Children's Book Monday

Tales from Martha B. Rabbit
by Shirley Barber

Dear, kindly, thoughtful Martha.

"...we will need to be warm at night," said Martha. "Let's gather all the dried grass and stuff it in our mattresses. That will keep us snug!"

And Eliana snuggles deeper into my side and murmurs, She's just so sensible, isn't she, Mama?

Take a peek, kind friends...

In the first of three sweet stories, Martha B. Rabbit and Tabitha Cat are watching the falling leaves from the door of their apple-tree house. When Tabitha observes the brightness of color and surplus of nuts and berries in the forest that fall, Martha worries that it means a long cold winter is coming. Together, the friends prepare their home against the cold and length of winter, as well as encouraging all friends in the forest to put by extra as well.

Sometimes, Tabitha thinks that this all sounds too much like hard work, but then she muses that Martha is nearly always right (and she IS, isn't she, Mama?) and works happily side-by-side with her friend. And, of course, Martha is right, and the rabbit and the cat serve the forest and their friends happily from their snug home all winter, and make new, lifelong friends in the process.

The second tale in this collection centers around Daphne the Forgetful Duck, and again Martha B. and Tabitha, true kind friends that they are, offer to help with her six fluffy ducklings so mama can go to market. When Daphne "loses" her ducklings, William Elf joins Martha and Tabitha to search the forest, along with Police Chief Tom and an Old Herb Woman. The ducklings are found in danger, and when all is safe again and the ducklings are rowed home to their mama, the Old Herb Woman offers a special herbal tonic for Daphne's bad memory!

The third and final story is a continuation of another Martha B. Rabbit story about the Wicked Rats, and their endeavors to cause mischief, foiled, of course, by the goodness and cleverness of Martha and her friends.

Gnomes, elves, Cuckoo (a bird right of the friends' clock!) and many more sweet characters join the stories in these books, and if the drawings don't seal the deal for you to check out this book, perhaps an endorsement from my G would help- he carried it around under his arm for a whole morning last week, asking to read Marfa, please!

Happy Reading!