Brambly Hedge

I was so excited to discover on Amazon that you can now buy a hardcover complete set of all of Jill Barklem's series on Brambly Hedge for a mere $20. Do you know these stories? They have the best, intricate illustrations coupled with the sweetest "just enough adventure" stories for my preschoolers. I think early elementary aged children will love them too. They are wonderful for both boys and girls.

The illustrations are amazing. You can mull over them for long periods and find new things. The stories take the readers to a little world where the mice of Brambly Hedge have parties, get lost in the woods and have to be brave, and discover secret staircases.

Jill Barklem is a Bristish author illustrator who published these works in the 80s. They were quite popular upon their release, and then fell to an unpublished state until this past year. You may be able to find the stories at your library, but even the Minuteman system didn't carry all of them. If you want to try one, The Secret Staircase is my personal favorite.

A few children's books on Diligence

Without intending to, I realized I checked out 3 books from the library this past week that featured Diligence. They were wonderful, rich books that my guys loved, and I wanted to share them with you.



The Plant Sitter is from one of my favorite authors, Gene Zion, who brought us Harry and the Dirty Dog. The pictures are also done by Margaret Bloy Graham, who brought Harry to life. In the Plant Sitter, a little boy named Tommy decides (much to his parent's annoyance) to take on a summer job taking care of other people's plants who go on vacation. The house is full of plants, and the job becomes overwhelming. Tommy gets tired, and finds himself wishing people would come back from vacation. He musters his strength, however, and goes to the library to learn more about how to tame the jungle in his home. The people come home to find their plants healthier than ever, and then Tommy and his family decide to take a much needed vacation themselves!



Sophie's Masterpiece is by Eileen Spinelli, who is quickly becoming a favorite author (check out her Thanksgiving with the Tappletons this November for some holiday fun). The delicate illustrations are by Jane Dyer. Sophie is a spider, but no ordinary spider. She is a master spinner who creates beautiful works of art. "Someday, they said, she's going to spin a masterpiece." Sophie moves into a boarding house where she spins beautiful curtains and a suit, but keeps getting kicked out of rooms when people who hate spiders kick her out of the room. She finally crawls to the third floor where a young, single mother is about to have a baby. She sews a final masterpiece for this new baby, and dies after the effort. Her death is obscured, if you little ones are nervous about death, but this is a beautiful tale about diligence, and working hard to complete a vision even in the face of danger and rejection.



Angelo is by David Macaulay. This one is a bit lengthy, perhaps better for a 7 year old, but Angelo is an old man who works restoring the facade of a once-beautiful church in Rome. He finds a wounded bird whom he nurses back to health. This bird becomes his lasting friend who stands by him as he gets slower completing his work. Angelo finishes his masterpiece before he dies, but just barely. There is a sweet surprise at the end of this story that I won't spoil for you, but again, another story of an artist who works really diligently to complete his masterpiece, despite difficult circumstances.

Happy Reading, friends!

Two Little Trains

We love Margaret Wise Brown in this house.  Goodnight Moon, Runaway Bunny, Big Red Barn, and now Two Little Trains.  Her sweet near-rhyme poems are a delight to read aloud - I never get tired of reading them, and the kids never seem to tire of hearing them.

I did a little research on Margret Wise Brown, because I was surprised to have stumbled upon this book at the library, and love it as much as the other 3 I mentioned above (that we own).  Why was this one buried?  Turns out she wrote a ton of books, that's why.  Well over 100.

This edition was re-released in 2001 with new illustrations from Caldecott Medalists Leo and Diane Dillon.  I can't express how much these illustrations add to this story.  The first read through, I wasn't that impressed, but by the second I was hooked!

Anyway, this story starts with "Two little trains went down the track, Two little trains went West.  Puff, Puff, Puff and Chug, Chug, Chug, Two little trains to the West."  It chronicles 2 trains: one is a shiny streamlined train, the other is a toy wooden train, going on the same imaginary journey as the big, shiny train.

If your little ones love trains, find this book at the library!  I'm sure it will become one of their favorites too.

A Giraffe Goes to Paris

We stumbled upon A Giraffe Goes to Paris by Mary Tavener Holmes and John Harris, and were in for a big treat!

In 1827 the pasha of Egypt gave the King of France a giraffe as a gift. This book brings that story to life for children with details about the journey (they cut a hole in the deck of the ship that she took up the Nile so her head could fit through!), quirky illustrations by Jon Cannell mixed with images of real artifacts, and relevant easy-to-understand maps.  There is some French peppered throughout, and a nice pronunciation guide in the back for those of you who only speak 2 languages like me: English and bad English (sorry, really old Bruce Willis line from the 5th Element).

Belle, the giraffe in the story, caused quite a stir in France as she walked the 500 miles from Marseille to Paris wearing a raincoat and boots the fashioned just for her.

This book is probably better for the elementary crowd, but my guys sat through it, and had a lot of questions.  If you're looking for a fun opportunity to bring history to life, I felt this book hit it just right.  I can't wait to check out her other book - MyTravels with Clara! 

Books we're reading this week

I thought I'd take a break from posting about our trip to share with you some of the books we're reading this week. I'd like to make this a weekly post, we'll see if I'm able to keep that commitment!

Dex(2-4 year olds): Green Eyes, by Abe Birnbaum. This Caldecott Honor book from 1953 is perfect for the 2 1/2 year old crowd. Frankie loved it just as much at that age. It's a wonderful story to read aloud - it has a nice cadence, and has lots of opportunities for counting in small amounts, identifying and differentiating colors, identifying farm animals, and introducing seasons. Birnbaum was a much-loved illustrator for the New Yorker magazine. Frankie loves it still too, so it you've missed the 2.5 window, your almost 4-year old would love it too!

Frankie (3-6 year olds): Little Rabbit's Loose Tooth, by Lucy Bate. We have the 1975 edition from the library with the illustrations by Diane De Groat, which I love, but the story would be the same with the newer edition. Little rabbit looses a tooth, and the events surrounding loosing a first tooth are documented in a light, relaxed manner that I find delightful. My favorite part, when little rabbit decides to leave her tooth for the tooth fairy:

"Just in case there isn't a tooth fairy," said Little Rabbit.

"Yes?" said Mother Rabbit.

"After I'm asleep, could you sneak and look under my pillow and look in the envelope? And if there isn't a present, could you leave one?"

"Yes," said Mother Rabbit.

"You don't have to tell me," said Little Rabbit. "You could just sneak."

Me: Read for the Heart, by Sarah Clarkson. This book was recommended by Heather. If you don't read Heather's blog, you should, and then read every book she recommends!

Read for the Heart is a book of book recommendations for children. I get the irony that I'm recommending a book full of book recommendations, but this one is a gem. Written by Sally Clarkson's daughter, this book has lists of beloved "living books" that reflect a moral, biblical truth in their story, as well as literary quality. The authors she recommends are not all Christians, and the explanation she gives for recommending them I find refreshing and true.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Dusty Locks and the Three Bears

I've come across so many delightful children's books at our local library, and thought I should start sharing some of my favorites with you.  My favorites often end up being our kids favorites too, so this works out nicely.

This week's favorite: Dusty Locks and the Three Bears, by Susan Lowell.  The hilarious illustrations are by Randy Cecil.

This delightful Western rendition of the traditional Goldilocks story starts out:

"One upon a time, way out West, there were three grizzly bears who lived together in a neat and tidy cabin in the woods.  One was a little bitty bear cub, just knee-high to a bumblebee.  One was a mild-mannered middle-size mama.  And one was a great big humpbacked gray-haired grizzly, nine feet tall and cross as two sticks."

We meet Dusty Locks, who "hadn't had a bath for a month of Sundays".  As she progresses through the traditional story, we are greeted with more fun western phrases like "'Beans!' cried Dusty Lock.  'Ya-hoo! I'm so hungry I could eat a saddle blanket!'"

Dusty Locks is portrayed as a girl with no manners, so it's been a good opportunity for us to talk about manners, and the importance of bathing :)  It's also really fun to read this one out loud, since it flows better when you read with your best cowboy accent.


But you don't have to take my word for it...