July is Classic books month on TTLG - Day ten

A little princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett was one of my favorite books. It made me sad every time I read it, and yet I always felt uplifted when I came to the end. Though some good films have been made of the book, none really capture the magic of this memorable story. 

A Little Princess

Frances Hodgson Burnett
Illustrator:Tasha Tudor
Fiction
For ages 9 to 12
HarperCollins, 1991   ISBN: 978-0064401876
Sara Crewe is the kind of little girl who catches your attention when you see her. With her bright green eyes and thick black hair,  she is not pretty in the traditional sense, but there is something about her that is special. She is the daughter of a very rich young man, and now the time has come for her to go to school in England. She is not very keen on attending Miss Minchin's School for Girls, but this is what her Papa wishes and Sara will do anything her Papa asks of her.

   So Sara begins her schooling, and her poor Papa returns to India heart-sore and lonely without his precious little girl to be his "little missus." Sara quickly makes friends in her new home, taking the littlest child, the slowest child, and a servant girl called Becky under her warm and loving wing. The others flock to her to hear Sara's wonderful stories, for Sara loves to tell stories about magic, far of places, and princesses.  Sara always tries to behave like a princess, showing dignity, respect for others, and kindness.

Then the unthinkable happens - Sara's father dies of fever and she is left penniless. Miss Minchin, who never liked Sara, turns the little orphan into a skivvy, and she also uses Sara to teach the smaller children. Sara discovers what it is like to be servant, and now she and her friend Becky are just the same. And yet, as Becky and some of the other children see, Sara is still a little princess and she is still as giving and generous, even though she has so little of her own. Often cold, tired and hungry, Sara struggles on, being the princess and doing her best not to give in to her grief and despair. Often her stories help her and Becky when things are particularly bad. The girls imagine warm clothes, hot food, soft beds, and a crackling fire as they snuggle up together up in the freezing attic rooms in Miss Minchin's school.

   Then something truly remarkable happens and Sara begins to wonder if it is possible for stories and dreams to come true after all.

   First published in 1905, this incredibly moving story has not lost any its power over the years. Sara and her adventures are still as real and as fascinating as they were at the turn of the century. Readers will be shocked to see how servants were treated back then, and will be grateful that some things have changed for the better. The wonderful, seemingly magical, good fortune that finds Sara is thrilling, and will have younger readers begging to hear the story all over again.

July is Classic Book Month on TTLG - Day Nine

This picture book was a huge favorite with my husband when he was a little boy. We still have his tattered and battered copy. This is the board book version of this wonderful story. It is also available as a picture book. 

Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel

Virginia Lee Burton

Board Book

Ages 4 to 6

Houghton Mifflin, 1967, 0-618-840192

   Mike Mulligan has a red steam shovel whose name is Mary Anne. Mary Anne and Mike have been working together for years, and they have worked on all kinds of projects including canals, highways, and cellars for skyscrapers. However, nowadays new electric and diesel motor shovels are being used for construction work, and no one wants to use steam shovels any more. Poor Mary Anne and Mike are very sad, and they are worried about their future What on earth are they going to do?

   Then Mike reads that the town of Popperville is going to build a new town hall. He knows that the hall will need a basement, and he decides that he will offer his and Mary Anne’s services to do the digging.

  The two friends go to Popperville, and when they get there Mike says that he and Mary Anne will dig the basement for the town hall in just one day. Can Mike and Mary Anne keep this promise?

   This picture book was first published in 1967, and it has lost none of its charm. It still has the ability to make children cheer for the red steam shovel who has a big heart, and for her driver who loves her far too much to let her get broken up for scrap. Wonderful drawings, and the perfect solution to a sticky problem perfectly compliment a delightful story. Best of all children discover that even when people – and steam shovels – are past their prime, they still have a great deal to offer us all.

July is Classic Book Month on TTLG - Day Eight

Winnie the Pooh is one of those children's book characters that both children and adults identify with. His sweet and unaffected ways, his honesty, and his dedication to his friends makes him the kind of character that many of us are happy to reconnect with when we can. Reading the Pooh stories has always given we the warm and comforting feeling that I get when I am in the company of a good friend.

Winnie the Pooh

A. A. Milne
Illustrator:  Ernest H. Shepard
For ages 5 and up
Penguin, 2005   ISBN: 978-0142404676
   Lets us hear a story. Christopher Robin has decided that the story he would like to hear should be one about his bear, "Winnie-ther-Pooh." Christopher thinks that Winnie would very much like to hear a story about himself, and so off we go, to the forest, where Winnie-the-Pooh lives.

   In the first story we are told, Pooh, who is very partial to food in general, and honey in particular, decides that he wants to climb a tree because there is a large bee hive at the top. Of course where there are bees there is honey and where there is honey there are Poohs. Pooh first tries climbing up the tree in the old fashioned way, but that turns out to be a painful exercise so he heads off to find Christopher Robin whom he hopes might have a solution to the problem. Sure enough, before long, Pooh is floating up next to the honey bee tree hanging from a large blue balloon. There still is a problem however, and this is that the bees, which are not unintelligent creatures, are beginning to get "suspicious."

   Poor Pooh. This is only the first of several rather uncomfortable adventures, for in the next tale we are told, the bear, who as I have said enjoys food, gets himself stuck in Rabbit's doorway. Pooh blames the size of the doorway, and Rabbit blames the size of Pooh. There is nothing to be done however, for Pooh is stuck tight. All he can do is listen to a "Sustaining Book such as would help and comfort a Wedged Bear in Great Tightness" and wait to get thinner.

What unfortunate bee trees encounter, getting stuck in doorways, chasing Woozles, catching Heffelumps and so much more, Pooh and the reader are kept thoroughly busy right up to the moment when Pooh and Christopher Robin have to go to bed.

   Deliciously funny and with a wonderful use of language and format, A. A. Milne's stories about this loveable bear will never lose their charm. Pooh and his friends speak a language all children will understand, and they make the kinds of mistakes they would understand too. At the same time, there can be do doubt that Pooh delights adults as well with his "hums" and songs, his talk of needing "a little something," and his obvious love and concern for his friends.

   Ernest Shepard's delightful illustrations perfectly capture the personalities of Pooh, Piglet, and their friends.

July is Classic Book Month on TTLG - Day Seven

So far I have looked at picture books and works of fiction in this roundup. Now I would like to give you a review of a board book. I read this book to my daughter every night for what, at the time, felt like forever. Anyone who has raised a small child has a book that said child wants to hear over and over and over again. This was her favorite.

The Napping House

Audrey Wood

Illustrated by Don Wood

Board Book

Ages 3 to 5

Harcourt, 2000, 0152026320

      The whole house is asleep on this rainy night. Granny is in her bed, the dog is on the rug, the child is in the chair, the cat is in the basket, and the mouse is asleep on top of the mirror frame. Then, one by one the child and the animals, still half asleep, climb into bed with the granny. All is still quiet and sleepy until a wide awake flea decides to sit on the mouse. Then the peace is abruptly shattered, and chaos, in a series of wild awakenings, ensues.

   Blue toned illustrations capture the somnolent mood of sleep and calm as this story begins. Then bursts of bright colour flash across the page as the peace is broken as one occupant of the house after another wakes up. The wild confusion of the waking is sure to delight children, who will find the rhythmic “The house that jack built” form of the text comforting and familiar. This book will make a perfect bedtime tale.

July is Classic Book Month on TTLG - Day Six

Summers on the island of Cyprus where I grew up are very long and hot, and when I wasn't at the pool or at the beach, I spent a lot of my time reading. One of the books I discovered one summer was The Secret Garden. My father kept telling me it was a wonderful book and so I kept refusing to read it! Then a friend told me that she loved the book, and not long after I read the book and I was hooked. This edition of this classic story is not only a joy to read, but it is also a joy to look at.

The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett
Illustrated by Inga Moore

Fiction

For ages 8 to 12

Candlewick Press, 2007, 0763631612

Little Mary Lennox is probably the most sour, unattractive, and disagreeable child that you are ever likely to meet. This is not entirely her fault because her parents never gave her much attention and certainly none of their love. Instead, Mary was raised by an Indian nurse, an ayah, who gave Mary everything she wanted and who let the little girl be as bossy and rude as she wanted to be.

   Now Mary's parents are both dead and she is going to live with her hitherto unseen uncle who lives in a gloomy old manor house on the edge of the Yorkshire moors. How different this place is from India and how different the people are too. Here no one salaams to her, and they even expect her to  dress herself every morning. Bit by bit, Mary starts to learn more and more about her new home. She learns that there is a secret garden somewhere on the grounds, a garden that has been closed off from the world for years.

Mary cannot help wanting to find the secret garden, and with the help of a friendly little robin bird, she manages to find both the hidden door and the key that will open it. Little does she know that there is something about the garden that is indeed magical. The longer Mary stays and works in the garden, the nicer, prettier, and healthier she becomes. Mary begins to make friends for the first time in her life.

   Then Misselthwaite gives up another of its secrets, and Mary finds herself facing a real challenge, one which may end up spoiling the secret of the garden forever.

This beautiful story is certainly one of the best children's books that has ever been written. Readers will see how good sense, kindness, love, and being out in nature can help someone whose heart and mind have dried up and become hard and bitter. They will see how bringing a garden to life can be healing to those whose bodies and spirits are weak and sad. First published in 1911, this is a tale that will surely continue to charm readers of all ages for years to come.

   Inga Moore's gorgeous illustrations perfectly capture the underlying magical element in this special story. Soft colors and intimate details give the full page pictures an added richness. In addition, there are numerous little illustrations and smaller panels throughout the book, which add a very special something to the tale.