I love Tasha Tudor. When I was a young teen, my neighbor introduced me to Tasha Tudor. My neighbor, my mom, and I even attended an event where she demonstrated her illustrations and talked.
This book illustrates a poem she wrote about the seasons. The items she features for each season instantly transport one to that time of year. I love the illustrations-especially the borders. I wonder if she inspired Jan Brett to create intricate borders.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
What a lovely collection of stories about the Meadow Family-Sullivan, Eva, Ray, and Willie who live in Blue Hill, VA with their dogs, Lady & Sam. The four stories, one for each season, focus on Willie, a third grader. Over the course of a year, Willie gains two dogs, goes fishing for the day with his father, gets stuck in a blizzard at his teacher's house, and gives his mother the best Mother's Day gift ever.
The illustrations suit the tone of the stories perfectly!
**Highly, highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Through the four seasons siblings enjoy the wind's different moods. The word choice is apt. Because of Ms. Archer's descriptive language, readers can feel and hear the wind in each episode. The collage illustrations are impressive.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
I purchased this seasonal reflection book in the beginning of the year to read after my Bible. Mrs. Burke incorporates seasonal lessons from the garden. Each entry varies with its content-sometimes poetry, sometimes a prayer, sometimes a recipe, but always pointing to God and His truth and offering gardening tips. Her chapter epigraphs have led me to some old, unique gardening books!
*Highly recommend (although I am only partly way through the winter season). I love the cover!!
-I own this book.
Four seasonal stories featuring Beti, her parents, and her baby brother Jac, who live in a round house They choose to live off the land and make everything they need to survive.
At times I felt disoriented because they are a modern family who is choosing to live without modern conveniences. Beti is fiesty and places herself into predicaments!
-Borrowed from the library.
Ms. Rabei transforms Mr. de la Mare's simple yet picturesque poem into a humorous story. Her illustrations build and extend on the poem so young children will enjoy it. How wonderful to be able to share beautiful language with younger children!
A farm family sits down to enjoy an evening treat. Mr. de la Mare then gives the reader a tour of the farm and relates what "dainty treats" the farm animals are savoring. Ms. Rabei focuses on the mouse encounter and imagines what chaos could ensue.
The warm colors with green depict a summer evening well.
Part of a series by Ms. Rabei-The Four Seasons.
*Highly recommend.
Borrowed via ILL.
Full-page, sweet illustrations accompany poems about each of the months. A few poems/rhymes to help remember the order of the months, days of the week, and numbers on a clock begin this delightful anthology.
Originally published in Sweden in 1927. Naturally all the children look Swedish.
*Highly recommend, especially for those who enjoy old-fashion illustrations.
-Borrowed from the library.
The exquisite illustrations will astound readers. Ms. Ahpornsiri utilitzes pressed flowers and foliage to create her illustrations. In this book she walks readers through each season pointing out the changes and the celebrations. I learned quite a few random facts too!
She is British so some of her words are different from American usage.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
What a delightful set of books!
In each book the main character, a boy (1st person narration) and his grandfather venture outside for an adventure. Each book ends with, "I hope it ____ again tomorrow.". I love the grandfather-grandson relationship depiction and the value of imagination. The coverings are stunning and creative.
**Highly, highly recommend all of them.
I loved the expressive illustrations in this picture book. This picture book demonstrates how vital illustrations are to telling the story. Without the illustrations, the memorable story would not exist!
Two sets of siblings explore the outdoors through the different seasons.
Some of the illustrations I would love to frame and hang on my walls!
*Highly, highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
"An I Can Read Book"
Poems from children's perspective, occuring within the four seasons. I love how the last poem for the season transitions into the next season. The illustrations are lovely. I like them as much as the poems.
*Highly recommend for beginning/transitional readers.
-Borrowed from the library.
A fascinating contrast of the lives of two men-Henry David Thoreau, an essayist and poet and Frederic Tudor, an entrepreneur. Both men utilize Walden Pond in different ways!
Superb writing and clever text layout. An enjoyable way to learn about little-known piece of history
Beautiful illustrations with eye-catching layouts.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
The life-cycle of a queen rusty-patched bumble bee is displayed in this book featuring scratchboard illustrations. The wonder of this bee points to an amazing Creator! Additional facts are included in the back. I did not know that native bees (like the rusty-patched bumble bee) are better pollinators than honey bees. Buzz pollination is also an interesting ability!
-Borrowed from the library.
Some day I would like to read at least one of Wendell Berry's novels. In the meantime, I decided to sample his poetry. The poems are descriptive and focus on nature. He also discusses man tendicity to be cruel to fellow man and to engage in war. Most likely I did not understand all of the poems' deeper meanings.
-Borrowed from the library.
Sijo (pronounced SHEE-zho) is an ancient Korean traditional style of poetry. It typically has three lines of thirteen to seventeen syllables. The first line introduces the subject, the second line expounds on it and the third line throws in a surprise. Sometimes the three lines are divided into six shorter lines. Topics usually found in this poetry are broad in range-from personal experiences, relationships, everyday moments, and also describing the nature.
In this book, Ms. Park writes about a lot of different topics (breakfast, long division, frog, soccer). I love how she organized the poems--the reader reads through the season but also one day! The first poem is about breakfast and the last one is titled "Day's End". In between, however, the poem topics follow the season order, beginning with fall and school.
*Highly recommend.
Pair with Ms. Park's newer book, The One Thing You'd Save.
-Borrowed from the library.
Husband-wife team!
I own and love two of this team's books- The Gardener and The Library.
This book was Ms. Stewart's first book. To be honest, I was not overly impressed with the story. Children may miss the author's message and will need to utilize inferencing skills. The vagueness will stimulate discussion, though!
One winter Miss McGillicuddy notices a strange shape growing in her yard. Over the next few months it grows into tree. The tree is extraordinary. Its leaves are actually paper money. Greedy people flood her yard and stuff their sacks. Growing tired of humanity's relentless greed, Miss McGillicuddy and the neighbor boys cut it down.
I absolutely loved the illustrations. I would buy the book just for the illustrations. Mr. Small adds exquiste details that are pure fun and ones that also extend the story. I would love to live in Miss McGillicuddy's home and on her property!
Strategies: asking questions, inferring
