The North Wind Doth Blow . . .

from Tasha Tudor's Mother Goose (c. 1944).

The Night Before Christmas

Every year I talk about how you MUST read The Night Before Christmas, a poem by Clement C. Moore so beloved that it's been popularized into picture book form.

It's so popular, in fact, the question isn't if you can find a copy but which copy should you take home.  I've shared my favorites over the years, and here's another recommended illustrated copy with pictures by the prolific children's illustrator Gyo Fujikawa (c. 1961, reprinted 2007).

My very favorite illustration in the whole book is:

But wait, I didn't include the whole spread.  To find out what the rest of this picture looks like, you'll have to check out the book from your local library or pick up a version for yourself at your favorite book store.

February

Find "February" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

January

Find "January" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

December

Find "September" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

November

Find "November" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

October

Find "October" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

The Art of Children's Picture Books

Dear Reading Friends,

Today we are in for a treat! I'm linking to another blogger, Jil over at The Art of Children's Picture Books,

who has chosen to feature one of my all-time favorite illustrators/authors.  Enjoy her lovely post on Eloise Wilkin's Poems to Read to the Very Young.  

It's one of our favorite books too.  I can always be sure to get a load of laundry folded or dinner started by just pulling out this book . . . the illustrations are mesmerizing . . . and Jil shared seven of those illustrations with us (below is my favorite for this autumnal season), so be sure to check it out by clicking on the link above or clicking on any of the images on this post.

September

My dear reading friends, I apologize for the long hiatus.  We (the Mister, the kids, and I) are back with many books to share with you as we all settle back into the school year.  

My young readers, especially, I have been scouting out books for my early readers and my more advanced readers.  And I hope to have a few more posts from young reading friends.  I'd love to hear your recommendations and comments as we continue to read together!  ~ Emily

Find "September" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

August

Find "August" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

June

Find "June" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

Happy Spring from Cicely Mary Barker

Happy Spring!  

from Cicely Mary Barker's "Bluebell Fairy" and "Daffodil Fairy" 

in her collection Flower Fairies of the Spring

March

Find "March" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

February

from Take Joy! by Tasha Tudor (c. 1966)

February

by Christina Rossetti

Bread and milk for breakfast

And woolen frocks to wear,

And a crumb for robin redbreast

On the cold days of the year.

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

 Check Hilary Knight's The Owl and the Pussy-Cat (reissue c. 2001) out of your local library and be enchanted.  The illustrations are the most stunning interpretation of Edward Lear's classic poem that the Mister and I have ever come across.  Not only were we spellbound, the children were too!  Who says that adults can't be hypnotized by childrens' books?  Each page transports the reader into another world.  Perhaps one of Knight's greatest masterpieces because he fills each spread in The Owl and the Pussy-Cat with quirky, magical images to feast your imagination upon.

William Shakespeare

" . . . winter tames man, woman and beast."

William Shakespeare

is published in sharing the seasons: A BOOK OF POEMS selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by David Diaz (c. 2010).

January

Find "January" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

Mountain Brook

"Mountain Brook"
by Elizabeth Coatsworth

Because of the steepness,
the streamlet runs white,
narrow and broken
as lightning by night.

Because of the rocks,
it leaps this way and that,
fresh as a flower,
quick as a cat.





from Snow Toward Evening: A Year in a River Valley / Nature Poems Selected by Josette Frank with Paintings by Thomas Locker.

Wind Has Shaken Autumn Down

Wind has shaken autumn down

left it sprawling on the ground,

shawling all in gold below,

waiting for the hush of snow.

~  Tony Johnston

from Snow Toward Evening: A Year in a River Valley / Nature Poems Selected by Josette Frank with Paintings by Thomas Locker.

Home

I brought Thomas Locker's HOME: A Journey Through America (c. 1998) home from the library, laid it out on the coffee table, and waited.  My youngest picked it up, poured over it, and came running to me: "Mommy, this pictures look beautifully!"

That afternoon the eldest came home from school, poured over the new-found book, and said, "Momma, you have got to look at these pictures!  These are my favorites."

I think old and young alike are amazed that Thomas Locker shares his magnificent oil on canvas landscape paintings not only in art galleries or museums but in childrens' books for all to enjoy.  Seriously, introduce your child to the fine art of Thomas Locker.  You may be astonished at the art appreciation that issues out of his/her mouth.