Thumbs up for Nate the Great and the Boring Beach Bag by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Marc Simont. Children’s.
I love Nate the Great. Somehow, I missed reading this one. Nothing can replace in my heart Nate the Great and the Phony Clue, but this was still delightful.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for Katie Morag Delivers the Mail by Mairi Hedderwick. Children’s.
I think I may have read some of this series when I was a wee one. This wasn’t the one I was looking for, but it was still mighty cute.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for 22 Orphans by Tjibbe Veldkamp, illustrated by Philip Hopman. Children’s.
Some orphans give their strict headmistress a charming comeuppance. Soooo cute. This deserves to be much more well-known than it is.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for Goldilocks Returns by Lisa Campbell Ernst. Children’s.
A rather painful but funny look at what Goldilocks does later in life.
… >> Read more“Goldi had nightmares about bears. She cried at the mere sight of a teddy bear. Her customers even began to look like bears. ‘I can’t take it any longer!’ she sobbed at last. ‘It’s time I set things right.'”
Thumbs up for Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman. Children’s nonfiction.
The true story of a fireboat, and its heroic return from retirement. This book made me cry.
“The piers were the places where ships and trains brought all manner of merchandise to be sold in the city. Like wood and cotton and bananas and bubble gum and EVERYTHING.”… >> Read more
A somewhat tentative thumbs up for The How and Why Wonder Book of North American Indians by Felix Sutton. Children’s nonfiction.
Well, I didn’t know as much as I wanted to about the history of Native Americans, so a children’s book seemed the best way to dip into the subject. It’s an old book, but I can’t imagine there are really that many more modern interpretations of “…and then they were all dead.” Oy vey.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for What Pete Ate from A to Z by Maira Kalman. Children’s.
All of the things that Pete the dog eats. If you haven’t seen Maira Kalman’s delightful illustrated stories, go read her “And The Pursuit of Happiness” blog on the New York Times site. Yes, you heard me. The New York Times. Go. It will make you happy.… >> Read more