Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Salley Mavor. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin. 72 pages.
I loved this one! I just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. Salley Mavor's artwork--her needlework or embroidery--just amazed me. Each and every page of this one wowed me. (You can look inside this book at Amazon.)
The book is a collection of nursery rhymes. You'll find familiar favorites alongside lesser known rhymes. What makes this collection special--really special--is the artwork. It excited me! I just love reading and rereading this one!
I eat my peas with honey.
I've done it all my life.
They do taste kind of funny.
But it keeps them on the knife (47)
Little Miss Muffett
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a great spider,
Who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffett away. (28)
This would be a great book for parents (and grandparents) to share with the children in their lives!
© Becky Laney of
Young Readers
Milne, A.A. 1927. Now We Are Six. Illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard.
There's something pleasant and charming and wonderfully subdued and just right about A.A. Milne's poetry. True, he's probably best known for his two Pooh books--Winnie the Pooh and House at Pooh Corner, but his two poetry books for children are well worth the read. Personally, it's hard to compare his books. Really, Now We Are Six has the best, best poem in the whole world "Us Two"; yet When We Were Very Young contains a greater number of poems that I love and remember. Of course, you don't have to choose between them. There is plenty of love to go around.
Highlights from Now We Are Six include "Us Two," "The Good Little Girl," and "The End."
Here's how "Us Two" starts off...
Wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
"Where are you going today?" says Pooh:
"Well, that's very odd 'cos I was too.
Let's go together," says Pooh, says he.
"Let's go together," says Pooh.
Both books are good books. Partly, this goodness is the result of Milne. But part of me thinks that the 'classic-ness' of the books--the timelessness of it is the result of the incredibly magical oh-so-perfect and somewhat inspirational artwork of Ernest H. Shepard. I mean classic pooh is
classic pooh. Granted, I guess some folks may not love classic pooh. But still. I would think classic pooh is the epitome of cuteness and rightness in the world.
Have you read Now We Are Six? Do you have a favorite poem?
© Becky Laney of
Young Readers
Milne, A.A. 1924. When We Were Very Young. Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard.
I love A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh and House At Pooh Corner. And while these two poetry books, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six, can never even come close to the magic of those other books, the all-Pooh-and-friends books, I enjoy them nonetheless. Why? Because Milne can have a way with words. A way of saying the very ordinary in a memorable, sometimes magical way. There's something sentimental about them without being overly sentimental. If that makes any sense at all. Included in this first poetry book, we see "Buckingham Palace," "Lines and Squares," "Independence," "Politeness," "Missing," "Teddy Bear," and "Halfway Down." These are the highlights...for me...the best of the best.
To me, there's no denying the perfection of pieces like "Teddy Bear" and "Halfway Down."
Here's how Teddy Bear starts off:
A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our teddy bear is short and fat
Which is not to be wondered at;
He gets what exercise he can
By falling off the ottoman,
But generally seems to lack
The energy to clamber back.
Here's how Halfway Down starts off:
Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like
it.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.
Have you read When We Were Very Young? Have you read it recently? Do you have a favorite poem or two from it? If you haven't read it yet, you should! Of course, the two Pooh books are most important to read if you haven't read any Milne, but still.
© Becky Laney of
Young Readers
Engelbreit, Mary. HaperFestival: 2005-2008
If you love Mary Engelbreit's art and you love classic children's rhymes such as Hey Diddle, Diddle, then you will absolutely love these three books. Engelbreit crafts her classic artistry to illustrate even more classic rhymes. Children love the rhymes about Humpty Dumpty and Jack and Jill, and Engelbreit brings them to life in each of her illustrations.
The rhymes are the same Mothergoose rhymes that most people grew up reading and repeating. Occasionally, a word is slightly different but that is typical of most books repeating the classic rhymes. The rhymes include: Hey Diddle, Diddle; Rub-a-Dub-Dub; Humpty Dumpty; The Old Woman in the Shoe; Mistress Mary; Wee Willie Winkie; Jack and Jill; Pat-a-Cake; Old King Cole; Ring Around the Roses (with different words than the original); Little Bobby Shafto; and Little Boy Blue. These are just a few of the poems in the three books.
A few of them Ladybug had never heard such as:
Three little ghostesses,
Sitting on postesses,
Eating buttered toastesses,
Greasing their fistesses,
Up to their wristesses,
Oh, what beastesses
To make such feastesses!
Every child should know these classic rhymes and what better way to enjoy them than with Mary Engelbreit. Snugglebug and Ladybug enjoyed these three books and hope you do, too!
© Becky Laney of Young Readers
Aa: A Was An Apple Pie. Illustrated by Etienne Delessert.
This picture book is actually an English nursery rhyme from the 1660s. Something used by children to aid in learning the alphabet. It is illustrated by Etienne Delessert.
Aa A was an apple pie
Bb B bit it
Cc C cut it
Dd D dealt it
Ee E ate it.
Ff F fought for it
To read it in its entirely, visit here.
© Becky Laney of Young Readers
This book is beyond adorable! I definitely want to check out the whole thing now. Thanks for posting about it! :D