Officer Buckle and Gloria - Book 3

Officer Buckle and Gloria, written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann, Copyright 1995. Caldecott Medal winner (1996).

Ok, this one isn't as much of a hidden gem--but it's a definite gem nonetheless (and it isn't out-of-print, at least not as of today, so bonus right there!)

When Rose was a little bitty girl, we used to play a game she'd invented inspired by this book where we'd go around the table and each give a "safety tip."  Now, before you chalk us up at the most dorktastic family ever to play a game (and I'm not saying we aren't, just that before you decide/realize that we are....) keep in mind that for some kids, Rose included, with their lack of experience the world can be pretty darn hard to understand sometimes, and tips, rules, guidelines to follow can feel comforting, like, "Hey, there's some order to this place after all!  Phew!"


Another thing I think most kids enjoy is knowing a secret, especially if they know it before the adults do!  Officer Buckle and Gloria is both written and illustrated by the same person, and Rathmann takes full advantage of her ability to let the pictures tell parts of the story and let us in on an unspoken secret!

Girl in the Golden Bower - Book 2

The Girl in the Golden Bower, by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Jane Dyer, copyright 1994.

The Girl in the Golden Bower was the first Jane Yolen book Rose and I had ever read and we loved it.  Yolen has written many, many books ranging from silly/fun to histories to young-adult fiction, but Rose and I love her fairytale/fantasy books best, and this one is our favorite.

The story is in most ways traditional fairytale: a woodsman, a lost princess, an evil sorceress, humans turned to animals by a wicked spell, a magic object (in this case a comb), enchanted sleep, and the right combination of people and circumstance, particularly a brave little girl, that holds the key to breaking the evil spell.

But what makes this particular fairytale so very wonderful is the winning combination of Yolen's beautiful language and Dyer's divinely beautiful watercolors illustrations.

Soon after the king's disappearance and the coming of a great beast to the land, the woodsman meets a frail woman wandering alone:

There was something permanently lost about her, as if everything she had in the world was gone, even her name.  She owned nothing but the dress she wore, made with tiny stitches both neat and fair, and a plain comb the color of her long russet hair.

They fall in love, marry, and have a golden-haired child they name Aurea (gold) for the color of her hair.  But, as often happens in fairytales, through the enchantress's treachery, Aurea is orphaned and left with no one in the world save the cook/enchantress, and we are told, "though Aurea was a trusting child, she did not trust the cook."

Light Princess - Book 1

The Light Princess, by George MacDonald, adapted by Robin McKinley, illustrated by Katie Thamer Treherne.  Copyright 1988.

This is a beautiful book.  Absolutely gorgeous.  Katie Thamer Treherne's watercolor and ink illustrations fill the mythical kingdom with pure magic.  You'll find yourself fascinated by the many details that fill each illustration.

The story itself is surprisingly fresh and funny. Robin McKinley's 1988 adaptation is really more of a "streamlining" of MacDonald's 1864 fairytale--it cuts it down to a more reasonable length for a picture book (but note: probably still longer than one might expect of a picture book), but maintains the original text throughout.  And the text is delightful.

The story is about a rather self-important king whose queen did not, at first, give him the children he felt he deserved.  Until she finally did.  The baby princess was, "as lovely a little princess as ever cried." But, as is the case in so many great fairytales, someone was left off of the guest list for her christening, and that person, of course, was a witch.

The evil spell, cast by said uninvited witch, was unusual.  The baby princess was deprived of her gravity--both her physical gravity (a pull towards the earth) and, as they were later to learn, her emotional gravity (seriousness), as well.

As you might imagine, despite the difficulties and misadventures, a weightless, sorrow-free baby can be delightful, and this princess was:

[T]here never was a baby in a house, not to say a plance, that kept the household in such constant good humour, at least below-stairs.  If you heard peals of laughter from some unknown region, you might be sure to find the servants playing ball with the little princess.  She was the ball herself, and did not enjoy it the less for that.  Away she went, flying from one to another, screeching with laughter.  And the servants loved the ball itself even better than the game.

Dear world (or why we started this blog)

Dear world,

I think that the reason my Mom and I are doing this blog is nostalgia.

 My 7th grade English teacher recently gave the assignment, bring your favorite childhood book to school.  Immediately, there were so many options in my head, that it took me almost up until the last minute to decide which one to bring.  That caused a realization in Mom and I, that, hey, if there are so many great books that we loved  (And so many great times we had reading them), wouldn't other people love them, too?

 So here we are, with a brand-new blog, sparked by good memories and awesome illustrations.  Hope you enjoy,