The Grudge Keeper

This is a new illustrator for us and I was very excited to discover her!  Her pictures have an intricate, sketch-like style that I'm very fond of.

The book The Grudge Keeper is about a town where whenever the residents have "Ruffled feathers, petty snits, minor tiffs and major huffs, insults, umbrage, squabbles, dust-ups, and imbroglios" they write it on a piece of paper and give it to the Grudge Keeper, Cornelius, for safekeeping.  In his tall house (which by the way, I love!) he stores them all until it's overflowing.  But then something happens that makes the townspeople want to forget and toss away their petty grudges.  It's a nice little lesson about friendship, forgiveness and community.

The Grudge Keeper

Mara Rockliff

illustrated by Eliza Wheeler 2014

The Squirrel Wife

The Squirrel Wife

Philippa Pearce

design and illustration by Derek Collard 1972

Adorned with beautiful lino-cuts by Derek Collard, The Squirrel Wife recalls a medieval fairytale with a story of love and loss and transformation.  One night Jack the swineherd meets the magical green people who live deep in the forest.  As a reward for saving one of them, he is given a gold ring to put on a newborn squirrel who in time will become his squirrel wife and show him the ways of the forest.

Jack had never seen her before.  She was small for a woman, graceful and exceedingly nimble in her movement.  Her hair was brown; her eyes were brown, and what made them remarkable was their strange, wild look of watchfulness.

Then with joy Jack remembered the promise of the lord of the green people.  He took the hand she held out towards him, for he knew that already he loved his squirrel-wife, as she loved him.  They would live together always , as man and wife.  They determine not to go back to Jack's cruel brother, but to settle far from him, within the forest.  The forest was the only place for a squirrel-wife.

The How and Why Wonder Book of Ballet

Another book to add to our ballet section.  Chock full of information like how ballet started, where the word "ballet" comes from (the Italian ballare, which means "to dance"), ballet costumes, sets, and stories.  I was particularly interested in the section of Labanotation- a method for writing down dance movements, originated by Rudolf Laban.  It's almost like writing a music score with a staff and symbols.  I can't quite figure it out, but it's fascinating!

The How and Why Wonder Book of Ballet

1961

The Baby in the Hat

"Delightful" is the only way to describe this book.  In just a few simple lines and some wonderful pictures, a boy tells the story of his best friend, who by good luck is in the right place at the right time to catch a falling baby.   This sets into motion an adventure that takes him to sea and makes him captain of a ship.  He eventually returns home as a young man.  The ending might not be a surprise, but it's sweet nonetheless!

The Baby in the Hat

Allan Ahlberg

illustrated by Andre Amstutz 2008

(You might recognize Allan Ahlberg from the books that he collaborated writing with his wife.)

Animal Tracks

When you're in the mood for some silly animal poems, this is the book for you.

Frog On A Log

Hey, big old frog

on that small log.

Now don't you cough

Or you'll fall off.

You coughed!  Oh no!

I toad you so.

Animal Tracks

Wild Poems to Read Aloud

Charles Ghigna

illustrated by John Spears 2004

East of the Sun and West of the Moon

Charlotte was just telling me that she'd like some stories about girls that save the day.  Madeleine and I have often talked about how common it is in fairy tales for the hero of the story to be a clever, brave girl.  For some reason, these don't seem to be the stories that get made into popular children's movies!

East of the Sun and West of the Moon

Mercer Mayer 1987

East of the Sun and West of the Moon is one such story.  Like Gerda from The Snow Queen, a young maiden must travel a dangerous journey, searching for the kingdom that is East of the Sun and West of the Moon.  There she must save a prince who has been imprisoned by an evil troll princess.  It's refreshing to read of a beautiful maiden rescuing a helpless prince for once!  And Mercer Mayer's pictures are gorgeous.  

Fin Family Moomintroll

It was the end of August- the time when owls hoot at night and flurries of bats swoop noiselessly over the garden.  Moomin Wood was full of glow-worms, and the sea was disturbed.  There was expectation and a certain sadness in the air, and the harvest moon came up huge and yellow.  Moomintroll had always liked those last weeks of summer most, but he didn't really know why.

Fin Family Moomintroll

Tove Jansson 1989

 This was the summer of Moomintrolls.  Charlotte loved the funny little stories in the Finnish writer/illustrator Tove Jansson's book Fin Family Moomintroll.  Madeleine was the first to discover them years ago at her school library.  (She only picked up the book because they looked like hippos- her favorite animal.)

Populated by an odd cast of characters, there's Mama Moomin, never without her handbag, and Papa Moomin, busy writing his memoirs.  Their son is Moomintroll and his best friend, Snufkin, complete with floppy hat and pipe.  Part fantasy, part comedy, the stories are an unusual blend of magic, friendship, adventure and absurdity.  Charlotte just couldn't get enough, and we read it every night at bedtime.    How could you put down a book that stars the Snork Maiden, Thingumy and Bob, and the Groke?  Luckily there's a whole series of books as well as comics that Jansson illustrated from the 1940s to the 1990's.

Oh, what a wonderful feeling when you have eaten up everything, drunk everything, talked of everything and danced your feet off, to go home in the quiet hour before the dawn to sleep!