bree

I was just thinking today, about what I'd do with the picture books, when she grows older, chaliepud - I feel a bit weepy just thinking of it. No Gruffalo yet, or Stick Man, it is very tricky finding good picture books here - and importing them is too expensive an option. But will look out for them - thank you for the recommendations.

(ah I knew there was one smiley I'd missed !)

May I be the first to say Wonderful chesilbeach!

Have You Seen My Duckling? Words & Pictures: Nancy Tafuri ★★★★★ First published:1991 Awards: 1985 Caldecott Honor, ALA Notable Children's Book About: A book with few words. And beautiful illustrations. Early one morning, a little duckling leaves behind his seven siblings and follows a butterfly, all my himself. The rest of the book is about Mother Duck (with the seven ducklings) going around the pond, looking for him, asking the other pond inhabitants - "Have You Seen My Duckling?". Thoughts: One of Alya's early books, she's delighted to find and point out the lost duckling on each page - hiding behind a tree, a rock, or tufts of grass. She's also learnt to say "fish", "beaver", "turtle" because of this book. This book introduced me to the Caldecott Medal - and I've been trying to find more of them. From inside:

Thank you James. You are kind. I found a video on YouTube which has Rosen narrating it, I'm afraid my narration isn't a patch on his!

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear Words: Don and Audrey Wood Pictures : Don Wood ★★★★★ First published:1996 About: A "little mouse" discovers a luscious "red ripe strawberry" and is ready to pick it for himself, when the narrator has a conversation with him, about the "big hungry bear" who loves strawberries and can smell them "a mile away". The dear mouse then does all he can to safeguard his treasure, but the narrator continues to show the flaws in his plans. There's really only one way in whole wide world to really save it from the bear - the book invites you join the mouse and help him solve his large problem. Thoughts: Delicious. Luscious. Gorgeous. The large pages. The over-sized straw-berry. The sparse words. And the gentle humour. Toddlers will love the darling mouse and his expressive face and the giant strawberry. The adults will love narrating it and manage to get chuckle out of it too. From inside:

We're Going on a Bear Hunt Words: Micheal Rosen Pictures : Helen Oxenbury ★★★★★ First published:1989 About: A father, with his four children, set out on bear-hunt - going through "long wavy grass", a "deep cold river", "thick oozy mud", a "big dark forest", a "swirling-whirling snow-storm", and a "narrow gloomy cave". And they finally meet the bear - and find-out perhaps it's not quite what they wanted to do! Thoughts: It such a fun book. Lots of drama, rhyme, song, sounds, and actions, that you can't just sit and read this book. However after "performing" the book more than three times a day, I'm quite happy, to hide it, and give Alya a quieter one. The pictures by Helen Oxenbury, are wonderfully created and make this a master-piece. From inside: I also found this YouTube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb-nTnriTP8

I've neglected this thread too long - and in the meanwhile have read so many interesting books. Have also acquired some amazing picture books for Aly. I hope to update this thread with all of them over the next few days. Goodnight Moon Words: Margaret Wise Brown Pictures : Clement Hurd ★★★★★ First published:1947 About: This classic bed-time story is about a little bunny-rabbit saying goodnight to everything he can see in his room, as he lies in his bed, ready to turn in for the night. In alternating, colour and black-and-white pages, a slow darkness steals over the pages, and the time on the clock in each picture gradually moves from 7 to 8 and finally all is still, and dark, and the little bunny is asleep. Thoughts: It's a magical, almost hypnotic, book - and no wonder much-loved by generations of children in so many countries. It's Alya's last read before she turns off the lights and finally allows herself to go to bed. It's my favourite bed-time read too - for her, I mean - and there are so many little details to observe and absorb. I introduced this to Alya when she was around 15 months - she's almost two years now - and it is still a firm favourite. Inside the book:

Lovely film, isn't it? It's one of my favourites.

pond

It is. I was quite surprised I enjoyed it so much (I never know what to expect from "classics") Stayed up late, last night, and completed Harriet the Spy. It was a little disturbing in bits - and has given me quite a bit to think about. Have picked up Rudyard Kipling's Kim, to read next. Am looking forward to reading about 19th-century British-ruled India.

cathartic

shampoo

I just let it go as long as I can make sense of the sentence/context. But sometimes a word keeps cropping up in different places, enough times to register in my conscious mind, and I then take the time to type "define:<word>" in Google and actually read its meaning. Sometimes, through, a word sounds so attractive or intriguing that I'm immediately captured by it and look it up (the last such word for me was : prink)

Hey Enko, welcome to the forum. Lots of fantasy fans here - you should feel right at home

Back from a little holiday - and managed to complete the delightful Pickwick Papers. Also read the wonderfully-written : From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. It won the Newbury in 1968 - and I'm finding I can't go wrong with these. Have started on another children/YA book : Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Looking forward to another delicious read.

I read it once - and yes I remember being choked up too.

Hello Wes, and welcome to the forum

cyclic

Maedeh, That was well-thought out post - and made me think about what you've expressed. You're right, there are better books than the Harry Potter series, and yes, I can understand reading for more reasons than pleasure. But do you also think that maybe you dislike them so much because they are over-hyped, and not so much for how they are written? Because at one time, even you did enjoy them, right? And while you have a fertile imagination, and find creating fantasy easy - many people - me especially - are in awe of how entire worlds are created in the mind and plotted down to entertain. Each book has its place in our mind, and serves its role, at whatever stage we meet it, isn't it? And do take care of your eyes, I think I remember reading you're 13 years old on another thread - that's around the same age I started getting headaches - but luckily correcting my reading positions and habits, helped.

Bill Bryson

slinky

catatonic

Am breezing through The Pickwick Papers - the characters are delightful and seem like the predecessors of those in Wodehouse, and of George and Harris from Three Men In A Boat.

Barbara Cartland