The Snow Queen

We had snow last night, just enough to make this morning, with it's pink sunrise, look startlingly beautiful.  No doubt it will melt today- great clumps are already dropping off the trees.  I was looking for a snow book to list and remembered this fairy tale.  With its story of friendship, robbers, a wild queen, a brave girl, and adventures over a frozen snowy landscape, it seemed perfect.

The Snow Queen

adapted by Naomi Lewis

illustrated by Errol Le Cain 1979

A version of Hans Christian Andersen's story with remarkable pictures by Errol Le Cain. The magical story follows two friends, Kay and Gerta. When Kay is lured away by the "tall, slender, brilliantly white" Snow Queen he forgets all about Gerta and his home.  But Gerta is determined to find him, asking wherever she goes and being led on her own deep adventure.  Past witches, rivers, crows, princes, and castles, Gerta finally meets a robber girl who helps her on her journey.  And in the far north castle of the Snow Queen she rescues her friend.

Kay looked at the Snow Queen; he could not imagine a wiser or lovelier face.  And she flew with him high up into the dark storm clouds, while the wind whistled and roared as if it were singing old ballads.

The coach stopped at the courtyard of a ruined castle.  Ravens and crows flew out of holes in the walls.  Inside, a large fire was burning in the middle of the stone floor.  The smoke rose to the roof, and had to find its own way out.  A great cauldron of soup stood over the fire and was bubbling away.

But where was little Kay all this time?  He was in the great cold palace.  The walls were of driven snow; the doors were of cutting wind.  The snow had formed into more than a hundred enormous halls; all were vast, empty , glittering, and icy cold.  The largest was many miles long; in the midst of it was a frozen lake, and there the Snow Queen liked to sit when she was at home.

Ben's Trumpet

Ben's Trumpet

by Rachel Isadora 1979

With riotous black and white illustrations like a jazz score, this story follows Ben and his dream of playing the trumpet.  I used to play the trumpet when I was in high school and I actually sometimes miss it.  I wasn't very good, but boy that brassy, brash sound sure was fun to play.

Captain Murderer

Happy Birthday, Charles Dickens!

 Captain Murderer

adapted by George Harland 1986

pictures by Rowan Barnes-Murphy

This macabre story is better suited to a Halloween post. Apparently Charles Dickens' nurse used to tell him bedtime stories when he was a little boy. I can't even imagine falling asleep to this one! I've never read the original, here it's adapted by George Harland. And Rowan Barnes-Murphy's pictures keep the Captain comical looking, in spite of how gruesome he is.

Captain Murderer is accepted in the best society, where he picks out pretty young women to marry. But after their wedding he asks them to bake a pie crust which he then fills with their decapitated, chopped up body parts (I should have warned you how gory it is). When he woos a pair of sisters, he finally meets his demise (though not at all how Madeleine and I expected).

Captain Murderer!  He must have been an offshoot of the Bluebeard family, though I had no idea of that relationship in those days.  Captain Murderer's mission in life was matrimony and the gratification of a cannibal appetite with tender young brides...

He would take out a golden rolling pin and a silver pie board.  Now, there was this special feature about the Captain's courtships, dear.  He would always ask if the young lady could make pie crust.

The lovely young bride saw this, dear, and she said, "Dear Captain Murderer, what is this pie to be?"

"A meat pie!"

"But dear Captain Murderer, I see no meat."

"Look in the mirror!"

Cinderlily

Cinderlily

David Ellwand

illustrations by Christine Tagg 2003

I'm forcing some Paperwhites that were recently given to me by a friend. They are sitting on the front windowsill and I'm waiting for a peek at spring in this bleak midwinter.

Thinking of flowers and bulbs made me pull out this book- a retelling of the Cinderella story but made with flowers. I like the mixed font of the sentences and the photographs of bits of flowers put together to tell the story like a ballet. I think some of the photographs are really quite hilarious. In this version it is a Sultan throwing the grand ball and Cinderlily leaves behind one of her petals (of course!).

Check out the Sultan!

This is what flowers look like when they do ballet.

Lyle Lyle Crocodile

Today is my father-in-law's birthday. His name is Lyle and when I saw this book I knew Madeleine and Henry had to have it. This was in heavy reading rotation when they were toddlers. It's a cute and quite silly story.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

Bernard Waber 1965

Lyle is a nice pet to the Primm family. But he is always scaring cranky Mr. Grumps and his cat, Loretta. Lyle is sent to the zoo where he is very unhappy. But when he saves Mr. Grumps and Loretta from a house fire his reputation and his place back home with the Primms is restored.

Everone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like

Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like

Jay Williams

illustrated by Mercer Mayer 1976

One of my favorite Mercer Mayer books. The city of Wu has been warned of a coming attack by the wild horseman of the north. The Mandarin lord decides to pray for help from the Great Cloud Dragon. But when the Cloud Dragon appears as a fat old man no one believes that he could be a dragon except for the small gatekeeper boy, Han. Because of him, the city is saved and he is rewarded. And best of all, now everyone knows what a Dragon looks like.

The Fourth Question

Charlotte's nursery class has been talking about Chinese New Year.  They made dragons with glue and glitter and Friday she came home with a lucky penny folded in a red envelope.

The Fourth Question

Rosalind C. Wang

illustrated by Ju-Hong Chen 1991 

Here's a fun Chinese tale about a young man named Yee-Lee who works hard to support himself and his mother but they are always poor. He decides to visit the Wise Man of Kun-lun mountain and get his advice. On his journey to the mountain he meets others who have questions of their own for the wise man. A mother wants to know why her beautiful daughter is mute, an old man wants to know why his orange tree doesn't bear fruit, and a dragon wants to know why he can't rise to heaven.

When Yee-Lee meets the wise man he is told he can only ask three questions. Sacrificing his own question, he gets the answers for the others. And in the end, a reward and happy ending for himself.