The Uses Of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim and Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales

I've been reading this

 recently, which prompted me to get this

from the library. It wasn't available in the kids section, only the adult one. As you can see below there is the library version of a parental advisory sticker on the first page.

This edition is the complete tales, and its lovely - there are about thirty colour illustrations, like this one

And  loads of  black and white ones(all by Arthur Rackham).

However, the sheer amount of stories made me think that a "Best Of" edition might be a better idea. There is a reason Snow White and Rapunzel are still such popular stories and others are relatively unknown. So if I buy, and I probably will, it will be the nicest most beautifully illustration "Grimms' Greatest Hits" edition I can find. 

I will buy because firstly, it makes so much sense when Bettelheim explains what children learn from the undiluted Folk and Fairy Tales. Being oneself, using your head to figure things out, that in the world unpleasant things will happen at some time or other are all good things to know. And the earlier the better. 

Having said that, I read these stories to my eight year old, who loved them, but I just can't say if he would have been scared to hear them at five or six. My three year old could sit for about half of each one but their length was too much for him. I wouldn't hesitate to read them to him in a year though, if he cooperated. And secondly, I must admit there is a certain pleasure in reading about witches being burnt in ovens, wolves getting their stomachs cut open and so on. It just makes a nice change. And it was funny to see the horror and delight on my sons face when he looked at me to see if it was ok to read this. I think it definitely is.

a selection..

If you are looking for something to read on the beach or by the pool order The Liars Daughter now. Its just out in the cheaper type of paperback and, like all Laurie Grahams' books, its funny, interesting and completely brilliant. I can't photograph my copy because I lent it to my friend who liked it so much she passed it on to someone else.

In other news...this is what I've just finished.  Its huge, and a Booker winner, but don't let that put you off. After a little bit of effort initally, I couldn't put it down.

And Stretching is on my husbands side of the bed.This edition is the 30th Anniversary one (it now has "New Computer Stretches"!) and he swears by the exercises. I keep finding it all over the house, wherever he happens to land post run or cycle and can safely say it is read regularly. So, for all the Mamils out there (the means Middle Aged Men in Lycra) I think it would make a practical and welcome Fathers Day present.

And lastly, I just got this one

for my nephews 4th birthday. He has a dog and hens in the back garden, so it will be pretty familiar, but really its a book for all animal (particularly dog and cat)lovers.

My son was angling to keep it, but we have enough books for the moment. And I've a few hidden away for camping, which I'll post on soon.

Tomi Ungerer

We own this Crictor and got Adelaide from the library. Both are awesome. I'll start with Adelaide. 

Unusually, Adelaide the Kangaroo was born with wings. As a result, she wanted to use them. So one day she took off. That pilot, though initially surprised to see her, became a good friend.

In Paris, Adelaide decides to stay for a while. But is upset to find out that the taxi drivers ask to be paid! And she has no money.

 Anyways, she makes a friend who pays the fare and they see the sights. Here she is below at Notre Dame.

 She is a kind kangaroo and actually risks her life to save some children. She is injured,

 but makes a full recovery. 

 In the end, she finds love but it isn't the happy ending that makes this book a joy. Its the whole wonderful, funny, daft journey. We loved it.

Crictor is similar insofar is there is more lovely French houses and another brave animal with a warm heart.

He is delivered in a box.

 Initially, Madame Louise Bodot is frightened,

 but soon grows to love the Boa Constrictor.

 He helps teach her pupils their letters, and is a good friend.

 One day the pair hear that there is a thief in town. 

 And that night he targets their house!

 But Crictor saves the day.

Both books are keepers. For ages three to adult.

Quick & Flupke books by Hergé

There are two of these Quick and Flupke volumes in our library and my eight year old really loves them. As well as that they're earmark-worthy as great birthday presents for his peers. (Good for the post-picture book crowd but also not tiny when wrapped!)

Created by Hergé (the author-illustrator of Tintin), the adventures of these two "street urchins from Brussels" are aimed at a slightly younger audience than fans of Tintin. And considering they were written between 1930 and 1940,(in the form of black and white comic strips in a Belgian magazine) its safe to say they have stood the test of time.
I've photographed Under Full Sail here. But Fasten Your Seatbelts is great too.

Theres not a huge amount of dialogue. But does that matter? No, it does not.

So there you go. Quick and Flupke.  Write it down. 

Adele and Simon and Dahlia by Barbara McClintock

Firstly, I must apologise for the quality of these photos. In no way do they do justice to these two beautiful books. Dahlia is out of print, but available second hand from Amazon.com and I got Adele and Simon from Book Depository. I have both in hardcover(I'm not sure they come in paperback?) but really, its the only format worthy of these lovely, lovely stories. 

My favourite of the two is Adele and Simon, which begins when Adele collects her little brother from school. That's him below, in the yellow scarf. His school is in Paris, in the early 1900's. Read on - ALL the illustrations are as lovely as this one.

As they travel through the city (the endpapers are an old Baedeker map, showing their route), Simon loses his belongings  and the reader gets to find them. The detail is stunning and its not too easy to find everything. Just hard enough, I'd say. As well as that, its a nice story and wonderfully, you can find the same people popping up page after page. It cost me almost twelve euros and is well worth the price. Perfect for boys or girls age three to six.

Dahlia, by the same author is set in similar times, but in a New England-ey setting. Charlotte, a little tomboy is given the gift of a pretty doll, and the story follows their first day together. Also perfect for boys or girls, again ages three to six.

Here's To You, Rachel Robinson by Judy Bloom and Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

We were on our way to the dentists yesterday when I noticed my older son (he's twelve - a fantastic reader, until we got an Xbox) was half way through this.

Seeing him reading something that wasn't a gaming magazine made me giddy with pleasure. The journey continued in silence as he read, as did our time in the waiting room. And this morning, when he emerged from his bedroom, bug-eyed from looking at god-knows-what on his netbook(actually I do know- special offers on the new version of the Xbox One), he said "Did you get me any other books from the library?" I hadn't. But, this morning, its Saturday and our local library is open until one. "They've loads of Judy Blooms up there." I said, "Why don't you go up and get a few?" Believe it or not he said....."Ok." I mean, its twenty five to one and he's not dressed yet, so I can't say if he will actually go, but it was nice not to get a look of scorn when I suggested it. Judy Bloom eh? Isn't she amazing?

Also, in the back of the same car on the way to the same dentist, my eight year old was reading this.

He hasn't finished it yet but I'm pretty sure judging by the silent concentration, that he will. I have and sighed with pleasure when I did. Its BEAUTIFUL in every way. Beautifully written with matching illustrations.

Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker

My kids only know Jackson Pollack as a page in Olivia. We've read that so often that when I showed them Action Jackson they said "Oh! The Olivia picture."

Anyway, I saw Action Jackson recommended on What Do We Do All Day and got very approving looks from the librarian when I requested it. Apparently it has been sitting on a shelf for a year and I was the first borrower. I couldn't say my kids absolutely adored it, but my youngest did enjoy it and the elder ones (and their parents) now have a sort of idea how Jackson Pollack painted. I could certainly say the older guys liked it. (I just asked my eleven year old and he said he did, and was particularly taken with the idea that he kept going with a painting, even when there was an insect stuck to it.)

So how did he paint? Well, this book gives us a day in his life, as close to how it really was as the authors could manage. 

Its pretty straightforward for nowadays; working on the floor in a barn with house paints and sticks and dried up brushes, but I suppose for the time it was very different.

I found it fascinating and am now dying to see one of his works in the flesh. Theres a a bit of a bio in the back of the book, with photos, which is nice, but sad; he died at 44 for goodness sake. But overall, a very nice, very interesting book. I'm not sure what age I'd say its for, its in a picture book format but what it's explaining is really for ages six or seven and up.