Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes

Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes
Sally Mavor, illustrator
2010
Boston Globe-Hornbook Winner

Back in graduate school--well, the first time around--my fellow blogger, Megan, and I created lavish spreads for the story of Cinderella. We enlisted the help of some young grade school students and together crafted the scenes from found objects. It took quite a bit of work for an even remotely presentable final product.

Since those days, Megan and I both have worked on various sewing projects and the like for our homes and children. And we know how much time and effort goes into those endeavors as well.

That is why I am amazed at this book, truly amazed. Mavor has taken well known nursery rhymes and illustrated them by sewing/creating scenes out of fabric and small objects; the scenes are photographs of her creations. This is a book to pour over, to examine closely. The illustration for "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" is one of my favorites because there are actual little bells sewn into the "picture." Both boys and girls will enjoy this one; the "illustrations" are not girly. They celebrate the beauty that textiles bring to our lives and also to the beauty one can create when creativity goes hand in hand with skill. The characters for each nursery rhyme are small dolls that are begging to be picked up and played with--facial expressions are painted on and each one has an appropriate costume.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Brian Selznik
2007
Caldecott Medal

If you are unfamiliar with The Invention of Hugo Cabret, you might be tempted to reserve this at your local library for your 5 year old. After all, it won a Caldecott and that cover looks intriguing, doesn't it? And there you would be disappointed (for your 5-year-old's sake). Because this is a book the size and heft of a later Harry Potter volume.

And there, the similarities end. Can't judge a book by its cover, can you? The Invention of Hugo Cabret is getting lots of renewed press these days because the author/illustrator has contributed another gigantic words-and-pictures novel to the children's literary scene. Will the next one (Wonderstruck) be a medal contender for Caldecott or Newbery? That is the question.

Where's Walrus

Where's Walrus
Stephen Savage, illusrator
2011

I spoke too soon when I discussed my favorite wordless books! This one is a gem. The bright, clean illustrations are perfect for toddlers and young preschoolers. Each page features the walrus in "disguise"--all because he's on the hunt for the perfect swimming pool. Older children will spot the walrus effortlessly, but younger children will enjoy the challenge.

Check it out from your local library! This would also make a fun baby shower gift.

Published Paper and Tooting My Own Horn

Years ago, I wrote a paper that actually won a student award at a Christianity and Literature Conference! I was thrilled--I was in my final semester in college and this paper came out of some of the research I did for my senior thesis. An online journal published the paper a year later; that online journal no longer exists from what I can tell, but I recently found the paper in full on someone else's blog (thankfully, I was given credit). Megan and I have not given our full names on this blog, so I will resist adding my married name to the paper. However, I am staking my claim to my original paper! Feel free to skim or skip; it's long and academic. But I do want to stake my official claim to this since apparently people are still citing it. (Who knew!?). I should also point out two facts: (1) this was BEFORE the LoTR movies and recent buzz. (2) This was also before there was much available/easily accessed scholarly content via the web. After all, this paper was published online--ONLINE, mind you--in 1998! (the Dark Ages for the internet!)

Big Thoughts, Wise Words, and Giant Steps

Kenneth Taylor has a knack for knowing how to communicate with the youngest children. These three books are all sets of verses laid out for Scripture memory: a short (VERY) synopsis/explanation of the verse alongside an illustration form each "lesson." There are also review and application questions--which I really love. For instance, the verse might be about loving your neighbor. The questions will be along the lines of, "Do you see someone in the picture who is loving his or her neighbor?" In addition, each illustration has ladybugs hidden throughout--finding the ladybugs is a hugely enjoyable pastime for toddlers and preschoolers.

My only complaint about these books is that the verses are often paraphrased--and I would prefer a translation. That's a simple matter to fix, though, and I just typed up the verses in the translation we preferred. This even works with the ABC volume (Big Thoughts) because the ABC letters relate to a concept, not the first letter of the verse.

The first book has been updated--you see the updated cover in that image--but I don't believe the other two have. Nevertheless, our children haven't minded the somewhat dated illustrations. These are readily available used--so snap them up!

Big Thoughts for Little People: ABC Concepts with coordinating verses (i.e. "I" is Illness)
Wise Words for Little People: verses from Proverbs
Giant Steps for Little People: 10 Commandments and Beattitudes

Library Activism: Check Out Books!

Our friends over at Redeemed Reader have been mulling over the hype and melodrama of Banned Books Week. The discussions have reminded me of a little known fact: you can advocate for your chosen books, your most cherished book "friends", the kinds of books you think people should be reading by a very unobtrusive type of library activism: CHECK OUT THE BOOKS.

Because of privacy concerns, most circulation records are not identified by person anymore--no one will pull your particular circulation history. But they will be able to see which books have been checked out and how frequently. Every single library must go through a weeding/culling/deselecting (aka "throwing away books") process on a regular basis. Some titles are obviously out of date (any computer manual pre-2000 is definitely obsolete). Some books are simply falling apart. Sometimes more shelf space is needed. Guess which books make the cut? Those that have been checked out in the past few years. If a book hasn't been checked out in the past few years, it will be on the chopping block before a hot "checkout."

Scripture Memory: Hide 'em In Your Heart

There are some great books for Scripture memory--and I fully plan on highlighting our favorites. But nothing, and I mean nothing, beats these Hide 'em In Your Heart CD's from Steve Green for Scripture memory with young children!

 I could go on and on, folks. Suffice it to say that Mommy needs the verses on these CD's as much as the kiddos. The range of verses is terrific--alternating between verses that instruct us in how to act (i.e. "Do everything without complaining or arguing") and those which inform us of who God is/what He has done (i.e. "For God so loved the world..."). Before each verse, there is a very short introduction/explanation by Steve Green. Then, the entire verse is sung--no mere snippets or phrases here (i.e. "Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God."). The songs are original compositions and are sung by Steve with a kids' choir. Our kids have loved listening to these CD's, and Scripture memory has followed effortlessly. The verses themselves have become part of our everyday conversation. If someone is misbehaving, I can ask him or her, "What are your actions saying about you? Remember our verse? "Even a child is..." and the child will fill in the rest of the verse. Or, if someone is cranky, we might sing "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones."

We have volumes 1 and 2. Both volumes are available as a set on amazon I believe. You can also check out the resources on Steve Green's website.