The Rescuers (Retro Reads)

The Rescuers
Margery Sharp, author.
Garth Williams, illustrator
1959; re-released 2011

I can sing every word of the songs from the animated Rescuers movie--truly, one of the classics of its genre. So, it was with delight that I discovered a month or so ago that it was a book first!! Imagine my added interest when I realized that Garth Williams was the illustrator (he did Charlotte's Web and The Little House books).

And, yes, the book is about two mice named Bernard and Bianca who rescue someone. And there the similarity ends. Disney's animated version did a good job of portraying Bernard's and Bianca's characters, but they completely made up every last little bit of detail and plot for the movie. You might say that the movie was "suggested" by the book.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Retro Reads)

The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Paul Galdone
2005 (reprint)

We are HUGE fans of Galdone's folk tales around here; I've highlighted his Gingerbread Boy before. Thankfully, some of his best folk tales are being reissued with newer covers. Yea!!

The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Galdone style, is a wonderful telling of this classic folk tale. If you haven't read this to a small group of young children, you're missing out--they will reenact it over and over and over and over. You're liable to hear repeats whenever you go under (or over) a bridge while out and about.

Galdone tells this tale with all the gore you'd expect from a good, classic folk tale. The troll is fully planning to eat these billy goats and the last billy goat does some damage to that mean ol' troll. Kids need that kind of reconciling action at the end of a story like this. Let them enjoy it! Let good soundly trounce evil... even if that means the big billy goat defeating the troll.

New cover at top; old below.

Play With Me (Retro Reads)

Play With Me
Marie Hall Ets
1976
Caldecott Honor

We don't have only sweet, quiet books here at our house, but I think far too many people in today's society overlook these older, quiet books--so I'm bringing them to your attention during National Picture Book Month. I listed this title in an older post on Restful Illustrations. That's a great description for this gentle book.

A little girl goes outside to play (by herself!) and tries to get various animals to play with her. Eventually, she sits down and is quiet, discouraged perhaps because all the animals have been running away. As she sits there, though, the animals begin to creep back out and be with her.

This is a great book for young children, both for naptime reading time and other times throughout the day. Take it on your next picnic and read it outside! This is the kind of book my kids have enjoyed looking at on their own--something about those peaceful illustrations invite pondering.

May We Sleep Here Tonight? (Retro Reads)

May We Sleep Here Tonight?
Tan Koide (author), Yasuko Koide (illustrator)
1982

This is a "retro reads" book because it is 20 years old! It has been reissued with slightly adapted cover art (as of 2000), so it is still available. Since this is apparently Picture Book Month (who knew?!), I thought I'd highlight some oldies, but goodies. This is a great place to start because May We Sleep Here Tonight is not as well known as some others. It's not a major award winner or terribly progressive or overtly educational.

It IS gentle and beautiful. A Japanese husband-wife team wrote and illustrated this charming picture book (you'll notice Japanese words in the pictures). It strikes the perfect balance between suspense and reassuring for young children. Small animals are lost in the woods and find shelter in a stranger's house. The stranger returns and there is some initial question about this stranger's benevolence....

Between Shades of Gray

Between Shades of Gray
Ruta Sepetys
2011

What happens to the people in a country that "disappears" from the map? It depends on the conquering country, but I would imagine that many displaced people groups suffer similar things to Lina and her family.

Lina and her family are part of the large Lithuanian (and Latvian/Estonian/Finnish/etc.) deportation enacted under Stalin's brutal regime in Russia and its neighboring countries. Lina's family is deported to Siberia, where they survive (some of them) for an unbelievable length of time.

An update to our favorite homemade chai concentrate recipe

If you've tried the popular homemade chai concentrate recipe before, you may be interested in the update to the original that I just posted here. The spices are stronger and it's not as sweet, and my (Megan's) husband actually prefers it without vanilla! Feel free to adjust to your own taste, of course.

I strongly recommend Betsy's scones as an accompaniment. Thanks for joining us!

Gracias/Thanks

Gracias/Thanks
Pat Mora, author
John Parra, illustrator
2009
Pura Belpre Honor Winner

This is a wonderful picture book to check out this time of year. Gracias/Thanks is a bilingual celebration of giving thanks no matter what. The child in the book doesn't direct his thanks to anyone or anything in particular--which gives parents the freedom to discuss their own religious traditions and holidays. For instance, my family focuses on how we are to thank the Lord in everything, in all situations. Because this book doesn't say to thank the earth or some other entity, we are free to interpret as we choose. And we can read it at any time of the year because the holiday of Thanksgiving is never mentioned or alluded to (partly because the boy in the story is Mexican-American and may or may not celebrate that holiday).

Illustrations are delightful and showcase what the boy is thankful for. This book is original and a great complement to the myriad Thanksgiving oriented books--we can give thanks all year!