Over the River and Through the Woods Illus by Emma Randall

ANNNNND the final contender! 

This book wins the cutest endpapers competition! 

In general, this book is very cute. 

Pretty though too!

One of those books where small children are doing things their parents should never let them do by themselves. 

And here is grandmother's farm. This one is definitely for a younger crowd. There aren't too many verses, so it gets down quite quickly and the illustrations with the bright colors and rounded shapes are ideal for young children. 

Over the River and Through the Woods Illus by Christopher Manson

The next one had woodcut illustrations which creates a vintage feel. 

This also had simplified lyrics, omitting some of the lesson known verses.

Iceboats!

For some reason, this version feels the most authentic. For no reason except the woodcuts look vintagey. 

I have to say, I love woodcuts.

I loved this one! 

Over the River and Through the Woods by Matt Tavares

Students love singing books, so I decided to get a copy of Over the River to sing to them. While searching for a copy, I found several different versions with very different illustrations. So I had to get them all. Because, who did it best? 

We must know. 

The first one I found, up in the top left has the most conventional illustrations. 

Period appropriate and attention to detail

We will not stop for doll or top 

For 'tis Thanksgiving Day

Conventional or not, I enjoy these illustrations! 

This is the only copy that had this particular stanza in it

Over the river, and through the wood, 

With a clear blue winter sky

The dogs do bark,

And children hark,

As we go jingling by. 

This is definitely an idealized version of a New England back in the day, but hey, I am not one to argue with a dollop of nostalgia. 

So I like this one. 

Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer & Illus by Ekua Holmes

This beautiful book is about the big bang. How that works as a topic for a picture is hard to imagine, but Bauer and Holmes make it work! 

Euka Holmes does the most amazing work. 

She layers paper collage for these super detailed and subtle images. 

Like woah!!

Seriously. This is a beautifully illustrated book about physics for kids. 

There was talk about this one for a Caldecott last year. That didn't happen, but it did win the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration. 

The ash of those dying stars gathered into planets....

So much movement and suppressed passion in these pictures!

All of the universe was preparing and waiting for YOU. 

You took a big breath 

of the same air 

once breathed 

by woolly mammoths.

 You cried tears

 that were once salty seas. 

Your hair 

once the carbon in a leaf. 

I love this spread!!

All of us, the stuff of stars. 

The Good Son by Pierre-Jacques Ober & Illus by Jules Ober and Felicity Coonan

This book, based on a real event, breaks your heart. 

And since it is based on WWI, where Veteran's Day began, it seemed fitting for today.

Created with hobby store miniatures arranged into WWI sets and then photographed, it doesn't sound like the kind of book that would move you to tears. 

But it does.

The book opens with a French soldier, Pierre, awaiting sentencing for desertion. 

His solitary meal. 

Waiting.... hoping there will be leniency since he came back of his own accord....

He thinks back to the beginning of this war. 

It was meant to be over soon. And as they walked across the French countryside in spring, it didn't seem like too much. 

(I like this plane)

But then the war dragged on. And there were horrors that young men had not been able to imagine when they headed out. 

There was so much this young soldier wanted to do with his life. Things he would never get to do if he was condemned to death by his own army.

And then the lieutenant lets him know that nameless higher-ups had decided he had to be made an example of. They didn't necessary think he was horrible and deserved to die, but he had left for a few days and even though he came back to finish his job, they were too worried other soldiers would try to take leave. So it was death for Pierre. Death so the army could terrify other men into not leaving. 

As he waits for his execution at dawn, he writes to his mother. And then you find out more about his desertion. He had promised his widowed mother that he would be home for Christmas. Since everyone said the war would be done by then. 

Not wanting to break his promise, even though the war was not done by Christmas, he went home, spent two days with his mother and came back. 

On his travels, he met the enemy--the young Germans the French were fighting against. He learned that they were tired and homesick too.  

And all the savagery of that war was more than most young men could bear. 

The ruination of human life, of spring, and of the countryside. 

Writing to his chere maman on his last night on earth.  

"I didn't want you to be alone for Christmas and now I am leaving you alone forever."

He remembers Christmas with her. "The best two days of the war."

And then the morning came. "I will wear your new socks tomorrow. You'll keep me warm, Maman." 

The war would eventually be over and won.... But not by Christmas. And not by Pierre. 

Oh my, This book just broke my heart. Trying to be a good son and good soldier and apparently failing at both and dying because of it just so a heartless official could make an example of him to keep demoralized soldiers from heading home. 

It is such a powerful book to talk about the sacrifices made by soldiers. Definitely for older readers though....