Beyond The Great Green Room...

Have you ventured past the "great green room" of Goodnight Moon and into any of Margaret Wise Brown's other stories?  When my children were young, Goodnight Moon (1949) and The Runaway Bunny (1942) were among their first favorites. If you can't get enough of her charming, rhythmic, rhyming writing, this post is for you!

Brown penned over 100 published works during her life. My personal favorite growing up was Home For A Bunny (1956), illustrated by Garth Williams. 

After Margaret Wise Brown’s untimely death at age 42 in 1952, dozens of her unpublished writings were found almost forty years later in 1990. The papers, preserved in a cedar-lined trunk and stored in the attic of a Vermont barn belonging to Brown’s sister, had sat largely untouched since the early 1950s.  Those stories are now being published as brand-new books (read more here).

Sometime after my first grandson was born, we discovered The Fathers Are Coming Home (2010, illustrated by Stephen Savage and previously blogged about here).

My daughter discovered Two Little Trains (2003, re-illustrated, but first published in 1949) at their local library for grandson number two.

A must-read for any train obsessed child, Two Little Trains follows the parallel journeys of a real train and a toy train. The toy train mirrors the real train's journey to the West, but in a house with objects like a rug track, a book tunnel, and a bathtub river.  

The illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon are sleek, with muted colors.  They fit Brown's imaginative story perfectly.  Any child's imagination would be stirred by the fun pictorial match-up details of both trains' journeys!

Recently, since the birth of our third grandchild, I've discovered three more books by this prolific children's book author!  The first two are stand alone stories that also happen to be included in my newest find and third recommendation, Mouse of My Heart, a collection from the archives of Margaret Wise Brown.

Book #1 - All the Little Fathers (2015), has colorful, fun illustrations by Marilyn Faucher...
Animal fathers are caring for and playing with their animal children.  The lions are roaring, the dogs are getting bones,  the monkeys are hanging out, the cats are purring... and of course in the end, the fathers are putting their children to bed.  This book would be a perfect Father's Day gift!

Book #2 - The Diggers, first published in 1960 (with illustrations by Clement Hurd), is a timeless narrative about the universal experience of digging, from a worm winding its way through the earth to the swinging of the great jaws of the steam shovel.

I haven't seen the original book, or the one illustrated by Daniel Kirk, featuring a child's foot on a shovel (published in 1995), but I was immediately drawn to the bright, quirky, fun pictures by French illustrator, Antoine Corbineau in the newest edition, published in 2013!  Future diggers and engineers will love it!

Finally, Book #3 - Mouse of My Heart, A Treasury of Sense and Nonsense, (2001) with sweet illustrations by Loretta Krupinski, has won my heart!

It's a collection of 56 poems and stories by Margaret Wise Brown, many previously unpublished.  This anthology is grouped according to themes such as Adventure, Love and Friendship, Bedtime, Happiness, Big and Little, and Nature. 

I found my copy used online - and it's a treasure! The introduction is by Brown's noted biographer, Leonard S. Marcus. The whimsical illustrations by Loretta Krupinski are gorgeous, done in jewel-tone colors.

All of Margaret Wise Brown's stories and poems are timeless, as she invites us in...

Do you have a favorite?

MOUSE OF MY HEART

Mouse mouse

Why do you start

Timid and shy

As a human heart?

Mouse mouse

Where do you glide

Like a soft gray shadow 

Trying to hide?

Mouse mouse

Where is your den

Far from the eyes 

Of cats and men?

A New Year for the Nursery Set!

Wow - I can't believe this is my last post for 2015!  How about this for a New Year's Resolution: Commit to reading nursery tales and rhymes to your little ones in 2016!

What better place to start then with Richard Scarry?

Then move on to this unique and gorgeous book of nursery rhymes, A Pocketful of Posies, by talented crafts-woman, Sally Mavor...

Young children love the rhythm and fun in stories that rhyme.  Some of my favorites include Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny, and The Big Red Barn.

Lately I've been seeing lots of Nursery Tale (and other literary) inspired children's products!  How cute are these???

from Zulilly

from Out of Print

on Amazon

from Cafe Press

Happy New Year!  Here's an apropos quote for us book lovers...

...from his book, Diary of a Player - have you read it?

Hugs and Kisses for Military Fathers

The two books I'll be highlighting today are perfect for Father's Day, but especially for military dads and families - to whom I dedicate this post.

As the daughter of a man who travelled a lot because of his tireless vocation in church ministry,  I can relate to children of military dads. Their fathers are missed terribly during prolonged and frequent absences, but are greeted with insurmountable joy at their homecomings!

My own son-in-law, having recently joined the Naval Reserves, was away from my daughter and grandson and his family for three months during Boot Camp.  Their happy reunion was full of tears and smiles, as well as relief and exhaustion, after an acknowledgement of hard work, sacrifice, and a job well done was showered upon the graduates at their Pass and Review ceremony when Boot Camp was finally over.

Any parent who travels for work, or reunites with their family at the end of a long workday, can relate to these emotions in microcosm - so I think all parents and young children will love these book recommendations!

The first book is The Fathers Are Coming Home, by Margaret Wise Brown.  She wrote it between 1942-43 for WWII soldiers, but it was only recently published (2010). The illustrations are by Steven Savage.  I blogged about this book in the past, here. (My little grandson actually gave this book to his Daddy after Boot Camp graduation, for an early Father's Day gift.)

I absolutely love Savage's linoleum block print illustrations in this story that begins with fathers coming home at nightfall - fish fathers, bug fathers, dog fathers, bird fathers, and snail fathers (my grandson's favorite), to name a few - and ends with a boy's father, who is a sailor, coming home from sea.

The second book I'm sharing with you today is Catching Kisses (2103) by Amy Gibson.  My daughter found this book recently at the library, and we both were reminded of The Father's Are Coming Home.  We fell in love with Maria Van Lieshout's wonderfully detailed silhouette illustrations.

This story is about kisses and their journey all across America - your children are bound to recognize a few of the places that the kisses land in!  "At any given moment, someone, somewhere is blowing a kiss.  And somewhere, someone is catching it..."

Hints are given in the lyrical text (but there's also a map with locations on the back end page): "Some are velvet as peach fuzz. Some tickle like whiskers. Everyday, everywhere, kisses are flying..."

Kisses are meant to be caught and when you catch them, they stay with you always!
So whether you're a father at home, or afar, "Happy Father's Day!"

WHAT'S ON MY SPRING BOOKSHELF?

Spring is here, and Easter is near! Yesterday was the first official day of Spring. To celebrate, I got out some special books just for you. Any of these picture books make great Spring reading, and would be perfect for a child's Easter basket (watch for my next post: ideas for making book-themed Easter baskets). 

Right click on the titles for descriptions of each book.  I've listed them from left to right on the shelf...

1- What Do You Hear, Angel? Elizabeth Crispina Johnson/Masha Lobastov.
2- The Three Little Pigs, Paul Galdone  
3- Home for a Bunny, Margaret Wise Brown/Garth Williams
4- The Paintbrush Bunny, Adrienne Adams
5- The Hidden Garden, Jane G. Meyer/Masha Lobostav
6- Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present, Charlotte Zolotow/Maruice Sendak
7- Because You are My Baby, Jennifer Ward/Sylvia Long 
8- Easter Eggs For Anya, Virginia Kroll/Sally Wern Comport

Do you have a favorite Spring-themed book?  I'd love to know what it is!

MAKE WAY FOR THESE SPRINGTIME DUCKLINGS!

When talk of Springtime and Easter Eggs comes up, children usually think of bunnies and baby chicks.  (Or, if you've read any of my recommended Ukrainian Pysanka books, a goose might come to mind.)  But let's not leave out the ducklings - here are three timeless tales...

The Golden Egg Book, by Margaret Wise Brown, with illustrations by Leonard Weisgard. (ages 2-6)

Once there was a little bunny. He was all alone. One day he found an egg. He could hear something moving inside the egg. What was it?

This "golden oldie" (1947) is a perfect read aloud for little ones, who will have fun trying to guess "what's inside":  An elephant? A mouse?  It ends up being a friend for the bunny: a little duck!

The charming vintage illustrations are a perfect pair with Margaret Wise Brown's classic and simple story.

Another classic springtime "duck tale" is The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875). Look for this adaptation, with old fashioned, warm watercolors by author/illustrator Jerry Pinkney (ages 4-8).  William Kilpatrick (Books That Build Character: A Guide to Teaching Your Child Moral Values Through Stories) says, "...to admit that it takes time for a child to grow into his or her true identity is far from cruel.  All children instinctively know that, before true maturity can be achieved, they must undergo some kind of rite of passage.  That is why most fairy tales deal with the theme of transformation and suffering...the ugly duckling must endure loneliness and rejection before he can grow up to be a beautiful white swan.  That is why the great child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim has called fairy tales 'wishes in disguise'."

Another endearing story (1941) is Make Way for Ducklings, written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey (for ages 4-8). This gently told tale of a father and mother duck, searching for a safe home (in the big city of Boston) to bring up their Mallard ducklings, is bound to connect with your child. I remember my own kids repeating all the ducklings' names with me:  "Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack".

Lots of landmarks in Boston are shown, often from a flying duck's-eye view. When we traveled with our children to Boston years ago, we went to Boston's Public Gardens and saw bronze statues of Mother Mallard and the 8 ducklings, as well as the Swan Boats mentioned in the book! (yes, you can still ride in them.)

What about baby geese?  You can read about all the "Gossie" books, by Olivier Dunrea, in my past post HERE. "Gossie is a gosling. A small, yellow gosling who likes to wear bright red boots. Every day."  Fun for Springtime reading as well!

TWO "GOODNIGHT BOOKS" FROM MARGARET WISE BROWN

Margaret Wise Brown
1910-1952

Today marks the birthday of Margaret Wise Brown, one of America's most prolific children's book authors of the Twentieth Century. She attempted to write most of her books from the "here and now" perspective of a child, rather than in the more popular style of the day: fairytale and fantasy.  Her books often included animals and everyday things that mattered to children.  Even though she died at the young age of 42, at the peak of her career she had over 100 books in print.  She chose her illustrators carefully.  They included Clement Hurd, Garth Williams, Felicia Bond, and Leonard Weisgard.

HER GOODNIGHT BOOKS...

She is probably best known for her timeless classic, GOODNIGHT MOON (1947), illustrated by Clement Hurd.  Who can forget the rhythmic text that begins:

In the great green room

There was a telephone 

And a red balloon

And a picture of --

The cow jumping over the moon!

The whole story takes place in one room, as the baby bunny bids a ritual "goodnight" to all the objects in his room.  Have you ever noticed these little details...

-the hands on the two clocks progress from 7 PM to 8:10 PM.
-the young mouse and kittens wander around the room. The mouse is present in all pages showing the room.
-the red balloon hanging over the bed disappears in several of the color plates, then reappears at the end.
-the room lighting grows progressively darker.
-the moon rises in the left-hand window.
-the socks disappear from the drying rack.
-the open book in the bookshelf is The Runaway Bunny.
-the book on the nightstand is Goodnight Moon.
-in the painting of the cow jumping over the moon, the mailbox in the right-hand side of the painting occasionally disappears.
-in the painting of the three bears, the painting hanging in the bears' room is a painting of a cow jumping over the moon.
-the painting of the fly-fishing bunny, which appears only in two color plates, appears to be black and white (or otherwise devoid of color). It is very similar to a picture in the book The Runaway Bunny.
-the number of books in the bookshelf changes.
-the pendulum of the bedside clock disappears in the final room scene
-the stripes on the bunny's shirt change
-in the last page the word bunny is gone off the brush

A new (though even older never-before-published!) "goodnight book" by Margaret Wise Brown is THE FATHERS ARE COMING HOME (2010), pictures by talented illustrator Stephen Savage.

It is nighttime and the fathers are coming home... 

This book is a perfect bedtime story, and would also be a great read for Father's Day.  The original manuscript was written in 1943, as a tribute to WWII fathers, but it was never published.  Though lost for years with many other of Brown's writings, it was finally published in 2010. The story is about fathers returning to their children at the day's end - birds, bugs, bunnies, fish - and finally, a sailor dad coming home from sea to his child.  The bold and colorful illustrations and simple, lyrical text make a sweet book for 2-5 year olds.

SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME!

Had a great time in Bloomington, Indiana, visiting my parents.  The cute "square" in the center of the downtown has two independently owned bookstores and lots of shops, all surrounding the county Courthouse.  Of course, I had to buy a picture book!  I chose THE LITTLE FUR FAMILY, by Margaret Wise Brown, with adorable illustrations by Garth Williams.  Who could resist a book that starts:

There was a little fur family

warm as toast

smaller than most

in little fur coats 

and they lived in a warm

wooden tree.

I'm so happy that this old childhood favorite has been reissued!  The little bear has a busy day out in the woods, visiting his Grandpa and catching fish.  At the end of the day, his parents tuck him into bed, hold his paw, and sing him a song.  Precious!  This will definitely be one I can't wait to read to my own grandchildren someday...perfect for ages toddler - preschool.

My parents also had fun carting us around to lots of local antique stores, where I bought...More Picture Books.  I found a beautiful 1946 Golden Book, BEDTIME STORIES, with illustrations by Gustaf Tenggren for $3.99  My dad glanced at it and said, "I remember reading to you kids from that book."  (I'm sure it had been his or my mom's childhood copy!)  I love book memories!

Next, we made sure to stop in at the Monroe County Library's Annual Book Sale, where I bought...you know.  All children's books were 25 cents each!  Among others, I was excited to find a used paperback copy of SLEEPING BEAUTY with unique silhouette illustrations by Arthur Rackham.  I also found a wonderful hardcover edition of NOAH'S ARK, illustrated by Pauline Baynes (I'll do separate posts about them in the near future!)

It's fun to visit new places and books are easy souvenirs to transport back home, thank goodness!