Book 213: The ABC Murders

The ABC Murders, by Agatha Christie.

I adore Agatha Christie's writing, so even if this book is not my favorite of her mysteries, I still enjoyed it. 

Agatha Christie was not a technically brilliant writer -- She never claimed to be. But where she is unmatched is in her study of human nature. She knew that people will say one thing, and project an image one way, and could be almost entirely opposite of what they were saying or projecting. She could see the cracks where the "real" person could be glimpsed. And she could write her characters so that they projected an image that was contrary to their true nature. Her detectives could, and close readers can, always see the cracks, and that is how the mysteries are solved. The clues are all there, but don't expect her detectives to point them out to you along the way. The ending with either surprise or validate you, depending on how closely you read the story. 

Book 212: Every Friday

Every Friday, by Dan Yaccarino, Henry Holt and Company 2007.  Toddler, Preschool, Early Elementary.

My four-year-old son checked this book out from the library last week. It was the first book he wanted to read when we got home. 

I love everything about this book: the story, the writing, the distinctive and timeless illustrations, the interesting effects (like how the inside of the diner looks black and white when viewed from the outside), but most of all, I love, love, love the author's note. Every Friday, since his son turned three, the author has taken his son to breakfast. What a wonderful tradition!

So I bought my son his own copy of this book. 

Book 211: Just a Day at the Pond

Just a Day at the Pond, by Mercer Mayer, Harper Collins Children's Books.  Toddler, Preschool and Early Elementary.

My son received this book for the Christmas right after his first birthday.  He liked the book so much that he ate the back cover.  I took it away from him because I'm a mom.

Over the past few months, I've been giving my now-four year old son back the books that he literally devoured when he was younger.  Now he just figuratively devours them.

Little Critter books are wonderful because my little critter has no trouble seeing himself in Mayer's adorably drawn Little Critter.  This past weekend, he spent quite a bit of time with his grandparents, so a Little Critter book featuring grandparents was perfect.

Book 210: The Shy Little Kitten

The Shy Little Kitten, written by Cathleen Schurr, illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren, Little Golden Book, 1946.  Preschool to Early Elementary.

A few months ago, I bought a stack of Little Golden Books from a thrift store.  About a third of them I gave away to the local library.  I did, however, keep the classics.

For the past few nights, my four-year-old son has been taking a few of these books to bed.  I'm not really sure if it is because of the stories or the shiny gold spines.  The Shy Little Kitten he seems especially fond of.

We have three cats in our house.  Not one of them was shy little kitten.  They all, however, were just as cute as the shy little kitten.  I think the story might have been written around the adorable illustrations, but it still works.  What is really great is not only is this book old enough for me to have read, it is also old enough for my parents to have read.

Book 209: Robots, Robots Everywhere!

Robots, Robots Everywhere! written by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Bob Staake, Little Golden Books, 2013.  Toddler, Preschool, Early Elementary.

I gave this book to my four-year-old son today.  I have to review it now because he wants it back so we can read it tonight.  It's just that good.

The text is simple, with an unforced rhyming scheme, so reading the book is a pleasure.  Also, although the text was simple and straightforward, even I learned something about robots.

And then there is the illustration.  The text may be simple and straightforward, but the artwork is not.  Manic would be a fair description, but manic in a good way.  Manic as in "it explodes off of the pages" way.  The two-page spreads have five to twelve words -- the rest is given over to the illustrations.  From corner to corner.  And cover to cover.

Book 208: The Twelve Dancing Princesses

The Twelve Dancing Princesses, told by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by K.Y. Craft,  Morrow Junior Books, 1989.

This is another book that I would have bought solely for the artwork.  And this is another book that I keep in my bookcase and not in my son's.

Marianna Mayer's retelling of the fairy tale of the twelve dancing princesses is beautifully, wonderfully and movingly executed.  Her version is strong enough to stand alone, without any illustrations.  That would be a pity, however, because the artwork is phenomenal.

K.Y. Craft paints with such brilliance that you can hear the silk dresses rustle and feel the kiss of every flower's petal.  And every single illustration is so breathtakingly beautiful and detailed that I, like the princesses, become lost within the tale.

Book 207: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman, William Morrow 2013.

Once I started this book, I wanted to read it all in one gulp.  Unfortunately, I started reading it too late in the evening, so I had to read it in two gulps.  How could I not love a book that knows that kittens grow in a field and name themselves, and that the ocean can fit into a bucket (like in a story by my four-year-old son) and that no adult truly grows up?  I've believed these truths for years.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a beautiful, sad, sweet, strange tale that somehow feels more real than mundane reality -- which is to say, it was imagined, conceived and written by Neil Gaiman.  When I reached the end of the story, I was breathless and wanted more.