Category: Book Reviews

Review: Miss Twiggley’s Tree By Dorothea Warren Fox

Lately I am loving the idea of sharing an older and sometimes vintage book on Fridays and the one I pulled out today has been an absolute favorite this past year. A book about a quiet, independent woman and her dog who find themselves a bit outcast from the town because of their peculiarities… until disaster strikes the town and they are the kindest and only ones to help. Come be completely charmed and a bit emboldened by Miss Twiggley’s Tree by Dorothea Warren Fox, 1966.

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Review: Papa Is A Poet By Bober & Gibbon

“A poem is ‘a momentary stay against confusion,’ Frost told us. It is a ‘voyage of discovery’ that ‘begins in delight and ends in wisdom.” And in this charming book, we get a small glimpse into the life and family of that poet, Robert Frost. Adapted from Frost’s oldest daughter’s journal and the author’s biography on Frost, is a short story of the Frost family moving back from a two year stint in England. During the trip, Lesley Frost recalls their life on a New Hampshire farm prior to England, where her father found his poetic voice. Take a little peek into the life and poetry of Robert Frost with Papa Is A Poet by Natalie S. Bober, illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon, 2013.

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Wordless Wednesday: Over The Shop By Lawson & Leng

Coming this week with a Wednesday post which seemed the perfect time to resurrect a favorite theme: Wordless Wednesday! If you’re new here, don’t be confused or perhaps get your hopes up – it’s not a wordless post from me. Ha! No, in these posts I celebrate a mysterious genre of picture books: the wordless book. Once a painful headache for me, now I search and celebrate the beautiful ones I can find. If wordless books tend to make you grimace – start with this post with tips for how to read them. And then join me today in drooling over this simple, yet beautiful story about a child and grandparent looking for tenants for their dreadfully neglected rental apartment and finding community in surprising ways. Here is Over the Shop by JonArno Lawson, illustrations by Qin Leng, 2021.

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Review: May I Visit? By Zolotow & Blegvad

Mother’s Day weekend is upon us! I have a special post set for Sunday – a mesh of a lot of favorite mother scenes from a variety of picture books – so come back for that. And I will never top my best Mother’s Day post of all time – How To Be An Excellent Mother, learning life lessons from one of my all-time favorite mother characters in the Little Bear books. But while I was making Sunday’s toast to mothers, I was reminded of this vintage gem. It’s a small paperback by a classic author and fantastic illustrator. It is dripping of 1970s fashion and decor, but timeless in its sweetness and mother-daughter bond. A story about a little girl who wonders if she can visit her mother when she grows up, if she stops making all the mistakes and messes she makes currently. Have a smile, perhaps choke up a bit, and then go call your own mother and decide on your next visit. Celebrate motherhood from the thoughts of a child with May I Visit? by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Erik Blegvad, 1976.

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Review: Why Do We Cry? By Pintadera & Sender

Feelings and emotions are such difficult things to understand. Even as a grown-up I realize that I am learning more every day about myself and how my body works. And thankfully, beautiful picture books continue to be made that help inform and also delight by meeting questions with beautiful ways of answering. Have you ever wondered why we cry? Well, I can now say, there’s a really fantastic book for that! Take a peek at Why Do We Cry? by Fran Pintadera, illustrated by Ana Sender, published in Spain in 2018, and translated to English in 2020.

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Review: Tight Times By Shook Hazen & Schart Hyman

I think we’re all tired of hearing that it’s been a difficult, weird, hard, strange, unprecedented [insert over-used adjective here] year. Even more so, we’re all tired of living it. While I continue to prep posts about new and newish books (I have so many!); I also love the classics, vintage, obscure older books that speak to timeless issues. They can be so comforting, surprising, and reminders of days past – a reminder that we’ll get through this too.

Today I wanted to drop in with a book I’ve thought about often over this year. I collected it years ago as it is one of my favorite children’s book illustrators ever. I am incredibly drawn to her style and choices and lines – but I’m getting ahead of myself. Join me in this lovely, difficult, emotional, and yet so perfectly childlike book about rough economic times in a city family. Check out Tight Times by Barbara Shook Hazen, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, 1979.

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