serious robot crisis going on. I may have to pick this one up again soon.

I've actually had a bit of a fear of talking cats. I had a dream once in which I was being stalked and terrorized by a large black cat who could communicate telepathically. I've never quite trusted cats since that night. I wonder if that bizarre nightmare has its roots in these books? Probably more likely in Edgar Allen Poe's short story. "The Black Cat."

Here are the book titles in the Star Ka'at series:
* Star Ka`at (1976) Collection of Stories with Dorothy Madlee
* Star Ka`at World (1978) Collection of Stories with Dorothy Madlee
* Star Ka`at's and the Plant People (1979) Collection of Stories with Dorothy Madlee
* Star Ka`at's and the Winged Warriors (1981) Collection of Stories with Dorothy Madlee

A Pocket Full of Fun: 5 Favorite Children's Stories

2009-03-21T06:06:00.004-05:00

Hallmark Cards, Unknown year

Apparently Hallmark didn't see fit to acknowledge the author or illustrator of this little five story fairy tale collection. This book is a 4 X 6 sized paperback. I have a memory of a bunch of Hallmark Pop-up books but I can't remember the titles and I'm having a devil of a time even finding a listing for Hallmark books from the 1970s. I'm going to press on because I would love to recover some of them. One was an alphabet book with all sorts of animals, if I'm remembering correctly.

I love the illustrations. And the cover. I think it's so cute that the little joey is reading the same book I am holding.

The Jack and the Beanstalk illustrations, in particular, remind me of the style of Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Raggedy Ann and Andy

2009-03-20T06:13:00.002-05:00

Raggedy Ann and Andy in the Tunnel of Lost Toys
by Catharine Bushnell, illustrated by Vernon McKissack
Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., 1980

I was never all that into Raggedy Ann as a child, but as an adult I have a bit of a fascination with these sweet dolls. My Raggedy Ann was actually quite "raggedy" and had missing hair and a resewn on limb. I must have played with her because she was pretty worn out. What I love now are the stripey legs and that there was a red heart on her chest.

I remember reading some of the Catharine Bushnell books about Raggedy Ann and Andy at our school library, and I specifically remember this one. I was super excited to find a copy for sale at a local thrift store.

In this story, Marcella takes the Raggedies with her to an Amusement Park and they ride on all the rides, ending with the Tunnel of Fun. At first it seems tame and then a witch jumps out at them, and then vampires, monsters, pirates, and skeletons. "Even Andy's shoebutton eyes were very wide." When they see a dragon up ahead they assume he will be like all the other creatures they'd seen so far and she the dolls are surprised when the dragon steals them so quickly that Marcella didn't even notice.

The toys try to plot an escape but their efforts go unrewarded when the dragon returns and catches them. Ann talks to the dragon and discovers he's not mean, but lonely and with some of her clever efforts and the lost and found, all of the toys are set free and the Raggedies are reunited with Marcella.

My cousins used to have the Raggedy Ann and Andy doll house and I remember it fondly. Here's a 1977 version found on ebay:

Hey, Diddle, Diddle!

2009-03-19T17:41:00.000-05:00

Feodor Rojankovsky, Harper and Row, 1942

My copy of The Tall Book of Mother Goose is well worn. I have loved it to pieces. I have a soft spot for Russian born children's book illustrators and Rojankovsky is no exception. Of course I'm not alone in my adoration; he won the Caldecott Medal in 1956.

This Mother Goose collection has some verses I can't find in my other books which adds to the attraction. If I counted correctly it has 102 of the verses. Of course, some of my faves I scanned in for you.

But a few other memorable ones are as follows:

Mistress Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.

------------------------

There was a crooked man
and he went a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence
against a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat,
which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together
in a little crooked house.

------------------------

There was a little girl
and she had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
When she was good,
she was very, very, good,
But when she was bad she was horrid.

"Curious, and curiouser," said Alice.

2009-03-18T05:38:00.002-05:00

Walt Disney Productions, Western Publishing Company, 1965

I am a huge Alice in Wonderland fan and so it stands to reason I would have some special feelings about this book. I have a lot of faves when it comes to the artwork in various editions of Lewis Carroll's story, but I'm not afraid to admit my love for this lovely print adaptation of the Disney film. The book seems like it should have a record to accompany it, because it is that Read Along record size but I don't see any mention of it on the intro page, or is there a pocket for the record in the back. With only 23 pages of text, it's frightfully abridged, but that just makes it a bite-size treat.

The Magic Friend Maker

2009-03-17T05:32:00.003-05:00

The Magic Friend Maker by Gladys Baker Bond
Illustrated by Stina Nagel, Western Publishing, 1966

This is one of those Little Golden Books that I loved sort of inexplicably. Looking at the images now, they don't really catch my eye. In fact, I'm always impressed by the vintage fashion in the pics. The story is about a lonely little girl who wanted a best friend.

"Beth was a one-girl... She pretended she was her own friend, but it didn't work. Poor Beth. She played alone."

Okay, now I know why I liked this book. :) I could totally relate. I grew up on a farm with no neighborhood and many school friends were long distance to call on the telephone. I played alone a lot.

When Jean moves into her apartment building, she and Beth share a moment over a rock which Jean had in her hands.

"Oh, you don't really have a rock," Beth said. But she hoped Jean did have a rock. Here in the middle of the city, there weren't any rocks."

Incredible. Is that true? I was also a bit of a rock collector as a child. Only one from my collection remains in possession.

The rock becomes an talking point and an opportunity for instant bonding and Jean and Beth become best friends, until Jean has to move away. She leaves her rock with Beth, who uses it to greet the new neighbor. That must have been some rock!

Modern Monday -- I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child

2009-03-16T05:24:00.010-05:00

Lauren Child, Candlewick Press, 2000

Meet Charlie and his little sister Lola. Sometimes Charlie must give Lola her dinner which can be tricky because she is a very fussy eater. With a little creativity, his problem is solved. Charlie uses what I've long believed to be the secret to babysitting--imagination. Children love the surprise and wonder involved in taking the everyday and ordinary and transforming those mundane moments into something extraordinary. In this case, Charlie and Lola revise their understanding of common dinner foods.

The story begins with Lola reminding Charlie of all the foods she just will not eat:

"Lola won't eat carrots, of course.
She says carrots are for rabbits.
I say, "What about peas?"
Lola says, "Peas are too small and too green."

Hmmmm... hard to argue with that. In addition to carrots and peas, Lola would happily pass on potatoes, mushrooms, spaghetti, eggs, sausages, cauliflower, cabbage, baked beans, bananas, oranges, apples, rice, cheese, and fish sticks and of course, she'll NEVER eat tomatoes. It's as if she's anticipating every last item in the cupboard that Charlie might offer her.

Charlie assures her that they have none of those things and those orange things that look like carrots? No, they're not carrots... they are twiglets from Jupiter. And the green things that look like peas? (love the animorphic pea in the middle!)

Well, those aren't peas.

"They are greendrops from Greenland.
They are made of green and fall from the sky."

Lauren Child's fantastic illustration style is what initially drew me to this book and her Clarice Bean books too. I love the collage technique--how she incorporates photographic images, fabrics, and all sorts of mixed media into each illustration. I love how she draws Lola and then cuts her out and uses her as a collage piece on a larger "canvas." It's childlike and sophisticated and original and cool. (You can see why I am not an art critic...) And I love her color choices too!

Rum Pum Pum... an Indian folk tale

2009-03-15T06:09:00.000-05:00

Pictures by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey

Macmillan Publishing, 1978

This is a little gem I picked up at the thrift store, happy to see books pre-1985 still on the shelves. I love folk tales and fairy tales and so this one caught my eye because of the title: Rum Pum Pum a folk tale from India retold by Maggie Duff. While the cover illustration didn't stand out to me, the ones inside immediately screamed you've seen this art before and indeed I have. Jose Aruego is the illustrator for one of my favorite books. There's humor in his art in Leo, the Late Bloomer, just as it is present here with Blackbird.

When the king hears Blackbird singing so sweetly he decides he wants him captured and brought to his palace so he can hear him sing all the time. The king's men make a grievous error and capture Blackbird's wife instead and what follows is a tale of revenge. First, Blackbird arms himself for battle with a thorn, a walnut shell helmet, frog skin shield, and he fashions a drum to announce, rum, pum, pum, his march to battle.

Along the way he encounters many other creatures the king has offended who all offer their help. Now THIS is the bit that makes the tale so very cool to me... Instead of simply marching along with him, Blackbird says to the offended party, "Jump into my ear then" and then he marched on his way. Across the miles he collects help in the form of a cat, ants, a stick, and a river. In the illustrations it shows how they shrink down to fit in his ear and then you can see the collection of helpers getting more crowded each time. It's a bit like The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, only things end better for Blackbird.

The king's guard is more amused than frightened by Blackbird and the king dismisses his demands for his wife. He's locked up in the henhouse and that is when the first of his helpers comes into play. Cat comes out from the ear to wreak havoc and this serves to get the king to take him a bit more seriously. This continues until each have had their chance to lend a hand and the king has grown so weary that he sends Blackbird and his wife on their way.

The story reminds me of the Grimm Brothers' tale "The White Snake" and also "The Quiltmaker's Gift" has shades of this story in it as well. I am guessing many other fairy tales do.

George and Martha-- Not the Washingtons

2009-03-14T20:34:00.000-05:00

James Marshall, Troll Associates, 1972

Hippo hilarity. George and Martha are two great friends and this book tells five stories... short vignettes about their lives.

In the first, Martha makes split pea soup, not so much because she likes it but because it's fun to make. George, who HATES it, doesn't have the heart to tell her so he pours bowl number eleven into his loafers. That image is what makes the whole story for me.

Next George is excited to be the first of his species to take to the air in his flying machine--a hot air balloon. He can't figure out why it's not going anywhere, perhaps the "basket" is too heavy, he thinks. Hmmm.. yes, George, perhaps. Yes, the subtle touches of humor in the book are what make it the classic it is.

In episode three, "The Tub," George learns a lesson in privacy. In episode four, "The Mirror," Martha learns to be less narcissistic. And the last story, episode five, is my favorite. It begins:

"One day when George was skating to Martha's house, he tripped and fell. And he broke off his right front tooth. His favorite tooth too."

It's the "favoriteness" of that tooth that cracks me up. Also the whole image of a one toothed hippo is tragic and funny. I love that the dentist hooks him up with some shiny gold tooth splendor.

James Marshall (1942-1992) received Caldecott honor recognition for his 1989 book, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. He is also the author of some other favorites of mine, the Miss Nelson books which I am sure to feature on the blog one day soon. Some say he gleaned the names for these characters not from the famous first president and first lady, but from the famous play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which he saw as a child. He is known for his sly humor and subtle touches in all his books. Be sure to follow the James Marshall link to read what other authors had to say about him and his work.

Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

2009-03-13T05:14:00.001-05:00

Walt Disney Productions, 1973

While this book club edition of Snow White is meant to be the official Disney character rendering I feel the images to be close but not quite. I actually really LOVE the way they look in this version. The opening illustration is depicted above but the other half of the scene is missing (sorry). I like the muted colors and dreamy quality present in the scenery. The evil queen is deliciously evil looking and the expressions on Snow White's face in the various pictures is probably my favorite part. For example, I love the look on her face as she and the little animals are busy doing the dishes.

We all know this version of the story and it took years before I discovered that in other versions Snow was visited multiple times by the Queen who offered her a corset and a poisoned comb as well. You think you'd learn by the third visit... Oh well.

One aspect of this Wonderful World of Disney series I love is the end pages. I should scan them every time I blog about one of these books, because they all make me so happy. This book features each of the seven dwarfs with their names beside them.

Prayers for Children

2009-03-12T16:05:00.000-05:00

Eloise Wilkin, illustrator, Western Publishing, 1952

This Little Golden Book was never that exciting of a book for us as kids because it was a collection of prayers rather than a story, but the artwork always drew me in. It reminds me of one of my favorites which I am determined to recover that focused on the seasons.

The doxology was something that we sang every week at church after the offering plate was collected and brought forward and I learned the Lord's Prayer with "temptations" rather than "debtors" though at the Presbyterian church they said debtors... my mom was determined to teach us the "right" way as she learned it in her Lutheran church.

I love that this book includes a prayer from Coleridge.

My version of the bedtime prayer ended with "If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." Pretty morbid stuff now that I think about it.

An Early Teaching Experience

2009-03-11T06:38:00.000-05:00

Bill and the Fish by Dorothy Z. Seymour
Tony Tallarico, illustrator,Wonder Books, 1965

The cover of the book proclaims it has a 26 word vocabulary and let me tell you it does and it's not "gripping" stuff. Why I like this book is because on the pages one can see where I wrote phonetically how to say the various words in an effort to show my brother how to read. I was probably learning phonics in school and my brother was probably 3 or 4 and expressing an interest.

There is something so sweet and simple about seeing the word "said" sounded out phonetically as "sed." as if the "e" meant more to Jason than the "ai" would have. The book has scribbles everywhere and the story is only so-so, but the memory is alive and special to me, so this book remains a treasure.

The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde

2009-03-10T14:14:00.000-05:00

The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde

Lisbeth Zwserger, illustrator Scholastic Inc, 1991

When I was a wee one in kindergarten class I remember our "nap time" ritual which involved fetching our rugs from the hooks where they hung in the entry way outside the classroom. Then we'd each find a place around the classroom and after the lights were dimmed we'd settle down for a little nap. I have no idea how long this lasted. 15 minutes? 30? Did anyone actually sleep? Or was this just a time for a "rest." I do remember that sometimes we were awakened by Mrs. James's white fluffly tickle feather. She'd move around the room and touch each student with the special feather and that was when you knew it was time to get up. During our rest times we sometimes listened to stories on tape or record, I guess. The one that I remember best was the story of The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde.

For many years I didn't know the name of the story, nor had I ever seen a copy of the book. At some point I discovered many of these tales by Wilde -- The Happy Prince, The Star Child, The Selfish Giant among others. Essentially these are fairy tales but more modern than some of their counterparts. I simply loved this story about a selfish giant who comes to see the error of his ways. I remember the idea of winter never leaving because of his selfishness. What I don't recall was the Christ child at the end of the story and I wonder if maybe our little record left that sad bit out.

Lisbeth Zwerger is an award-winning,l Viennese illustrator whose work is perfectly suited to the fairy tale. She has a sort of wispy, demure, soft colored look about her watercolor images. I have many books illustrated by her.

Modern Monday -- Re-Zoom.

2009-03-09T06:19:00.006-05:00

Istvan Banyai, Viking, 1995

Re-Zoom, a wordless picture book featuring artwork by the author/illustrator Istvan Banyai, is profound in the way it plays with perception and expectation. It opens with an extreme close-up of this image, then on page two we can see it's a rendering of an archer with an arrow ready to fly.

Page three reveals this image is not on some ancient cave wall, but on the wrist watch of a boy, though it takes two more pages before we know that for sure. The story is a series of images that zoom in and zoom out revealing you don't always know "where" you are with each image. What might seem like a house on a lake, will soon reveal it's a design on a lady's fan and so on. This book is a sequel to Zoom, which is also delicious and fun in the same way (Click here for a sample of images from that book). I just happen to prefer Re-Zoom. Istvan Banyai is a Hungarian born illustrator, designer, artist, and children's book author. His latest book is one called The Other Side (I think this also qualifies as a "Monday Must Have" for me.

When You Wish Upon a Star...

2009-03-08T21:26:00.005-05:00

Find the Constellations by H. A. Rey
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954
updated by Chris Dolan in 1977

Rey's book on the night sky is not only charming, but informative. Though in places it seems rather technical Rey's friendly drawings (like the one above) make the text approachable. This is an excellent resource for young and old who crave an understanding of the stars and constellations. In the intro, Rey explains that his book will show readers how to recognize the stars and constellations that one can see year round in the middle and northern United States (about lat. 40 degrees). Because, of course, the night sky looks rather different if you are in Perth, Australia.

Rey uses the term "picture book in the sky" to describe how the constellations form images that readers will soon recognize. He begins with the Big Dipper and then shows how that constellation is part of The Great Bear. These are only two of the many constellations Rey identifies--more than 15 in the book. Early on in the book he shows how some stars are brighter than others and his maps depict that. He also teaches about the planets and other scientific concepts like light years.
Included are several panels of the night sky first with stars in their positions for that time of year and then a second image with the constellations mapped out for easy reference. He provides viewing charts and a handy list of tips for star-gazing outdoors. My edition of the book has an updated planet finder showing locations through 2006, though I suspect as long as this is in print there may be a more current chart.

The book is interactive providing opportunities to quiz oneself on the constellation identification. Rey also includes the mythological stories of some of the constellations which I believe really helps me connect the image in the sky to something I can remember. One example is The Andromeda Story; another is the Orion story.

As for me, I'll always remember Cassiopeia because of a John Cusack film -- Serendipity. In the film, Cusack points out to Kate Beckinsale that the freckles on her arm match the famous constellation and he describes it for her.

One, Ah, Ah... One Blog Post...

2009-03-07T11:18:00.004-06:00

The Sesame Street 1,2,3 Storybook
written by Emily Perl Kingsley, Jeffrey Moss,
Norman Stiles, and Daniel Wilcox
pictures by Joseph Mathieu, Kelly Oechsli,
Mel Crawford, and Bob Taylor
Random House, Children's Television Workshop, 1973

I love the look of fear in that poor octopus's face. I suppose I might be a bit leery if an overeager vampire was heading my way, counting my arms and laughing, ah, ah, ahhhhh.

This particular Sesame Street book features some of the characters who aren't always center stage in these collections: Sherlock Hemlock, Snuffle-upagus, and Sam the robot. Of course many of our favorites show up too: Grover, Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch. And there's no way we could have a book about numbers without the Count. Unthinkable!

Many of the illustrations in the book are in panels and use thought bubbles, but there is some variety in style from story to story. Several of the tales are parodies of other stories or fairy tales:"Goldie-Snuffle and the Seven Bears," "The Story of the Nine Dragons." Others just have fun with allusions: Sherlock Hemlock in "The Mysterious Stranger" and "King Hungry the Eighth."

The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek

2009-03-06T06:18:00.002-06:00

by Evelyn Sibley Lampman, illustrated by Hubert Buel
Scholastic Book Services, 1955

It's been awhile since I read this one, but I remember it from my elementary school library. Maybe this explains why the stegosaurus has always been my favorite dinosaur.

from Amazon:

Suppose you were hunting around in the desert for a fossil and instead you found a real (and very large) dinosaur, genus Stegosaurus. Joan and Joey Brown did! Only nobody would believe they had found one, which was just as well because George (as they called him) was very shy.

He was a loyal friend, though, and he did his best to help the twins with their schemes to make money to finance their mother's dry little ranch on Cricket Creek. George ate sagebrush, looked for fossils, and fought an airplane (which he thought was a Pteranodon) with faithful enthusiasm, but his nut-sized brain often made him more hindrance than help. Especially when he went after the bank robber!

Mrs. Lampman has told her hilarious story so convincingly that you'll be looking for dinosaurs around every mesa. And who knows? Maybe you'll find one!

Mmmm... Jam.

2009-03-05T08:03:00.004-06:00

John Vernon Lord, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1972

This book will forever remind me of Dr. Turner's office. He was our local dentist. I remember sitting in the waiting room for checkups and reading this book. When the town of Itching Down becomes infested with wasps Mayor Muddlenut calls a town meeting to brainstorm a way to deal with this intolerable nuisance.

Then Bap the Baker leaped to his feet
and cried, "What do wasps like best to eat?
Strawberry Jam! Now wait a minute!
If we made a giant sandwich we could trap them in it!"

The entire story is written in rhyming couplets which add to the spirit of this playful tale. The illustrations have that late 60s, early 70s style I love so well. Freaky food stories always make good children's books. This one reminds me a little of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp

2009-03-04T07:37:00.000-06:00

Mercer Mayer, Random House, 1976

This story seems like it's one part Epossumondas, one part Little Red Riding Hood, and one part Paper Bag Princess. Mama is always sending Liza Lou on errands like Epossumondas, but Liza is better at getting the job done. Like Little Red, Liza must face adversaries on her errand. And like the Paper Bag Princess, Liza Lou is whip smart and knows how to handle herself in a tight spot.

Liza Lou is sent on several errands by her mother who always urges her not to dilly-dally passing through the Yeller Belly Swamp and Liza Lou does just as she's told but she runs into trouble just the same. First she encounters a swamp haunt who is said to snatch away children. Next it was a nearly blind old witch who mistake a bundle of laundry for a baby and boils it up. Then she runs into the old Gobbledygook who lives under the bridge. Finally she meets an old swamp devil. In each situation, Liza Lou uses her wits and cleverness to trick the nasty creature and it often works to her advantage in the end. After all, that laundry got all boiled up nice and clean for her!

Do They Dare?

2009-03-03T07:04:00.002-06:00

Stan and Jan Berenstain, Random House, 1978

I always loved the Berenstain Bears books and wished I had a hollowed out tree for a home. So, when they explore the spooky old tree in this book, it seemed like a wonderful adventure. It reminds me a bit of the bit of Pippi Longstocking in which she is holed up in a tree or now that I've seen the film, the way the kids explore the underground chambers and tunnels beneath Astoria. I love that sort of thing.

This is another one of those Beginner Books with easy to read print and language. I should have scanned the image of this, but I didn't think of it. I love how Stan and Jan depict "fear" in the bears with a sort of illustrated shiver. Good stuff.

Must-Have Monday --A Prayer for a Blueberry Girl

2009-03-02T20:07:00.002-06:00

found on Neil Gaiman's journal

“Keep her from spindles and sleeps at sixteen,
let her stay waking and wise.”

Coming soon this picture book by Neil Gaiman who reads it here while we get to explore the art work of illustrator, Charles Vess.

After writing this for his friend who was expecting a baby she and her husband referred to as "blueberry," Gaiman found himself doling out copies of this lovely poem to many other mothers-to-be who could see the magic and kindness of it. Now it's a beautifully illustrated book that all can enjoy.

A further celebration of girls... of daughters.

Modern Monday -- Women's History Month Kicks Off!

2009-03-02T15:29:00.008-06:00

Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan
Pictures by Brian Selznick, Scholastic Press, 1999

At a conference in 2001, I heard Ryan and Selznick discuss this book and talk about its conception and realization. In the book's "author's note," Ryan explains how both women have long been high on her personal heroes list and when she read an obscure reference to their night flight in 1933 she was determined to write a story about it.

It turns out that Eleanor Roosevelt loved flying and longed to get her private pilot's license but circumstances prevented it. Instead she celebrated her love of air travel by flying more passenger miles in the 20s and 30s than any other woman in the world.

This book is a fictionalized account of a true event. Not only did Ryan find associated press articles about the night that Amelia Earhart visited the White House, but Selznick found photographs and in the thank you note Earhart sent she acknowledged the crab chowder, which Ryan faithfully included in the story.

It was fantastic to hear Selznick describe the research he did to create his illustrations. He used original photos of Washington D.C. in 1933; even his china patterns and wallpaper in the backgrounds were authentic. The artwork was done with graphite pencil and colored pencil and in black and white with tints of purple the images have an old-timey feel. The illustrations are rich with detail and that adds so much to the story. Truly Selznick and Ryan are a superb collaborative team.

"Amelia and Eleanor were birds of a feather."

In 1933 Earhart was already a celebrated aviator. She and her husband were in town for a speech she was delivering. When Roosevelt heard, she invited them over for dinner. The first few pages show the two women getting ready, putting on their gloves for the event contemplating how the Amelia's gloves were not unlike the ones she wore flying... and how Eleanor's gloves were not unlike the ones she wore while driving. Both of those activities were considered bold and somewhat dangerous for women.

During dinner Amelia enchanted everyone with her descriptions of flying at night. "Everyone at the table leaned closer to hear. Very few people in the whole world had flown at night, and Amelia was one of them."

In no time at all, a spur of the moment night flight was planned and Amelia and Eleanor boarded the Curtis Condor twin-motor airplane with plans to fly to Baltimore and back. Reporters met them after landing and peppered them with questions and it was evident to all just how much the women had enjoyed their time.

When they returned to the White House, before going inside they slipped away in Eleanor's new car, so she could have a turn at the wheel touring Washington D.C. from the ground. Truly these women were "birds of a feather."

In the official story Amelia doesn't actually fly Eleanor.. they simply ride together in an Air Transport plane, though Amelia did take the controls for a time. The author felt in creating her fictionalized version that it would be more exciting to allow each woman to display her own brand of independent spirit and adventure.

Dandelion Doubles the Fun

2009-03-01T16:46:00.000-06:00

Edited by Josette Frank Illustrated by Marjorie Torrey
Random House, 1955, 1957

I have a couple of these double books put out by Dandelion Library and I particularly love Torrey's illustrations for Alice in Wonderland and the story is a favorite. I love the original Lewis Carroll thick and delicious book filled with, well, wonder. I love the Disney cartoon and own several incarnations of that version. And I'd sort of forgotten about this version. I'm not a fan of "edited" books but I am a fan of Alice artwork so it was fun to page through this and soak in the details.

This book reminds me of a copy on my shelves that I've been itching to get my hands on, to find time to delve into, the sort of thing that snow days are made for. I have a copy of The Annotated Alice which is just oozing good stuff... notes, ideas, author insights--sort of a "pop-up video" of books.

The other side of the Josette Frank edited Alice is a version of Peter Pan. The illustrations are colorful and fun as well, but just not as dear to me as the Alice ones and so I indulged myself and showcased more of the Wonderland pics instead. Enjoy.

Snuffalupagus, is that you?

2009-03-01T10:08:00.002-06:00

me in 1978

They say March comes in like a lion... well, it looks like my March is riding on in a possibly imaginary animal! I don't remember that freakish brown velour chair, but I do remember the red and blue "patchwork" flannel nightgown. Something about that cozy little number makes me happy. Clothing memories stick with me. I am guessing this pic was taken around Easter time because of the plastic egg in my hand.

I Think I Love The Bad Hat.

2009-02-28T06:43:00.005-06:00

Ludwig Bemelmans, Viking Press, 1956

Like many children's book characters (Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh, Eloise, Olivia and so forth) Madeline is recognizable, memorable and dear. Bemelmans' illustrations (his full color ones in particular) are fantastic and they create a Paris I long to visit.

In this episode a fine and dignified Spanish ambassador moves next door and "his excellency" has a boy who terrorizes the little girls. He seems so sweet when the adults are around but when no one is looking he commits multiple terrifying acts... with a sling shot, while ice skating, with cruelty to cats, one in which he creates a guillotine.

The cat episode ends badly for poor Pepito, and it's up to Miss Clavel to rescue him. The girls visit him in the hospital and Madeline quite simply tells him he got what he deserved. He promises to change his wayward ways and "the barbarian becomes a vegetarian."

Filled with humorous images and the creative antics of a naughty boy, Madeline and the Bad Hat is sure to delight.

Some of my First Friends.

2009-02-27T06:39:00.005-06:00

My Little Blue Story Book by David H. Russell,

Odille Ousely, illustrator, Ginn and Company, 1948

When I was first learning to read I loved these old Ginn Basic Readers my mom had lying around. This softback book was one of my favorites. The illustrations depicted a sort of dream world for me. A world in which one could look at beautifully decorated cupcakes in a bakery window. How very Leave it to Beaver. (only that was in black and white) We didn't have a local bakery in my town and none of our trees had benches that wrapped around them. Our dog didn't have a house and in the winter he slept in one made from straw bales which probably gave him better insulation than our old farmhouse.

Tom, Susan, Betty and Flip were the kids I learned to read by. Who were Dick and Jane? :) The competition apparently. The Dick and Jane series came first, published by Scott Foresman company in 1927. Their success spawned "copycats" such as Alice and Jerry (Row, Peterson, and Company), Ned and Nancy (DC Heath and Company) and my very favorites, Susan and Tom (Ginn). Of course, I'm not really old enough to have to have been in a classroom where any of these were used. No, even in my youth these were vintage.

Perhaps exploring this quaint world in pictures and words was my first introduction into my love of the past, memories, and all things vintage. The series ACTUALLY used in my first grade classroom involved some kind of black and white reproducible with a dog named Lad. I really don't remember much else.

And they lived happily ever after...

2009-02-26T06:34:00.007-06:00

Walt Disney Productions, 1967

In the Disney Bad Guys Hall of Fame, I'd say Malificent ranks highly. Cruella DeVille is pretty rotten. Madame Medusa would have my knees knocking, but Malificent takes the cake. Just look at those flames. Yowzers. Sleeping Beauty was one of my favorite Disney films until Beauty and the Beast came along and I saw in Belle a kindred spirit... a girl with her nose in a book dreaming of a world beyond her provincial life.

These illustrations are from the read-along record and for this one I actually still have the record. The three fairies are so sweet in this story and I love the sappy image on the last page... posted here for your viewing pleasure. And they lived happily ever after... with blue birds and chipmunks in lush green grass.... (of course it was kind of a bitch to have to walk all that way to and from the castle to frolic in that grass...)

Mother Goose in the City

2009-02-25T06:30:00.004-06:00

Dora Leder, illustrator, Western Publishing Company, 1974

It turns out that I have a ton of Mother Goose books. Here's one from my Little Golden Books collection I completely forgot about. The verses in the book are the traditional ones rather than an urban version suggested by the title. I guess the "in the city" aspect is portrayed in the illustrations. Here are some of my favorites.

The Boxcar Children

2009-02-24T06:24:00.002-06:00

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
L. Kate Deal, Illustrator, Albert Whitman & Company, 1942

This is the story of Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny, four orphaned children who make their home in an abandoned railway car after their parents death. They fear their grandfather for some reason and though they try to make a go of it on their own their success is short lived. In the golden days they dig a swimming hole, scavenge the dump for useful items, Henry gets a job which provides them with food, and they even find a dog. I think that many children of that age dream of independence--of having their own cup, making their own food, having their own space.

Gertrude Chandler Warner's famous Boxcar Children series began with this one book. The language is very basic and great for beginner readers. I read a few of the others in the series, but never felt the same allure. There were more than 100 books in the series, with Warner writing only the first 19. Half the fun was the idea of four kids living alone in an abandoned boxcar, cooking their own food and eating it on salvaged dishes. When they were safely in the care of their Grandfather some of the allure and excitement vanished. The following books fell more into the mystery genre.

My siblings and I count this book as a beloved favorite. I don't really remember when I discovered it. Maybe my second grade teacher introduced me to the series. What I do remember is reading it aloud to my brother and my sister. First we'd read the story and then we'd act it out.

Nearly 15 years ago I was employed in a babysitting gig for a pair of sweet kids and I had the privilege of introducing them to the wonder of a read aloud from a chapter book. They were at the age where their family focus was on the picture book and we read from plenty of those as well... But I started them off with The Boxcar Children and this was a gateway to a new reading experience for Luke and Hannah too. I still remember Luke remarking with wonder, "You know I don't need pictures. You can see the pictures in your head."

A couple of years ago, I ran into Hannah (now in high school) and her mom at a local bookstore and of course we said hello. Hannah hadn't seen me in years and didn't really remember who I was. As her mom tried to explain, she said one thing that made Hannah's eyes light up and my heart swell... "she's the one who read The Boxcar Children to you." Apparently they still remember.

Modern Monday --A Poke in the I

2009-02-23T21:59:00.007-06:00

A collection of concrete poems

selected by Paul B. Janeczko Chris Raschka, illustrator,
Candlewick Press, 2005

My copy of this book is signed by Chris Raschka and for that reason I've had to stop using this particular copy of in the classroom and invest in a "school edition" that can be handled again and again by careless students. This is a wonderful example of the art of concrete poetry.

Some old favorites are in the book --"Swan and Shadow," being one of them--but I also found some new loves. I even enjoy the "Table of Contents" page which is in the shape of a table... why not? :)

2009-02-22T10:50:00.005-06:00

Illustrated by Al White, Western Publishing Company, 1965

This is a Golden Super Shape Book with rather simplistic text, but pictures that are burned on my brain. I loved the mouse shaped swimming pool at Mickey's house, his cool blue convertible, and all his exciting "movie roles" as the book points out: cowboy, spaceman, swordsman. The book has a very limited plot. I think the story is... "meet Mickey, here's what his life is like." The book features some of the rest of the gang: Pluto, Minnie, Goofy, Donald Duck, and even his nephews, Mortie and Ferdie. The story ends with a big picnic on the beach.

Truly this book is nothing "special" but when I suddenly spotted this copy at the local thrift store, I didn't hesitate to shell out the 50 cents necessary to make it mine.

2009-02-21T10:02:00.001-06:00

Cheerleading and Baton Twirling by Roberta Davis
Weekly Reader Books, Xerox Corporation, 1970

I actually WAS a cheerleader in high school. Apparently it was a dream for years prior? After all, I have this well-worn copy--though the only markings in the book are the stars I placed by favorite cheers, or "yells and chants" as the book identifies them. The book betrays its copyright in a lovely sort of old-fashioned language and ideas from another era. For example:

Should girls wear glasses or leave them at home? This depends on the extent of your real physical need for them... Today, glasses are so readily accepted that wearing them is never held against a cheerleader candidate. However the frames should be as attractive and flattering as possible without being obtrusive. Your glasses should be on the light side, particularly if you have a light complexion. Leave the horn-rims for the brunettes. And whether blond or brunette, avoid long hair and glasses. They don't mix well.

The book is a bit like my cheerleading advisor Mrs. Tupa giving us suggestions for moves in our cheers--ones that involved lots of twirling rather than the suggestive or jerky moves we kept coming up with. I never took the whole cheerleading thing too seriously, though owning this book suggests otherwise. When I was in grade school and probably reading this guide from cover to cover, I remember playing with my cousin Julie's full size red and white pom poms, though when I was in high school we didn't use pom poms anymore. I had a homemade cheerleading uniform for my Barbie doll too.

In response to a meme on Facebook I was forced to recall some things from high school and I was shocked to realize I had no idea what our school song was. I sang that song and did our cheerleading routine to it for two sports for four years. And whoosh... 20 years later, it's gone. With a little intent concentration and a phone call to my mother, it came back and I have to say... it's sort of dorky. It was something like this:

We're gonna go, go, go for Rolla
Keep our spirits high.
We're gonna fight, fight, fight for Rolla
Hear our battle cry,
Rah Rah Rah.
When the game is over,
as the story's told,
we're gonna fight a victory for the
Purple and Gold.

The following images are some sample pages offering tips on grooming, stretching, and some cheers. I never learned how to twirl a baton, but that doesn't mean I didn't try. I am sure I was the most uncoordinated cheerleader in the world.

Betsy and the Chicken Pox by Gunilla Wolde

2009-02-20T18:43:00.002-06:00

Gunilla Wolde, illustrator and author
Random House, 1976
Originally published in Sweden as Emmas Lillebror Ar Sjuk

When I was small I had the book Betsy's Baby Brother. I remember the pictures quite distinctly. They were sort of explicit. As in, you could see the baby's bottom in one shot and in another see him nursing. Even at that young age I sensed that this was sort of unusual in puritanical America. Now that I understand that Gunilla Wolde is Swedish, well, it all makes sense, right? Free from our American conservative tendencies. Even in this book there is an illustration of Betsy's brother getting his temp taken in his bottom.

The stories, on the other hand, are typical. A sister must adjust to a new brother. And in this book, Betsy must deal with all the attention going to her sick brother and she longs to have the chicken pox too. She paints spots on her face and has a temper tantrum when no one really pays much attention. Of course as they wash off the paint, they discover she has real spots and she's sick too. It turns out, it wasn't as much fun as she thought! :)

Wolde has a very distinct style of illustration and it reminds me a bit of the pictures of Ramona on the covers of my Beverly Cleary books. It all feels very 1970s to me and really just brings me right back. I will have to try to track down a few more of her titles.

Is Marvin Oppositional Defiant?

2009-02-19T16:22:00.001-06:00

Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!
by Dr. Seuss, Bright and Early Book
Random House, 1972

Seuss brings new meaning and transportation options to the phrase, "Hit the road, Jack." Whether by Bumble-Boat or Zumble-Zay, Marvin K. Mooney has orders to go! The mysterious large and bossy hand with his large wrist watch offers plenty of friendly suggestions before getting tough. It's a bit like how I feel some days as a teacher. Friendly and firm to start and finally letting loose with some all-in-caps words!

Hooray for Puppets!

2009-02-18T16:06:00.000-06:00

Puppet Party by Goldie Taub Chernoff
Pictures by Margaret Hartelius
Scholastic Inc, 1971

I love the author's note:

Children should always be given the freedom to create things of their own... in their own way... and with materials of their own... in their own way... and with materials of their own choosing. The projects in this book will show children some new ways to use materials and some simple techniques for making different kinds of puppets. But they can and should be modified according to a child's needs, skills, and imagination.

Using paper bags, socks, old gloves, paper tubes, rubber balls, and even just your hand, one can make all kinds of puppets. The illustrations are so cheerful and the directions are so easy to follow it's hard to resist the siren call to craft. I loved this sort of thing as a kid and still do today.
Finger puppets are a particular "passion" of mine.

I included scans of my favorite pages. The last image featured explains different ways to present a puppet show.

We Like Kindergarten.

2009-02-17T22:50:00.000-06:00

by Clara Cassidy, Pictures by Eloise Wilkin
Western Publishing Company, 1965

Books about starting school and kindergarten are all over the place now, The Kissing Hand or Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten or Countdown to Kindergarten,
but when I was young, this was the book. I loved kindergarten and Carol's experience was a lot like mine or at least what I remember about it. I was so proud of my rug for naptime. It was a soft white furry carpet square with my name written on the back in black marker, and we hung them on a hook just outside the room. Other than naptime, I mostly remember games. I do know we had all day kindergarten, but we only met every other day.

Cassidy's book features all the best bits of school... classroom pets, finger painting, musical instruments, show and tell, recess on the playground, story time, and Farmer in the Dell -- a game I've not thought about in YEARS. I love how Carol comes home and "plays school" with her little sister Laurie and Rusty and Patches (pets) are her "boys and girls."

Modern Monday -- That Book Woman

2009-02-16T00:16:00.003-06:00

That Book Woman

by Heather Henson, David Small, illustrator
Atheneum Books--Simon & Schuster, 2008

I will admit the first thing to draw me to this book was the cover art. Even from a distance too great to read the names on the cover I could tell it was done by David Small. I'm a huge fan of his work and I expect to talk about many of his books on this blog, over time. Small is a perfect example of artwork that makes my mouth water. Images that won't leave my mind. Often his work is watercolor (the copyright page says the illustrations for this book are rendered in watercolor, ink, and pastel chalk) but it's the ink or the dark outlines on the people that seem to define his style for me.

Heather Henson is a children's book author from Kentucky and she draws on her own love of books and the history of her region in writing That Book Woman. I am not sure what I was expecting from this book, but I wasn't expecting to have tears running down my face as I read the final page.

The book is set in the Appalachian mountains and the words are tinged with local color that really sings on the page:

"My folks and me--we live way up as up can get. So high we hardly sight a soul--'cept hawks a-winging in the sky and critters hid among the trees."

Cal is the main character, he's the oldest boy in the family and works hard helping his Pa with plowing, and fetching, and sheep watching among many other things. He seems resentful of his sister Lark,

"Who would keep her nose a-twixt the pages of a book daybreak to dusky dark if Mama would allow. The readnest child you ever did see--that's what Pap says."

Cal isn't interested in the "chicken scratch" within the pages of a book and claims he is "no scholar-boy." But he's observant and he's the first to see a woman riding up on her horse with a pack filled with books. Theirs is a more old fashioned time and to see a woman wearing pants is shocking to young Cal and he's less than impressed with "that book woman."

At first it seems she is there selling books, like the peddler who passes by and Pap offers to trade some fresh-picked berries for a book, but that book woman just says,

These books are free, as free as air! Not only that--why, two weeks to the day she'll come again to swap these books for more!

As time passes--the seasons change--and the book woman keeps returning like clockwork, Cal begins a transformation that is sure to warm any reader's heart and make one appreciate the libraries and the book women in our lives.

I found THIS book at our local library and I think I need a copy of my own to treasure.

Not only is this book a wonderful story, it's based on historical events. In the 1930s FDR's Works Progress Administration founded the Pack Horse Library Project to bring books to remote regions where there were few schools and no libraries. I always have a special place in my heart for the stories that include book mobiles (Big Stone Gap, The Evidence of Things Unseen) and libraries (Where the Heart Is, The Library) and a pure love of books (These is My Words, Matilda). There's even a reading guide --discussion questions on the Simon and Schuster site.

A Book So Good it Makes my Heart Hurt a Little.

2009-02-15T00:09:00.008-06:00

Written and drawn by Antoine De Saint-Exupery Translated from the French by Katherine Woods Harcourt, Brace, & World, Inc. 1943

With the holiday o' love in the not so distant past, I am still thinking of love stories and beloved books. The Little Prince is a beautiful tale, supposedly for children, but truly for all ages. It has wonderful fantastical moments involving a little prince from planet B612 and sheep and a desert, a flower and a fox. And it has beautiful and highly memorable artwork done by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, himself. The book is also rich with wonderful, thoughtful, quotations that resonate even outside the confines of the story. The entire book is available online here.

When the narrator of the story crashes in the Sahara desert he meets a little blonde boy who asks him to draw him a sheep. As the narrator and the readers gets to know him we learn the little prince comes from a small planet that he, alone, takes care of by making sure it is never taken over by the baobab trees. His life is changed one day by a rose with whom he falls in love, yet leaves because of a breach of trust. The little prince explores six other planets, each with a unique inhabitant and finally ends up on earth. At first the prince fails to meet any humans and is alone in the Sahara. Then he meets a snake, then a rose garden which depresses him because he felt his rose was the only one of its kind. He meets a fox who helps him to understand the important things in lofe and finally he encounters two unimpressive men. And then our narrator. The prince's time on earth was not in vain and he prepares to return home a wiser prince. The narrator's life is changed too and he hears the prince's laughter in the stars and asks that we watch for him, in case he ever returns.

The very first page of the book is one of my favorites. I love this bit:

I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them. But they answered: "Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?" My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained.

I still remember my friend Tiffany showing me that picture, years ago, and asking me what I thought. I think, for her, it was a test of one's power of imagination, observation and the like. When I showed it to my mom, she dismissed the page with a wave, "Carmyn, you KNOW I hate snakes. Get that away from me!" I guess some of us can be grown up and see clearly.

And he went back to meet the fox.

Goodbye, he said.

Goodbye, said the fox. And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

What is essential is invisible to the eye, the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.

It is the time I have wasted for my rose--- said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.

Men have forgotten this truth, said the fox. But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose.

I am responsible for my rose, the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

Vintage Valentine.

2009-02-14T11:45:00.000-06:00

Oh to be in Love!

2009-02-14T11:40:00.005-06:00

Charles Schulz, The World Publishing Company

United Feature Syndicate, 1968

After watching a PBS special on Schulz I view all his books, cartoons, and comics with different eyes and suddenly they all seem so much more sad. I know that humor often as its roots in tragedy and truly Charlie Brown is a tragic character. This book is great evidence of that.

It's in this story that Charlie discovers his love for the little red haired girl and he's trying to find the words to tell her. It makes him a little crazy and he does insane things like embarrass himself in front of the class by accidentally reading part of his love letter to her. He doesn't want to miss the last day of school so he overcompensates and sets an alarm for 4 am but then is so tired he falls asleep and misses the bus. When he gets to school he tries to impress her with his math skills but he's forced to admit he has no idea what he's doing. Poor Charlie Brown. The book ends with a message of hope, in the form of a note pressed into his hands in the midst of the end of school day, last day before summer vacation chaos.

Charlie Brown tried the old flower method, and as he plucked each petal from a nice white flower, he recited those words that were supposed to give him his answer: "She loves me, she loves me not, she loves me, she loves me not." He never really finished, however, for Linus broke in with a statement that sort of deflated the whole business.

"It is difficult for me to believe that a flower could ever have the gift of prophecy"

The Children's Page.

2009-02-13T13:42:00.003-06:00

Joan Walsh Anglund, illustrator and children's book author
Good Housekeeping Magazine, found here.

Beginning in the late 1970s, Joan Walsh Anglund created a quarterly "Children's Page" in Good Housekeeping magazine. The pages often included paper dolls. It was for that one page that I eagerly read through my mother's Good Housekeeping magazines. Later I would read the novel excerpts, often seeking out the full versions in book forms.

Her images all include children with the small pin dot eyes and minimal features. I am pretty sure I have a book of hers somewhere...

Sooner or Later....

2009-02-11T16:00:00.000-06:00

Sooner or Later
A novel by Bruce and Carole Hart

I'm not sure which came first for me. The book or the "major television motion picture" starring Rex Smith, Barbara Felden, and Denise Miller. Either way, here's some classic teenage sap from the Wayback Machine.

From the inside cover:

Thirteen-year old Jessie is a romantic, and she and her friends spend hours talking about LOVE. Spin-the-bottle is considered "practice for the main event" and the ideal boyfriend is Burt Reynolds. But Jessie knows if she's patient, the real thing is bound to happen sooner or later. And it does.

Jessie first spots Michael and his band playing at the shopping mall. When they meet, she is shy and nervous. Michael is handsome, charming--and seventeen. Jessie tells Michael she is sixteen, sure that he won't be interested in her if she revea s her real age. Jessie is ready for her first love, and much to her surprise, Michael is ready for Jessie.

I am considering a reread just to see how truly awful this book is. As I skim it, I recall this was the book to introduce me to the wonder that is New Jersey... Englewood, Hackensack. Good stuff. I do remember I also read the sequel Waiting Games but I no longer own that one. And today, I discovered there was a third book Now or Never released about a decade later.

Cranberry Valentine

2009-02-10T06:54:00.003-06:00

Wende and Harry Devlin, Simon and Schuster, 1986

While Cranberry Christmas was my first and most beloved of the Cranberryport stories, I have a deep appreciation for all of them. They are books that make me long to visit Maine and seashores and well, eat cranberries.

This holiday story is about how Mr. Whiskers deals with the onslaught of valentines that come his way after a chance remark about how he'd never gotten any in the past. One might think he'd be flattered or glad, but as more and more keep appearing he grows panicky...

"Why me?" asked Mr. Whiskers. Then he reflected, "Why not? I'm the best clam digger in the bog country. I have wonderful whiskers. I sing like a blinking bird."

Seth broke into Mr. Whisker's shining thoughts. "Now, Mr. Whiskers, if some lady gives you a present on this Valentine's Day, you should have a box of chocolates to give in return. A gentleman would."

Mr. Whiskers looked terrified at the idea.

Of course, it's not all as bad as it seems and after dodging some near embarrassment, Mr. Whiskers his true admirers and ends up enjoying the holiday much more than he expected.

Monchichi

2009-02-10T00:27:00.000-06:00

Monchichi, Russ Berrie and Co, 1977

These toys originated in Japan much earlier than their 1980s TV cartoon debut in the US. The Saturday morning cartoon lasted only one season.

Monchichis were monkey-like creatures who lived in the forest land of Monchia at the very top of tall trees well above the clouds. The tribe's leader, Wizzar, was a magical wizard who could make up spells and potions to defeat their enemy, the evil Grumplins of Grumplor.

Modern Monday--The Quiltmaker's Gift

2009-02-09T08:03:00.001-06:00

The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
Gail de Marcken, illustrator, Pfeifer-Hamilton Inc., 2000

In recent years, I've seen a resurgence in quilting as a hobby and so perhaps it makes sense that Brumbeau and de Marcken would release such a timely book. Within the pages of this colorful tale are quilt block images and later a book was released that had the actual patterns displayed in the book. Even a basic quilt can tell a story, but the symbolic images in the quilt patterns in the book suggest even more.

What I loved about The Quiltmaker's Gift is the fairy tale quality. It features a selfish king who has everything a person could want and more, and a gifted woman who makes her quilts only for the poor and downtrodden. Quite simply, the king wants a quilt and she refuses because they are only for the poor. And the king is anything but. The old woman's skill is legendary, and her generosity isn't limited to people. The kindness she shows to a bear and then to the sparrows saves her from the King's retribution because she remains steadfast in her principles. Of course, the king is a man with a conscience and not entirely bad and finally he gives in to her conditions in order to earn one of her fantastic quilts.

The beautiful watercolor pictures are crammed so full of delicious images that another entire story seems to be happening there. At times the page is one colorful, richly detailed image. At others, the pages are full of panel type images that reflect the action of the story, often adding to the words through imagery. It's a book to hear, sure, but also one that requires "soaking in" before one turns the page.

In 2005, Brumbeau and de Marcken released a prequel in which readers can discover HOW the quiltmaker discovered her mission and found her talent. The Quiltmaker's Journey goes back in time to when our famed quiltmaker was a young woman. It's not quite as wonderful as the first story but true fans of the artistic style, quilts, and the story may want to own this one too.

Must Have Monday -- ABC 3D Pop-Up Book

2009-02-09T07:33:00.000-06:00

ABC 3D
Marion Bataille, author
Roaring Brook Press, 2008

I'm already a huge fan of the alphabet book. Many of which I will feature in the days ahead. This book combines that love with another genre of book I am completely ga-ga for--The Pop-up. I've been trying to track down some early Hallmark Pop-ups that started the craze in my life, but I've not been successful. However, I have to recognize the wonder that is Marion Bataille with this post.

I bought this book for my sister's boyfriend for his birthday. He's a graphic artist and a lover of image and typography, and when I saw this book I just KNEW he'd love it. The more I look at it, the more I realize I simply must have a copy for myself.

Here are some images of the various pages:

What's wonderful is how creative the author is in blending one letter into the next. Moments earlier this "Y" was an "X" and the pop-up feature sucks in the red leg that made it an "X"

Q and R were once O and P and then when a transparent overlay is placed over the letters they becomethe next two letters.

On an earlier page C flips to form D, and here I and J share a dot.
I love that! My favorite is V to W, but I'll leave you in suspense.

Or if you just can't handle the curiosity you can view the entire book here in this video:

I've Got No Strings.

2009-02-08T20:35:00.001-06:00

Walt Disney Productions, Random House, 1973

The origins of Pinocchio go far beyond the Disney film (1883 by Carlo Collodi). This book is simply a slice out of the film, however. The bit with the puppet show. Of course, that's all I can really remember of the story, and that might be explained by the fact that I have this book which I'm sure I read again and again.

I love the Italian names like Geppetto and Pinocchio and Stromboli (which actually just make me think of some kind of delicious food!) The animals were some of my favorite characters, however--Cleo, Figaro, and Jiminy Cricket.

The more I ponder this tale, the more I want to rewatch the film. I am suddenly remembering all the allusions in that sci fi Steven Spielberg/Kubrick film A.I. and how the blue fairy makes an appearance and how the little robot, David, longs to be "a real boy." It was all very nicely done. Of course, I am a huge fan of literary allusion.

Love the silhouette image of the three of them running home.

Resourceful, Clever, Unappreciated.

2009-02-07T16:18:00.000-06:00

The Paper Bag Princess
By Robert Munsch, Art by Michael Martchenko
Annick Press Ltd., 1980

When a dragon smashes her castle and burns all her clothes, and steals her fiancee, Elizabeth doesn't take it lying down. She pulls herself together and heads off to fix things.

She plays to the prideful nature of most dragons and challenges him to show off, and in doing so she effectively renders him fireless and exhausted, giving her the chance she needs to rescue Ronald.

Ronald, it turns out, is no prize and in a truly ungrateful manner he insults her appearance and tells her to come back when she's dressed like a real princess. The last page of the book makes it for me...

"Ronald," said Elizabeth, "your clothes are really pretty and your hair is all neat. You look like a real prince, but you are a bum." They didn't get married after all.

The final image shows her skipping off into the sunset. The copy I have of this book is a tiny 3" square book that I treasured when I was younger. I loved the language of the story, the attitude of Elizabeth and her spunkiness and cleverness. The reference to there not being enough fire left to cook a meatball was a particularly funny line to me as a kid, for some reason.

Perhaps if Elizabeth were wearing a paper bag dress like this, Ronald might have been a bit more generous of spirit. This image was inspired by the book and found here.

I Heart the Stegosaurus.

2009-02-06T07:24:00.005-06:00

Dinosaurs by Jane Werner Watson
Pictures by William de J. Rutherfoord
Western Publishing Company, 1959

From Loganberry books,
I'm afraid that I don't know much about Jane Werner Watson (1915- ), but a great-niece wrote in that she is in her eighties and living in California. Werner wrote and edited many children's books from 1944-1978 (mostly in the '50s) and has published under at least three different variations of her name: Elsa Jane Werner, Jane Werner, and Jane Werner Watson. Many of these were for Golden Books, including at least 35 Little Golden Books, and many for Walt Disney Productions. Some are religious in theme, some silly or comic, and some truly magical.

I know that this book was probably my first exposure to the idea of dinosaurs -- that subject that captures most young children's imaginations and sparks a curiosity in what our world was once like. I remember really liking this image:

It has a very "old-school" feel to it.

Woodland Medical Practices.

2009-02-05T23:09:00.004-06:00

Mr. Nibble Calls a Doctor by Jane Pilgrim
F. Stocks May, illustrator
Brockhampton Press, Leicester, 1972

There are several books in this series and I can tell I got it from my grandmother since my name is on the inside cover in her handwriting. I wonder if this is something she picked up in Canada because this isn't a series of books I remember being real popular around here. The Potato Press who did the American publishing also lists some books about "Andy Pandy" on the back cover of this one and I seem to recall those as well. Maybe our library did have them after all.

This story is quite simple. It has a a Beatrix Potter feel with the named animals... Ernest Owl, Lucy Mouse, Joe Robin, and George the kitten. The colors on the images really pop and bring the magic to the book. One of the lines when Ernest Owl is inspecting Mr. Nibble reminds me of something from A. A. Milne:

"My leg hurts so much," he told Ernest Owl.
And Ernest Owl, who had once read a book called How to be a Good Doctor, felt him carefully all over and said: "I'm afraid, Mr. Nibble, that you have broken your leg."

I Think I Can.

2009-02-04T20:00:00.001-06:00

Retold by Watty Piper
Illustrated by George & Doris Hauman
Platt and Munk, 1954

I have a great love for this book. When life gets tough I often find myself thinking... "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." If you get close enough to me you might even hear me muttering it under my breath!

According to Wikipedia, the best known incarnation of the story The Little Engine That Could is attributed to "Watty Piper", a pseudonym [a pseudonym? I had NO idea!] used by publishing house Platt & Munk. With illustrations by the esteemed Lois Lenski, this retelling of the tale The Pony Engine appeared in 1930. The first edition attributes Mabel C. Bragg as the originating author. However, Mabel C. Bragg, a school teacher in Boston, Massachusetts, never claimed to have originated the story. Indeed, The Pony Engine, which first appeared in the Kindergarten Review in 1910, was written by Mary C. Jacobs (1877-1970). Fascinating stuff.

I love the pages that describe all the good things on the train meant for the boys and girls on the other side of the mountain. Here are a couple faves:

It's not my imagination, is it?
The milk bottles have legs and eyes, right?
I do love anthromorphic food!

"To Keep"

2009-02-03T18:27:00.001-06:00

The Luck of Pokey Bloom By Ellen Conford
Archway Paperbacks, Pocket Books, 1975

Ellen Conford's books were always a hit with me and this one is one of best. In the story, Pokey (aka Charlotte), is always trying to win sweepstakes and contests. She's a pro at filling in the entry blanks and entering everything available (cake mix contests, greeting card selling schemes) in hopes of winning all sorts of goodies (transister radios, dream houses). I went through a stage like that too. Not sure if it was inspired by this book or something I just thought was a good idea. I remember submitting requests for all kinds of free materials listed in the backs of magazines and I even got some dandy religious materials this way too! Power for Living. Remember that one?

In the story, her brother Gordon is also going through a rather sweet crush-inspired health food kick in which he's all about yoga and health shakes with applesauce, bananas, wheat germ and beets! The book is reminiscent of the Beverly Cleary books, but maybe I only think that because I was reading them all at the same time.

On a side note, I borrowed many books in my youth from our neighbor down the road, Andrea. Many of my beloved titles came from her. Some from our annual two family rummage sale. Others because she was weeding out her collection. This book must have been one of hers because there's a small note scrawled on the inside cover. She'd mark the books to indicate if it was one that was meant to be a "loan" or in this case, the book reads "to keep." Thanks, Andrea!

I'd forgotten this book had illustrations.

Oddly enough the cover suggests the illustrations were done by Charles Carroll, but the inside cover attributes them to Bernice Loewenstein. Maybe Carroll just illustrated the cover?

Modern Monday--Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth

2009-02-02T07:03:00.004-06:00

By Jon J. Muth
Scholastic Press, 2005

Zen Shorts, a Caldecott Honor book, offers an introduction to the Zen tradition for young readers accompanied by beautiful watercolor illustrations. I'm also a bit "panda crazy." Thus Muth's book featuring Stillwell, a giant panda bear is an added bonus.

When Stillwell moves next door he shares traditional Buddhist and Taoist tales in turn with each of his three curious young neighbors: Michael, Karl, and Addy. They first discover their unusual neighbor when he appears just outside their door clutching an umbrella.

"'I am sorry for arriving unannounced,' said the bear. 'The wind carried my umbrella all the way from my backyard to your backyard. I thought I would retrieve it before it became a nuisance.' He spoke with a slight panda accent." (the panda accent remark made me smile.)

The curiosity of the children causes each to seek out Stillwater and in turn he offers each of them a story. The stories are actually short meditations from two Zen traditions, Zen Buddhism and Taoism which introduce the virtues of generosity, the nature of luck, and the dangers of anger and materialism. This children's book produces a calm, serene effect on the reader. I love it.

My favorite of the tales is one called "The Farmer's Luck." Here's a version of that one:

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit.

"Such bad luck," they said sympathetically.

"Maybe," the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses.

"How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed.

"Maybe," replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg.

The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

"Maybe," answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by.

The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

"Maybe," said the farmer.

First Prayers

2009-02-01T22:42:00.004-06:00

Illustrated by Tasha Tudor
Henry Z. Walck, Inc, 1952

Tasha Tudor is a celebrated illustrator who lived from 1915-2008. Much of her work has an old world feel. The focus of this collection is more about the prayers, some of which I must have really liked as evidenced by the little gold stars pasted in the corners of several pages. I remember my mom having us memorize prayers and psalms as a child. When I look at these pages I realize at one time or another I knew these by heart.

I Think Mini-Me Was Hard on Books.

2009-02-01T11:58:00.000-06:00

I can't tell the title of whatever I'm reading but the way I'm holding it looks like I am ready to just start ripping. Yikes. I can see some damage on the other page. Clearly THIS is why so many of my books are in such bad shape today. Forget well-loved. It was parental negligence in unleashing monster-me on perfectly nice books. I guess kids' books are for kids and handling them any which way I wanted was better than having no books at all, right? On a side note, I love the way my left sock is half off. I am thinking this was taken in 1975 at the farm.

Saturday Morning Cartoons --Jonny Quest

2009-01-31T10:05:00.005-06:00

Story by Horace J. Elias
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc, 1972

Saturday morning cartoons were a big part of the first 20 years of my life. Just kidding. Sort of. I really liked cartoons and so I probably watched them a bit beyond the age most kids stopped watching them. The real golden age for me was probably in the early 80s when I watched things like the Smurfs, the Snorks, The Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Spiderman and his Amazing Friends, Flash Gordon, Monchichi and so forth.

Still I've always loved the old school Hanna Barbera cartoons like Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Augie Doggie, Snagglepuss and so forth. One of my all-time favorites was Jonny Quest. I loved this sci-fi adventure series with their groovy hovercrafts and high speed chases. The daring, the action. The cute little dog named Bandit. Apparently the show was inspired by the James Bond film, Dr. No.

Dr. Benton Quest is Jonny's scientist father and Roger "Race" Bannon is Quest's best friend and bodyguard. Dr. Quest is usually developing some new controversial or exciting technology and that often puts him in harm's way, which is what happens in this rather brief little book. Hadji, Jonny's foster brother and best friend doesn't appear in this story.

Beginning and Ending credits for the Original Jonny Quest cartoon:

Little Black Sambo -- Then and Now

2009-01-30T21:03:00.007-06:00

Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
illustrated by Bonnie and Bill Rutherford
Western Publishing Company, 1961

I loved this book when I was a kid. As an adult I learned that it's been banned in some places and is considered to be controversial because of racial slurs involving the names of the characters. Apparently the word "sambo" is considered a racial slur in some countries. Furthermore, some versions of the book were illustrated in a caricature fashion that brought racial slurs to African Americans in the US and from that the story fell out of favor. You can read more about the controversy surrounding this book here.

What I loved about the story was how smart the little boy was in convincing the tigers to accept his new clothing items rather than eating him. The very best part of the story, though, is when the tigers begin to fight over the clothing and chase each other around the tree "so fast that you couldn't see their legs at all."

"And they still ran faster and faster and faster, till they all just melted away, and there was nothing left but a great big pool of melted butter (or "ghee" as it is called in India) round the foot of the tree."

Black Mumbo, the little boy's mother, makes pancakes for supper and uses the tiger ghee which makes the pancakes tiger striped.

"And Black Mumbo ate twenty-seven pancakes, and Black Jumbo ate fifty-five, but Little Black Sambo ate a hundred and sixty-nine, because he was so hungry!"

You can read the entire book here.

A few years ago I picked up a new "modern" copy of Little Black Sambo which suggested a PC angle based on the title if nothing else.

By Helen Bannerman, Illustrated by Valeria Petrone
Random House, 2004

The title page offers this note:

Helen Bannerman, an Englishwoman who lived in India for thirty years, made up The Story of Little Black Sambo for her two daughters on a long train ride in 1899. For this edition of Bannerman's story, the little boy and his parents have been given new names.

The illustrations just seem rather simple in a boring way and lack the charm of the book I loved as a child. The one of the tigers is pretty similar though, and in this image you can see them turning into ghi (as it's spelled in this version). The characters' names are: Ramita (mother), Kapaali (father), and Little Rajani. I think the updated names are a nice touch.

The Three Bears

2009-01-29T23:03:00.000-06:00

The Three Bears, F. Rojankovsky, illustrator
Western Publishing, 1948

Rojankovsky's pictures are rich in color and delicious in detail. They have a sort of rich European feel to them. I love the details in the bears' clothing and accessories and the style of everything within the house.

Feodor Rojankovsky was born in Russia and studied at the Academy of Art in Moscow. During the first World War he served as an officer in the Russian Army. After the war he settled in Poland where, for the next few years, he worked as Art Director-first of the Opera in Poznan, the of Poland's leading fashion magazine, and finally of the Wegner publishing house in Warsaw. Later, in Paris, he received several prizes for his work in advertising design. He has illustrated over forty books, published here and abroad. His artwork appears in many of the Little Golden Books.

The 2009 Newbery and Caldecott Awards

2009-01-26T22:17:00.002-06:00

2009 Newbery Medal goes to ...
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The 2009 Caldecott Medal goes to....
The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson

To see the honor books and many other awards
check out the official announcement on the ALA site.

So Much for a Book a Day!

2009-01-25T20:23:00.000-06:00

I had grand intentions and books lined up to have their day in the blog-light! Sadly I was struck by an merciless strain of the flu that has pulled the rug out from under me after kidney punching me and stealing my shoes. Yes, I've been a puddle of pathetic for several days now and I am hoping that I'll soon be full strength.

Until then,
Carmyn

Crocodiles, Firecrackers, and Orphanages in Africa -- Ahhh... Storytelling.

2009-01-21T07:14:00.002-06:00

The Enormous Crocodile
by Roald Dahl Pictures by Quentin Blake
Weekly Reader Children's Book Club Edition
Alfred A. Knopf, 1978

Once when I was young, probably over some holiday weekend, my family stayed overnight at my aunt and uncle's house. It turned into a whole slumber party with my cousin Stacy and her sister Kelly, my brother Jason, my sister Lori and I'm pretty sure there were other cousins there too. I don't know what the occasion was but I do recall Stacy was the oldest and deemed the storyteller. She told us a story about a mean old crocodile who was determined to get rid of some loud pesky kids who lived in an orphanage in Africa because they were always making noise during his afternoon nap. There were firecrackers and other schemes done by the Crocodile every last one failing miserably. In the end, the kids outsmart the mean old crocodile and he's blown up by his own firecrackers all the way to the sun and back.

Years later, as an adult I retold her story and it was different every time. Children I babysat loved the story and asked for it every time I was there at bedtime. Only a few years ago, did I discover that Stacy didn't come up with this story all on her own. She was telling us a heavily modified version of Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile. The essence was the same, but the details quite different. The one part that didn't change was the way the Crocodile was sent flying so far and so high that he hit the sun.

This week I'm doing some kid-sitting again, and we revisited the story Tommy remembered from an earlier babysitting visit. And this time I brought out the original book and we've been having fun reading this one together. Dahl's book has a lot of humor in it. The language is delightful. Blake's pictures are terrific. I love how he captures the scene but adds little details to really show the spirit of the Crocodile, for example.

This book is longer than some "picture books" but it's totally worth the effort. It's probably good I never knew the original story all those years or I would have had a hard time adapting it for my own bedtime story purposes. It's too great in its original state. Still, I thank Stacy for introducing me to it and all the kiddos over the years who kept wanting to hear it until I stumbled upon this copy and fell in love.

And With the Wolf At the Door

2009-01-20T22:16:00.005-06:00

Peter and the Wolf
Walt Disney Productions retells Sergei Prokofiev's fairy tale
Random House, 1974

The story is a bit like The Penguin That Hated the Cold in that it was a film first. Walt Disney produced an animated version of the work in 1946, with Sterling Holloway providing the voice of the narrator. It was released theatrically as a segment in Make Mine Music, then re-issued the following year accompanying a re-issue of Fantasia (as a short subject before the film), then separately on home video in the 1990s.

I love the names of the characters: Peter, Sasha, Ivan, and Sonia. I was planning to feature this book soon, but for some reason it seemed appropriate today. In this story a young boy disregards the advice of his grandfather and with the help of some friends manages to catch a dangerous wolf with only a toy gun and his wits. It's a dangerous game and some might say it's a foolish one that almost cost Peter his friend. Still, it is also a story of a boy who is underestimated,and the odds were not in his favor and yet he never wavers and in the end he comes out on top.

On this inauguration day, we say hello to a new President and somehow, despite the dire forecast, the disastrous state of our nation, I have hope. I am counting on him and those in this new administration to be like Peter and to boldly venture out, to use innovation and intellect, and even a bit of bravado to get the job done. I am hoping we can banish those wolves in our midst.

Modern Monday -- Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech

2009-01-19T06:31:00.004-06:00

Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech
Harper Collins, 2008

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Harper Collins, 2001

The story of Jack begins in Love That Dog in Miss Stretchberry's classroom as the students learn about poetry. Initially Jack is very poetry resistant but his teacher introduces him to all kinds of great poets and he has an opportunity to actually meet Walter Dean Myers and all of this has a great impact on the young learner. The novel is a breeze to read since it's written in free verse poetry which feels almost more like a kind of one sided communication (Jack's voice) with his teacher.

In Hate That Cat, Jack is back for another school year and it turns out that Miss Stretchberry's advanced with her students. Jack sees this as a good thing and mentions it would be nice if she did that every year from now on. Of course they are back to learning about poetry and Jack focuses much of his poetic energy on a black cat that is making him miserable. If you loved the first one, you'll enjoy this continuation. Not only is this a book of poetry exploration and a struggle with Jack's feelings toward cats, and his questions about sounds and silence, it looks at Jack's relationship to his mother, just as the first book touched on his relationship with his father.

This is a link to Sharon Creech's "tidbits" page in which she tells all kinds of fun little facts about her books and their inspiration.

Simon Says.

2009-01-18T21:31:00.004-06:00

Pocket Simon, Milton Bradley, 1980

It's a memory game that has players pressing the lit buttons in the sequence the machine plays for you. It speeds up and the sequences get longer after each successful turn. There was a full-size version which came out in 1978 but I remember playing with the pocket one. I guess this is the one my family had.

For Everyone Who Loves to Swing!

2009-01-18T16:08:00.001-06:00

The Marvelous Monster

Story by Carolyn Joyce, Pictures by Rod Ruth
Whitman Publishing Company, 1977

When Geraldine goes outside to swing she discovers a monster named Mason is on her swing and has no intention of giving it up. She strives to outsmart the monster and when she succeeds his tears remind her of how much better it is just to share.

Fire Away

2009-01-17T22:17:00.003-06:00

from the Crimes of Passion Album, 1981

One of the first 45 singles I remember caring about. I am not sure what grade I was in -- 5th grade, maybe? I have a distinct memory of sitting in Carrie Longie's bedroom and listening to this record over and over again and dancing around her room. Pat Benetar still gets me fired up (she's all over my workout playlist!)

The Heroic and Spooky Adventures of America's Favorite Floppy-Eared Mutt

2009-01-17T15:53:00.001-06:00

A novelization by Allison Thomas

from the original screenplay by Joe Camp

American Broadcasting Company Merchandising, Inc 1975

Back in the day, my parents had Lassie. In my day, I had Benji. You just have to love those celebrity dogs. For some reason I was all about reading the book after seeing the movie, but it's the movie I really remember. I loved that scruffy dog, Benji. I remember the old abandoned house and how he hooked up with his "girlfriend" Tiffany. Other than than that the plot escapes me.

Here's an online summary about the 1974 film:

Benji tells the story of a stray dog who lives in a small Texas town where he has befriended many local people, each of whom calls him by a different name. He gets plenty of food and attention whenever he visits with one of his acquaintances. He meets another stray dog, a diminutive white female with long fluffy hair, and the two dogs form a bond. When two children whom Benji loves are kidnapped and held for ransom, the dogs try to help, and Benji seeks out friendly human beings to assist him in freeing the children.

These are a few pics from the book insert.

No Desserts for You!

2009-01-16T16:04:00.006-06:00

The Poky Little Puppy
By Janette Sebring Lowery, Illustrated by Gustaf Tenngren
Simon and Schuster, 1942

This book was one of the first 12 Little Golden Books published in the early 1940s. According to Publisher's Weekly as of 2001, it was the all-time, single best-selling children's book in the English language. (Selling nearly 15 million copies.) I can understand the appeal. After all, it's about puppies and dessert! Two of my favorite things.

In this story the poky little puppy is always lagging behind his disobedient siblings and is somewhat rewarded for his tardiness because he is able to gobble up the desserts that the others were forbidden after their hole digging naughtiness.

Here's a great quote:
"I hear something!" said the poky little puppy.

The four puppies listened, and they could hear it, too. "Chocolate custard!" they cried. "Someone is spooning it into our bowls!"

I love that the puppies are that excited to eat dessert. I didn't even know what rice pudding or chocolate custard were as a child but they seemed exotic and delicious and what puppy or child wouldn't want that? Still they seemed to have a remarkable disregard for following the rules!

Finally his poky behavior caught up with him.
This is one sad little puppy to have missed the strawberry shortcake!

I Could Use a Little Sunshine.

2009-01-15T21:28:00.002-06:00

Sunshine Fun Family, Mattel, 1974-1982

Meet Stevie, Stephie, Sweets and Baby Boy. They are pretty cute, I have to admit. I am pretty sure this was on my Christmas list one year and when I finally did get my own Sunshine Fun Family I was a little disappointed that all my Barbie clothes wouldn't fit Stephie. She was a different size and I only had her original clothes. Isn't half the fun of that sort of doll, being able to dress them? Ahhh well. I was never too much for Barbies and the like.

A Flat-Billed Prehistoric Scratchafratch?

2009-01-15T08:01:00.005-06:00

How Fletcher Was Hatched
by Wende and Harry Devlin
Parents Magazine Press, 1969

When Alexandra starts to pay more attention to the newly hatched chicks, her hound dog Fletcher becomes jealous. He slinks off to the river bank where he finds his best pals, Beaver and Otter, whose advice is to act more like a chicken. Can you peep? Maybe you should hatch? And from those questions a fantastic plan is "hatched." Fletcher's pals construct a giant egg from reeds and pink clay and they helpfully roll him to the school campus the next morning to surprise Alexandra.

Meanwhile Alexandra is nearly inconsolable worried about her lost dog, Fletcher. The entire school is abuzz, the principal and the science teacher are giddy with speculation over the giant egg (note the title of the post), and Alexandra can't be bothered until she sees Fletcher burst free. It's a great little story with heartwarming pictures that have a nice 1970s feel to the illustrations.

Magic Slate

2009-01-14T19:17:00.000-06:00

Remember these? Magic Slates all seem to have that cardboard top with a fun cartoon character or TV show star and then small pics down the sides. I remember loving to draw on these and to be able to just pull up the grey plastic page and have it all be a "fresh slate."

These were originally published under the Whitman brand, and later under Golden Books. Each slate is a piece of stiff cardboard, with a sheet of cellophane over a soft waxy surface on the front. Using the included red plastic stylus, a child can draw on the cellophane, and then lift the page to erase and start over.

I've been trying to figure out when these first came out, but the more I read the less I know. I have discovered that the "concept" at least predates Western publishing, I think. Freud wrote an article about the idea of a mystic notepad in 1925. Here's an article about his article. Check it out. It's wild!