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After Margaret Wise Brown’s untimely death at age 42 in 1952, dozens of her unpublished writings were found almost forty years later in 1990.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 "Cheerful" Churchmouse? (He'll Be Happy in Your Child's Easter Basket!)

Cheerful, by Palmer Brown (1957), is one of the treasures I brought back from my visit this past December to the NYCPL's awesome bookstore. 
Could not pass it up!  
And now he looks so at home on my living room end table.

How fortunate for book lovers that this (little - 6 3/4" x 4 1/4") volume has been brought back into print by The New York Review Children's Collection.

This entrancing story, which is gorgeously illustrated, will delight children ages 4-6, as they follow the escapades of "Cheerful" the churchmouse and his family - his parents, his brother Solemnity, and his sisters, Faith and Hope.

"Last of all, there was Cheerful, who did have white feet, and long white whiskers too.  Because his drooping whiskers made him look so sad when he was little, his mother said, "Be Cheerful!" And he tried to be, since that was his name  Most of the time it was easy..."

His parents and brother and sisters are happy growing up in the bustling city, but Cheerful always wonders what it would be like to live in the country (he often lies in a favorite green shadow cast by a stained glass window, pretending it is a green field).

"Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, 

Guard the ground I stand upon!"

One day, he decides to leave home and travel to the countryside. He gets waylaid in fruit and vegetable pushcart, and consequently ends up in a Grandmother's kitchen.

You'll have to read the book to find out what happens, but the happy ending involves "a glorious egg of crystal sugar" (as a child were you intrigued by those panorama eggs with a peephole in one end?  I was, and so were my kids!) that the little mouse finds in an Easter basket intended for the Grandmother's grand-daughter!

One of the cutest little books I've seen in a long time.  I think you'll love it - and it would fit perfectly in your child's Easter Basket!


Palmer Brown (1920-2012) was the author and illustrator of five adorable books for children: Something for Christmas, Beyond the Pawpaw Trees and its sequel The Silver Nutmeg, Cheerful, and Hickory—all published by The New York Review Children’s Collection. (go here to order)

The New York Review Children’s Collection began in 2003 in an attempt to reward readers who have long wished for the return of their favorite titles and to introduce those books to a new generation of readers. The line publishes picture books for preschoolers through to chapter books and novels for older children. Praised for their elegant design and sturdy bindings, these books set a new standard for the definition of a “classic.” Among the titles you will find Wee Gillis, a Caldecott Honor Book by the creators of The Story of Ferdinand; Esther Averill’s time-honored Jenny and the Cat Club series; The House of Arden by E. Nesbit, one of J.K. Rowling’s favorite writers; several titles by the award-winning team of Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire, including their Book of Norse Myths and Book of Animals; James Thurber’s The Thirteen Clocks and The Wonderful O, both with illustrations by Marc Simont.

BRAVEMOUSE READERS TO THE RESCUE!

Do you have a child who is sounding out his/her letters and showing an interest in reading?  Well, I've got the books for you! Aspiring young readers will love Molly Coxe's exciting BraveMouse Readers, and the stories are so much fun, most kids probably won't realize they're learning phonics in the process!

So far Molly has also created two "Short Vowel Adventures" (Rat Attack and Princess Pig) and is working on a third (Wet Hen).  Molly Coxe is also the author of Benjamin and Bumper to the Rescue, and I interviewed her here on Good Books back in February. (You can read my past interview with her here.)

I've linked Molly's books below to her website, BraveMouse Books, where you'll find resources for parents and educators; a fun "Toybox" tab for children; and examples of the photo illustrations from each story.  These exciting books make phonics fun!

Rat Attack features the “short a” sound, some sneaky rats, a kind grandmother ("Gram"), and her courageous and clever grandchildren ("Ann", "Fran", and "Stan").  A Rat, who keeps donning different disguises, tries to trick Gram into "handing over the jam".  Luckily, her grandchildren "have a plan"!  Your child will love the funny ending.

Princess Pig features the “short i” sound, a bossy pig, and a mouse named "Twig", who knows when to say “No!”  This little tale is about wishes ("Princess Pig" wants lots of wishes!), forgiveness, and friendship.  Find out what happens when the familiar fairytale "three wishes" turn into six!

Coming in the Spring of 2015...

Wet Hen features the "short e" sound, a kind mouse named Ben, and a wet Hen who wants to keep her  eggs dry.

I can't say enough about these adorable early readers!  I LOVE these books, and I think you will too.  Young children will immediately be engaged by Molly's fun photographs of her homespun wool and fabric stuffed felt characters and the imaginative and humorous scenarios she sets them in.

source: BraveMouse Books

Take a look at this short video, which gives us a quick peek into the process of "mouse-making" and  fun photo shoots for these books...


One last thing about these readers: Rat Attack is available in English, and in eight bilingual editions. Princess Pig is available in English, and a Spanish Bilingual Edition. (More languages soon.) Now I just need to know where Molly gets all her cute fabric!

"Pet Advice" From Maggie Rudy's Super Cute Mice

Do you wish sometimes...

that you had a pet?

Maybe even just a little roly-poly?  

If this sounds like your child, you've got to run out and find this adorable new picture book from talented artist Maggie Rudy...

Maggie's hand sewn mice and charming dioramas will lead you and your child into a "Mouseland" that you'll want to venture a peek into again and again!

And her little mice offer plenty of good advice about what it means to own a pet, such as...
1. Pick a pet that suits your style.
2. A pet is not a doll (it might not like to play dress up)...

3. Your pet might like to play fetch...

4. Care for you pet...
- Keep it clean
- Keep it comfy, fed, and watered.
- And when it makes a mess, clean up after it!

You'll discover lots of other criteria for becoming a pet owner in this adorable book, but most important of all remember: "Pick a pet who will be your friend..."

I Wish I Had a Pet is Maggie Rudy's second book (after The House that Mouse Built.)  Hat tip to one of my blog followers - Martha from The Scrumptious Life - who turned me onto Maggie's amazing work!

I immediately got in touch with Maggie, and she graciously agreed to answer a few questions so we could get to know her a little better:

Maggie holding her newest book,
I Wish I Had A Pet
source: http://mouseshouses.blogspot.com/

I understand that you and your sisters acquired your first felted mice during a year that your family lived in England. What were a few of your favorite children's books growing up?

Maggie: I loved The Little Fur Family, by Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams; Ferdinand The Bull, by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, and my first chapter book, The Adventures of Sam Pig, by Allison Uttley, illustrated by Graham Percy. I loved Sam Pig! I was always drawn to the pictures in books at least as much the stories. Our father also read us the entire Ring series by J.R.R Tolkien when I was about six, and much of the imagery from those books stays with me still.

What led you into the world of art and creating your own little creatures?

Maggie: My grandmother and mother were both artists, so I had the example of people around me making things, and there were always art supplies to be had. And my sisters and I spent hours making little environments from moss and sticks for our troll dolls. I'm not exactly sure how, but those two things were certainly starting points for the creation of Mouseland.

When did you decide to take the plunge into the world of children's books? 

Maggie:I took a photograph of some mice one year for a Christmas card, which gave me the idea of using them as illustrations. My sons were leaving home and I was eager to explore new career possibilities, so I enrolled in a children's book illustration class at our community college. The instructor told me that I had something special with the mice, and that I should pursue a career in the field. So I did!  

I'm just crazy about Maggie's books and her fun blog that features the "newest exploits" of her mice!!  Maybe it's because when I was a baby, I was nicknamed "Wendy Mouse" by a close friend of my parents - he insisted that I was so small my cry was "just a squeak".  The pet name (pun intended) stuck, so I'm always ready for a good mouse story! Go here to read my past post, "FUN MOUSE STORIES (that aren't about Mickey!)"

Here's the book trailer for I Wish I Had a Pet.  What do you think? 

MOUSETON ABBEY? YES! YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY...

A couple of years ago while between seasons of PBS' Downton Abbey, I satisfied my withdrawals with the fascinating book, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle. (I quickly reviewed it in my past post, "Downton: What's this Abbey's appeal? Go here to read it.)

This year I found a happy diversion in the adorable new picture book Mouseton Abbey, The Missing Diamond.  

While you're waiting for the first episode of the Season IV to start tonight, take a peek...I think you'll be smitten!

The cast of characters: The family - Roquefort, Earl of Mouseton; Lady Brie, Countess of Mouseton; Lady Ricotta; Lady Mozzerella; Lady Fontina; Lady Gouda, Dowager Countess of Mouseton.  And their servants: Wensleydale, the Butler; Miss Swiss, the Housekeeper; Mrs. Cheshire, the Cook; and Monterey Jack, the Footman.

It's Cheesemas at Mouseton Abbey.  And at Cheesemas, the Mouseton family pass around their most precious treasure - the Great Big Cheesy Diamond - and everyone gets to make a wish.

But this year there's a problem. The house is clean, the feast is being prepared, but the Great Big Cheesy Diamond is missing!

Join Lord Mouseton and his servants as they search for the missing diamond.  Will Cheesemas be ruined?  Will anyone get their wish?  Or will they find the Cheesy Diamond in time?

Fun stuff!  Come back and read my next post to find out why my table was all set for teatime - perfect for this book's little photo shoot today!

Mouseton Abbey by Joanna Bicknell and Nick Page, with photo illustrations by Tim Hutchinson. (Mice by Jo Bishop and Carole Meredith - photos by Andy Snaith).