The Purple Ribbon

The Purple Ribbon

Sharelle Byars Moranville

illustrated by Anna Alter

I found this one at the thrift store and it turned out to be a sweet story.  (Sometimes with thrift store books the cover and synopsis look promising but when you get them home and read them they're real duds!).  Madeleine was the first to read it and said it was a keeper!  The story follows a mouse named "Spring" and how she ends up living in an old car with her mouse babies.  The purple ribbon is a beloved heirloom that ties Spring to her family and new little children.  This is a good chapter book for those looking for "gentle" stories for young readers.

It was a Dark and Stormy Night

It was a Dark and Stormy Night

Janet and Allan Ahlberg 1994

Taking it's cue from Edward Bulwer-Lytton, this book is all about story telling, the sillier, the better.  When a young boy is kidnapped by a band of brigands, he's instructed by the Chief Brigand to entertain them with a story.  But no one can agree on how it should go, or how scary it should be, and whether there should be bears or not.  A bit long for a picture book, but lots of fun to read!

George Shrinks

We had fun this summer sending a copy of this book to friends along with some "mini" versions of goldfish, pretzels, and nilla wafers.  Sometimes small can be so much fun!  This was one of our first William Joyce books and it's easy to see why we fell for him.  The illustrations have an appealing retro vibe and the story is creative, following George as he inexplicably shrinks.  He still has to do all the chores his parents left for him and we get to see how he cleverly manages it in his new diminutive size.

George Shrinks

William Joyce

A Note of Explanation

A Note of Explanation

Vita Sackville-West

illustrations by Kate Baylay

2018

This book is an absolute gem!  Apparently Queen Mary (1867-1953) had a miniature dollhouse complete with a library filled with actual printed books.  This lost story by Vita Sackville-West (also a friend of Virginia Woolf) tells of a spirited fairy who inhabits the dollhouse and causes all sorts of intrigue.  The illustrations are divine and are very reminiscent of the great Kay Nielson.  It's wonderful that such a story was discovered and re-printed.   And the real-life story of the dollhouse and all that it contains is incredible! 

Definitely read about Queen Mary's dollhouse here!