A Green Christmas by Theodora Kroeber & Illus by John Larrecq

I found this sweet little book on the shelf in my library. It is definitely vintage, but such cute little pictures and a sweet story of parents trying to help their children transition to a new place and new landscape. 

See? Cute pictures. And it is very green.

A little boy and his sister lived in the  mountains of Colorado.

Until they moved to California with rolling brown hills and so much warm sunshine.

Thanksgiving was rainy.

And so was Christmas. How could this be? How could Santa deal with green grass instead of snow?!

After assurances from their parents, the boy and his sister fall asleep. 

In the morning, before the sun is up, they quietly sneaked downstairs to see if Santa had really been there. And he had! And he left a note! 

Santa told them how nice it was to let his reindeer graze for a little while on new clover after delivering all the presents. 

They ran outside to look for footprints and found sleigh runner marks and hooves. 

And it turns out that green Christmases can be lovely as well. 

Pretty endpapers

My Friend Isabelle by Eliza Woloson & Illus by Bryan Gough

Today is National Down's Syndrome Day! I saw this book in the library a few weeks ago and brought it home because it was so cute. After reading it, I realized it was about a little girl with Down's Syndrome. 

It is such a delightful little book. And it was written by the mother of a little girl, Isabelle, with Down's in Colorado, which makes it even more delightful! 

The illustrations are so dear and sweet. 

I like all the bright clear colors.

Charlie and Isabelle are good friends that are not the same. 

Charlie is tall, Isabelle is short. 

Isabelle is a little slower on her feet. 

One of the reasons I love this book is that it doesn't talk about Down's Syndrome. In a book for older kids, a discussion of Down's would be great, but for a younger age, it would be useless words. This book just focuses on things young children would notice and understand. 

As a Down's mother, I adore the message this book sends. 

We are all different, but being different can make things interesting and fun! 

The Milkman by Carol Foskett Cordsen & illus by Douglas B. Jones

One day, while poking around a bookstore in Denver, CO I saw this book written by a local author. I fell in love with the faux vintage illustrations and the rhyming/choppy phrases, but since we were living in a rental condo in Steamboat and had no kids, I couldn't justify buying it. Several years later I saw it at our local library and remembered how much I liked it. 

And now I own a copy. Because I am like that. MUST OWN ALL GOOD BOOKS

Mr. Plimpton is out of bed and going through his morning routine.

Loud alarm clock. Snoring stops.

Mr. Plimpton our of bed

Cream in coffee. Egg on bread. 

Milkman jacket. Milkman hat.

Cranky pickup. Cranky cat. 

Driving in to work.

And then I got distracted by the brown eyed susans in the sunlight. I love brown eyed susans. 

The dairy where he picks up his truck.

And out he goes on his rounds.

Lost my dog 

Love, Caroline.

There is a dog to look for in all the pictures. Which adds another layer of charm to this book.

Do you see the dog?! Mr. Plimpton is just a nice guy. We like Mr. Plimpton.

I spy, with my little eye....

Next to lamppost, under sign. 

Lost dog home to Caroline.

I remember reading an article about the difference between 1950's neighborhood life and now. There was a stay at home mother in almost every house you walked past on the way to school in the 1950's. Which meant there were a lot of eyes watching you as you went about your life. So things were safer for kids out without their parents back then. And I think people like the milkman, (who soon went out of fashion) were part of that world and that net of safety. They saw things everyday and noticed when things were different.  

Not that I want to go back to the 1950's, thankyouverymuch. Just an interesting thing to ponder. 

Mr. Plimpton brings his milk truck back to the dairy.

...and heads home.  

Last stop, best stop. Cat jumps out. 

"Daddy's home!" comes happy shout.

Excitement at Daddy coming home never goes out of fashion.

Happy Family-ness.

Sun up red!

And just one more brown eyed susan picture!