Sock+Mitten="Smitten"

Your late-late-late Valentine's gift shopping list: Smitten by David Gordon. This tale of wool and woe, of danger and dust, of loyalty and knitting had me at the title. When one lost left mitten meets one fallen-from-the-laundry-basket sock, they set out to find their respective partners. The big city tests them but dogs and dustbins, speeding trains and a bad run-in with a hot dryer can't keep them from their mission. Will they find their match? Or will they be . . . smitten? Adorable illustrations, well-written dialog, and a fast pace make this the perfect picture book for your favorite little partner (or big partner--nothing says "love" like clothing with faces). Happy Valentine's Day!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A very brief post on a new, phenomenal book. Leave it to Lemony Snicket to give us a unique and creepy (but oddly comforting) take on a kid's fear of the dark. And only Lemony Snicket would give the dark a voice, a home, a purpose. Jon Klassen's illustrations perfectly accompany this tale--giving me a new favorite duo. Are you still reading this?! Go! Go, buy The Dark by Lemony Snicket!
Read more

The Last Unicorn: Collecting Immortality

I have six copies of The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle on my shelf. I used to collect them under the pretense of "giving them away"--and indeed, I have--everyone who knows me has a copy. However, my current six copies have become part of my being and are unlikely to be gifted. The Last Unicorn is the story of the world's last unicorn and her journey to discover why she is the last. You may remember the old movie (soundtrack by America, voiced by Mia Farrow and Angela Landsbury , among others), both haunting and silly. However, far from being just a children's book The Last Unicorn is a story for children and adults that pushes us to explore a fantasy world--and the world inside our own dreams and hearts. What is immortality worth? Can we capture it and hold it? Does true magic exist? Are we fooling ourselves out of magic and beauty every day in our attempts to define? From page one, we become aware that Beagle is a masterful word conjurer: "[the unicorn] ...
Read more

Mockingbird . . . I wonder

I'd put money on it that (in a random poll), Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird would sweep the Book Most Often Named 'My Favorite' Book category. Not for nothing is it a book (and author) surrounded by speculation and myth, mocked (pardon the pun) and parodied, required and studied . . . and probably even avoided--by students who'd rather just watch the movie. It's most recent tribute comes from Paul Acampora's book I Kill the Mockingbird . Three students who adore Lee's novel decide to go renegade and start a reading revolution--by "disappearing" copies of the book in libraries and bookstores across their state. While they don't actually steal the books, things get out of hand as their revolution goes viral--books do get stolen, and the real reason behind their revolution gets muddied and confused. Acampora is great with dialogue, the book moves quickly and feels very honest and realistic. It's in the teen section, but I didn't s...
Read more