The Calico Jungle

The Calico Jungle

Dahlov Ipcar 1965

Another treasure unearthed at the thrift store... Dahlov Ipcar's book practically jumped off the shelf at me!  Aside from the fantastic retro illustrations, our copy also has this sweet inscription on the front pages and a signature from Dahlov herself.  What a treat for us!

Illustrated like fabric, the story is about a mother who makes a calico quilt for her son.  As he drifts off to sleep with it on his bed, he admires all the colorful and imaginative animals around him.  

Quiet

Often I love to sit in our backyard with a cup of tea and just daydream or stare up at the trees.  What is wonderful is that if I sit there quietly and long enough then the animals start to come quite near.  I've watched squirrels and chipmunks, birds and insects, and lately a fat groundhog (who Charlotte named "Butter") busy about their business.  The trick of course is to be still and quiet and then the wildlife doesn't seem to even notice you.  The book Quiet, with its loose and lovely illustrations is all about experiencing that "silent bond" with nature.

Quiet

Peter Parnall 1989

I don't know who Nancy is, but what a lovely gift to her is this inscription...

The Dove's Letter

The Dove's Letter

Keith Baker 1993

I like to collect books that have inscriptions on the front page. I love to wonder about who the people were and the story behind their words. This book has the most amazing inscription- I think the best I've ever come across. I thought it was from a man to his girlfriend or wife, but a friend of mine thought it was from mother to child. Aren't you curious about the story behind why it was written or how this book ended up in a bin at the thrift store?

December 10, 1988

Half a decade ago
something let go,
gave way in the
gut of my gut.
Something snapped and
started a singing that
goes on and on even
til today one thousand
eight hundred and twenty
five days later. Sure
of Delight. Sure of Love.
Of careful touch and
breath stopping wonder
over all you are; that
such a being could
really be! My love,
My dove, you are still,
by far, Linda, the
most beautiful one of all.

The story itself is nice. A dove finds a letter and everyone she comes across thinks it was meant for them. It's a lovely love story between father and daughter, mother and son, husband and wife, soldier and sweetheart.