Aunt Brown's Birthday: From one of Scandinavia's most-loved children's authors. Aunt Green and Aunt Lavender want to buy Aunt Brown a new hat and lace collar for her birthday, to match her dress. But how can they borrow her dress without her finding out and ruining the surprise?
Christopher's Garden: A playful toss of Christopher’s new red and white ball lands him in the family orchard where he meets another little boy named “September” perched up in the maple tree. September tosses the ball which goes from tree to plant to bush. As Christopher tries to follow his ball he meets each family of fruit and vegetable and flower found in the garden. Such an assortment of new friends; the Gooseberry boys and girls, the Redcurrant girls, and grumpy, Old Man Blackcurrant. Then there is Mr. Scarecrow, Miss Plum, the Strawberry family and Mrs. Sunflower. All of Beskow’s illustrations inspired by the season come alive in color and song. What he learns along the way he must share with his mother because most families have a request. The Redcurrants plead “please tell your mother the redcurrants will soon be too ripe. They won’t make good jelly if they are too ripe.” Christopher replies, “Mother says we’re going to pick them tomorrow.” The Strawberry family dressed in their berry- beautiful silk dresses are very proud indeed and march past Christopher without a request. Over in the flower patch Christopher can hear them singing “Let it go, Let it go” and suddenly all that had just appeared vanishes and all is back to normal again in Christopher’s garden.
Arthur,
Here is a new book for you and a new ball. I hope you have fun like this little boy did.
Don’t let your ball get caught in the tree though---you never know what might happen!
Love you lots,
Grandma Kathy
Give with: a pint of strawberries, glass jam jars, or a set of french paring knives as a pick me up or a thank you.
Give to: your mom, aunt or grandma who kept your pantry stocked for the winter with jars of homemade raspberry jam, chutneys and halved pears.
Give as: a shower gift extending wishes of a fruitful and abundant life to a bride or a baby.
Emily and Daisy: Emily may be small but she is given plenty of responsibility. She wants to go play in the sandpile but Daisy the cow needs watching. The fence is broken and if Daisy gets into the clover she will die! Good thing there lives a family of gnomes and a friendly dog nearby to aid her.
Give with: a cow shaped pitcher perfect for livening up those mornings where cold cereal & milk is the only option.
Give to: a toddler ready to accept more responsibility. Also anyone who grew up with cows or dreams of a meadow of their own.
Give as: an apology for forgetfulness or losing something you borrowed.
Peter's Old House: Every parents’ dream. A group of kids who band together to rebuild a dilapidated home for the village storyteller and toy boat maker. A simple and sweet story reminding all of us that kindness requires action and that children are highly capable especially in droves. You’ll also love the iconic swedish architecture including a dovecot.
Give to: the little tinkerer in your house or the handyman down the street that stops by in the fall to clean your rain gutters.
Give with: a little tool set or a little village or even some lime wash
Give as: a thank you for the husband who finally finished up that project on the house or the father who taught you how to wield a hammer.
Around the Year: Delightful verses and delicate, playful illustrations take young children through the special joys of each month of the year, from icy February to the green shoots of April, the red poppies of July, September's apples and the delights of December.
Thumbelina: Tiny Thumbelina asleep in her walnut-shell bed helps the imagination embark on a fairy tale adventure full of lots of little and big things! Children will be drawn into Beskow’s water colors which appear on the left hand side of each page. Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale finds Thumbelina in many different predicaments, some serene, some scary. Befriended by many animals she seems to always try to do the right thing. The story of how Thumbelina receives her favorite gift---a pair of wings--- and how she met the King “which is far better than the slimy toad, the May bug, and the mole”---is just plain enchanting!
Note: This picture book of Elsa Beskow’s was first published in Sweden in 1908. She illustrated eight different collections of fairy tales and admits she is a nature lover. She wrote and illustrated 33 other children’s books, including an ABC book and a songbook for schools in Sweden. An award was created in Sweden in 1938 “The Elsa Beskow Award” to recognize the year’s best Swedish picture book illustrator.
Rilla,
You love fairy tales and I know you especially like this one. This summer when you come to visit we will find some walnut shells and make a little bed for your little Thumbelina! Then we will put her in the fairy garden! This book has beautiful illustrations. Which one is your favorite?
Love, Grandma Kathy
Gift with: a watercolor paint set, small easel, white lily, or walnut shells.
Gift to: a child who loves fairy tales, someone with Swedish ancestry, or a child who loves making fairy gardens in the summer.
Occasion: birthday or summer visits with relatives.
- DETAILS -
Measures 12.3" x 9" x 0.3".
Made of paper and hardcover.