Molly O'Doon ties a message to a balloon and sets it loose in the sky. The balloon rises higher and higher until the fields look like patchwork and then it crosses the sea. It eventually comes to rest on the porch of another little girl who happens to be right next door. They are instant friends. Beautiful illustrations with a magical rendering of perspectives.
A young boy lives by the beach with his father who works long hours and days as a fisherman. One day, after a storm, the boy is alone on the beach and finds a whale. He brings it home and tries to care for it. His father discovers the whale and together they return him to the sea. The boy learns a difficult lesson as does his father. Stunning illustrations and a gentle story.
The life of a loaf of bread, slice by slice, is charmingly captured here. The story unfolds as each slice disappears in the tummies of the baker, the ducks the birds and the dogs. This one left E shouting 'Hooray for bread' for weeks on end.
Sammy and Paul, the plumbing toucan brothers, enjoy veritable celebrity status in our house. We read this book so much that the other day E overheard a woman on the bus talking about 'two cans' of beer and he asked me why they were talking about Sammy and Paul.
I'm sneaking in a vintage one here because 2013 has been a year of Lyle for us. Lyle is the oh so lovable crocodile who moves in to the Primm's house on East 88th Street. Mayhem, then order, then tears, then laughter, all follow in due course. They don't make many book characters like Lyle. He's not to be missed.
And here are two books on my list that are currently unavailable in the UK (!). I'd hope to give them to E for Christmas but clearly many others out there had the same idea.
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| Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska/Daniel Mizielinska |
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Under the Ocean by Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud |
Happy holidays everyone!
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