Suzette and Nicholas

Satomi Ichikawa's Suzette and Nicholas In The Garden is a treat for the eyes, one of those books that almost renders the words pointless because the pictures are so amazing that the book would be hard pressed to be made better or worse by the text. I stumbled on this lovely gem at a book sale benefit and my eye was immediately caught by the almost wallpaper look of the cover.

When I opened the book, I was struck by the beautiful soft color of the illustration, lovely rendering of the gardens, and the sweet floral frame surrounding the text on each page.

The illustrations definitely have a bit of Japanese flair and wonderful pops of color make the scenes burst alive with springy air. You can almost smell the blooms and feel the warm sun on your face as Nicholas and Suzette travel through the garden surrounding their home.

It seems like a fitting tribute on this Earth Day. A book so full of pictures of a lovely garden and children enjoying the gardens. Even as they climb garden walls, peer into the pond, pull their baby brother in a wagon along the paths of blooms and investigate the insects therein, you see a childhood full of nature and children who appreciate this nature to it's fullest.

Happy Earth Day!

Where Do They Go When It Rains?

One of my favorite spring books to return to the seasonal book basket last week was Where Do They Go When It Rains? Aside from the crazy acquisition of the book and the endearing adventure we had last spring based on it's contents, this story is so charming and gentle that my littlest one heads for it again and again.

From the sweet illustrations Gerda Muller never fails to deliver, to the irresistible frolicking of the children throughout the farm, to the authentic glimpses into the animals, bugs and other farm happenings, you'll wish you had a grandmother with a farm to visit!

Finn's favorite, of course, are the pigs rolling in their mud. Now he's asking to visit a pig farm. :) Surely there must be one near us...we'll have to check into that!

At the end of an action-packed day full of farm fun and roaring thunderstorm, a beautiful rainbow appears in the clearing sky. An invitation to return to this sweet farm soon.

The Sun Seed

I remember when I first stumbled across The Sun Seed. I had only been needlefelting for a brief period and the pictures, entirely needlefelted, were amazingly gorgeous and detailed. Such an inspiring glimpse into the possibilities of needlefelting!

The story is as beautiful as the pictures...the essence of spring. The wool is able to imitate roots in a wonderful wispy way, and the little shoots look so fragile and tender under the soil blanket.

I love how each page not only has the center story of the seed, but a trail of spring animals around the edges of each page.

The end of the story, when the bees are visiting the flower, is my favorite part. The soft ethereal quality of the felting makes you feel like you're looking through a sunny haze at the summery scene.

Pelle's New Suit

As we were getting ready to visit shearing day at our favorite local farm, we dragged out a few of our favorite shearing books to get us in the mood. Right at the top of my list, one of my favorite Elsa Beskow books, Pelle's New Suit.

Elsa Beskow's renowned artwork is in it's element here on a little Swedish farm with the beautiful birch trees, colorful clothes, hillside homes and sweet animals.

I love the sheep-to-suit story here, but I also appreciate the way Pelle earns the work required to make his suit. He visits both grandmothers, his own mother, and a tailor working on their labor while they each help with a piece of his suit.

And the sweet scene of Pelle dyeing his wool makes me want to hitch up my own dyeing kettle. It's almost warm enough for that around here so maybe I should!

The end finds Pelle, not only thanking his own sheep for his fine new blue suit, but with all the labors who helped Pelle watching from the background. If only we knew the hands who give us the clothes on our backs. What a community to celebrate!

Make Way For Ducklings giveaway!

You knew it was coming, didn't you? After all, you can hardly have a proper children's book blog without one of Robert McCloskey's books coming up at some point. I'd be hard pressed to choose a favorite between Make Way For Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal, but for today, let's just discuss Make Way for Ducklings, shall we?

I can't even remember the first time I read Make Way For Ducklings, but it's safe to say that this charismatic brood of feathered friends have been with me for a long time. I remember being slightly disappointed as a child that the book wasn't "colorized", but now I feel that it lends a bit of charm.

The story first grabbed me as a small look into the parental mind when the duck parents were searching out a home for their ducklings. Having settled on an island in the middle of Boston Public Garden, the duck family embarks on a harrowing journey to the safety of their new home. (If we ever make a family trip to Boston, this will be on my must-see list.)

Finn's favorite page is the spread with the near accident between the cars and the duck family. No surprise, since my boy loves cars. But he always laughs out loud at all the honking and quacking going on here, a bit of levity in a scene that could seem harrowing to a preschooler.

Of course, a friendly policeman is nearby to help the duck family safely across the dangerous road.

And they eventually make their way to the promised land.

I happen to have an extra new copy of this wonderful book, although I'm sure many households already hold a copy of this jewel. No matter, it could be a lovely gift for a niece or nephew or simply the next child's birthday party you attend. Everyone should make way for these ducklings. ;) Just leave me a comment, become a follower, and/or leave me a comment letting me know you referred to this giveaway from your blog and you'll be entered up to 3 times for the giveaway. I'll draw a winner on Friday morning at noon.

According to the random number generator, Charlotte is the winner! Please email me your address so I can mail Make Way For Ducklings to you!