Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies

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This book about-yes, microbes- was so beautiful and charming! I didn't think that noun and those adjectives would ever be placed side by side, but Nicola Davies book, Tiny Creatures, is just as fun to look at as informational to read. This non-fiction storybook is playful and colorful, and quite factual with a little bit of witticism thrown in. That's a darn fine combination for a topic that is of the science-y nature (and I have to admit, not my favorite topic to read about). My kids loved this book, and wanted me to read it multiple times. 

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I do not have the best memory for elementary science, but I am a big enthusiast of well-illustrated and concise children's books on the topic, and this book is just that. The pictures are quite pleasant and are deifnitely cut from a Victorian-yet-folksy stone, which brings out bright yet somewhat muted or matte colors, without drawing away from the well done writing. 

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Of course the best part about sharing this book with the kids was the learning, of which this picture and words share some of what amazed them--that microbes are on our food, in our stomachs, and in our water all the time. A beautiful book for the science-loving child in your life, and enjoyable for adults, as well. Now, I need to look up what other books this author and also the illustrator, Emily Sutton, have done and put them on hold lickety-split!

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

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Everyone who has read even one month's worth of posts (that's, ahem, four) knows that it's no secret that I'm a huge Kate DiCamillo fan. Her youth fiction is outstanding and although I wouldn't put The Magician's Elephant at the top (that's reserved for Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux), it's another great story with a raggle-taggle bunch of characters you grow to know and love.

The main character, Peter, is a young orphan who decides to spend the day's food allowance on a fortune-teller's fee rather than the normal old bread and small fish, and hears an earful before he leaves the tent. The fortune-teller tells Peter that an elephant will take him to his long-lost sister (who has always been dead, according to his caretaker, Vilna Lutz). This bizarre prophecy seems to appear likely when an elephant comes crashing through a rooftop that very night, unbeknownst to Peter.

The sorrowful and gray tale is a story about community, family, and the threads of hope that are braided together in unlikely ways. DiCamillo's writing is fantastic as usual, and her characters come alive with the descriptions and back-story she gives them. 

I would suggest this book be read to or read by those above the age of 8, for a few reasons. One, a part of the story deals with war, deep grief and trauma, and many deaths. It's one of her heavier books, though there is a redemptive theme. I also believe it to be just a bit harder for younger ones to follow based on the metaphors and descriptions of people and their personalities. My daughter had a harder time following the actual plot of the book, while my son was delighted by the details. I think my 6 year old got the jist, but she missed out on a lot simply trying to keep up with the story developments. 

Summer Birds The Butterflies of Maria Merian

I loved this picture book that we found at the library, Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian by Margarita Engle. It is a true story, a picturebook biography about a woman who lived centuries ago and was one of the first true naturalists. She discovered that caterpillars turn into butterflies, as it was common belief at the time that butterflies and caterpillars were two separate types of insects.

The pictures are stunning, and have that a botany-for-kids feel (like if these posters were made for kids), and perfectly align with the narrative. I had never heard of Maria Merien before but when looking her up on Wikipedia, I found that she illustrated her first botany book at age 28; quite impressive for the 17th century and being female.

This is a wonderful companion book for science and nature lovers, studies in female scientists and game-changers, and just an all-around beautiful picture book. I see a butterfly project in your future!

The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh

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I am an active follower of the Read-Aloud Revival, a podcast (and facebook group) about reading aloud excellent books to children even once they're old enough to read on their own. I've read the science behind why reading a loud to kids makes such a difference, and I buy into it. The great thing about the facebook page is simply why we're all there--the excellent book recommendations. 

I saw a lot of people mentioning The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh on the forum, and I thought if so many people recommended it, it must be good! I really enjoyed the illustrations, and the simple story (50+ pages), and it gave us a lot to talk about including relationships between native peoples and the settlers. I found out it was based on a true story and I love true stories, especially when they are written well. 

This book would be excellent for a mid-elementary school resource or homeschooling and learning about pioneer times. The story involves a young girl, Sarah, age 8, who goes on a long trip to help her father (to cook for him, actually) for months while he builds their family's new house in a different location. They have to sleep in a cave, watch out for wolves, develop relationships with people who speak a different language, and get the work done before winter. It's short and sweet and it would be a great precursor to the Little House books because of it's size. 

Do your kids like historical fiction, or would they rather read sci-fi, fantasy, or a novel?

The Loch Mess Monster by Helen Lester

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Have you ever read the Tacky books? You know, that penguin who marches, 1-2-3-4-2-3-6-0-2 1/2-0? Tacky the Penguin was one of my favorite characters growing up as a child, and I knew the author, Helen Lester, often produced books that were illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Lester's words and Minsinger's pictures blend so well together, that I have rarely seen one without the other (and it is a bit jarring when you see one without the other!), and I like it that way.

Lester's newer book, The Loch Mess Monster, is about a little loch monster who is incredibly messy. His parents have rules about going above the water in the Loch Ness, which parents will find amusing knowing the story behind the original Scottish myth, and children will delight in the hilarious story about the sticky, jammy, messy monster. 

I own several of Lester's hilarious books, and for good reason. She has a way with words that create truth and humor about children without sounding the least bit patronizing. Listen, Buddy! is another family favorite that I have read at least 50 times, probably more. Catch up with this wonderful book and have your children heartily cracking up before bedtime, especially if you have a little messy monster yourself!

The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life by Lois Ehlert

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This book is new to me, authored by Lois Ehlert, and it is beautiful! I know you know Lois Ehlert's work, because it's everywhere. Leaf Man, Chicka Chicka Boom Bom, and Eating the Alphabet are some of her most well-known books, followed closely by many others (and they're all excellent!) but this book, Scraps, is very different from the rest of her work in that it isn't a picture-book story, but a picture-book autobiography of Ehlert from the time she was a little girl and using all sorts of bits and bobs to create art, to present day as a children's author. 

This book is filled with Ehlert's recognizable collage art, and the 'notions' spill across each page followed by words and sentences all over the place. Since this book is still written for children, the autobiographical part is finely tuned to snippets, much like her pieces of cut paper. 

I thought this book was just lovely, and so interesting, since I didn't know much about one of my children's favorite author/illustrators. I find her collage illustrations to be very inspirational, and I might even buy this book for my kids to use to get their imaginations rolling. It's no secret collage illustration might be my favorite, so I am potentially biased, but I found my kids to be just as interested. Often while reading it aloud, Ani would touch the pieces on the page (from photography, natural and found items, cut or torn paper, etc.) to see if they had an actual texture. Scraps is a great book to introduce to young children who want to know a bit more of the artist behind some of their favorite childhood books!

Usborne's Big Book of Papercraft!

It's no surprise I love Usborne books (I even sold them for a time!), and this is one of the DIY books that they are so well known for. The Big Book of Papercraft is a book I found for Ani at the library. She loves doing any sort of craft, and Usborne's DIY books are so easy for quite a range of ages. There are pictures for each step, detailed notes for the readers, and a great example on each two page spread to give you an idea.

Ani looked through the entire book a few times before comitting to a few she really wanted to make. I didn't necessarily take photos of all of those, I took photos of some of the ones *I* would want to do. The crafts are really quite varied in this book, and I can really see this book being a part of an art library for many ages and stages for a family. Those types of books make great gifts. Wink!

A few of the projects involve weaving of some sort, and even give instruction for many different styles of weaving, as you can see above. I especially love the zig-zag look on the right-hand side, halfway down the page. I've never seen that before in a papercraft book!

This project is of course, of a cityscape, but it's also a project that could be so multifaceted, and all just with tearing paper to different shapes and sizes, and using your imagination to 'fill in the blanks'. You could easily do this project with any landscape, and fill in 'the missing pieces' of the picture. It's so open-ended. I also see this project as being really fun to make super-sized, and creating puppets (on a popsicle stick or wooden spoon?) and having a puppet show.

This craft is of a collage. It's hard to see by the photos, but aside from paper, there are all sorts of goodies in this collage including googly eyes, fur, beads, glue, string, feathers, etc. I see this project as a great first step in having kids create their own cards for family members and friends. Wouldn't this giraffe scene be fun on the front cover of a hand-written note? I loved collage as a kid and so maybe I'm a bit biased, but the college projects in this book are so well done, and really give great instructions for more if the child is older and wants to get a bit more detailed. 

Ani of course loving her craft time, this time focusing on weaving through a star of David. We renewed this book from the library for another three weeks, so I know we'll have another craft project or two to complete before we have to give it back.  The options really are endless with this DIY book and just give the child a place to start. Check it out!

My Father Knows the Names of Things by Jane Yolen

It's no secret that author-extrodinaire Jane Yolen is one of the most prolific children's authors in the world. Her book My Father Knows the Names of Things is one of my favorites as of recent. I am just kicking myself that although I had it planned out, I forgot to post this one before Father's Day, when it could have been a sweet read between dads and kids. 

This sweet picture book is a book about a dad telling his child everything he knows, while they explore the world together. The names of fish, clouds, bugs and all other things, he shares with his son. The story is a great reminder that children are looking to us, always, to impart knowledge, character, actions and behavior.

The relationship between these two is positive--they are sharing quality time, conversation, and the father imparting 'everyday knowledge' to his son, who finds the world at large curious, and fascinating. 

This story has really soft and gentle illustrations as well, which goes together  well with Yolen's rhyming story. They paint the bonding between the two as child-like, with scribbles coming out of the lines and soft splots of color. This gives the book a feeling of fun, adventure, yet tenderness and care. This book is a reminder of the love between a father and their child.

Home by Carson Ellis

The book Home by Carson Ellis, is a beautifully illustrated picture book on realistic and imaginative types of homes for everyone and everything, all over the world. I saw the cover and my first thought was, "I want that as a print on my wall", though as far as I know, it is not currently being sold in that form. Study that front cover for awhile, and you're guaranteed to smile at the least, or like me, want it for your own space. I thought I recognized the style and when I went to her website I realized that she was also the illustrator for the covers of the infamous young adult novels The Mysterious Benedict Society, and also Wildwood.  Home is her first authored book. 

This is a view of a home above ground, and below. "Some are palaces. Or underground lairs." Some of the more imaginative illustrations and descriptions of homes were the Japanese businessman, the Moonian, the family in the shoe, and others. Ellis uses very muted undertones on her palette, giving this book an earthy feel and a great way to represent many types of homes throughout history and present day dwellings. 

I am being a little tricky with this book in showing you some of the beautiful illustrations, but there are so many creative spreads in this picture book, and I want you to explore them with your own family yourself. I can't give away all the goodies here!
"Clean houses. Messy houses. Tall houses. Short houses." We really are all different, and our homes are some of the best representations for what we value and enjoy. Home is a gem and I hope it expands your imagination about what home is, and what it can be.

Grandma's Attic series by Arleta Richardson

*please note there are four books in the series, not just three!*

I first heard of Grandma's Attic by Jamie Martin of Steady Mom blog, years ago. I knew when I first put them on my amazon wishlist that they were too old for my kids at the time, but I wanted to keep them on there to remind my future self to not forget about them! 

Fast forward to this Fall, when One Stop Learning in Surrey, BC was going out of business, and I happened to be there at the right time. This education store was a great store, and I was sorry to see it go, but I did find some excellent materials, including games, kits, and plenty of literature. Not only did I find excellent material, including the four (only three shown above) Grandma's Attic chapter books, but everything in the store was 75% off because they were closing, and my purchase order number footed the bill! What a steal, indeed. 

We've finished these first three of the four, and once I have the next two books we're reading aloud done, we'll start on the fourth book. These books are similar to the Little House books in the sense that they are set in the same historical time period, happened to an impressionable young girl (and often her best friend, Sarah Jane, as well). They are dissimilar in the way that each chapter of the books are a 'lesson learned' by the author, who is telling her granddaughter these stories and goes into narrator after a brief introduction. As far as the 'series' goes, they aren't really a series as much as story following and building upon each book. They are just simple and lovely stories within each chapter, and if she wrote them all in one book it'd be huge, so they made them into 4 books instead, about 150+ pages each. 

Both my kids really enjoy these books and I quite love reading them aloud myself. They're easy to read and many are quite funny. Each chapter is about 12-15 pages, and they're just enough of a story to read right before bedtime, or one during lunch. The writing is excellent, and you can feel the warmth of Arleta's stories through the pages. These are excellent for kids ages 5 and up, and come highly recommended!

The High Street by Alice Melvin

One of the wonderful things about living in a different country is getting to explore all the multicultural treasures found in the library. This author, Alice Melvin, is English. I have noticed a significant increase in European, Oceanic, and Asian books that have been coming home with us from our library trips, which was something I often had to scout out on my own and pray the library would accept my book-buying requests in the midwest. 

Canada is a commonwealth country, so the obvious ties with Australia and England are apparent. There are a lot of Chinese and Japanese people living in Canada, especially on the Pacific Coast where I'm at, and I see a lot of books coming from those two countries within the children's stacks. I love that! So many of the treasures I've found over the last 8 months of living 'abroad' (my American friends might laugh at that), is that the culture is very different--even down to which types of picture books get front and center in the local libraries. Books create and enhance a culture, and here it is markedly different than my American, midwestern experience. 

I picked this book up for two reasons. The first, being that I loved the modern-victorian(ish) illustrations throughout, and the second, because my daughter loves flap books. I figured even if the words weren't great, we'd still enjoy the book. I found upon our first read that yes, the story is lovely as well! It's a great book all-around. Both my children enjoyed this story and I thoroughly enjoyed the pictures of the outside of each building, along with the 'dollhouse-view' of the inside of each store. 

This story is about a little girl fetching different necessities for her basket on High Street, a main street where each little shop has what she needs...except when one doesn't!

This book is more in line with a repetitive poem, which can sometimes get unbearable to read aloud, though most children seem to like them. It's not quite the same, as the words of each item she buys are subtracted on each page until she comes to her last item. Do you know what I mean? It's not agonizing like reading aloud "We're Going on a Bear Hunt!", but there is some repetition throughout. 

On Alice's website you can peek inside and see quite a few more of the whimsical illustrations that grace the pages. This storybook is a feast for the eyes, and a fun book to read if you're a treasure-hunter, because there is so much going on visually. I've found there's even a fun paper-doll-like kit of the Emporium and a few of the characters for sale on her site. 

We had fun enjoying Melvin's story and already have a few more of her titles on hold at our local library. Cheers!

"Charlie & Lola" Picture Books by Lauren Child

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The first time I came in contact with the author/illustrator Lauren Child, my gut reaction said, "now this is someone who knows kids". Her illustrations of Charlie & Lola books, along with other stand-alone stories are perfectly scruffy, collaged pictures and spiral writing mixed together to form a child-like representation. I truly mean that in the best way. They are chalk full of whimsy.

You may recognize the video above as the popular British children's TV show, but let me tell you, they're books, too, with just as much charm, if not more. (I'll let you in on a little secret, too: if you read them with a British cockney accent, they are "terribly funner to read", as Lola might say.) 

Lauren child has plenty of books (even a Pippi Longstocking take!), but my favorites are the Charlie and Lola series. Charlie is usually seen figuring out a problem (or phobia) of Lola's, his little sister, and then near the end, her finding her confidence. That may be going to school for the first time, or trying to never eat a tomato. The way Lola speaks, and her cheeky invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, are quite a pair for patient Charlie. 

Here are the Charlie & Lola bunch: 

*I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato

*I Am Absolutely Too Small for School

*I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed

Of course, there are loads of episodes of Charlie & Lola cartoons that can be found at the library, on youtube, etc. I find the cartoons quite good, too. Although they are very colorful and bright, they aren't overly stimulating, fast, or obnoxious, and I find the relationship between Charlie and his little sister, Lola, sweet.

The Green Ember by S. D. Smith

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I picked The Green Ember up after requesting my library buy it, and there have been people ahead of me AND behind me waiting for it, which is a great sign for a new author like S. D. Smith.

I first heard about this 360+ paged novel by Sarah McKenzie from Amongst Lovely Things and the Read Aloud Revival podcast. She has an interview with Smith AND another interview (this week's!) that just went live with the illustrator, Zach Franzen. I loved the illustrations from the cover and the book (though I think I expected more throughout the book) and really enjoyed Franzen's interview on the podcast. 

The Green Ember is about two rabbits, Heather and Picket, and the adventure they go on when their family's home is burned and attacked by evil wolves and hawks. The siblings have to rely on each other, and the community they find themselves in, even though the secrets they will find out about their extended family loom large and black in the present day of preparing for war. 

The names are excellent in this book--they stuck out to me, and the story is full and quick-paced, even for a large 'children's' novel. I think adults would enjoy reading this book as well, though I see it as primarily a book for children. I found it a bit clunky to read aloud, often jumbling my words because the sentences were so meaty. That's not necessarily a bad thing, for a sentence to be quite full, but it did diminish my overall experience of the book because of the verbal toll. 

My kids loved this book. There has been a lot of hype on this book since it came out, and the kickstarter fund was well received. The action and the drama of the book kept my kids entertained, but I was thankful we only spent two weeks on it as our family read-aloud, because I wanted to move on. I would recommend this book not necessarily as a family read-aloud, but to an older child, perhaps 8 or 9 and above (with really high reading skills, otherwise maybe 11 years old), and let them have at it on their own. What kid wouldn't like rabbits with swords?

I Wish I Had A Pet by Maggie Rudy

I just found the sweetest gem of a stop-animation picture book! What a treasure of photos, and a great message to boot about selecting and caring for the right pet. 

Maggie Rudy's I Wish I Had A Pet follows a mouse family (community?) caring for various pets of shapes and sizes, and dreaming of the perfect one. Rudy's picture book has lots of tips for keeping your pet comfortable, fed, tidied, and loved. 

It's a sweet book for kids as young as 2 years old, up to ages 8 or 9. My son thought it was really cute, and my daughter loved looking into the small mouse scenes, each so very different and creative in their own right. 

I found out that Rudy's blog is a collection of wonderful little mouseling 'shorts' (or gifs), or photos of her Mouse Land. It's really quite adorable if you like the 'dollhouse' feel of textured layers for picture book illustrations. The reader gets to view the little mouse houses from inside the living room, along with the inhabitants. 

This book is very minimalist and has a lot of white space, too, which I enjoy. It's easy on the eyes, and it really lets the words of the story and the lovely stop-animation 'scenes' shine as the brightest star of the show. I'm already looking for my library to get the next one, The House that Mouse Built.  What a sweet book to encourage new pet owners, both big and small!

The Tooth Mouse by Susan Hood

The Tooth Mouse by Susan Hood was one of my favorite picture-book finds recently. I loved the watercolors by Janice Nadeau and the muted color palette of the book was so quaint, like a Parisian macaroon shop. I noticed that first, and second, found out once reading, that the story actually takes place in Paris! Well, they nailed that aesthetic.

This story is a very different take on the tooth fairy, and quite frankly, one I liked better than our American fairy tale. This story is about an aging 'tooth mouse', and a little mousling who is very determined to fill the important shoes as next in line for the job. She, with a few others, have to fulfill challenges that the Tooth Mouse provides, testing her skills in ingenuity, character, and wit.

I'll let you find out what happens to the main character, la petite souris, Sophie. Pick up this gorgeous and interesting book and you will enjoy it as much as your kids will, learning a few lessons about how children see 'the tooth fairy' around the world. Be prepared for the tooth scene above, which took me aback (I'm sorry, I have a thing with teeth, and that watercolor is well-done, but abrupt), and laugh along with Sophie and the other mice as they finish their challenges to see who will become the next Tooth Mouse!

The Jesus Storybook Bible // Happy Easter

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This is hands-down the best children's bible out there and I buy it for nearly everyone having a new baby. Sally Lloyd-Jones has a beautiful way of words, and the subtitle every story whispers His name is an accurate description. The stories are beautifully illustrated by Jago. I will admit that at first I was a little off-put by the illustrations. They are so different, but the more I read the stories, the more I appreciate how different they are, and I've grown to love them, and can't picture any other illustrator working on such a precious project.

As we celebrate Easter this weekend, let us not forget the reason for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday - Jesus Christ, who defeated Satan with his death and resurrection on the cross to save us from our sins and rectify us in the midst of a holy and just God. 

For a taste of how meaningful this little bible can be in words and pictures, please listen and watch to the story called "God's Wonderful Surprise", that shares the Easter story.

 He is Risen!

No Such Things by Bill Peet

 I picked up Bill Peet's goofy rhyming story book, No Such Things, on a lark at the library because it looked like there were horses on the front cover. My daughter loves horses and a new horse book is always a welcome addition to the weekly book bag. What I found, instead, delighted me. I've found a new author/illustrator that I love, and that I can't wait to explore more of.

Peet's hilarious book is a large poem broken up into two-page spreads. On each spread there is a new animal that is wacky and hilarious, and a small story about each nonsensical creation. All of them are clever and unique, which makes this book such a fun and easy read-aloud. My kids love books like this: ones that have a really great cadence, descriptive pictures, and plenty of nonsense. That seems to be a formula for great children's books, at least with my two monkeys.

There are so many Bill Peet books to read, some are offshoots of this book No Such Things, like, Buford the Little Bighorn. Now that I've searched his Amazon author page to see all his books, I recognize two books (not quite as nonsensical) that I've already read to the kids: The Gnats of Knotty Pine, and Merle the High-Flying Squirrel. I'm definitely going to be putting a couple of his on hold from our local library until we've read all they can offer. Try them out and tell me you don't have the kids bobbing up and down in merriment and good, fun rhythm!

Vintage Book: The Maggie B. by Irene Haas

 I loved this sweet little vintage book from 1975. The Maggie B. by Irene Haas is a quirky little tale about a girl and her younger brother and their day on the ship named after the main character, Maggie B. Maggie has a dream that she could be a captain of a ship--just for a day--and the next day she woke up to quite a surprise!

The story is a little bit longer than a normal bedtime story (think Berenstain Bears length), but the pictures make it worth it even if you're eyes are heavy. Maggie is as sweet as pie to her little brother, who happened to come along for the boat ride by surprise. 

Something I enjoyed about this vintage book is that throughout the entire day aboard the Maggie B., the girl Maggie was able to completely care for her brother, look after their needs like food and drink, naps, and other chores that make up daily rhythm in a home. I appreciate any type of book that shows that kids are capable in many capacities, even at young ages. Hey Ho on the Maggie B.!

The Man With the Violin by Kathy Stinson and Dusan Petricic

Perhaps some of you might remember when a very famous violinist participated in a social study for the Washington Post? Joshua Bell, one of the best violinists in the world performed one of the hardest violin pieces ever in a DC transit system entryway for a day, and barely anyone stopped to listen, except a handful of people. Most of them were kids! This picture book is a retelling of that story. 

A very short youtube clip can be seen HERE of Bell and his violin piece. Something fun to do after you read The Man With the Violin by Kathy Stinson and Dusan Petricic would be to listen to the piece and see how the illustrator interpreted the scratchy scales and melodramatic, flowing parts of the song. The illustrations caught my eye as I was browsing through this book at the library, and I didn't even know it was a true story until we read it in full.

I remember reading about this years ago in the news, and thought what a fun tribute to the sweet children who wanted to listen to this beautiful art coming from Bell's bow. The theme being that children, although can not articulately tell high art from play doh, they do know when art is inspiring them to keep looking, keep listening, or keep 'figuring'. This is a great title and one I think can be used well in the class or at home for exploring how art makes more art!

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

My favorite thing about homeschooling is the read-alouds, and I'd been wanting to share the world of Pippi with my kids for awhile. I was priming them on other chapter books because I really wanted them to enjoy this one. I had never read the book as a child but I grew up on this TV show (which I found that amazon prime members can watch free!) and now own it in my DVD collection. I bought it before kids were even a thought, because I loved Pippi, Alfonso, and Mr. Nillson so much as a child. 

The chapter book did not disappoint, and we laughed at all the hilarious things she'd say to just about anyone she came across. She's part Ramona Quimby, part Amelia Bedelia, a little bit of Peter Panish mischief, and full of spunk up to her impending braids! The movie does take a few turns that were not in the book (don't they all?), but Pippi's world at Ville Villekula is not hard to imagine by reading words with very few pictures. She lives without adults, and with just a monkey and horse and a couple neighbor kids to keep her busy, and she finds lots of fun. 

This book was published in 1945, though I believe my above copy is from the 70s. I've been lucky to find all three of the full length chapter books at garage sales and thrift stores, spending maybe $1 for each title. Since I'm a regular thrifter and always book scavenge, I'm guessing you might haven't seen these before--I've only ever seen my own copies! Check your local library for a copy if you don't want to purchase it. I'm going to scout out the picture books Lindgren wrote after the original three!

If Ramona, Amelia, Peter Pan, and Pippi were the four you'd have to choose between, who would you choose? My answer is easy! Pippalotta!