Brambly Hedge

I mildly suspect that I've missed out on this series of books and set of characters and that I'm one of the last to know. From the looks of things online, Brambly Hedge is fairly well-known. But I'VE only known of it just recently.

Our library had the season books on the shelf and I was delighted to sit down and breeze through them.




Knowing nothing about Brambly Hedge, I was grateful to see the following introduction in Spring Story:

"For many generations, families of mice have made their homes in the roots and trunks of the trees of Brambly Hedge, a dense and tangled hedgerow that borders the field on the other side of the stream.

The Brambly Hedge mice lead busy lives. During the fine weather, they collect flowers, fruits, berries and nuts from the Hedge and surrounding fields, and prepare delicious jams, pickles and preserves that are kept safely in the Store Stump for the winter months ahead."

In the Spring we find the mice going on a picnic which involves a secret birthday surprise party for one little mouse. In the summer, they are involved with a wedding which is a predictable summertime activity, of course. The fall story involves a young field mouse getting lost in the woods when she was supposed to have been blackberry picking with her father. Lastly, in the Winter Story we come upon the mice planning a Snow Ball.

Delightful. Cute. Charming. Why have I not heard of them before?

Again, this is a set of books I would so snap up for keeps if I had a girl. In the meantime, I enjoyed some aspects of it with my son (there was talk of weasels, after all!), and most aspects of it for myself. Loved these books! If you know more about Brambly Hedge yourself - do share! I'd love to learn more.

For bonus points, our library also possessed a copy of Brambly Hedge Sea Story which suited my whale lovin' boy just fine!

Fairies

If I ever have a girl, I am buying this books. Because fairies just must exist (if Anne of Green Gables says they do, then they do, right?) and I would want any daughter of mine to dream so.

Sitting upon our library's bookshelf, in something of an unassuming air, was a set of three small books by Cicely Mary Barker all about fairies. We found:

1. Flower Fairies of the Trees;

2. A Flower Fairy Alphabet; and

3. Flower Fairies of the Garden.

I read these alone and found them to be indescribably charming in every way. I had to find out more about Cicely Mary Barker and what prompted the creation of her fairy drawings and this is what I discovered:

- She was born in 1895 in Croydon, England. Her father noted that she had a knack for drawing and so enrolled her in at the Croydon Art Society.

- At the age of 16 she was enrolled as a lifetime member of the Croydon Art Society, making her the youngest member ever to receive such an honor.

- Her drawings of fairies, and tendency towards them, was born out of enthusiasm for the subject matter following the work of Barrie's Peter Pan.

- She used watercolors and pastels to create her fairies.

- She always used live models when drawing fairies.

- A lot of her fairies ended up on postcards initially.

- Her drawings of flowers are botanically accurate.

- There is a pretty cool and interactive Flower Fairies website if you'd like to poke around there to learn more or play some fairy games (or send me a fairy e-card! ha!).

The books themselves are charming. (Oh, did I say that already?) Tiny and small, just like the fairies that they represent, they have a feel of Beatrix Potter to them. Each tree has it's own fairy, as does each flower. So, for example, in the Flower Fairies of the Tree book, each page spread highlights a fairy and said fairy's special song.

I give you The Song of the Almond Blossom Fairy:

Joy! the Winter's nearly gone!
Soon will Spring come dancing on;
And, before her, here dance I,
Pink like sunrise in the sky.
Other lovely things will follow;
Soon will cuckoo come, and swallow;
Birds will sing and buds will burst,
But the Almond is the first!

My personal favorite is the Willow Fairy.

I dance, I dance, when the breezes blow,
And dip my toes in the stream below.

I should confess that I'm really not a fan of poetry in general. I'm not one to critique it in any fine sense. It is what it is and I frequently don't get it. The only time it sinks in is when it involves the imagination or Dr. Suess (and that statement is rather redundant right there)! As these fairy books speak to the imagination, I really rather liked them.

As I said, if I had a girl, I would immerse her and myself in these books. And then I would go fairy hunting with her. Oh yes I would! And we would dream and pretend and imagine and so some of you might be thinking it's a good thing I have boys. Ha! Ha!

Seriously though, these books are pretty amazing. I recommend them to you with my best fairy wishes! For your added enjoyment, here are some of Barker's illustrations:

Read Aloud Thursday

Time for another Read Aloud Thursday, hosted by Hope is in the Word.

Since our library is currently going some organizational renovations, we've decided not to venture in there for a bit. The newspaper reports make it sound like a place you'd be a little frustrated to be in right now so we'll hold off until it sounds like the coast is more clear. In the meantime, we'll share what we've been reading aloud from our own bookshelves!

I am rather ashamed to confess it, but I had never read Winnie the Pooh until a few weeks ago. Feeling a bit caged in when we were sick, and wanting to tackle something new with sick bookworms, I decided to see how we would take to reading a chapter of Pooh a day.

It's true that Bookworm1 did not sit completely still while we read the book. It is equally true that he did pay attention to what we were reading, because he would ask me questions. And those words - that specific question - that so many of you have heard spill forth from the lips of your own dear children, finally spilled forth from the lips of mine. That is?

"Mommy, can you read me one more chapter?"

I could have kissed him on the spot but he wouldn't have understood. So we just read another chapter and called it good!

He caught on to the fact that we were reading a chapter book which was a "big boy" book. When we had finished the entire thing I showed him what we had accomplished and he got a huge, big grin on his face which made me feel immensely gratified. It was worth every single minute! Furthermore, I enjoyed the antics of this 'silly ol' bear' and his friends in the Hundred Acre Woods as well! Milne had such a dry wit that reading this book didn't feel like a chore at all. Nor did it feel like I was reading something specifically for kids. Rather, I was reading for my own pleasure! It was really fun to find a book that we both enjoyed and I'm excited about the world of possibilities that await us in chapter book land. Ha!

Pooh was such fun and I'm so glad we read him when we did because I'm sure we'll be able to enjoy him many times over as we (all) grow up (together). In the meantime, we've created a wonderful first memory which I want to record so that I never forget it. So here I am.

***
After I wrote the above I went back and read a post I had written awhile ago on A.A. Milne (click on his name to read my post) and was reminded that Milne didn't appreciate Pooh. But we still do. Even more so now!

Library Renovations

Last week it was the stomach flu. This week I discovered that our library is undergoing some renovations in their children's/youth area so I'm going to let their dust settle a little before I head back in there. The newspaper makes it sound like a place you really DON'T want to be if you are looking for something specific so I'll just hold out.

I'll be in for Read Aloud Thursday and a few other reviews on books I held on to from a week or so ago. But then I'll be waiting for the "all clear" from the library, which should be coming soon. I can't wait to see the changes that they've been making!

Read Aloud Thursday

I regret to say that a little stomach bug has kept us out of commission this whole week so I'll be back next week for Read Aloud Thursday. In the meantime, you can check out what other people are reading by visiting Hope is in the Word.

Woodrow, the White House Mouse

I had not heard of Woodrow until my friend brought a copy of him when she came to visit us last week. Written by Peter and Cheryl Barnes, this small series of books is a unique way to introduce the young folks to politics. (Ok, after you get past the idea that you have to introduce your children to the world of politics, come back and read the post! Yes, I know.)

I hadn't yet read the book she brought when I noticed two other titles on our library shelves (purchased by one of the local political parties and donated with an inscription inside, no less!). I brought Woodrow for President and House Mouse * Senate Mouse home with me.

The books begin with Woodrow for President. In this "Tail of Voting, Campaigns and Elections" we meet Woodrow when he was just a young squeaker of a thing, whose parents believed he had great potential. Raised in Moussouri, he's a wholesome sort of fellow with a big heart and big dreams. We follow him from his race for Mice Mayor and then onto a governorship - as a part of the Bull Mouse Party (if you were wondering). All the basics of campaigns and elections are included and if you look carefully, you can find a Secret Service agent (also a mouse, of course!) in each illustration.

Moving on past the election we find Woodrow, the White House Mouse in which we are given a tour of the White House. Having been chosen by mousedome for the office of Mouse President, we meet up with him at his inauguration in which everyone is wanting to know about Woodrow. His favorite food? "Why, American cheese!" This book discusses how the president has to work with Congress and it talks briefly about bills and lows. It also gives a nice diagram showing how the president is over all other departments of government and you even get a nice feel for the White House at Christmastime. It's a pretty cute book, I have to say.

Lastly, there is House Mouse * Senate Mouse which proudly presents unto you "The Squeaker of the House and The Senate Mouse-jority Leader." The basic idea of this book is to communicate how our laws are made.

The stories are also all told in rhyme. So, for example, there is a basic explanation of how our Nation's system of law and order came into being:

"Our Mouse Founding Fathers," he said, "were so wise --
They founded our nation around compromise!
They wrote it all down in the Mouse Constitution,
So after much thought, I propose this solution:

We are city mice, country mice, large mice and small -
We like many cheeses - in fact, like them all!
But we're Americans first! So now, if you please,
Let's agree that American is our National Cheese!"

This is definitely a unique look at a rather unique (and special) nation. I would think it will be helpful to introduce the Bookworm(s) to as they get a little bit older and start figuring out the basic of idea of "President" and "White House" etc. I tried to explain it briefly but it's still a bit over our heads, I do believe. Still, it's nice to know of the resource and so I pass it along to you!

Read Aloud Thursday

Time for another Read Aloud Thursday, hosted by Hope is in the Word.

We found a TON of books we liked this week and so I'm just trying to narrow this list down to share with you the very best of the best from our stack! (The B's are rich with treasures, apparently! Even authors who aren't talking about sea animals, illustrate them. It's like they know that octopuses give us unnatural highs or something.)

One book that we read aloud (and enjoyed for different reasons from one another) was To Everything, by Bob Barner. This particular picture book is based on the book of Ecclesiastes (from the Bible). At the end of the book there is a note from the author explaining his reasons for illustrating this particular passage from scripture. He explains, "My versions of the verse exist. I have chosen to illustrate those passages that I felt were most universal. The pages of this book are designed to convey the message that these events and the feelings they evoke are natural and that there truly is a season, a time, and a purpose for everything."

I found the book to be artfully thoughtful and tasteful. I was intrigued (especially given the fact that we read several other books by Barner that were in our stack and I didn't get the feeling that he was tied into scripture in a literal way). Anyway, very interesting and I'd love to ask him more questions about why he decided to illustrate this particular passage of scripture. If you ask Bookworm though, the answer is easy: Barner obviously wanted to draw a humpback whale and that is that. The page spread in which you can view the humpback whale (and the only page we have stared at for hours) says, "A time to be silent, and a time to speak." Bookworm speaketh quite a lot when viewing the whales. I've had to institute times of silence following the perusal of a half dozen or so sea life books.

Fish Wish was another treasure in the bag and is also by Bob Barner. The idea behind the book is to have the young reader imagine what they would do if they were a fish. The young boy in this story decides that he would like to wake up on a coral reef with dolphins swimming over head and sea turtles gliding by. I know a young boy who would wish for very much the same thing but alas, he was born human. (Ironically this would be the same boy who refuses to put his face in the water, eliminating the possibility of a calm swimming lesson given at the local aquatic center.) However, he is happy to gaze longingly at the octopus tentacles. This book was AMAZING! It truly "has it all" when it comes to ocean life. We are happy, happy, happy with this book!

And on that note about the sea, we also found Going on a Journey to the Sea, by Jane Barclay to be quite the delight. (There's a sperm whale in it, if you must know, in the tippy top right hand corner on one page spread.) This book is told in rhyme and documents a young boy's journey to the seaside with his sister. I have a feeling that their parents were all about Free-Range parenting for the adventures that they had within these pages. (I've seriously got to read that book and see what all the rage is.) At any rate, this was a lovely tale of a sibling set who actually get along and have a wonderful day together by the seashore. We both liked this one.

I think we'll keep this post sea themed for today as that seems to be the general state of things around here.

I really DO recommend Bob Barner books to children ages 2-5 especially. I think his use of bold colors and simple sentences has huge appeal. And my goodness. All the man needs to do is draw an octopus for us and we don't even need words! (Whoever thought of the Nemo story was pure genius.)

Can't wait to see what everyone else is reading aloud to their kids these days!