One of my favorite things in this world is a room full of wonderful books. My office has shelves from floor to ceiling on most of the walls for my work books, and one day soon (I hope) I will have a family library as well for all my non-work books. The books we have cover a wide range of topics. Of course there are novels in abundance, but there are also nonfiction titles about gardening, oriental rugs, Siamese cats, biographies, histories, and atlases. There are books about trees, birds and flowers, and titles about trains, wine, food, and so much more. My books make me feel rich and I love them.
Today's picture book title is about a girl's love of books, which she shares with the people around her. The interesting thing to see is how her love of books spreads as people learn to appreciate what books can do for them.
The mermaid’s purse
Today's picture book title is about a girl's love of books, which she shares with the people around her. The interesting thing to see is how her love of books spreads as people learn to appreciate what books can do for them.
The mermaid’s purse
Patricia Polacco
Picture Book
For ages 6 to 8
Penguin, 2016, 978-0-399-16692-1
In 1883, during a fierce storm, a baby girl was born just
as a clap of thunder shook the air. The baby was still in the birth membrane
when she came into the world, which many people considered to be a sign that
the baby was blessed. The baby was named Estella and it soon became clear that
she was indeed a blessed child. She walked and talked sooner than most children
did, and she taught herself to read at a very young age.
Estella’s love
for the written word was a powerful thing. Every penny she earned she used to
buy books. Often she traded paintings she created for books as well. Soon
Estella’s book collection filled the upper floor of the farmhouse that she
lived in. Her father thought he would soon have to “build you your own library
for all these books!” and one day this is exactly what he did. With the help of
friends, Estella’s father built his daughter a little building where she could house
her book collection.
Some of the men
who helped build the library “scoffed” at Estella’s books, which troubled her a
great deal. How could anyone not like books? Estella’s father explained that
many of the men who had helped with the library project had probably never even
read a book. Being a very determined young girl, Estella decided that she would
take books to the neighboring farms, and so she loaded up some of her books
into her goat cart and went from farm to farm. Though the local children seemed
eager to enjoy her books and her storytelling times, the farmers simply did not
accept that Estella’s books were relevant to them. Until she proved how wrong
they were.
This delightful and
powerful tale is based on the true story of the author’s grandmother, Estella
Barber, who built a library, shared her love of books with others, and taught
hundreds of children. Readers will discover, through the story, how valuable
book knowledge can be both in good times, and during emergencies.
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