The Halloween Performance by Felicia Bond

This tiny little book by Felicia Bond is delightful! I adore tiny books. And I also love Felicia Bond's illustrations. 

This is a sweet tale of a Halloween play put on by Roger's school. And of course, about Roger's important part of that play. 

A building all lit up in the evening dark is so very festive.

Fall winds, the leaves almost all off the tree--so perfectly Halloween.

Roger's class is practicing their play so they will be perfect.

Invitations were sent all over town. I love the illustrations of the various houses around town. 

On the big night, Roger waited patiently backstage for his small, but important part.

Ghosties and witches

The audience, adoring their offspring. 

Roger counts down. Three more lines until he is on. Two more lines....

And he steps onto the stage. 

Roger was the Halloween pumpkin! 

The applause was wild and the actors bowed. 

At home, Roger's dad took a picture to remember the night. 

But Roger didn't need a picture to remember.

Our Hero, Roger

Wasn't this a sweet little book? It captures the perfection of a well delivered elementary play or performance and the basking glow of the participants.

Little Fox Lost by Frances Frost & Illus by Anna Marie Magagna

Little Fox Lost

"It is dark in the world," wept the little fox,

"And I don't know where I am!

There are three big sheep in that uphill field

And a great big black-faced ram!"

 

"It is dark in the wood," said the little fox,

"And I've lost the starmoss way!

The trees are tall and my fur is wet--

What will my mother say?"

 

"My fur is wet with the starlit dew,

A cobweb tickles my nose,

And my heart is a grasshopper wild in my chest--

Where am I, do you suppose?

 

"It is dark in the word!" sobbed the little fox.

"This path must be wrong! Here's another--"

"You're safe at my side! You're right at the door!

Big Foxes don't cry!" said his mother.

The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree

This is an oldie but goodie. I remember loving this book when I was a kid and because of that, I still like it.  

 

All that deliciously scary stuff and then home, safe and sound, to Mama Bear.

Why not go into a spooky old tree? Clearly these cubs do not have claustrophobia.

As they go through their adventures, they get more and more scared and lose more and more stuff.

Do they dare go over Great Sleeping Bear?

I love their logic. We did all this scary stuff, so we might as well do one more scary thing.

Isn't this a great haunted house? I want to go here. But preferably not while being chased by a cranky bear.

As long as their is safety at the end, the rest doesn't really matter.

The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield

I had seen this on several new books list, so had to see what it was about. It is a charming little book, but not an amazing kind of book.

Love these endpapers!

One day, a young bear discovers a strange thing in the woods. Despite the weirdness of the thing, he keeps coming back. For years. I love how  you can see the bear growing through the seasons!



 

The bear playing piano with wild abandon. His paws sort of look similar to how my hand feel on a piano. Not sure how he became expert. Thank goodness for claws, I guess!

 

Playing for his woodland fan club.

 

One day, a little girl and her father stumble upon this concert. They convince the bear that the best place to be is in the city. Where there is music so fine, it makes your fur stand on end!

 

Off bear goes to see the world. And to be adored!

 

Wowing the music world! Pretty awesome picture!

 

Despite his great success, Bear was a little lonely at times. So he would climb to the top of the buildings and watch the stars.

Until one night, he realized he didn't have to keep being lonely.

 

So off he went. Back to his old stomping grounds.

 

Where he found his friends were not angry at him for leaving, but proud of him for his accomplishments.

 

We can all love this piano, adorned with album covers and news clippings.

 

This is a fun book about friendship and supporting those friends as they follow their dreams.

Winter Pony by Krista Ruepp & Illus by Ulrike Heyne

 

This book is completely gorgeous. The story itself isn't the most stirring or striking. But it is set in Iceland and has a girl/horse friendship. How could it be terrible?

Horses, thundering over Iceland's tundra...

Anna has raised Prince from a colt, so they are extremely close.

 

But this spring, Anna's father tells her Prince is grown up now and needs to go up into the mountains with the other horses where they spend the summers.

 

Anna is sure Prince needs her. But her father says Prince must go.

 

GORGEOUS.

 

Things get tense with the Stallion.

 

Anna worries about Prince out there by himself. Her grandmother comforts her. I know I keep blathering about the pictures, but aren't they beautiful?

 

Things do not go smoothly for Prince. It is all the Stallion's fault. But he does survive.

And when Anna goes back to fetch him as winter returns, Prince is there ready to love her some more.

Bird Watcher by Jane Yolen & illus by Ted Lewin

Who loves Canadian Geese? This girl. I adore them.

 

Bird Watcher

 

Across the earless

face of the moon

a stretch of Vs

honks homeward.

From the lake

laughs the last joke

of a solitary loon.

Winter silences us all.

I will miss

these conversations,

the trips at dawn

and dusk,

where I listen carefully,

then answer

only with my eyes.

The Princess Who Had No Kingdom by Ursula Jones & Illus by Sarah Gibb

This was at the library and it looked beautiful, so I got it. It is beautiful. And charming.

Once upon a time, there was a princess with no kingdom. She traveled around in her pony cart with her horse, Pretty, looking for her kingdom.

Since she was going here, there, and everywhere looking, she does a few errands for people. Like delivering puppies and cranky grannies where they should be.

 

That is a cranky granny on the back of her cart. Isn't that marvelous?

This silhouette art is fabulous.

 

She visits the palaces, but...



They gave her tea in the second-best tea set and second-best cookies to eat because this is what you get if you are a princess who has no kingdom. 

But the jester told her his very best joke, and the princess laughed and laughed--though the dowager duchess didn't get it. 

In hopes of finding her kingdom, the princess goes to the royal ball.

 I love her pony cart in line with grand and delicate coaches.

Because it is a fairy tale, the new king falls in love with her and wants to share his kingdom with her. But then all the princes and kings there start competing for her. Because it is a fairy tale. There really wasn't any other option for fairy tale girls. Everyone wanted to marry them.

Things escalate.
 

The two princes were so enraged they pelted the new king with pastries. 

The king wasted no time in bombarding them both with crumbly cakes, and soon everyone there was at it, which seemed like a terrible waste of food to the princess.

The smartest princes in all fairy tale land tells her horse Pretty,

 "Time to leave. These royals are only good for a bun-fight."

On the way, she meets someone stuck in a ditch, so she stops to help. Just to be neighborly.

And this poor man falls in love with her. And since he is just her cup of tea and she is in a fairy tale, she wastes no time beating around the bush and proposes marriage.

They discuss the possibilities and logistics.

 

"You are the queen of my heart, so here," he said, tapping his heart, "is your kingdom."

Her kingdom. At last.

I find this book charmingly romantic. I thoroughly enjoyed it!