Purpose of this Blog...

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)




Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Signed, Sealed, And Ready To Be Delivered

This afternoon I finally got my Christmas cards all signed and sealed, ready to be delivered out into the wild, wild world!

The journey these cards will make and the Christmas playlist that I've been obsessing over lately reminded me of a charming Christmas picture book I got for my grandchildren: The Queen's Present, by Steve Antony

I'm pretty much an Anglophile, even more so at Christmastime.  My happy place right now is listening to my Christmas playlist of English carols. There's just something about the Choir of King's College, Cambridge that sets a festive, yet majestic mood!

Maybe that's why I love Antony's "Queen books"! In addition to The Queen's Present, there is The Queen's Hat, The Queen's Handbag, and The Queen's Lift-off.  

My daughter had already discovered and given her kids The Queen's Hat - which is a windy tour of London, with it's fun and majestic landmarks. I think it's my favorite.


The Queen's Handbag is a wild goose chase across the UK, and The Queen's Lift-Off is a lightning tour through space! Each book features pages of famous landmarks and lots of fun-to-find details (like the butler, for example). My grandchildren pretty much have a giggle-fest when we read these books!


In the The Queen's Present, the Queen sets off on a global search to find the perfect present for her grandchildren.  Who helps her?  Father Christmas! (And of course the Queen's butler and her Corgi, who are always somewhere to be found along the way)!  There's a sweet ending, as you see what they deliver to the prince and princess.