Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Find the Constellations

 I had no idea that H.A. Rey (of Curious George fame) made a book about the stars!  (This was another find from my latest thrift store batch).  Lots of information and some interactive activities.  The Sky-view pages are my favorite.

Find the Constellations
H.A. Rey 1977








Monday, January 30, 2023

Outside Your Window

 My last thrift store haul was really wonderful.  Here's another from that batch.  A large oversized book of nature poems and facts, accompanied by really wonderful full page collage illustrations.  It was published by Candlewick Press which is no surprise.  They seem to be the publisher with some of the highest quality children's literature out there.  

Outside Your Window
A First Book of Nature
Nicola Davies
illustrated by Mark Hearld 2012












Sunday, January 29, 2023

Chirri and Chirra Under the Sea

 I am always especially thrilled when I find a book at the thrift store that has been on my Amazon wish list.  I would never have expected to find this one at my local thrift shop, but there it was waiting for me to pluck it from the shelf!  I had only recently been made aware of the Chirri and Chirra books.  They are by the Japanese artist Kaya Doi and David Boyd does the English translations.  The story is cute, about two little girls on their bicycles who manage to ride into the ocean.  Their exploration is full of fantasy and all joy.  The illustrations are soft and sweet and absolutely delightful!  There are several more books of Chirri and Chirra's adventures in other places.  Can I find them all at the thrift store?!

Chirri and Chirra
Under the Sea
Kaya Doi  2020









Monday, January 23, 2023

Thrift Store Scores- Gaston and Bless This Mouse

 At the thrift store the longer I stayed in the book section, the more treasures I found!

Gaston
Kelly DiPucchio
pictures by Christian Robinson 2014

I had seen the book Gaston at Barnes and Nobel at one point but never picked it up.  However when I read it at the thrift store I realized just how absolutely adorable it was!  The story of a little bulldog living with his poodle mom and sisters has a sweet message of family and love.  Charlotte and I noticed how deceptively simple the artwork was.  I'm always so impressed by this style of illustration (the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems pull this off too).  The drawing doesn't look complicated and yet the skill of the artist manages to evoke all the emotion of the characters.  I won't spoil it, but I was so happy with the ending too.










I picked this next one up for my 4 year old niece, though I'm going to have a hard time giving it away!  The fuzzy flocked animals on each page are so cute.  And there's even some tactile surprises here and there, like the velveted spider's webs and some flowers.  Even though Charlotte is 14 now, I read this to her in bed the other night just like I would have when she was 4.  And she still loved it too!

Bless this Mouse
Dianna Hutts Aston 
illustrated by John Butler 2004











Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Wings Paws Hoofs and Flippers

 A nice large Golden Book about animals.  This is exactly the type of book as a kid I would have laid down on the floor and leisurely paged through.

 Wings Paws Hoofs and Flippers
A Book about Animals
Joe Kaufman 1981





Who doesn't love a framed formal portrait of the cat family!




Monday, January 9, 2023

Woodland Dreams

 Another Christmas gift book. It's time for the animals to go to bed. We follow a little girl and her dog through the woods as the sweet poem lyrically calls the little animals home.  I love the full page illustrations and the neat perspective of the artwork.  The last page is full of the drawings that the girl was making as she walked, which was a wonderful touch! 

Woodland Dreams
Karen Jameson
pictures by Marc Boutavant 2020