Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
There was no doubt that John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress (reviewed here) was written to teach both children and adults lessons about Christianity and life; there was little attempt to veil the message behind the story. While the message in modern children’s literature may not be so thinly veiled, to me it seems obvious that authors
In the history of western children’s literature, after Pilgrim’s Progress came Isaac Watt’s elegies for children, Divine Songs. But while Pilgrim’s Progress was actually intended for adults and children learned from it, Divine Songs was intended to be for children. And while Pilgrim’s Progress actually does have some relevance for Christians today (even given how
I first read about Wynken, Blynken, and Nod by Eugene W. Field, illustrated by Giselle Potter (Schwartz & Wade, 2008), at The Well-Read Child. So when I saw it on the new books shelf in the children’s section of the library, I was very excited to check it out. I’ve read the Eugene Field poem before, but
I remembered reading Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham (Harper and Row, 1956), as a kid, so I picked it up again to relive it now, reading it to my son (he’s currently 15 months). Harry the white dog with black spots doesn’t want to take a bath, so he hides his
This month, I found my favorite Dr. Seuss book: My Many Colored Days (Knopf, 1996). My Many Colored Days was published posthumously and was not illustrated by Dr. Seuss (paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher). But probably for that reason, I love the brightly painted pages. The abstract paintings nicely capture animals in various moods and colors,
I’ve been reading my son Horns to Toes and In Between by Sandra Boynton (originally published 1984) since he was four months old. He’s now 15 months and I’m delighted that he has begun to respond as we read together. This board book is a ridiculous book for learning our body parts because the narrators
I was looking for something else light to read before Christmas when I found, via the Book Review Blog Carnival on Maw Books, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum, reviewed at The Movieholic and Bibliophile’s Blog. Best of all, because it is in the public domain, I could jump over
If you like Harry Potter’s world, you’ll like J.K. Rowling’s latest edition to the cannon: The Tales of Beedle the Bard. After each tale, which has been carefully “translated” from the ancient runes by Hermione Granger, we read Dumbledore’s commentary/critical analysis of the tale, with Rowling’s special notes for Muggle audiences. The Tales of Beedle
Well, here’s an out-of-the-ordinary Caldecott-winning picture book! When an exotic bird visits his home, a lonely janitor is eager to escape the daily grind of life in Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks (published 1986). But when paradise begins to be less than heaven-like, Al begins to miss his regular life. The illustrations are attractive caricatures
The Twelve Days of Christmas, illustrated by John O’Brien (Boyd Mills Press 2003), brings the ridiculousness of this Christmas carol to life. Although I’ve been told that the gifts for the days of Christmas are symbols for some Catholic tradition, I have no idea what they would mean. This book doesn’t worry about symbolism and
When I was about 8, my mother sewed a beautiful satin Christmas dress for me as well as one for my sister. As a family, we went to Chicago to watch a ballet of The Nutcracker. I have always loved the music and the story of this Christmas tradition. The Nutcracker by Michael Hague brings
I’d never read the original story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert Lewis May until this month. In simple rhymes, Rudolph’s story goes beyond the song. As in the song, Rudolph is ridiculed and outcast because of his red nose. The paragraphs of the rhyming poem expand on the familiar song story, with details
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