To Patty, John, and Mary

This is a long, overdue entry to this blog. But after spending a delightful afternoon watching "Miss Potter," I thought it was about time for "Peter" to make his appearance. After watching the movie, I feel like I know a little more about Miss Potter (as a child, I thought "Beatrix" was a boy's name). Beatrix Potter has the eye for nature like I would always want to think of it: cozy dens, fresh vegetation, cool air and the mischievous animals. In this particular tale, Peter, the youngest and most rebellious of bunnies, decides to defy his mother and visit the lush gardens of none other than Mr. McGregor. He enters the forbidden garden and his eyes behold the largest buffet he has ever seen. Peter, a slave to his stomach, nibbles and noshes his way through the garden, when all at once, he is face to face with the man who made his poor mother a widow. A chase, a dramatic escape, and Peter stumbles back home for his humble pie (and some chamomile tea for his upset tum).

Why we like this book: Art plays a big role in many of the favorite books of this blog, and after watching "Miss Potter," I feel like I appreciate the watercolored drawings more than ever. These hand-painted pieces portray life in the forest in warm and dreamy tones. The story is very much a cautionary tale for the young: listen to your mother! She was always right! But at the same time, it is a tale of adventure for trying something different and dangerous. I, for one, enjoy comparing it to my real-life neighbor, who is frequently chasing the critters out of his irresistible garden.

Beatrix Potter wrote several little stories about several naughty woodland creatures--all of them full of beautiful artwork and a fun stories to share with your little bunnies.

Thank you, Patty, John and Mary--what a treat to spend another afternoon with you!

Blueberries for All

Robert McCloskey must have had a little girl like Sal. Sal wears old overalls, scuffed-up leather shoes, has mussed-up hair with a few dappled freckles. Today, she is going with her mother to pick wild blueberries on a tall hillside. Now, being little, say 4 years old or so, Sal does her best to do just like her mom and pick blueberries. But, being little, Sal gets tired easily and does like to eat the blueberries just as much as she likes picking them. Coincedentally, a mama bear and her little cub are doing the same thing on the other side of the hill. When little Sal and the little cub get separated from their mothers, a chance meeting between the species shows us the innocence and trusting sense of the very young.
Why we like this book: Blueberries for Sal is a library classic. This being one of Robert McCloskey's simpler stories, Blueberries for Sal compares the relationships between mother and child between two different creatures. It also compares the similarities of the behavior of the youngters. Sal is wide-eyed and trusting, blindly following the mother bear along the hillside; in the same way, the young bear cub is meandering about after the human mother, and finds a bucket of blueberries in her grip that looks very inviting. The youngster's reactions are similar (you can almost picture Sal saying, "Hi" in a quiet manner), and the mothers' reactions are similar ("Oh my!! It's a bear/human!!"). The faces of the creatures are illustrated to reflect this feeling. It's a simple story wrapped around the scene of an afternoon of blueberry picking.

Look for more by Robert McCloskey, coming here soon, but right now at your library.