Sunday, September 12, 2010

Children's Book Monday

There are so many children's book gems in this world, but every once in awhile one becomes a true treasure; and you find yourselves talking about it for days, plucking it out of the book basket as you pass by, just to flip through the beautiful pages for a moment. Today's book sparkled at me from the library shelf, and I confess that after my initial gasp at the beauty of it's cover, I didn't even flip through the pages. I just plunked it in the library box and smiled as I walked on.

Very unusual for me. Because yes, it is true that...


There is no worse robber than a bad book!  ~Italian proverb


... and so I seek to be careful in what we choose to lay out for eager hands and eyes.

Happily, once we got home and I stacked books into their boxes on the fireplace, I sat back to enjoy this beauty, and was absolutely delighted!

Little Blue
by Gaye Chapman

At the beginning of our story, Little Blue is lost. And her beautiful toile-like dress with it's blue and white flowers, her blue hair and blue tights and shoes peek out from a pile of leaves, where she sleeps, waiting to be found.

When Will comes through the forest with his walking stick, it clinks against her shoe and she is found! But when he asks her what home looks like, and she describes a bridge and steps to the mountains...

I miss my mountains, said Little Blue...

...Will tells her that his home has a path to the hills and tall rocks, almost like her home. But when they climb the hills and gaze from the rocks, they still cannot find the way to Little Blue's home.

Page after gorgeous page, Little Blue describes home to Will, and it comes alive, piece by piece, with simple blue pencil drawings. And when they finally reach Will's home, he holds Little Blue in his hand and they go into the cottage together, where Grandmother is delighted to find the piece to a treasure that went missing long ago...

Many of you will recognize a familiar pattern in this book, and you will wonderingly retrace the story through the pages again to collect all the pieces to this rich but simple story.

We've been talking of home quite often around here lately, because Eliana consistently sighs, I miss home... whenever we are away for an hour or two. And now Gideon has begun to say it... home. Home! Daddy stooped to hold their chins and told them, Wherever we are, no matter what, if we are together? We're home.

A treasure, indeed.

Happy Reading!

2 fellow travelers shared:

Kristin said...

So funny that this book is already on my library hold list(before I saw your review!). Hope we also find it a delight. :-)

Elise @A Path Made Straight said...

Oh, Kristin, maybe you saw it on my Shelfari? I almost didn't put it on there, to save it for review- but it's too good not to share! :)

Hope you're doing well with baby girl- love to you!

Related Posts with Thumbnails