Little Lit

Little Lit

edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly 2000

Here's an interesting collection of fairy tales that's been illustrated by different artists in comic form.  Madeleine is a big fan of comics/graphic novels so she was the first to really appreciate this.  William Joyce is in here and I was surprised (but pleased) to see Barbara McClintock as well.  I'm not a fan of all the art styles, but I really appreciate the many visual variations and the stories are good.  Charlotte's been asking to read this one a lot lately.  Her favorite stories are "Sleeping Beauty", "The Hungry Horse" and "The Fisherman and the Sea Princess".

Little Gorilla

I swear I don't know where the time goes!  Days turn into weeks, there's one activity after another, and the next thing I know another month has gone by.  We just celebrated Charlotte's birthday and though I have a house still filled with dirty dishes, leftover cake and meandering balloons, I feel like maybe now I can catch a breath.

The night before Charlotte's party we read this book about an adorable little gorilla.  All the animals love him, even after he grows into a very big gorilla.

 

Little Gorilla

Ruth Bornstein 1986

 

(Look at that!  Little Gorilla was turning 5, just like Charlotte!)

What Charlotte found in the backyard

How perfect after reading our book Gem, Charlotte found a toad in our very own backyard today.  She thought it might be a girl and named it "Elizabeth".  She also wondered if it was the same toad we found last year.  Toad's can live a long time so maybe, who knows?

Gem

Gem

Holly Hobbie 2012

Our friends Soren and Silas were over this week and we "read" this book together.  The charming wordless pictures show the story of a little toad and his adventures.  Soren and Charlotte got quite a giggle out of it. 

Last summer we had our own toad explorer in the backyard.  We held him and passed him around, admiring his bumps and big eyes, then we set him free.  I hope he comes back for another visit this year.

The Hidden Bestiary

The Hidden Bestiary of Marvelous, Mysterious, and (maybe even) Magical Creatures

Judy Young

illustrated by Laura Francesca Filippucci 2009

In keeping with a hidden animal theme, here's another square book (making scanning for this blog tricky) that has great illustrations.  A 19th century explorer has discovered a broken case and something missing at the "Finchhaven Museum of Extraordinary Curiosities, Oddities and Improbabilities".  It's up to you to help find the hidden clues in the pictures from his travels around the world.  As he tracks down the animals on his list you must determine "Is it alive?  Is it extinct?  Did it ever exist?"

I love that this museum picture looks like The Wagner Institute!

Puzzle Island

Puzzle Island

Paul Adshead 1995

Madeleine and Henry were my first puzzle book lovers.  We've spent many hours reading this one.  (I had to take photos because the large square size of the book doesn't fit easily on my scanner.)  The instructions are given in the form of letters and a code around the outside of the pictures tells you which animals are hidden.  Some are harder to spot than others.  I wouldn't recommend it as a bedtime book (there's too much to think about and do), but it makes for a nice rainy day activity.

Lost and Found

Charlotte really loves hidden picture books.  This one isn't too hard and the pictures are bright and full of animals.  It's by Dahlov Ipcar who also wrote my favorite "Bug City".  The rhymes are about a little girl who has lost all her pets and must find them hidden on the following pages.  Can you spot them?

Lost and Found

A Hidden Animal Book

by Dahlov Ipcar 1981