Years ago, when I e-mailed David Tolk to ask permission to use his beautiful song on this site, he wrote back with a comment that still warms me today: “Some of my most cherished moments in life have been spent reading children’s books to my little ones at bedtime. Thanks for your great work.” Though […]
Category Archives: Treasured Books
I read Goodnight Whispers to my boys, got tears in my eyes, and began a new nighttime ritual. Little One would pretend to be asleep, but when I whispered in his ear, a grin would spread across his face. I think he was staying awake just to hear what I would say. In this book, […]
If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited, it will calm you. -William Ewart Gladstone I suppose I’ve always enjoyed tea: hot spiced tea in winter, Russian tea at Christmas, English breakfast tea in […]
Reading the whimsical picture book, When Ruby Tried to Grow Candy by Valorie Fisher, to my younger son recently, I found a delightful depiction of my philosophy of gardening: Plant what you love! Just a few weeks ago, my garden was sleeping. My friend, who lives in a high rise, asked to see it, but […]
Bedtime for Frances was first published in 1960, and it is still in print! Why? The wording is perfect and playful, the illustrations (involving anthropomorphic badgers) feel familiar yet fascinating, it is both humorous and (for children) mysterious, and . . . we are all Frances! Well, at least I am. No matter how old I […]
Bunny Day by Rick Walton, illustrated by Paige Miglio, teaches children the concept of time. Flipping through the gorgeous illustrations offers adults fodder for dreams. This book contains a plethora of decorating ideas for anyone who’d like their home to look as though it were plucked from the pages of a picture book. The Cuckoo […]
Last night, I stayed up to watch ice dancing on the Olympics. To me, ice dancing is a picture of what two souls are experiencing while falling in love. Each ice dance is like watching a romantic movie condensed into a couple of minutes. I felt this beauty when I was a little girl, and […]
This is the first post in a series on decorating your home according to children’s books. What I’ve always wanted most in a house is coziness— a house that smiles, a home that points to heaven. What better place to get decorating ideas than from the pages of children’s books! Goodnight Moon is a good […]
What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada is a powerful picture book. Read it, and you may learn (or remember) something about yourself. To my husband, it was a book about riding motorcycles. To me, it was about being brave enough to finish writing the novel I tucked away after someone didn’t […]
I glimpse wings from the window of my bedroom and walk outside for a closer look. I’d read that Gregg’s Blue Mistflower was a butterfly magnet, but this? Six pairs of wings! I drop to my knees, snapping pictures. The monarchs fold their wings like praying hands while sipping. Then, effortlessly, they flutter above my […]
A Children's Book World 