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By Mom Unplugged, June 5, 2007 8:31 pm

Jamichael Henterly’s sweet illustrations in this book are so lovely and detailed, you could spend quite a time studying them! The rhyming text is minimal but very pretty (Rose Fyleman wrote it in 1918!).

This is a simple book that teaches children the value of kindness. The fairy goes to the market four times. Each time she buys an animal, which she enjoys for a while then sets free; or once a lovely “winter gown” which she enjoys for a while then gives to a cold frog. The final illustration depicts the fairy surrounded by the four animals that she helped / set free.

I just stumbled upon this by accident at Amazon while searching for a fourth book for a 4-for-3 promotion order. It was a lovely find!

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By Mom Unplugged, May 16, 2007 2:04 pm

I have just started straightening out my garden, so this seems an appropriate book to feature today.

This is a simple book about the “life-cycle” of a vegetable garden. We follow a family and their garden through the seasons beginning with their eager springtime anticipation of the last frost, and ending with fall canning and the wait for next year’s garden. There is a certain comfort in this book as we follow the rhythm of the seasons, knowing that next year all will be the same.

The illustrations appear to be in colored pencil and are a nice complement to the simple happenings in the garden.

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By Mom Unplugged, May 2, 2007 3:06 pm

I believe that this is originally a Dutch story. The Apple Cake tells the tale of an old woman who, wishing to make an apple cake, sets off to the market with a basket of plums in the hopes of trading them for some apples.

The narrative follows the woman and her encounters on the way to the market. The kind lady trades her plums, and eventually other items, in order to help people she meets along the way. Of course, just when you think she will never get her apples, she makes a final trade for some apples!

Would she have gotten the apples if she had not been so kind to strangers? What would have happened to the strangers and their predicaments if the woman had not gone to the market that day?

Children learn the importance of kindness and generosity, as well as the power of positive karma! The story is a bit convoluted for really little children, but ages three or four and up should enjoy it immensely. I also love the pretty pastel illustrations. There is even a recipe on the back for a delicious-sounding apple cake. A “Kids Cook Night” idea perhaps?

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By Mom Unplugged, March 8, 2007 8:50 pm

My children sit captivated by this innocent Swedish story of the adventures of two acorn brothers who fly off on an oak leaf and encounter angry gnomes and trolls, as well as playful chestnut children.

First published in 1939, it is a gentle tale which reminds me very much of The Story of the Root-Children (Sibylle Von Olfers) in its simplicity and language (please see my post on the “Root Children”). The wonderful illustrations are also similar in some ways to those of Sibylle Von Olfers.

This magical book makes everyone feel good!

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By Mom Unplugged, February 23, 2007 6:44 pm

Astrid Lindgren, the author of the well known Pippi Longstocking series, also wrote this lesser known set of books about a pack of children from three small farms in Sweden. If I had discovered this as a child, I would have LOVED it! I think all children love simple, “nice” stories about children having fun adventures.

I bought this for Christmas thinking that my first-grader might eventually enjoy it. One boring, snowy Sunday in January, my two oldest kids (4 and 6) and I sat on the sofa in front of the fire and I began reading. I planned on reading just one or two chapters, however they would not let me stop until we had read the entire book. They laughed and laughed, and were genuinely interested in the antics of the children. Even I found the book charming, witty, and engaging.

We have since bought the other title in the series, Happy Times in Noisy Village, and my daughter did a school book report on it.

I recommend The Children of Noisy Village to any intermediate-level reader, or any family looking for a “nice” book about simple childhood fun.

The Children of Noisy Village and Happy Times in Noisy Village are chapter books, however there are also two other short, picture-type books: Christmas in Noisy Village and Springtime in Noisy Village. We have the Christmas book which is a good, short bedtime-read. The Springtime book is harder to come by.

If anyone knows of any other books in this series, please comment. I would love to find more!