You may have noticed that not all books are equal in capturing children's imaginations and in cultivating those innocent, tender souls. My goal is to help you find the ones that do!
(Painting by Mary Cassatt: "Mrs Cassatt Reading to her Grandchildren" -1888)
Illustration by Dutch artist, Henriette Willebeek Le Mair ,"Miss Waterlow to Bed"
from "A Gallery of Chidlren", by A.A. Milne, pulished in 1925 {source}
by Lewis Carroll
A Mother's breast: Safe refuge from her childish fears, From childish troubles, childish tears, Mists that enshroud her dawning years! see how in sleep she seems to sing A voiceless psalm—an offering Raised, to the glory of her King In Love: for Love is Rest. A Darling's kiss: Dearest of all the signs that fleet From lips that lovingly repeat Again, again, the message sweet! Full to the brim with girlish glee, A child, a very child is she, Whose dream of heaven is still to be At Home: for Home is Bliss.
"A Nursery Darling" is a poem Carroll composed for the picture book version of the Alice in Wonderland stories, The Nursery Alice, first published in 1890 (I just ordered two copies from Amazon - one for my son, an avid fan of Alice and Lewis Carroll, and one for my new grandson's library.)
From Michael Everson's introduction:
Lewis Carroll published "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" in 1865 and "Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There" in 1872. In the entry in his diary for 15 February 1881 he records: “I wrote to Macmillan to suggest a new idea: a ‘Nursery Edition’ of Alice with pictures printed in.” On 20th February 1889, some eight years later, after much preparation and negotiation with both publisher and illustrator, the text was at last ready. The illustrator was John Tenniel, who coloured twenty of his original illustrations in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” for this “Nursery Edition”.
The Nursery Alice original cover
The story itself is intended for pre-school children “aged from Nought to Five”. Running to just under 7,000 words, it is considerably shorter than both "Alice’s Adventures under Ground" (15,500 words) and "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" (27,500 words). Much of the narrative consists of the author’s addressing the young listener, explaining the story by reference to the illustrations. The effect is rather charming, particularly where Carroll pokes fun at features in Tenniel’s illustrations. These were quite skilfully and attractively coloured. Interestingly, Tenniel coloured Alice’s dress yellow with a blue trim and white apron, whereas nowadays most artists colour the dress in blue and white only. (In Nick Willing’s 1999 film Alice in Wonderland, Tina Majorino’s Alice wore a yellow dress.)
In order to produce this volume, the original edition was scanned; the paper, being more than 120 years old, has darkened somewhat. The images have not been doctored, however, except that the border surrounding the illustrations has been removed. This edition also contains Carroll’s introductory poem “A Nursery Darling”, his 1890 Preface, and, as appendices, his “Easter Greetings” and “Christmas Greetings” to children. These were also published in the 1868 printed edition of Alice’s Adventures under Ground.
What child wouldn't love to help make a storybook themed Jack-O'-Lantern? Low on the scary scale, high on the fun factor... Have you every wondered how the tradition of Jack-O'-Lanterns started? Every October, carved pumpkins peer out from porches and doorsteps in the United States and other parts of the world. Gourd-like orange fruits inscribed with ghoulish faces and illuminated by candles are a sure sign of the Halloween season. The practice of decorating “jack-o’-lanterns”—the name comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack—originated in Ireland, where large turnips and potatoes served as an early canvas. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America, home of the pumpkin, and it became an integral part of Halloween festivities.[source: history.com]
Lots of schools host "no-carve-pumpkin" contests each year. I couldn't resist posting these cute book pumpkins that I found on the blog, "Sunny Days in Second Grade". Click here to see more!
FROG AND TOAD!
RAINBOW FISH
Source: Unless noted otherwise, all the bookish Halloween pumpkins featured in my post are from parents.com. Click HERE for how to's.
Since the birth of my grandson has me in Baby Land right now, I thought it would be a perfect day to highlight some of my favorite baby books - feel free to add to the list! I'd love your input.
Little Peter finally had a good night of sleep, and he and my daughter are taking a nap right now; so I'll start with this precious book...
Whisper softly,
take a peep,
the babies are all fast asleep...
ALL ASLEEP by Joanna Walsh (baby-toddler board book). The gentle text is aboutallbabies - from tall babies to small babies, from babies asleep in cars, to babies snoozing under the stars. It's a perfect bedtime rhythmical board book story for babies everywhere. I also love that babies of all ethnicities are represented in the illustrations.
Dream of purple twilight skies,
a bedtime kiss from butterflies.
Caterpillars in cocoons
are tucked in tight beneath the moon.
SWEET DREAMS LULLABY (toddler-preschool) This imaginative, peaceful bedtime book invites a bunny (tucked snugly into bed) to dream of comforting scenes from nature's nighttime. Each page reveals a delightful dreamscape for children to imagine as they drift off to sleep with the lulling, rhyming text.
You were born in your very own month of the year and the world was waiting to welcome you here with daydreams and wishes and circles of love and in turn you brought a gift from above....
JANUARY'S CHILDby Andrea Alban Gosline, illustrated by Lisa Burnett Bossi.Every day is someone's birthday, a fact this book celebrates with creative attributes for each month of the year. More positive than the traditional "Monday's Child" rhyme, and geared for families to share among youngest and oldest members, this is a beautifully illustrated treasury, perfect as a gift for birthdays or new babies.
On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, "Life will never be the same..."
ON THE NIGHT YOU WERE BORN (baby/toddler) board book by Nancy Tillman. This is an exceptional book. The sweet rhyming text of this book celebrates and praises the uniqueness of a newborn. All of creation - polar bears, giraffes, geese, the moon, the wind - is shown as jubilant in the poetry and rich illustrations of this gorgeous book (also makes a wonderful baby shower or birthday gift)!
You can read my post "How to Find the Best Books for Babies and Toddlers"HERE (it includes a list of some of our family favorites).
Past posts about books for babies:
Click HERE to read about Helen Oxenbury's wonderful books for babies/toddlers.
Go HERE for not one, but two "Goodnight" books from Margaret Wise Brown.
I'll leave you with one of the most popular baby books of all time:
Pat the Bunny by Doroty Kunhardt, has been a classic baby's first gift for over 60 years - click here to read the story of how this interactive book came to be written.
“You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.” (I love this quote, though it's from the movie, Hook, not from J.M. Barrie's book Peter Pan.) My daughter and her husband were up most of last night with their newborn son, Peter. I imagine they felt like they were in a place between sleeping and waking as the night wore on, but I know that is where they love Peter most. It's an unconditional love: their tender care, sleepless nights and many other future sacrifices will prove it. But eventually there will be less crying and more smiles. And, according to J.M. Barrie, lots of fairies : "When a new baby laughs for the first time a new fairy is born, and as there are always new babies there are always new fairies"... and Guardian Angels!
Remember those tiny shoes? Our "Little Someone" finally arrived to fill them: yesterday at 7:00 AM our daughter announced to us she was in labor and going to the hospital. Baby Peter arrived just over two and a half hours later, at exactly 9:39 AM. What a blessing.
And he has his Mommy's toes!
Baby Feet by Edgar Guest
Tell me, what is half so sweet As a baby’s tiny feet, Pink and dainty as can be, Like a coral from the sea? Talk of jewels strung in rows, Gaze upon those little toes, Fairer than a diadem, With the mother kissing them!
It is morning and he lies Uttering his happy cries, While his little hands reach out For the feet that fly about. Then I go to him and blow Laughter out of every toe; Hold him high and let him place Tiny footprints on my face.
Little feet that do not know Where the winding roadways go, Little feet that never tire, Feel the stones or trudge the mire, Still too pink and still too small To do anything but crawl, Thinking all their wanderings fair, Filled with wonders everywhere.
Little feet, so rich with charm, May you never come to harm. As I bend and proudly blow Laughter out of every toe, This pray, that God above Shall protect you with His love, And shall guide those little feet Safely down life’s broader street.
1- Quothe the Raven Party
For a sophisticated party for teens, try this "Creative Raven" theme, using lines from Edgar Allen Poe's poem as your inspiration: you can find faux blackbirds and crows at most craft stores around this time of year. Better Homes and Gardens Halloween Issue 2012 has some great inspiration for an Edgar Allen Poe "Raven" themed party...
Dress up a large mirror with a feathery wreath and verses from EDGAR ALLEN POE'S The Raven for a spooky dining room decoration. Source HERE
"But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
Then upon the velvet sinking,
I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore-
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore
2- A Victorian Steampunk Party, Sherlock Holmes Style...
Get out your monocles, pipes, and capes...
Instead of using a magic wand, make a Cinderella Pumpkin using gears for the wheels,
a soap dish for the driver's seat, a drawer pull for the door, and a sink drain
for the window. The little mice are mini white pumpkins with upholstery-tack
noses, wire whiskers, and nail feet. [source]
Easy to find Steampunk accessories (gears
and goggles), and costumes on Amazon.
I found a whole list of ideas on Squidoo, including using metallic paper goods, clocks, a fog machine, lanterns, and..."Mustache on a Stick"!
3- Oz Pumpkinhead Party (with a little bit of Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow, and The Nightmare Before Christmas thrown in.)
BeforeJack Skellington- the main character in Tim Burton's animated film,The Nightmare Before Christmas - there was L. Frank Baum's storybook character, Jack Pumpkinhead.
"...in his first scene inThe Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Skellington does have a pumpkin on his head, and looks very much like Jack Pumpkinhead. Also, the director of Nightmare was Henry Sellick who, eight years earlier, had been a storyboard artist onReturn to Oz, and therefore had several opportunities to draw Jack Pumpkinhead. From another perspective, similarities can also be seen between Scraps, the Patchwork Girl of the OZ books, and Sally inThe Nightmare Before Christmas, so there may be another connection there, but it's also not terribly likely."(source: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz website).
Scarecrow Crunch
4 cups crunchy oatmeal cereal squares or Chex cereal 4 cups tiny twist pretzels 1 can salted peanuts 1 bag of autumn mix honey candy 1 bag of candy corn 2 cups peaunut butter M&M’s 2 (6-ounce) boxes caramel popcorn with nuts
Miniature pumpkins can be colored in minutes with acrylic paints or permanent markers. The secret to their jewel-like sparkle is a finishing (polyurethane) glaze applied after the paint or ink has thoroughly dried.
Today was a cozy day: my French Press wore a cozy this morning and my feet got to wear slippers! Nice to finally have some fall weather!
I spent the morning digging through, washing, and sorting old treasures that had been stashed away in plastic storage bins out in our garage...
Hard to believe my oldest son wore these little guys 27 years ago;
now they're all washed and ready for our little Peter Ensley, whose due date is tomorrow!
In between loads of laundry and after breakfast,
I cooked, (freezing for later)
and cleaned,
hoping my daughter was resting - and almost done nesting! (We'll see, since after eight weeks on bed rest she is now up and around, but Baby Peter is taking his sweet time coming!)
These board books (each with a finger puppet) by Sara Gillingham and Lorena Siminovich are just adorable! (baby - 3 years old) Layered die-cut pages allow a peek at all the colorful things that make up each animal's home, and an adorable folk-art style finger puppet make these books perfect for baby/toddler reading and playtime fun.
I just finished reading Michael Morpurgo's incredibly poignant book, War Horse(1982). A short novel written for children (ages 10 and up), it's packed with power and emotion. The story is told from the point of view of the horse, "Joey": which I think is brilliant, given the tough subject matter for children.
Through the eyes and ears of Joey we get to know the story's characters and eventually see the devastation and havoc wrecked on the British and German armies and their horses - who served as mounts and beasts of burden to the officers and soldiers of both sides - during WWI. Sadly, most of the horses were killed just as tragically as their human masters.
I have not been lucky enough to see the stage production of War Horse (adapted by Nick Stafford in 2007), but my husband and I rented the recent Stephen Spielberg film (December 2011). I found myself wishing I didn't have to watch the graphic brutality of war that had been mostly left to my imagination in the book.
Scene from the movie
The stage production stars life-size puppets as the horses - created by Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa. This Tony Award-winning production is the reason for the previously unheralded book's present popularity and recent film adaptation.
Scene from the play
In my opinion, the story translated better to the stage than screen, maybe because of the difference in the way we focus on the horses as puppets in the play: they are magnificient and heroic in a magical way. Also, with minimal scenery and props, the audience is still expected to use their imaginations for much of the action.
In both the film and play versions of War Horse, the story was re-written from the first person point of view to the third person, resulting in the audience experiencing the horse Joey as a character, rather than the narrator. The role of Joey as the heart of the story seems to have been better preserved in the stage play then in the film.
Granted, I'm making this assessment and comparison of the film to what I've only seen of the stage production online, but you can judge for yourself the impact this play performed live would have on family audiences...
Martha Teichner talks to the team behind "War Horse," from CBSNewsOnline:
Some background about the writing of the novel... From the Imperial War Museum, Mr. Morpurgo learned that between one million and two million British horses had been sent to the front lines in the first World War, and that only 65,000 or so had come back. He resolved to write about them but struggled to find the right voice. Then one evening he was at the farm he and his wife run in Devon, where poor children come to work with animals. (There are now three in Britain, and one in Vermont.) He was passing through the stable yard when he saw one of the children, a troubled boy who had a bad stutter and had not uttered a word in school in two years, standing head to head with a horse. “He started talking,” Mr. Morpurgo recalled. “And he was talking to the horse, and his voice was flowing. It was simply unlocked. And as I listened to this his boy telling the horse everything he’d done on the farm that day, I suddenly had the idea that of course the horse didn’t understand every word, but that she knew it was important for her to stand there and be there for this child.” That became Joey’s role in “War Horse” — observer and witness as much as protagonist.
Source: NYTimes article: "Undaunted Author of War Horse Reflects on "Unlikely Hit"
