All The World

All the World

Liz Garton Scanlon

Marla Frazee 2015

A nice oversized rhyming book about the world, nature, and community.  Marla Frazee's (one of the best!) inclusive illustrations are so enjoyable.  This is one of those books in our house that seems to float around from room to room and everyone that comes across it picks it up to look through and enjoy.

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

Helen Oxenbury illustrates a joyful celebration of babies.  Though diverse, they all have in common "ten little fingers and ten little toes" and are loved, loved, loved!

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

Mem Fox

Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury 2010

Diane Goode's Book of Giants and Little People

I found this post that I had written but never published from a couple of years ago.  Madeleine is no longer in school (she's working now) and Charlotte and my days are a bit busier than just hammock lounging!  But it's still true about the bookshop!

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Such fine, fine weather we've been having!  This is the season of fresh cherries, sheets on the line and cut flowers lining the windowsills.  Madeleine often comes home from school to find Charlotte and I laying on the hammock with a scattering of books around us.  More often than not she joins us there beneath the trees and reads through the picture books too.

One of our very favorite things to do is go to the used bookshop.  The books are so cheap, we usually come home with a box or two and promptly bring them outside, where we sort through and read them.  The kids like to spread a blanket and picnic with snacks and lemonade.  It really is the best way to spend a shady afternoon.

Diane Goode's Book of Giants and Little People

Diane Goode 1997

This book, a collection of stories and a few poems was a recent companion in our backyard. There's some familiar stories like "The Shoemaker and the Elves" and some from other countries. Madeleine told me she really enjoyed the last one "Wiley and the Hairy Man", of African-American origin.  Plus I've always liked Diane Goode's pictures.  (This is a nice companion to Goode's book of Silly Stories).

The Golden Treasury of Prayers for Boys and Girls

The Golden Treasury of Prayers for Boys and Girls 

Selected by Esther Wilkin

Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin 1975

A large oversized book of prayers spanning nationalities, religions and centuries.  Wilkin's illustrations are tender and sweet.  If you are building your children's library through the thrift store, these Golden Treasury books always seem to be there. 

Once again Wilkin's bedroom interiors are impeccable!

The Wreckers, The Smugglers, The Buccheners

The Wreckers 1999

The Smugglers 2000

The Buccaneers 2003

Iain Lawrence

I could not put these books down.  One I finished in a day, it was so gripping.  A bit gruesome, mysterious and plenty of adventure.  Charlotte read the first two but admitted to me that they were more grisly than she expected (there's a description of a drowning that particularly bothered her).  Taking place in the 19th century along the English coast, they're a treat for readers who like historical fiction a little on the dark side.  (Maybe for older YA readers).  

From Sea to Shining Sea

 Filled with a wonderful collection of stories and some of our favorite illustrators, this treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs is a necessary addition to any children's library.  The Dillons, Anita Lobel, Egielski, Cooney, and Trina Schart Hyman are just a few of the artists included.  Spanning centuries and across the country it's a sampling of Native American lore, Gospel songs, tall-tales, and historical stories.  The hilarious skit "Who's on First?" is even included!  It's one of those books that nice to pickup and read here and there.

From Sea to Shining Sea

compiled by Amy L. Cohn 1993