Children’s Books — by Guest Mom Jane Maynard

How can I not share my favorite children’s books on Design Mom? I think it would be a crime!



Don & Audrey Wood books are so wonderful. The stories are fantastic, the illustrations even more so. Here’s a quick list:
King Bidgood’s In the Bathtub
Heckedy Peg
Elbert’s Bad Word
The Napping House



Chris Van Allsburg is my other favorite picture book author. Again, beautiful stories & illustrations. And seriously, why does The Polar Express make me cry EVERY TIME? It’s killer.



For your adolescent daughters out there, the Anne of Green Gables series is a must read. I read all of these books when I was young and loved every minute of it. (Yes, I wanted to be Anne. I even memorized the Lady of Shalott by Tennyson. Geeky, yes. But cute, too.)



Okay, I’m not trying to be clichéd or trendy here, but the Harry Potter Books are my most favorite EVER. For those of you who HAVE read Harry, you can just stop reading here. For those of you have have NOT read Harry…please bear with me.

I know how you feel. I was reluctant, perhaps beligerent, in the beginning. I finally gave in and read Book 1. To be honest, I wasn’t much impressed. But I thought Book 2 was worth a second chance. Again, not so into it, but it did make me want to see what would happen next. By the end of the 3rd book I was HOOKED. I had to go to the bookstore THAT DAY to get number 4. They were that awesome and only got better.

So, go buy the books and get busy. In fact, here are the links so you don’t have any excuses: Books 1-6 & Book 7.

From the Archive: Book of the Week — My Father's Dragon

My Father's Dragon, by Ruth Stiles Gannett

I know I did a dragon book last time, but it reminded me of this one and this one is awesome. Such a great story: an alley cat convinces a little boy to stow away on a ship and rescue a young dragon. Pretty much a can't miss with any child. I love this book as an introduction to reading chapter books aloud at bedtime. The plot is not too hard to follow, the language is fairly simple and there are lots of really great illustrations to aid the imagination.

There are 3 books in the series. The volume we have has all 3. All three are good, but the first is best.

My sister-in-law Traci sent this book, along with a recording she made of the book being read aloud. We have listened to it on roadtrips a hundred times. And read the book as a bedtime story a hundred more. A really thoughtful gift.

A must have for any child's library. Good price on the 3 story volume here.

Originally published on September 14, 2006. A perfect summer read aloud book for school age kids!

TRAVEL — The World of M. Sasek — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

Many of you mod-savvy moms out there will already be familiar with M. Sasek. Yet, as a blogger of vintage kids’ books, if I didn’t post on him here under the realm of kids and travel on a blog with the word design in the title, I would be remiss.

Quite possibly one of the coolest mid-century children’s books authors ever, Czech artist, illustrator, and author — Miroslav Sasek — created a series of travel-related books for tots (sort of) called “This Is”. Wonderful illustrations infused with real-life historical tips and a sharp sarcasm make these a great way to introduce your kids to new places without ever leaving your living room. Some of the titles have been reissued, but for the others, you’ll have to join the search along with the rest of us.

This is Paris (1959, reissued 2004)
This is London (1959, reissued 2004)
This is Rome (1960, reissued 2007)
This is New York (1960, reissued 2003)
This is Edinburgh (1961, reissued 2006)
This is Munich (1961)
This is Venice (1961, reissued 2005)
This is San Francisco (1962, reissued 2003)
This is Israel (1962)
This is Cape Canaveral (1963) (Later published as This is Cape Kennedy)
This is Ireland (1964, reissued 2005)
This is Hong Kong (1965, reissued 2007)
This is Greece (1966)
This is Texas (1967, reissued 2006)
This is the United Nations (1968)
This is Washington, D.C. (1969)
This is Australia (1970)
This is Historic Britain (1974)



This drawing is of the Amarillo Livestock Auction from my son’s all time favorite — of course — This is Texas. Check out a slide show of art from the whole “This Is” series here. You won’t be disappointed.

Books — New or Old... It's All Good — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

If vintage books aren’t your thing, there are a ton of great illustrators and writers creating classics now for the next generation. Author and certified readiologist — Esme Raji Codell — keeps a wonderful blog with current (and past) recommendations worthy of any child’s bookshelf. The two Aussie mums at We Heart Books do a great job highlighting anything that is literary-related for your wee one, and they sort their picks by age so you can choose appropriately.

As for me, I love David Wiesner, Mo Willems and Christopher Wormell, but my favorite contemporary picture book author is Eric Rohmann. When August was only a year old, he wanted to hear Rohmann’s Caldecott Medal-winning book, My Friend Rabbit, over and over again. He was so enthralled with the stories and pictures of both Rabbit and The Cinder-Eyed Cats that I felt compelled to write the guy a letter (because that’s the kind of thing you do when you are book obsessed) telling him how special my family thought his talent was. Three weeks later, a box arrived on my doorstep filled with posters, an autographed copy of Clara and Asha, and a hand-doodled letter thanking us for being inspired. Needless to say, we are now his number one fans for life.



New or old, books are an important part of any child’s early development. I made a point from the moment my son first shifted in my belly to have books tucked in every corner of our house so that at a moment’s notice we could be trekking out to the hundred acre wood (Pooh) or sneaking over to the Plaza Hotel to share scones with Skipper Dee and Weenie (Eloise).

Once out in the world, August graduated out of board books pretty quick. Though some are really beautiful and teach our babies important lessons like how a cow goes and the basic ABCs, too many parents lean for too long on these books. My advice? While you have your child sitting there in your lap, still unable to run or crawl away, why not try engaging them in a longer picture book or even a chapter book? Turning your child onto full stories when they are still lap-bound will help them build an incredible attention span and become early talkers. I know sometimes is seems like life is too full to read to your kids all the time and hearing Curious George for the 120th time is mind numbing. But, trust me, if you make the commitment to seek out the books you loved as a kid, passing on your favorite stories just might help you stay engaged for a little while longer.

Books — Random Fun Picks — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

I find books by scouring my local hotspots and discovering titles at random, but sometimes I hear about a book that sounds so awesome… so amazing… so grand that I just have to have it right that moment or I will DIE. A friend will tell me about a great book August doesn’t possess, and it will eat me alive until I have it in my hand and am reading it aloud to him.

Here are just a few of the titles that in past moments have made me insane with greed. Perhaps they will spark a flame, and you too can lose sleep thinking about all the books out there that some child other that your own is enjoying.




OUT-OF-PRINT
1) Switch on the Night by Ray Bradbury, pictures by Madeleine Gekiere
2) The Crows of Pearblossom by Aldous Huxley, by Barbara Cooney
3) The Tyger Voyage by Richard Adams, pictures by Nicola Bayley
4) Grandpa’s Farm by James Flora
5) The Circus Baby by Maud and Miska Petersham

IN-PRINT
1) D'Aulaire's Book of Animals by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
2) Zoo by Bruce Minari
3) Summer by Alice Low, pictures by Roy McKie
4) The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse
5) A Very Special House by Ruth Krauss, pictures by Maurice Sendak

You can join me in my obsession daily at Vintage Kids’ Books My Kid Loves… but be warned. It is contagious.

Books — Eye Heart Vintage — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

Before I quit work to stay home with my son and have a go at writing, I spent my early career in book selling and publishing because, quite simply, I love books. I love the smell. The cut of the cover. The guts and the mysteries they hold. So when my son August was born, it was only right that I begin to build a classic book collection for him. Slowly, I picked out special gems ~ starting with Where the Wild Things Are and moving on from there. Very quickly, however, I found that buying my son all the favorites I’d loved as a child was beginning to put me in the poor house — dropping around $25 for a quality hard cover.

Even though I am somewhat of a thrift nut, it never occurred to me to buy vintage until one day – perusing at a used book shop – I stumbled across a copy of Why I Built the Boogle House written by Helen Palmer (aka Mrs. Dr. Seuss) for $1.25. Written in 1964, it is a fabulous book. A hilarious book. A classic book. It is no longer available in print and was only (did I mention?) $1.25. From there, the floodgates opened. I realized there is a world of books out there just waiting to fill my son’s imagination… at yard sales… library sales… junk shops… thrift stores… online. Books that are not only classics, but that can be purchased for as little as 25 cents if you find them before the for-profit collectors do.



That epiphany was over two years ago, and August’s collection now is somewhere in the thousands. Though my car is a veritable book mobile, and August’s many cases are stuffed two rows deep, I figure, what the hay. You can never have too many. Really, children’s books are the ultimate conduit for teaching us not just about the world, but design and illustration and how words flow from one into the next to form a perfect union of communication. They are art on the go, and inspiration in your pocket.



I do buy August new books for holidays and birthdays, just so he has some in his collection that aren’t inscribed “To Cousin Willy, Love Aunt Edna, Easter 1971”. For the most part though, he’s falling in love with books that some other child already adored. Which is a pretty sweet thought, after all.

Book of the Week — People

My mom recently posted about this book — People by Caldecott medalist Peter Spier. I was so happy to be reminded of it. We had this volume in our home growing up and I remember loving to study and stare at the detailed pictures of cultures and people from around the world. And I remember being completely fascinated that there were so many, many different sorts of people — it was definitely my first introduction to a global way of thinking.



Once, my mom was helping my Dad decorate the bulletin boards in his classroom. For one large board, she created cut outs of people based on the drawings from the book. I LOVED it. I stared at it for hours (it was probably minutes, but I was 10 or 11, so holding still at all was pretty impressive). I couldn't imagine a more wonderful bulletin board.

I think I'm going to pick up a copy for my own library.

Books — by Guest Mom Kristin Fine

My absolute favorite pastime is wonderful independent bookstores. Yes, reading too. Although this particular place in my life isn’t so great for reading — or at least remembering what I have read! Anyway. My point was that to me, a good hour in a great bookstore is like a mini vacation.

Books grab me. Sometimes the story. Sometimes the cover. Often the beauty and smell of the pages. The weight in my hand. I’ve been to independent bookstores in every city I go to and my favorite (lucky me) remains right where I live in Connecticut. Diane's Books in Greenwich is simply the best.

And not just for books for grown ups, it's also spectacular for kids. I have never been steered wrong — and often I simply start to mention a direction and they manage to read my mind. Their advice is always rich and dead on. Diane, the owner, has such a passion for books, stories and reading. She’ll even stay open late — as she did for me tonight.

I’ve been finding parallels in my preference for independent retailers that line up with the locavore movement for food. (Which as an aside reminds me of a book I love: Alice Waters and Chez Panisse. I digress again!) I try to shop locally and support my local independent retailers over the chains.

Greenwich has changed so much from when I was a child — the Five and Dime is now a Saks! As for kids stores, it is ours, Baby Gap, and Best and Co..Ugh!

Back to Diane's. She’s the best. Call her for books as gifts and for your self — and go there if you can. Come to LOVE also! Shopping locally you get an opinion, a point of view, an interaction. Probably something different and special. Quality over quantity.

So the great books I left with tonight are for kids:


Pippi Longstocking, which has always been a favorite, is now available in an edition illustrated by Lauren Child of Charlie and Lola fame. I am so excited to share this with my daughter.


The Lonely Moose by John Segal is beautiful and sweet. And funny. With a wonderful comment on friendship.


The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers is also about friendship.

And for me:
The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins. My coolest writer friend recommended this.

Red Bird by Mary Oliver is a collection of incredibly true poems. I keep it by my bed and say I’ll read 3 before sleep, but like chocolates, I cannot stop very easily. Just one more I tell myself until the chance of going to bed at a reasonable hour evaporates.

Lastly a Random:


The Backyard Birdsong Guide by Donald Kroodsma, is a true birders science book that can be appreciated by kids and adults alike. It is part bird book with pretty and clear illustrations and on the other part you press a button and have a clear perfect sound guide of the birds call. Very cool.

Books of the Week — Bob Gill

I love these books so much! And was delighted to find that Phaidon just reissued them. I think Bob Gill is a genius. He was a freelance illustrator in New York before he moved to London in 1960 — where he started a design firm that eventually became Pentagram(!). What a cool guy. I love that he has both Pentagram and awesome children's books on his resumé. Nice.

In A Balloon for A Blunderbuss a child starts with a butterfly and imagines what he could trade it for. A butterfly for a wishbone. A wishbone for a flag. A flag for a straw hat. A straw hat for a green umbrella. Until eventually he figures out a way to trade for everything-in-the-world.

In What Colour is Your World? there is a simple discussion of how different people view color. A gardener would see things in green. A milkman would see the world in white. And an artist might view color altogether differently.

The style and illustrations are perfection — authentically retro cool. These books would make great gifts for the children of any artsy parents you know.

Book of the Week — Sow and Grow

Happy May Day! I have the perfect book to tell you about — it totally feels like a May Day book. It's called Sow and Grow, A Gardening Book for Children.

And it is just delightful. All of the illustrations are vintage. Actual vintage images, not vintage-like. The book has a cloth covered spine and feels good to hold. And the information is just right. Everything a curious kid would want to know. From the names of plant parts to "how to print with leaves".

There are sections on making potpourri, growing plants from seed, forcing bulbs and branches, terrariums, and a whole bunch more.

Tina Davis is the author and she's done a lovely job. Sow and Grow would make a great reference in a school-age child's library. It's got me all excited to get out my trowel!

Yay for May!

Readable Children's Books — by Guest Mom Allysha

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.”

So go the famous opening lines of “Winnie-The-Pooh” by A. A. Milne. I love the crew of the 100 acre wood, with an especial fondness for, I must confess, Eeyore, who is indeed woefully funny.

In college I took a class about writing children's books. It wasn't until I had children of my own, however, that I learned The Truth: many children's books are Quite Boring and Really Awful to read aloud. If you are a mother or father you know this. You know that the best kind of book is one the equally appeals to both parent and child. Which is why I like the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. My children like them. I like them. I have been known to keep the whole stack by my bed and chuckle to myself as I read through the lot. The two volumes of poetry, Now We Are Six and When We Were Very Young, if you aren't familiar with them, are as equally charming as the story books Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.

Some other books I enjoy reading to my children are:

Frog and Toad...(fill in the rest of the title here, because any Frog and Toad story will do). I like Arnold Lobels' amphibians for the same reason I like Winnie the Pooh. The stories are funny and accessible to everyone involved. In fact I think these are better stories for the younger set, and yet are equally suited to keep adults completely entertained.



The Rainbow Book of Nursery Rhymes by Sam Childs. I think this book is officially out of print, but you can still find it online. It's really beautiful. And utterly readable, as nursery rhymes are.



Drummer Hoff by Ed and Barbara Emberly. With gorgeous color woodblock print illustrations, this is a fun read. It can get kind of tongue-twistery, so don't hurry through too fast!

Ballerina! by Peter Sis. Simple illustrations. Simple story. But if you have little aspiring dancers at your house, they will really love this book. I always replace the little girl's name with the name of one of my daughters, and that is always a big hit.

Book of the Week — The Lorax

Book of the Week is usually on Thursdays. But this week's selection is oh-so-Earth-Day-appropriate that I'm bending all my hard and fast rules. (Oh the chaos!)

Adriana let me know last week about the new edition of The Lorax by Dr. Suess, that just recently came out. Random House published the new edition on recycled paper and there's even a website full of related activities. All in celebration of Earth Day.



If you're unfamiliar with The Lorax here's the short version: The Lorax is the person who speaks for the Trees. And when a new resident moves to town and greedily chops down all vegetation in site, the Lorax warns about what happens when you mess with Mother Nature. And clearly the story has some legs — it was written ages before our current Eco-Chic culture was born.

Book of the Week — In A Blue Room

This is a new book at our house. In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck with illustrations by Tricia Tusa. And it's already showing a bit of wear and tear from all the loving and handling and reading.

A story about bedtime that's a perfect bedtime story. Very calming and engaging. And not-too-long (which is crucial at the end of the day when I. Am. Worn. Out.)

Alice, who only likes blue things, is trying to fall asleep, but is having a hard time of it. Her mother brings her lovely things that engage all 5 senses, but alas, those things are not blue — until the Moon works it's magic.

The illustrations are charming and graceful with lots of little details. I especially love the image of Alice taking a deep breath of the gorgeous flower arrangement. My kids love this book.

Book of the Week: 365 Penguins

I heart this oversize picture book. 365 Penguins by by Jean-Luc Fromental, illustrated by Joëlle Jolivet. Everyday for a year a new penguin arrives at one family's home, beginning on January 1st.

Why are they coming? Who is sending them? We find out on New Year's Eve when Uncle Victor, the ecologist, arrives. And while we await the answer, there's lots of math and sorting and organizing happening — and plenty of space on each oversize page to showcase the penguin havoc as the popular increases.

The flat illustrations in black, white, orange and blue are beautiful and fit the story perfectly. A great addition to your child's library!

Book of the Week — Little Hoot

Little Hoot just wants to go to bed. But no. Poor Little Hoot. His parents require him to stay up all night and play. Play. Play. Play. He is not allowed to go to sleep until the sun rises.




And that's pretty much all you need to know, because how could a book premise be more charming than that?

Oh. And you also might want to know that the illustrations are by Jen Corace — a talent of gigantic proportions. While I save up for an original Corace, it's nice to be able to bring her work into my home right away. The book is beautiful. As further proof, I offer you the publishers name: Chronicle Books. (When was the last time you saw a Chronicle book that wasn't beautiful?)



Plus also, you might want to know that there's a sort of companion book called Little Pea by the same author/illustrator combo. Little Pea just wants to eat his dessert: spinach. But no. Poor Little Pea. His parents require him to eat 5 pieces of candy for dinner before he can have dessert. . .

Dinosaur Soup

Yesterday I received an email from Martin at Bob's Your Uncle and I just had to share. They are looking for recipe submissions written by children to be featured in an illustrated book — to be published this year. Here are some charming sample pages from the book:





Want to have your children submit something? Here’s the brief as I received it from Martin:

This should be a project without any parental help or referring to cook books, the more instinctive the recipe, the better. The child should not be corrected or advised about any aspect of the recipe, even if measurements, temperature or timing is way off (that’s what we are looking for!).

It's ok for an adult to write down the recipe as dictated, it does not need to be an illustrated page or presented in an artistic style, as we will design and layout the finished product.

Please send submissions by e mail to: recipes@bobsyouruncle.com

Too fun! I hope you send something in. I'm definitely going to see if my kids want to write one.

Book of the Week — Five Chinese Brothers

Design Mom Reader, Burgin, emailed me about her new blog: Vintage Children's Books My Kid Loves. And before I even checked it out I knew I would love it. Did I mention it was about vintage books for kids? How could I not love it.

One of the books she featured is The Five Chinese Brothers — do you remember this one? I loved it as a child!

The First Chinese Brother could swallow the sea.
The Second Chinese Brother had an iron neck.
The Third Chinese Brother could stretch and stretch his legs.
The Fourth Chinese Brother could not be burned.
And the Fifth Chinese Brother could hold his breath indefinitely.

It's fairly impossible not to be hooked after reading that. Plus, that drawing of the brother with his cheeks full of the sea — awesome. You could just feel he was ready to burst. I swear I remember every page of the book.

I can't believe I haven't added this to our library yet — and was so glad to be reminded of it. You can find a hardcover edition of The Five Chinese Brothers here.

Book of the Week — Gallop!

Design Mom Reader Shannon J, sent me an email recommending the book Gallop! I finally made some time to check it out and now I simply must add it to the family library. It sounds/looks amazing.

Since I still haven't seen it in person, I'm going to grab the well-written (anonymous?) review right off of Amazon:

"There's never before been a book like Gallop! Employing a patented new technology called Scanimation, each page is a marvel that brings animals, along with one shining star, to life with art that literally moves. It's impossible not to flip the page, and flip it again, and again, and again.

A first book of motion for kids, it shows a horse in full gallop and a turtle swimming up the page. A dog runs, a cat springs, an eagle soars, and a butterfly flutters. Created by Rufus Butler Seder, an inventor, artist, and filmmaker fascinated by antique optical toys, Scanimation is a state-of-the-art six-phase animation process that combines the "persistence of vision" principle with a striped acetate overlay to give the illusion of movement. It harkens back to the old magical days of the kinetoscope, and the effect is astonishing, like a Muybridge photo series springing into action—or, in terms kids can relate to, like a video without a screen. Complementing the art is a delightful rhyming text full of simple questions and fun, nonsense replies: Can you gallop like a horse? giddyup-a-loo! Can you strut like a rooster? cock-a-doodle-doo!

Every child who opens the book will be amazed—and so will every parent."

Are you with me? Does Gallop! sound awesome or what?

And speaking of awesome and books, the 2008 Caldecott and Newbery winners were recently announced. I'm a collector of Caldecott books and look forward to finding out the winners every year. (This year's Caldecott winner is The Invention of Hugo Cabret — a great choice, and one I reviewed here.)

Book of the Week — Alison Jay's Board Books

Aren't these board books gorgeous? Alison Jay's illustrations are inventive and beautiful.

In Alphabet (which also seems to go by ABC depending on which country it's sold in), each scene features one item (A is for apple) with several smaller a-word-objects surrounding the main item. The final scene shows everything and everyone from the book together in a non-traditional zoo. And throughout the book there's an underlying story of a man on a journey encountering objects from the book.

In Numbers (which also seems to go by 123), you'll count from 1 to 10 and back again with fairy tale characters as your companions. Watch for characters from one scene as they make appearances on further pages. So well done!

These would be a wonderful addition to your child's library and are pretty enough that you'll want to leave them out on display.



And while my brain is on Alison Jay, check out her Picture This board book as well — clearly Alison can do no wrong!

I spotted the Alphabet book on the great new blog Babyccino (4 cool mothers blogging from 4 cool cities: London, Amsterdam, Paris & Milan).

Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books — by Guest Mom Leslie

We've collected lots of fun non-fiction children's books in addition to our picture and chapter books. Whether the kids have questions about space, rain forest animals, the Great Pyramid, bog people, or the first Thanksgiving, it's fun to have a library of books at home so we can find answers together. If a book can teach and entertain at the same time, it gets a double nod of approval from me.

This book is new to our library, and I actually got it from a Scholastic Book Order from my daughter's class. I have a hard time not getting one teensy little book (or two) from those monthly pamphlets. This book is told as a story, but you can talk to your children how it is real, it's history, and they will forever know that Abraham Lincoln was a good and honorable man. This book is illustrated beautifully with simplistic, folksy oil paintings by Nancy Carpenter. But my favorite part of this book is that it teaches children about Mr. Lincoln, one of the greatest men of all time.


Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books
by Kay Winters
illustrations by Nancy Carpenter

A few of my favorite passages: "In the wilds of Kentucky, 1809, a boy was born. His mother called his Abraham, his last name was Lincoln. His bed was made from corn husks, his covers, skins from bears. His cabin built with logs from towering trees."

"As Abe grew, he talked to travelers--heard where they'd been, where they were going. He saw their world was wider than his own. His ideas stretched. His questions rose. His dreams were stirred."

This simple narrative follows Abe as he grows up, as his family moves, and his mother dies. It shows us how he eventually went "from the wilderness to the White House," as he learned that "it was unjust to own another," that "words could change the way folks thought," and as he discovered the "power of words and used them well."

I love words, too, and Ms. Winters puts them together beautifully in this book. Now you know why it's one of my new favorites. You can get it here.

Bear by Himself — by Guest Mom Leslie

What child doesn't enjoy a trip to the library? We go almost weekly, and come away with a backpack FULL of books, which my daughter has usually read by the time we get home. We also have a pretty extensive children's book collection here at the house. I hope one day we'll have a library in our house just for the kids. I buy books like I buy milk, and I have so many favorites. Some are from my childhood, and some we've recently discovered. This is my number one all-time favorite children's book, and I think you would agree with me that it is perhaps the sweetest little book ever written.



Bear by Himself
by Geoffrey Hayes

"There are times when a bear has to be alone with himself. To think his own thoughts and sing his own songs."

The small bear in this story spends one perfect day all alone, except that we readers get to come with him on his adventures. Bear is content to be all by himself, and seeks out activities that one can only enjoy when unaccompanied. His daily actions are so simple ("smelling the rain, listening to the quiet"), and so endearing, that you will find yourself, when you have come to the end of the story, with a little tear in your eye and a compulsion to go back to the first page and read it again. I'm serious, it's that good!

When I was young, my sister, Stephanie, and I would take out this book from our little library over and over again. We kept it for months at a time. The bear in the original version looks strikingly similar to her cherished childhood bear friend, and I think we both secretly hoped that if we checked this little book out enough times, eventually they would just let us keep it.

I found vintage copies of the first printing for me, my mom, and sister a few years ago. The photo above is of the newer printing, and although it is cute, the original (1976) illustrations are just charming, simple pencil drawings with hints of green watercolor splashed in all the right places.



Perhaps it's the memory of reading it with my mom as a child that makes it so special to me, but this one is a must for every children's library! You can purchase an original printing of the book here or find the newer version here.

Book of the Week — Almost Everything and Zoo-ology

A few months ago I saw both these picture books at ABC Home and have been meaning to pick them up. They are gorgeous.