Tuesday's Tales 8.28.12

Ok, so I just couldn't stay away!  Not when I have this beauty to share with you:

We bought this huge book of fairy tales the other day and it is just incredible.  The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm is a collection of over 20 fairy tales that will appeal to both children and adults.  The tales are presented in a captivating and interesting way, and my girls love listening intently as we read them the stories that they already know, but are presented here in a unique way.  (For instance, in "Cinderella,"  the stepsisters both cut off parts of their feet to fit into the glass slipper, but the prince notices the blood oozing out of the shoe.  At the end, crows peck out the stepsisters' eyes as punishment for their horrible behavior.  Just a tad more dark and twisted than the usual telling of "Cinderella.")

Anyway, the stories are all familiar, but the illustrations which are done by a number of different artists are just magical.  The images are so striking and beautiful that all of us want to examine them closely before we can move on and turn the page.  The book is a collection of wonderful fairy tales for children, but it is also a truly incredible example of a children's picture book.  If I didn't have children I think I still would have bought this book for its stunning beauty.

Enjoy!  And I won't tell if you don't want to share it with your kids...

Tuesday's Tales 8.21.12

I mentioned last week that we read The Twits by Roald Dahl, and we all enjoyed it so much that I thought it perfect for today's Tuesday's Tales.

The Twits is a very funny story about a terrible husband and wife who are truly awful to one another and those around them.  Dahl's descriptions are incredible, especially that of Mr. Twit's beard which is   totally disgusting and could be a character of its own.  We were laughing out loud reading about their physical appearances.

The things these two do to one another are completely horrendous, and our girls thought it was absolutely hysterical.  Then, as we read on, we learned of their pet monkeys and their weekly bird pie dinner.  Dahl's imagination and creativity are simply amazing as they ooze off of every page.

This is a book for girls and boys of all ages.  Our three and five year old girls loved it, as did both my husband and I.  I can't wait to read some more Roald Dahl classics (such as this one) very soon!

Tuesday's Tales 7.24.12

Good evening, friends.  Have you been reading anything good?  I told you about Gone Girl last week, and now I am reading Unorthodox, a true story of a woman raised in a Hasidic community in Brooklyn who leaves her family and religion behind.  I have yet to get to the part of her story where she leaves, but so far it is really interesting and hard to imagine a woman today living as she did.

Today I would like to share with you a really beautiful version of Cinderella by Barbara McClintock.

My girls love princesses and all of the princess stories, but sometimes I get fed up with the versions with the nice dog, mean cat, and mouse friends.  McClintock's version has incredibly beautiful illustrations, and while the stepmother and stepsisters are nasty throughout much of the story, everyone comes together in the end.  It's a nice change of pace from the usual Cinderella story.  Don't get me wrong, though, my girls still love the old Disney princess stories, but I definitely prefer this one.

Tuesday's Tales 7.17.12

Hi guys.

Everyone staying cool?  I hope so.  If you need an indoor, air-conditioned activity, well, how about picking up a new book?

For the adults, I highly recommend Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn:

I know that I mentioned this book briefly last week, and I finally finished it over the weekend.  I stayed up late for two nights absolutely and totally engrossed in the story, waiting to figure it all out and see how it ended.  It was fun and funny; nerve-wracking and confusing; satisfying and bothersome; overall, a great read.  Just when I thought I had figured it out, more questions were raised and I was kept guessing.  Gone Girl is a great summer read for all.



Now, on to the children's picture book for the week - Yumi by Annelore Parot.

While the story is sweet as it introduces the reader to Yumi, a kokeshi doll, and her friends, the illustrations and book design were what really captivated me.  I must admit, I have a thing for Japanese art, architecture, textiles, etc., and Yumi is a feast for the eyes with its patterns, colors, and overall bold, graphic designs.  The cover with a fabric Yumi stitched on with her kokeshi tag was what initially caught my attention, but then each page is filled with fun illustrations of sweet Yumi and her life.

We all love Japanese food in our house, and P was especially thrilled to find tamago (the omelet sushi) in the illustration above.  The story isn't exactly riveting or gripping, but where it soars is within its illustrations that keep little readers busy.  Whether the reader is helping Yumi find her friend, Sakumi, or trying to get past the fluttering fish kites, there is something to look for or manipulate on each page.

Yumi is a fun book with beautiful illustrations that this mommy enjoys just as much as her girls do.

P.S.  Something tells me I may be adding this one to my collection soon:

Tuesday's Tales 7.3.12 (children's version)

Ok, I just couldn't do it - sign off for the evening without posting about at least one children's book.  I love them so...

Fables by Arnold Lobel is such a fun, sweet, and engaging collection of fables that I have given it as a gift to many families on many occasions. At the end of each fable is a one line moral, teaching children a valuable little lesson upon which the fable was centered.  The main characters of the fables are all animals, and they will keep your child interested with their funny little stories (each fable is only one page long).  Some of our favorites include "Madame Rhinoceros and Her Dress," "The Crocodile in the Bedroom," and "The Pig at the Candy Store."  These fables are perfect for enjoying anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes reading together.

Happy reading!

Kids Book of The Week: The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

I adore this author and will tell you about his other books that I love soon, but for today I had to chose The Curious Garden.  We checked it out from the library last week, and the sweet story and lovely illustrations have captured us all.

Little Liam lives in a bleak city with no greenery... until he happens upon a mini garden up on some old railroad tracks.  Liam nurses the garden back to life and it flourishes and spreads to every part of the city.  Other gardeners come out of their homes to help maintain this beautiful outside world, and Liam continues to work on his railroad garden until he is a man with kids of his own.

The bright, cheerful illustrations grow with each page as the garden itself grows.  The city that started out as dreary and grey becomes a happy and vibrant place for everyone.

If this story sounds a bit familiar, that's because it is.  Check out this info about the High Line in NYC.