Please help me make a Holiday List

    Ok, so I have a children's book fail to admit.  Not Just Another Jen asked me what my favorite Halloween books are and I didn't have an answer....  Firstly, I have to admit that I was too late to reserve any Halloween books from the two local libraries that we frequent (by the time I checked in late September, they were all reserved.) Second, I really only know specific holiday themed books from my childhood and a few that were given to Bud Bud in the last two years.  

So unless I am only ever  destined to read my children the books from my past (which, of course, I will still incorporate), I am going to need help.

Please, please help by posting your suggestions for holiday books (for all holidays) - it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Getting Nostalgic

           I have been wondering what books will stick with Bud Bud and Little Flower when they older.  Pictured above are some of the ones that jump to mind from my childhood, I have mentioned a number of them before.  All have special memories of my Mom reading them to me.  I hope I can do that for my kids.

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes  - just about my favorite holiday book.  I love the pastel-ish illustrations which are the colors that will always, in my mind, be associated with Easter.  I just love the egg with a beautiful scene inside and the wonderfully sweet face of the sleeping child.

Eloise - was just about my favorite book ever.  I wanted to be just like her, pour water down the mail shoot, lose my skate key and wear an egg cup as a hat.  I was even known to have visited her portrait at the Plaza a time or two.

The Secret Staircase (Brambly Hedge) - This book is Christmas for me.  I love the secret tiny life portrayed here and wanted nothing more than to join their mid-winter ball. 

The Littlest Angel - I am still taken with the idea of a box of treasured things from childhood, and even have one of my own.  (and I fully intend on making little treasure chests for the kiddos to keep their on beloved objects.)

The Velveteen Rabbit - Listing this book reminds me of how a wonderful book can become part of your families vocabulary.  My Mom always used to refer to our loved/well used stuffed animals, books, clothes as "real" - our birthday's were always our "Day of all days"  because of Dr Seuss, and there are lots of other phrases, but I won't bore you.

Here are a few more that I loved:  The Missing Piece, The Runaway Bunny, The Adventures of Lowly Worm, and Jelly Beans For Breakfast.

What books did you love and what books still stick with you?

I am curious...

   These are my favorite books at the minute, in terms of illustration.  I have mentioned them before, but I think they all bare mentioning again.

Chalk - is outstanding in the illustration department!  These hand painted images in a photo realistic style are so engaging and lifelike.  I love also, the changes of perspective and the dazzling colors.  It feels like the characters are not only coming alive from the chalk drawings, but they might just walk off the page.

Brown Rabbit in the City - these illustrations where created with printmaking and are lovely and soft in color.  They have a whimsical feel and great repetitive patterns and shapes.

 I Love My Mom - This book was illustrated with watercolors.  I appreciate that the illustrator has chosen to paint the characters on a plain white background.  It is so fresh and clean in feel.  The butterfly spread took my breath away the first time I saw it.  It is so sweet and magical.  I also enjoyed the tiny details like the lady bugs and caterpillars.  Bud Bud has fun looking for these.

The Curious Garden - I believe that this book is illustrated with paintings - though the first time I saw it I was convinced that it was computer aided illustration.  The colors are really striking especially in terms of the transition from the world at the beginning of the story to the end.  Bud Bud and I love to flip back and forth from the two different spreads of the world before and after the garden.    The level of detail is also great.   It is so much fun to look at each building and plant and garden.

But Who Will Bell the Cats?  - This is our most recent find.  I am really taken with the illustrations on novelty value.  This is not really one of my favorite stories and I don't think Bud Bud or Little Flower were particularly into it, but the illustrations are owed a long second look.  It is collage like in the use of layers of photos and illustrations and feels sort of like looking into one of those sugar Easter eggs at an alternative world.  Cool.

So, to get back to the title of this post, my question is - What is your favorite type of illustration?

and further to that:
What are you favorite books in terms of illustrations?
What kinds of illustrations do you dislike and why?
and lastly
Do illustrations make or break your choices in children's books?

Quick Note

  Just a quick note to say that I am also loving, I Love My Mom.  I am totally not into all the books that we have about why I love my Mommy or Daddy, I think that they are a bit sticky sweet - and kind of strange to read to your own kids - that said, I couldn't help myself with this one.

I just love the super simple illustrations and the joyous feel that the book portrays about the totally normal things that a parent can do that mean so very much to their child.

Not merely words

   We just picked up our latest batch of children's books at the library.  I really enjoyed Chalk, which has no words but is beautifully illustrated in a photo realistic style and manages to portray an imaginative tale without the use of words.

This got me thinking about the other books that we enjoy, which though they have some text, we really enjoy for the illustrations.  They are busy books which definitely have a narrative and keep us occupied for ages looking at the pictures, finding hidden characters and naming and talking about what we see in the pictures.

The first is, In the Town All Year 'Round which was given to Bud Bud by a great friend of ours.  I had never heard about it, but we spent hours and hours learning about seasons and what happens in the town at different times of year, animals, buildings, farms and people, etc.  There are just enough words to give little hints to the story and give names to the characters, but not enough to stop you from using your own imagination.  Bud Bud loves this book.

 Cars and Trucks and Things That Go is the other one.  This one was given to Bud Bud by Grandma Mimi who used to read me Richard Scarry books as a kid.  Bud Bud loves looking for Goldbug and talking about the different kinds of vehicles.  We have used this book to learn about colors, counting, types of cars and trucks, animals and much more.

Give these books a try - I find myself somehow hesitant to say this, but you don't always need words to have a good book.