Owl at Home :: Arnold Lobel

Another pick from Arnold Lobel again tonight. It's been a while since we've read Owl at Home.





Owl sees two bumps in his bed. He went downstairs to sleep in front of the fireplace, and left the bumps in the bed by themselves.


To make tear drop tea, Owl thinks of things that are sad, like spoons that fall behind the stove and mashed potatoes that are just sitting there on a plate with no one to eat it.


The moon is Owl's friend and follows him home from the sea.


And what a fine mustache on our friend, Arnold Lobel. If you can find it, listen to the audio edition of Frog and Toad. His inflections make it even more hilarious.

The Quarreling Book :: Charlotte Zolotow . Arnold Lobel

Since the children picked two short books this evening, I read both The Quarreling Book and Do You See a Mouse.

One of my favorites, Arnold Lobel's black and gray illustrations in this are quite different than those in the Frog and Toad books, for example. But the scenes and faces he draws are small, yet expressive.

Do You See a Mouse? :: Bernard Waber

No, no, no, I do not see a mouse. Do You See a Mouse? Says everyone in the hotel.

The Story of Babar :: Jean de Brunhoff

I remember reading this when I was a child. I vividly recall a few of the following images. The story and the illustrations are classic.


Love the inside cover.


Of course an elephant would tip his fine hat using his trunk, especially when driving.


That's little Babar there, digging in the sand with a seashell.


This is one illustration I remember seeing when I saw young.








Uh oh, the king of the elephants ate a bad mushroom and died. Someone must take his place.


Newly returned from the city, Babar is crowned king. His new wife (and cousin!) Celeste is queen.


Off on their honeymoon and further adventures.

Town Mouse Country Mouse :: Jan Brett

Though we've read a few other permutations of the Town Mouse / Country Mouse story, I'll pick up anything illustrated by Jan Brett.

Of course, the town mouse and his wife trade homes with the country mouse and her husband. They both try to make the best of it, but have hard times adapting.





As always, the illustrations by Jan Brett are full of depth and color. I especially love the scenes in the forest, the layers of foliage and scenery. The mice are all nicely dressed, and even the owl and cat are suited.

Beauty and the Beast :: Marianna Mayer . Mercer Mayer

Though we just read an edition of Beauty and the Beast by Jan Brett last week, this one made it into the library basket as well. The paintings in this version are beautiful!


In this traditional telling, a merchant comes upon a castle in a storm, and picks a rose from the garden. The Beast appears and the merchant must come back to pay the penalty, or bring back his daughter in his place.


Beauty insists on submitting to the Beast's requests, and stays in his castle. She comes to love the Beast, and the spell is broken.

Favorites from 2009

As I plan on chronicling the books we read in 2010, I've been thinking of the stories we've heard in 2009.

My children and I have also made the transition from reading 3 to 4 books an evening to concentrating on only one. A bit overkill with the three books a night, so much so that I can't remember most of them. Between keeping to one book at bedtime, sharing them here and on goodreads, I hope to keep an archive of the stories we share.

A few favorites from 2009...



Ming Lo Moves the Mountain
Written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel.

Ox Cart Man
By Donald Hall, illustrated by Barbara Cooney.




The Man Who Lived Alone
Another by Donald Hall, illustrated by Mary Azarian.



Tatterhood and the Hobgoblins
Retold and illustrated by Lauren Mills.

Hansel and Gretel :: Cynthia Rylant . Jen Corace

We've read this book a couple times before, illustrated beautifully by Jen Corace. The text by Cynthia Rylant imbues the story with fateful, magical subtext.