I'm Late, I'm Late!

Yes, I have fallen into the black (Rabbit) hole of our little antique mall business, and have been neglecting my blog.

Well, that's not entirely true.  You haven't seen a lot of posts here lately, but I've been working slowly - like the Mock Turtle - on some upcoming book reviews and giveaways! (I also found some cute Alice themed printables to share with you - at the end of this post).

Coming up soon:  an author who creates fuzzy characters, and a glorious new children's book for Easter.

In the meantime, take a peek at what's been keeping my daughter and me so busy:  we've tried to create a little "Wonderland" in our Bookish space...

 Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on to her feet in a moment: she looked up, but it was all dark overhead; before her was another long passage, and the White Rabbit was still in sight, hurrying down it. There was not a moment to be lost: away went Alice like the wind, and was just in time to hear it say, as it turned a corner, 'Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!' 

She was close behind it when she turned the corner, but the Rabbit was no longer to be seen: she found herself in a long, low hall, which was lit up by a row of lamps hanging from the roof. 

 

 ...There seemed to be no use in waiting by the little door, so she went back to the table, half hoping she might find another key on it, or at any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like telescopes: this time she found a little bottle on it, ('which certainly was not here before,' said Alice,) and round the neck of the bottle was a paper label, with the words 'DRINK ME' beautifully printed on it in large letters.

My daughter found the really cute free "Drink Me" tag printables here, from "Sweetly Scrapped".

From Valentines to the Queen of Hearts

Over the weekend, my daughter and I will be transitioning the "Valentine" theme of our little space at the Brick Basement Antique Mall to an "Alice in Wonderland" theme!  I've got several volumes of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to sell, including an imaginative picture book edition illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt.

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 'Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.
'Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) 'You're nothing but a pack of cards!'
At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face.
'Wake up, Alice dear!' said her sister; 'Why, what a long sleep you've had!'
'Oh, I've had such a curious dream!' said Alice, and she told her sister, as well as she could remember them, all these strange Adventures of hers that you have just been reading about; and when she had finished, her sister kissed her, and said, 'It WAS a curious dream, dear, certainly: but now run in to your tea; it's getting late.' So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while she ran, as well she might, what a wonderful dream it had been.

The Evidence is in: Toddlers, Like Sherlock, Have Great Investigative Powers!

Sherlock for Toddlers?  Elementary, Dear Watson!

Before breakfast this morning I was perusing the Great Cases of Sherlock Holmes (I blogged about it in my last post, here).  My daughter brought my grandson downstairs and plopped him down on the couch next to me.

I barely noticed when he picked up a book from his own little stack on the couch.  My daughter grabbed her camera and said, "Mom, look what he's reading!  His "Sherlock Holmes" book!"

We laughed while she took a few photos, but later my daughter said, "You know, his favorite stories right now do all have a mystery factor!  He loves hide-and-seek-type books.   You should blog about that..."

Facts:  toddlers are into investigating - everything!

Clues:  They've moved on from crawling to walking, and are beginning to explore with language and behavior.

Evidence:  Thrown food and torn pages scattered on the floor, next to a little smiling person, who's waving a chubby hand and saying, "hi!" 

Solution:  The books below (mostly of the cardboard variety) will appeal to your little detective's new-found investigative powers, as he tries to deduce "what happens next".

Mystery solved:  My 16-month-old grandson's favorite stories right now include humorous books that stir his senses:  Where's Ellie? (Salina Yoon's guessing game in book form, with lots of unexpected objects that look like Ellie the Elephant's trunk) , Mommy, Mommy! (Taro Gomi's hilarious little story of two chicks, who while on a quest for Mommy, encounter some interesting look-alikes), Frog, Where Are You? (enchanting wordless book about a boy, a dog, and a frog, by Mercer Mayer), Goodnight Owl, (a fun lift-the-flap book by Dwell Studio).

It's Elementary! More about the Sherlock Holmes book - by "Master Conan Doyle" - that my grandson chose this morning.  (It's more of a hear-and-discover, than a hide-and-seek book.)

"Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles"...Alison Oliver’s bold illustrations correspond with Jennifer Adams’ clever, simple text to create [Sherlock-ian] pairings little observers will love to have read to them, such as “hounds howl,” “gates screech,” and “stairs creak.” 

I hope this post has you ready to share with me about your little ones' favorite "mystery stories"...  

Between Seasons of SHERLOCK...

Let Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman lead you to the library and the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!  

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“Life, my dear Watson, is infinitely stranger than fiction; stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We could not conceive the things that are merely commonplace to existence. If we could hover over this great city, remove the roofs, and peep in at the things going on, it would make all fiction, with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions flat, stale and unprofitable.” 

 ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

If  (like I did) you loved Season 3 of "Sherlock", I hope you'll re-visit Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works between seasons.  If you have not yet read his novels or short stories, you'll be pleasantly surprised (like I was) by how hard the writers and creators of the clever "Sherlock" series worked to keep the modernized series and characters true to Doyle's original stories! 

As I'm reading the books, I can't help but picture Cumberbatch as the violin-loving Holmes and Freeman as long-suffering Watson.  They really bring out the humor and genius that was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sherlock Holmes, literature's most famous detective, was first introduced to the world at Christmas time in 1887 - when Arthur Conan Doyle's novel A Study in Scarlet was published in "Beeton's Christmas Annual".

Here is how Sherlock Holmes is described by Watson:

His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual observer. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have alluded; and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination. His hands were invariably blotted with ink and stained with chemicals, yet he was possessed of extraordinary delicacy of touch, as I frequently had occasion to observe when I watched him manipulating his fragile philosophical instruments.

...Sherlock Holmes had not finished breakfast.  I picked up a magazine from the table...One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading.  I began to run my eye through it...'The Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study,' said the writer.  'Let the inquirer begin by mastering elementary problems...By a man's fingernails, by his boots, by his trouser knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression -- by each of these things a man's calling is revealed.'

"What ineffable twaddle!"  I cried, slapping the magazine down on the table.  "I never read such rubbish in my life...I see, Holmes, that you have read this article since you have marked it.  It is evidently the theory of some armchair lounger who evolves all these neat little paradoxes in the seclusion of his own study.  It is not practical.  I should like to see him clapped down in a third-class carriage on the Underground, and asked to give the trades of all his fellow travelers.  I would lay a thousand to one against him."

"You would lose your money," Holmes remarked calmly.  "As for the article, I wrote it myself."

Kids love mysteries and detective stories (they're important for critical thinking), but after they get past the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys stage, they'll want more!

I found an excellent Reader's Digest "Best Loved Books For Young Readers" Great Cases of Sherlock Holmes, that is very nicely condensed, without sacrificing Doyle's original text in the eight short stories that are presented.

Another excellent Sherlock Holmes option for kids ages 8 and up is storyteller Jim Weiss' riveting Greathall Productions recording, Sherlock Holmes for Children, which includes four stories (available here) - my husband and I enjoyed them as much as our children did!  Jim's also done a recording of The Hound of the Baskervilles - not to be missed! (available here).

By the way, have you seen the cute cameo Benedict C. had on Sesame Street?

Want more mysteries?  Check out my past post, Who-Dunnits for Pre-Teens, here.  Do you have any to recommend that I missed?

First Feasts of February: St. Brigid's Day and a Day for Candles and Hedge- um, that is - Groundhogs

St. Brigid's Day is today, February 1st.  Celebrate by reading a special book and making a St. Brigid cross!

"Brigid saw Christ in everyone she met, and had

a particular love for those less fortunate than herself."

St. Brigid, a contemporary of St. Patrick, founded a monastery in Kildare in the 6th century. It is said that she converted her father to Christianity while making a cross from rushes. You can try your hand at making a St. Brigid cross, like this one, by going here.

In those early Christian times the farmers adopted the custom of making crosses of straw at the beginning of spring to protect their holding, placing the St. Brigid's Crosses in prominent positions in their houses and buildings.The tradition of making St. Brigid's Crosses on St. Brigid's Feast Day continues to the present day.

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THE LIFE OF SAINT BRIGID, Abbess of Kildare, has been lovingly told by Jane G. Meyer. Zachary Lynch's captivating and colorful illustrations are full of Celtic influence. 

Brigid's father, a chieftain, becomes weary of Brigid's generosity and takes her away to be sold to a neighboring king.  While the deal is being settled with the king, Brigid gives away her father's sword to a poor leper.  The king, realizing that Brigid would give away his wealth as well, advises Brigid's father to release her from slavery and grant her freedom. 

Her prideful father yields to the plan, but tries to force Brigid to marry - which leads Brigid to scar her own face, in order to be left alone by her family.  They finally understand her desire to devote herself purely to Christ, and she is allowed to become a nun,

"...marrying Christ and His Church instead of man.

And as a sign of God's hand upon her, the scar on her cheek was healed

as the priest placed the white veil upon her head."  

In this book, your child will learn how Brigid, Abbess of Kildare, tended sheep and the poor, founded convents, worked miracles, and visited kings.  St. Brigid is known today as a patron of travelers, healers, and midwives; and a protector of flocks and herds, and newborn babies.

A second February Feastday:
Tomorrow is another big day - many of you may be thinking about the Super Bowl or even Groundhog Day, but February 2 is one of the important 12 Feasts of the Church, when we bring our candles to be blessed.

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In the Eastern Orthodox Church, we refer to it as "The Presentation of Christ in the Temple" (described in Luke, chapter 2); it is known as "Candlemas" in the West.

Why the emphasis on candles and light?  Because of St. Simeon's prophecy in Luke:

"Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people. To be a Light to enlighten the nations and to be the glory of Thy people Israel."

Traditionally, if the sun shone on "Candlemas Day" - February 2 - Europeans believed the hedgehog would cast a shadow and another six weeks of winter was inevitable.

If Candlemas be fair and bright, 

Come, winter, have another flight. 

If Candlemas brings cold and rain,
Go, winter, and come not again.

A Hedgehog stand-in: The Groundhog
When the first Germans arrived in North America, no hedgehogs were to be found. But another similar animal, the groundhog - or woodchuck - was here.

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Believed by the native Indians to be "a wise and sensible animal," the groundhog became a hedgehog stand-in. So that is how the American the tradition of "Groundhog Day" was born.

Find my past posts, HERE about some literary hedgehogs (they're waaay cuter then groundhogs)!

 

Red Envelopes - and a Wish - for Chinese New Year!

"Gung hei fat choi!"

That’s the traditional Mandarin greeting many will say today - "wishing you prosperity" - to mark the beginning of Chinese New Year.  This important Chinese festival, also known as "Spring Festival", marks the start of new life and the season of ploughing and sowing. The holiday is traditionally linked to honoring the household, heavenly gods, and ancestors.

Today I have a fun book about how a little girl's wish conflicts with traditional Chinese customs and culture:  Ruby's Wish, by Shirin Yim Bridges. The story was inspired by the author's grandmother!

Ruby is a determined little girl who loves the color red.  She also loves to learn, and wants to go to the university like her brothers.  Finally one New Year's Day, Ruby gets something very special in a red envelope from her grandfather. You'll love Sophie Blackall's bright illustrations (like the Ruby in the book, her favorite color is red).

In Ruby's Wish, we learn about the Lantern Festival that is held at the end of the Chinese New Year celebration (traditional Chinese New Year is a two-week holiday divided into two parts. The first week is designated time to spend with family and friends. The second week involves traditions designed to bring good luck. The festivities end with a Lantern Festival.)  Click HERE for a wonderful Chinese New Year craft source, which includes the paper lanterns pictured below.

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Before the holiday begins, families tend to clean their homes, but throughout the holiday, dust brushes and brooms are hidden so that good luck won't be swept away. Typically, the holiday begins on New Year’s Eve, when families gather for a large traditional meal in which regional foods are served. At midnight, fireworks are set off to “frighten” evil spirits. Red is a common color for the holiday because it symbolizes fire, which wards off evil.

The holiday itself is usually spent with relatives, shopping, watching fireworks and, in some cases, a religious ceremony honoring heaven, earth, and other deities. Other traditions include stuffing red envelopes (like the one Ruby gets) with money and candy and placing them under children's pillows, to open on New Year’s Day. [source]

You can read my past posts about Chinese New Year (with more book recommendations!) here.
According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2014 is the "Year of the Horse".  For my posts about horse books your kids will love, go here.

A BALLOON RACE FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

Feelings of nostalgia rise (along with the hot-air balloons on the cover of this book) every time I look at this fun recommendation that I'm re-posting from last year: 

The Great Valentine's Day Balloon Race

Published in 1980, it is one of Adrienne Adams' stories involving The Easter Egg Artists (1976), about a Rabbit family by the name of Abbott.  They have a son named Orson (get it? "Orson Abbott"/Our son Rabbit.)

In this particular tale, the Abbotts return for another adventure: Orson is determined to enter the Valentine's Day balloon race, but first, he must figure out how to build a hot-air balloon....with help from his parents and his neighbor, a bunny named "Bonnie".

They know how to make a balloon fly..."You just fill it with
something lighter than air, and it must go up."  They even tie
a big clothes basket to the bottom of the balloon to ride in...
Father goes first, but does not have a successful flight.

After the mishap, Orson figures out they need to make some
changes, so the whole family works on the balloon -
Bonnie, too.

Spreading the balloon on the ground, they puff it up
with a big electric fan.

They finally get it up and flying.  Orson names it
"Bonnies Valentine".  But the balloon needs some color....

After decorating it with some red hearts and flowers, it's
all ready to go! You'll have to read the story to find out
if they've got the know-how to win the race!

Any boy or girl would love this picture book (and will learn something about the science of hot-air balloons at the same time). Adrienne Adams' clear, colorful art is a perfect accompaniment to the fun adventure - for Valentine's Day or any day!!

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Adrienne Adams was a very prolific illustrator of children's books.  I especially love her stylized work of the 1960's. Her Snow White and Rose Red (1964) and Twelve Dancing Princesses (1966) - both Brothers Grimm fairytales - were childhood favorites of mine (click the titles to see her illustrations).  Another of my childhood favorites (published in 1968) is Mouse House, illustrated by Adams and written by Rumer Godden (they also teamed together for Holly and Ivy, 1958.)

You can read more about Adams and see some of her other books here and here.

You can read my previous Valentine's Day posts here.

Something else for Valentine's Day:  February 14th (here before you know it!) is also "International Book Giving Day"!  Consider "Leaving a Book, Giving a Book, or Donating a Book" for a child, a friend, a school - anyone! 

Go here for details.  Remember,

A Book is a Gift you can open again and again

-Garrison Keillor