literature

The phrasing and descriptions may be from another era, but the charm remains forever! The idea that children and adults can work together with respect and politeness is, I fear, completely foreign to today's society. It has become an "us" vs. "them" proposition. Won't you do your children a favor and read this book, or another of Goudge's, aloud to them one night?

I have yet to find any "contemporary" books that can compare to the innocent spirit and adventure of this, and other, Elizabeth Goudge books. It is a tragedy that they are so difficult to find today--I had to do an inter-library loan to get a copy to read.

Delightful escape from the brutal reality of our lifestyle of today, do yourself a favor and try to track down a copy. It will lift your spirits and make your day brighter every time you read it.

I first read this enchanting book as a child, and over the years have read it many more times with my daughters. Linnets & Valerians is a magnificent story about the adventuring spirit of childhood and the restorative power of the natural world. In a lush, appealing, way it presents the empowering advantages of higher learning and the great moral value of living an honest and kind life. Linnets and Valerians is also a deeply romantic story about the mystery of family lost and family found. From the first reading I thought this book would one day stand next to J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan and Aurther Ransom's Swallows and Amazons series. And while I found Harry Potter a delightful read, that recent best seller certainly pales next to the world of Goudges's Linnets & Valerians; a place in which good relationships between children and adults foster the growth of those children into wise and responsible adults themselves. I own one copy of this book but had hoped to obtain newer copies for my daughters when they were grown. I have found, to my grief, that this book is out of print. I would love to see Linnets & Valerians rediscovered in my library as Aurther Ransome has been, thanks largely to new paperback edtions with appealing cover illustrations. With the many glowing reviews on this site, won't some publisher consider re-issuing this book soon!

I loved Linnets and Valerians. I reccomend it to anyone of any age. Was there ever a more innocent and caring character than Nan? Or a more charming and staight-forward character as young Betsy? And the boys were to be as expected in such a book -- fine brothers.
Linnet's and Valerians casts a magic spell over any who read it. Just looking at the cover gives you an idea what a enchanting book it is. I highly reccomend it! Anyone of any age would thoroughly enjoy it.

I also discovered Ms. Malloys book back in the last 70's. I was so amazed to read how clearly she wrote about matters of life, self, love and family. Ms. Malloys poetry was quite a contrast to all the uncomprehensivable poetry we had to read in school. All her poetry books are wonderful and reading her words has positively influenced my life. I just wonder when she will publish a new volume or is she like all the wonderful song writers of the 60 and 70's - all out of words.. Love you Merrit.

I was introduced to Ms. Malloys words by my 9th grade English teacher while preparing for a speech tournament. I had never read poetry like that before, didn't know poetry could be like that before. Her words were honest and real and no holds barred.
Because of this one book I have been writing poetry for the last twenty years myself. Everytime I go into a book store I look for her books, old or, hopefully new. They are a rare find. I even wrote this poem in her honor, circa 1985.

Merrit

How could I know exactly
What you meant
Understand your heart
When I'd never seen your face.

I felt like you
Were close to me
It didn't matter that
We'd never met
You had touched me
With your pen
Said things I'd felt
All along
It was as though
You knew what I was feeling
Before I even
Felt it

I had met you
on paper
You were like an
Old friend
That maybe
I understood
your soul
Because you
Understood
Mine

I just wondered
How you Knew
Your words
Were on my mind

I cannot recall who handed me this book of poems in 1976. Obviously it was someone who knew what an "incurable romantic" I was during my years as a single male. Although I was a big fan of Wordsworth, Byron, Keats and many of the pop music lyricists, I was so moved by Merrit Malloy's prose the all the so-called "classics" have never since seemed so lofty. Merrit and I were both living in L.A. at that time, and I could not resist finding her through her local publisher who offered me a mailing address. With my letter of gushing praise, I boldly included a couple of my own poems. Shortly thereafter, she actually wrote to me and included a phone number. We spoke -- she also has a lovely voice -- and set a date for tea (I think that was the beverage mentioned). Shortly before our scheduled rendezvous, she called to cancel, but said we could try again. I phoned once or twice after that, but do not recall ever getting through to her again. Merrit, if you're reading your reviews, I have not forgotten your poems and the kindness you showed by contacting this fan. We can still meet for tea whenever you're ready.

Newbery Award winning author Lois Lowry offers her fans a creative look into her life. Using photographs, Lowry spins vignettes of memories triggered by each photo. Each chapter opens with a quotation from one of Lowry's books. From the vignettes, we learn how her life has influenced her writing. This autobiography is a very personal and intimate conversation between friends. It will appeal to both adults and children.

If you are a child, parent, teacher, librarian, or just plain human - you will love this book. Especially if you have enjoyed the books of Lois Lowry, you will appreciate seeing how her own life experiences have shaped her later fiction. Not really an autobiography, not really a memoir, "Looking Back" is more a visit with a friend who tells wonderful stories and makes you feel very much at home. And the photographs are incredible. A great gift!

How do writers create the characters for their books? Writer Lois Lowry answers this question in this beautiful book of memories. Each individual memory with accompanying black and white photograph illustrates an important event in the author's life. Together they weave a story that is impossible to put down and leaves the reader wanting more. There is humor reminiscent of Erma Bombeck and sadness that makes you want to weep. Lois Lowry includes quotes from characters in her books echoing experiences that are provided in the memories. The death of her sister is found in Number The Stars, her grandparent's house is in Autumn Street, and her son and his horse in The Giver, and she herself in books like Anastasia Krupnik and The One Hundredth Thing about Caroline. Read this book to learn more about a new friend or to find a new one.

The witty picture book is often considered to be a relatively new phenomenon. In this day and age there's an abundance of sly hip little books like "Olivia" or "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" everywhere you look. But clever picture books are by no means a new creation. I invite you to take a gander at the 1940s Caldecott winner, "Many Moons". If you don't find it the most sublime little work of art, I daresay I'll eat my hat.

In this story a little princess of ten years (going on eleven) become ill from eating, "a surfeit of raspberry tarts". The only cure she wishes for is for someone to get her the moon. Her father, the king, calls in his cleverest advisors, but no one can think of a way to bring the princess the moon. The court jester comes up with the answer, though by the end of the tale it is the princess who has shown true wisdom.

Author James Thurber is as equally well known for his witty cartoons in the "New Yorker" as he is for his books and articles. In this little gem he has taken his audience down a notch. Recognizing that wit and long words are just as appropriate for a five year old as a person of fifty, the book contains a series of delightful asides and ideas. For example, after listing his brilliant accomplishments to the king, the Royal Wizard points out that he also gave the king a cloak of invisibility.

"It didn't work," said the King. "The cloak of invisibility didn't work."
"Yes, it did," said the Royal Wizard.
"No, it didn't," said the King. "I kept bumping into things, the same as ever."
"The cloak is supposed to make you invisible," said the Royal Wizard. "It is not supposed to keep you from bumping into things."
"All I know is, I kept bumping into thing," said the King.

That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about. It's funny. It's well-thought out. And it's a joy to read. Coupled with a series of splendid illustrations by Louis Slobodkin (whose style is suspiciously reminiscent of Thurber's own) the text is complimented excellently. If you're ready to read words to your children that consist of lines like, "midgets, and mermaids, frankincense, ambergris, and myrrh", then you're in good hands with this author. To be perfectly frank, rather than write this review I'd love to just copy down the entire book word for word and show you myself how good it is. But then you wouldn't see the pretty pictures and this WAS a Caldecott winner, after all. So I'm just going to have to trust that you understand how supremely good this book is and that you'll rush right out this very minute and get it for yourself. Few books are worth such efforts, but this is one of the few.

This book deserves many more than five stars for being the best children's book I have seen in exploring the individuality of perception. James Thurber's marvelous wit is employed in a most Dr. Seuss-like way here to teach a lesson and create a laugh or two in the process.

Princess Lenore (who is 10, soon to be 11) becomes ill when she eats too many raspberry tarts. Gazing out her window, she sees the shining moon. The king, her father, asks what he can do to help her recover. She replies that if he gives her the moon, "I will be well again."

Being a doting father, he sets out to get the moon for her. He calls in each of his wise men, one by one, and they give him lots of reasons why she cannot have the moon. And they also waste lots of time bragging about all of the things they have gotten for the king in the past. In despair, the king doesn't know what to do. He complains to the Court Jester, who makes a most reasonable suggestion. In order to get the moon for the princess, "The thing to do is to find out how big Princess Leonore thinks it is, and how far away."

The answer to the question leads to a temporary solution.

But then, a new problem arises: How to explain when the moon arises the following night. The Princess again helps the Court Jester find the answer.

The story is developed in a most humorous and light hearted way. The satire will be easily understood by even the youngest child. The "wise" men really know nothing, and the "fool" is really wise. But Princess Lenore has the most sense of any of them.

The book is greatly enhanced by loose, free-flowing watercolors in beautiful pastel tones done by illustrator Louis Slobodkin. The book was awarded a Caldecott medal for the excellence of its illustrations, which I felt was well deserved.

This is an excellent book for parents to read to their children, and for parents and children to read aloud together.

After you finish enjoying the book, I suggest that you and your child also consider where else views differ from person to person. How can those differences create harmful misunderstandings? How can those misunderstandings be avoided? In this way, you can help you child learn to listen, ask questions, think carefully, and communicate better. That will be one of the finest lessons you can give . . . after the lesson of exhibiting your unconditional love.

Look at things from the other side!

This book is really sweet, about a princess who is sick and will only get well if someone will give her the moon. Her father the King loves her dearly and so is determined to get the moon for her, but who will help him? There is a subtle lesson about giving people what they really need and not just what they ask for. Also about the vast wisdom we each contain if only we will take some time to care

The good news is you don't have to be a child to be enchanted by the Moomins. The bad news (for me) is missing out on these delightful stories when a child. I always try to begin the Moomin tales in the middle of the day because I know I won't stop until the end of the story.

Moominpappa decides they all need an adventure, and he is most desirous of "taking care" of everyone so Moominmamma can rest and all can be safe and protected. They set sail on an evening in late August to a small island in the Gulf of Finland planning to live in a wonderful lighthouse. The island is strange, bleak and barren. The lighthouse appears abandoned and is locked. The Moomin family consisting of Mamma, Papa, little son Troll, and Little My all go about practical tasks of settling in, first a search to locate a key. The living quarters in the lighthouse are at the very top only to be reached by a rickety spiral staircase. Much to Pappa's dismay, the light is out, and he cannot make it work. The fall storms begin (Pappa never explains why he didn't begin his adventure in the spring) and the life on the island becomes terrifying as well as bleak.

Though the Moomins get angry at one another, they are unfailingly polite and cooperative with the exception of Little My who is a cheerful, cynical pragmatist. Mamma & Pappa are very permissive parents, but always interested in what Troll and Little My are thinking and doing. The author very gently shows how perhaps there is a downside to sleeping and eating when you want, sleeping where your fancy takes you, and going on any adventure that occurs to you. There is delightful comedy where the Moomins throw a birthday party for The Fisherman, and he discovers all his "presents" belonged to him in the first place.

Come, enter the world of the Moomins! You might want to stay!

This is the most sweet and gentle Moominbook. Moominpappa takes the family to a lonely island where it is sometimes dark and scary but also there are beautiful dancing sea horses and secret places in the woods. Little My is the funnest person who never gets bothered about anything even red ants. My favorite part is Moomintroll meeting the Groke at night. The Groke seems very scary but maybe there is a soft spot inside where she is lonely and wants the Moomins to like her. Moominmamma tries to plant roses in the seaweed. You should read this book if you like to go to the beach or have daydreams.

I first discovered this book at the age of about 12 or 13, already older than the average moomin reader, but having read most of the others. It was obvious that this was no ordinary moomin book, and neither was it strictly a children's book. In fact it is a masterly observation of family dynamics, mid life crises and the human condition, but mixed with a mysterious and fantastic magic that leads to spine tingling excitement and making one question how we know what is real.

Every psychology student has something to analyse in every character, and anyone who ever had a moment of doubt about the meaning of their life has something to ponder. What father with a teenage family would not relate to Moominpappa's melancholy, feeling that his life is without purpose now his family appear to be independent, his urge to be needed, to be able to protect them? What homesick traveller could not understand Moominmamma's longing for her garden, (and its magical transformation which you will have to read for yourselves). The description of her homesickness brings tears to the eyes. And what put-upon mother could not identify with her delight in being able to disappear from her family just long enough to stop them taking her for granted? The glimpses of the fond, but no longer passionate relationship between Moominmamma and Moominpappa, and Moominmamma's endless patience for Pappa's foibles, their need for their own roles, and his inability to understand her own needs says more about the maried state than plenty of far more learned texts. We will all be able to identify the same dynamics in our own families and relationships.

Meanwhile Moomintroll's adolescent emotional awakening must bring nostalgic memories of first love to we adult readers, but must surely mystify the average 8 year old. Younger children do not usually have a developed enough sense of other people's individuality to understand the complexities of what is driving the Moomin family to their peculiar dispersal.

The allegory of the frozen Groke could represent so much - I feel a thesis coming on - but I think represents how people get into a vicious cycle;cut off emotionally because no one interacts with them, and becoming ever more reclusive and antisocialin a vicious cycle. She makes us think about how we subconciously excuse ourselves for avoiding the lonely, scared, mentally ill, etc among us, for fear we may be "tainted" them.

Although I'm sure children will enjoy it at one level I recommend it highly to everyone, particularly if you are in a life crisis. I have lent it to nearly all my close friends and no one has yet not enjoyed it thoroughly.

Anyone who enjoyed this book should also enjoy Moominvalley in November with a similar selection of odd characters who we will all recognize among our own aquaintance.

Little Town on the Prairie is my favourite book out of all the "Little House" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I enjoyed this book more than the other books because it was happier, for there were not so many depressing times the Ingalls family had to endure.
The title is self-explanatory, a little town on the prairie, which is in Dakota, USA. The story is set during the 1880's. The Ingalls family, consisting of six people, was always moving from place to place. When they came to Dakota, they were very happy with it. Their little "shanty" that they stayed in during the summer was built into a new, improved house. Mary, the oldest sister, is accepted into the college of the blind, and Laura continues school and has a summer job. Things are going very well at the Ingalls household. There is enough food for everyone, and there wasn't another hard winter, like everyone expected. Most problems have solutions like when there were gophers eating their corn, they got a cat to kill them. The only problem is school, because of the new teacher, Eliza Jane Wilder. She is Almanzo Wilder's sister. She turns out to be horribly mean to Laura and her younger sister, Carrie, because Nellie Oleson (Laura's enemy mentioned before in "The Banks of Plum Creek") told the teacher negative remarks about Laura. Soon, a new teacher replaces her. All of the problems work themselves out somehow, which is what I like about this book.
In my opinion, Laura Ingalls Wilder does an exquisite job captivating all her readers with her refined choice of words, meticulous detail, and up-beat plot. This is absolutely the best piece she's written. She does an admirable job of describing the setting so it makes you feel like you're right there, witnessing the whole scene. The book also has a good balance of good times and bad times, because if it was all bad times the book would seem depressing, and if it was all good times, the book would seem hard to believe. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy realistic fiction or historical fiction. I think a possible theme for this story would be hold on, things will get better. This theme is displayed throughout all the "Little House" series. This is my all time favourite book, and I hope you enjoy it, too.

This (and Happy Golden Years) is my favorite book of the Little House series. The Ingalls family is doing well; the town has recovered from the Hard Winter; and Laura is changing from a girl into a woman. The descriptions of the characters and the surroundings are vivid and real. I don't care if Rose Wilder Lane wrote most of the books or not - the Little House series is a gift to all readers, not just young readers! I'm in my 30's and I still love to read them periodically, but this is one of my very favorites.

(...) But this next book, Little Town on the Prairie, is outstanding. The Ingalls have a short winter this year and everything seems to go right. But like we all know, even though we are warm and fed, problems just seem to come along. Now that Laura is 14 and 15 years old, she learns to care about and appreciate other people besides just her immediate family. She likes Ida, Cap, Mary Power and Minnie. She goes to a fancy birthday party for a boy named Frank. We see that she is becoming a beautiful young lady and she starts describing clothes and hairstyles in detail.
She even buys the latest thing - name cards. And when she sees Almonzo,she says "I was just picking up my name cards". MY name cards. Like she was so totally in fashion forever. She is very smart and can do long division in her head. There are many fun social occasions in this book and some exciting power struggles with the teacher, Eliza Jane(Almonzo's sister), Nellie Oleson, etc. This is absolutely the most enjoyable book in the series. But I said that last time. Next will be "These Happy Golden Years". It can't be better than this one, but I've just got to see what happens! I can't close without again mentioning how much you learn in this book. This book teaches social history. You learn how to operate a corsett, hoop skirt, and what a lunatic fringe is, and how to curl your hair without a curling iron. You find out what to do when plagued by blackbirds and gophers, what to do when you're "home alone", and how to behave at your first paying job. This book is the beginning of the end of the little Ingalls family. Mary goes away to college, and soon Laura will become a teacher. We all have to face it sooner or later, our children will grow up. See how an ideal family handles it, with grace and love.

Mary Elizabeth Anderson's LINK ACROSS AMERICA is an informative and entertaining way for young and old alike to learn about the Lincoln Highway. The book combines facts, photos and entertaining Burma Shave jingle signs to help keep children interested in the topic while they read.

The history reflected makes you appreciate the roads we travel, instead of just taking them for granted. I must admit that I attended Seedling Mile School in Grand Island, Nebraska for 3 years and only recently learned why it was called such when I read Ms. Anderson's book. I had no idea the struggles made by so many to put together this road that I travel so often.

I highly recommend LINK ACROSS AMERICA to anyone with an interest in American history.

I thought the book LINK ACROSS AMERICA by Mary Elizabeth Anderson was excellent. I have lived by the Lincoln Highway most of my life but I was never aware of the histroy behind it. It is a fun book for children to read, and also learn at the same time. The book makes us appreciate what we have and also recognize the efforts of the people who gave us the first coast to coast highway.

My husband and I are getting ready to make a trip from the West Coast to the Midwest, and I remembered reading the book, "Link Across America". This book taught me a lot about the highway. I decided to re-read the book and thought I'd like to share it with other readers. So, please, research this book if you are planning a trip down the Lincoln Highway.

I bought this book on friday and finished it on sunday. It takes you deep into 19th century Russia and the semi-feudal nightmare of Gorky's childhood and it does so with pace and vitality. There are few judgements; about the brutality,horror and poverty inflicted on an intelligent suffering child who became grew up to be great. This is no Hollywood, bad guys get what they deserve happy read this is a true story and it is life. A must for any lover of Russian literature.

I first read this book as a college freshman and think it must be read by all young adults. Gorky is, after all, the "father of Russian literature" -- yet most people have never heard of this writer par excellence. His storytelling is smooth, intense, and warms the heart like a swig of vodka on a nippy night in Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky's birthplace). Wilk's translation is clear and quite excellent. Gorky's vivid memories of childhood will inspire one to recollect their own experiences growing up.

This is the 1st past of the trilogy of Maxim Gorky's autobiography. This is a really good and entertaining book, but contains at times morbid and depressing subject material, especially the unbelievable cruelty of some of the characters. There are some light moments though and if you enjoy realism and a brutal peek at what life was like in early 20th century Russian life for poor folks and enjoy Dostoevsky, you will like this book.

I personally think that Gorky belongs at the top of elite Russian writers.

This is a good read. Every now and them, overtones of a Toni Morrison novel appeared (the first wedding night; the other woman; Big Mama (Baby Suggs, etc.). A different take for the story of the woman at the well, it does, however humanize her. Maryam was on her way to normal growth until the menfolk took to telling her father that she was too "gibora" for her own good. Her father literally started the stunting of Maryam's psyche. Her grandmother, fearing that she would be manless, reinforced the exhortation of Maryam's father which confused Maryam. By the time the poor girl met gentleman #5, she had been ground into the ground.

The characters were pretty well developed. I still have some confusion about husband #4.

I could parallel some of the drama in the book to every day life in this millenium for some women, to some black men, to some areas of the black community.

I especially loved the sensitivity and ability of Mr. Hendricks to get into the head of a woman. The women in his own life have to have very positive impact upon him.

Obery Hendricks' first novel celebrates womanhood, the resilience of the human spirit, and the healing power of love and forgiveness.

Living Water expands on the biblical story (John 4:7-29) of the life of the "woman at the well," an unnamed Samaritan woman with a questionable background (five ex-husbands and a sixth common-law husband) who encounters Jesus at the local well. Hendricks effectively weaves this biblical story and context with African American mores and experience into an examination of the effects of oppression and self-hatred on relationships and community.

The reader is immediately confronted with questions of her innocence or guilt in the first pages of the book that describe a dying man's last moments.

Hendricks uses this woman's sometimes painful and troubling story to explore how a male-dominated society sanctioned its oppression of women. When her loving grandmother, Ma Tee, dies, she loses her primary source of love, wisdom, and refuge. She must learn how to navigate and survive the customs and rules designed to control her with little assistance except from a few doting community elders. Local custom forces her marriage to the highest bidder and places her at the mercy of the first of five very difficult husbands. Circumstances and cultural dictates force her to move from husband to husband, with each man taking away a bit of her humanity, leaving her emotionally broken and nearly destroyed with little recourse except to fight back. She ultimately finds the strength that enables her to heal, forgive, and embrace a man and community with true love and spirit.

This is a touching story of a young womans journey from her joy of life to near-death despair around to a greater joy of life.
It truly celebrates the strength of womanhood. The descriptions were vivid and the personalities so real, I felt I knew all of the characters. Because all women have experienced Maryam's life in some form, this story will touch your heart in an unbelievable way. I loved this book!

With the spurious title "The D'Antin Manuscript", suspicions are immediately alerted. D'Antin = "downtown", maybe? More than likely.

The book purports to be a rediscovery of a mediaeval French manuscript and is presented with appropriate introduction, notes, etc., the usual machinery of scholars. However, upon reading the poems, the arcane nature of the French renders the lines meaningless. What kind of manuscript is this, anyway? You go with the flow - you chuck "meaning" out the window.

Read them phonetically, and suddenly the poems take shape in a Proustian way, as the nursery rhymes of your youth. Not only is the book great fun to return to a) for a laugh and b) to practise your French accent (you'll need the fluency for, e.g. "Un petit d'un petit" - Humpty Dumpty). It's also great to fake your friends out with this handy little tome.

Bring it back into print!

Mots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames is one of the greatest literary entertainments ever written. It runs the gamut from touchingly nostalgic to raucous. Above all, it is howlingly funny. It makes me laugh so hard it hurts.
You need two things to enjoy Mots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames. You should know some French; and you should know some nursery rhymes. With that, the book will hit you from line to line with waves of jaw-dropping hilarity. And wit, and charm, and moments of poignant reminiscence.
The book, sadly, is out of print. Someone, somewhere, should do what it takes to get it reissued. Meanwhile, try to get your hands on a copy at any cost. Not from me, though. I wouldn't part with mine for less than tartines fortunes.

If you know your Nursery Rhymes, and have a passing knowledge of how to pronounciate french words - you will love this -

Un petit d'un petit S'etonne au Halles Un petit d'un petit Ah! Degres te fallent....

If you are French you probably won't get it because the trick is knowing your Mother Goose. My Dad got a copy from Santa this Christmas, published by Penguin Books in 1980. I hope that info helps some in their search.