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carriagelamp · 1 year

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Well, if nothing else I read a shocking number of B books this month. I felt very fortunate this month -- I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately because of general stress and a lack of free time, but I managed to settle into quite a few physical books over February. It's honestly been a bit of a relief to have the time and headspace to curl up with a book.

A Boy Called Bat / Bat and the Waiting Game / Bat and the End of Everything

I read this trilogy because I had heard some pretty positive reviews for it. The story is about an autistic boy called Bixby Alexander Tam, nicknamed Bat. He has the nickname for a few reasons besides for the acronym — Bat feels it’s appropriate because he also: loves animals, has very sensitive hearing like a bat, and will flap his hands like wings when he’s excited. The story starts when his mom, a vet, brings home an orphaned skunk kit that needs caring for and Bat falls in love with it. The trilogy extends over the rest of Bat’s school year, a budding new friendship, and how he helps raise the kit and tries to convince his mom that he doesn’t need to be released into the wild but instead would make a perfect pet.

I felt… lukewarm to it, honestly. I think my problem is I went into it with the wrong expectations. The way it had been described to me, I thought it would be one of those more “artsy” ““highbrow”” children’s novels but it really reads more like a pretty standard fare Child Animal Story. Which is fine! A standard animal story is appealing to kids, and having some autistic rep in a basic book instead of exclusively in more artsy stuff is great. It was just a bit of a disappointment after I heard it so hyped.

It did have some interesting parallels/symbolism, but over all the plot was rather meandering without any real upticks, and the language was fairly plain and uninteresting. And the ending fell completely flat. It felt like the few themes the book was clinging were just completely dropped in the final yard. I would totally recommend them to an elementary kid that wants a cute animal/school story, but that’s about it.

Ballet Shoes

This book I had a great time with. I’m reading a completely different novel that referenced back to this classic children’s novel and I ended up needing to detour to read this first so I could get the references. I’m glad I did! Normally I’d be put off by the title/aesthetic, because I’ve never been a kid into “ballerina stories” but I ended up really loving it. It made me think of similar books from the earlier 20th century, like A Little Princess or The Secret Garden or Anne of Green Gables, all of which I love.

Ballet Shoes is about a trio of adopted sister: Pauline, Petrova and Posy. Their guardian does their best to make ends meet and ensure the girls get an education, but the household funds are gradually dwindling and they’re soon struggling. Luck strikes though when they decided to let out rooms of their home for borders, and one ended up suggesting all three girls join a local ballet school — there they can train in dance, but can also start earning money at the age of twelve if they get cast in productions. The girls take to this training with varying degrees of enthusiasm, each one being a very unique, enjoyable character, and the book follows the different misadventures they have as they grow and enter the entertainment industry and continue to fight to make ends meet.

Despite how heavy that might sound, it was ultimately quite a charming, feel-good novel. It was perfect for a cosy blanket and a cup of tea.

Bedknob and Broomstick

I had watched the movie a number of times growing up but never once read the novel, so I finally remedied that. Did you realize that what we know as Bed-Knob and Broomstick is actually a compilation of two separate books, The Magic Bed-Knob and Bonfires and Broomsticks? I hadn’t! And I have to say, I think I enjoyed the second story more than the first.

For those who haven’t heard of the story at all, it’s about three children who are sent to the country to stay with their aunt, and during their summer they end up meeting a neighbour called Miss Price. Miss Price is a rather regular, proper young woman, with the added detail that she’s learning to become a witch through correspondence classes. When the children promise not to reveal her secret, Miss Price gifts them an enchanted bed-knob, one that will take them anywhere in place or time they would like to travel. The first story is about the places they adventure too. The second is some time later, when they are able to visit Miss Price once again, and are horrified to discover that she has given up witchcraft for good. The kids however are determined to use the bed-knob once more, this time to venture back into the past.

In all honesty, I was rather neutral to the book, especially given how racist the first half is. I was happy to have read the classic but I wouldn’t go out of my way to read it again.

The Boy in the Dress

Now, caveat right at the top: this book isn’t explicitly queer. At no point does anyone come out as gay or trans. But I do consider it queer in that the entire narrative is an ongoing conversation about what the gender binary means, and how one’s own identity, passions, and presentation can challenge that, and how people respond to those challenges.

The story follows 12 year old Dennis who lives in a very ordinary, plain household with his older brother and father, who attends a very ordinary, plain school, in a very ordinary, plain town. He loves playing football (soccer), hanging out with his friend, and he also loves dresses. He loves how bright and colourful and joyful they can be, when his life feels very bland. Dennis struggles with figuring out how to explore the interest while contending with the other people in his life who clearly disapprove.

It’s a really earnest, heartwarming story.

Dogsbody

Ah, I love Diana Wynne Jones’ books, they’re always completely buckwild. This book was a ton of fun; as always with her books it really felt like I was reading something different and quirky and attention grabbing.

The main character of Dogsbody is Sirius — yes, the star. The story opens with him being put on trial, accused of killing another luminary and losing a powerful instrument called a Zoi. His sentence for this crime is to be stripped of his powers and cast down to earth, to spend one lifetime living in a humble, mortal form. If he can survive and find the Zoi within that lifetime, he will be welcomed back to the cosmos.

Sirius is reborn a regular puppy, one with no memories of his previous life or powers or mission. The novel follows him gradually growing up under the care of a young girl and her cruel family as he attempts to regain his memories and figure out how to find his lost Zoi.

Dragon Rider

I haven’t read Dragon Rider since I was a kid, but I realized they had done a film of it… and man, that adaptation was not great. I remembered the book being better so I had to investigate. And I was right, the book is a really cute, enjoyable adventure with some charming characters.

The adventure starts when the hidden valley that Firedrake lives in is threatened by humans. The dragons have lived in small, hidden pockets for years, and now that it seems that the constant tide of humanity is pushing towards them they have no idea what to do. Only Firedrake takes up the challenge of venturing out of the valley in the search of a legendary place called the Rim of Heaven where dragons allegedly live in safety. Along with his dear friend the brownie Sorrel, and a young human they run into, they must plot of course that will take them across the globe, while avoiding an ancient, fearsome, dragon-hunting monster which has been without its preferred prey for centuries.

Grandpa’s Great Escape

I’ve been meaning to read David Walliams books for ages, ever since I saw them beginning to pop up in our local bookstore. I finally bought one on a whim, and wow, I was not disappointed. It reads exactly like a Roald Dahl novel, which is about the highest praise I can offer — I don’t think I’ve ever read anything that satisfies in the same way as Dahl before.

This novel follows Jack and his grandfather, a retired RAF pilot from WWII. His grandfather has become increasingly confused as the years progress, and often finds himself mixing up the present and his past glory days as a pilot; Jack is one of the few people who still finds it easy to talk to his grandfather because he is completely willing to meet him at his level, talk to him as if he really is still the Wing Commander. When his parents can no longer handle it though, they’re duped into send Jack’s grandpa to the wicked Twilight Towers. As the only one who can see how sinister the place really is, Jack is determined to save his grandfather.

It’s a truly hilarious story, since it’s written very much to read like a RAF pilot trying to escape from a Nazi concentration camp… except set in a nursing home! I can’t recommend this book enough, between the silly, heartfelt story, the occasional tragedy, and the fun illustrations, it’s such an addictive read.

I Think Our Son Is Gay v3

I read the first book of this series last month (whoops, I skipped 2… my library just happened to have the third in) and decided to try another. It’s a cute little series about a teenage boy experiencing his first crush. Though he hasn’t come out to his family yet, he’s a boy who seems incapable of lying, who has a face that gives him away easily, so his mother (the main POV character) is quite certain he’s gay and that he has a crush on his best friend. She is determined to be quietly supportive of her son until he’s ready to come out. The series is predominantly sweet and supportive little episodic stories, but it also layers in some of the everyday homophobia and microaggressions a gay teenager might experience in a homophobic society, even when people around him don’t know he’s gay. It’s a very worthwhile read.

Socks

This was a book that I read over and over in grade 2 and I had forgotten its name until just recently. I never read many Beverly Clearly books as a kid, since I preferred genre fiction over stories based around the real world / school, but I loved the silly story told from the pet cat's point of view.

The story is about Socks and the perfect family he’s adopted into… perfect until a new baby comes around and suddenly Socks is competing for attention.

The Squirrel, the Hare and the Little Grey Rabbit/ Hare Joins the Home Guard

I mentioned in my review about Ballet Shoes that I read it because another novel I’m reading referenced it: same for this book! The Squirrel, the Hare, and the Little Grey Rabbit is one of the picture books the main character of the other book often alludes to so I decided I needed to read it as well. This book was a cute, standard fare little picture book from that era. It’s about the very gentle, virtuous Grey Rabbit, and her rather bossier, lazier housemates, the Hare and the Squirrel. It was cute and the art was lovely, though I can’t say much beyond that.

I also read Hare Joins the Home Guard mostly because I was stunned and baffled by a Cute Animal Story explicitly jumping into WWII… though I suppose it makes sense! It came out in 1942 and it’s a pretty gentle way of holding a mirror up to some of the things children were certainly hearing about and experiencing in their real lives. In this, the various animals join the “home guard” in different roles (such as taking up arms, becoming a Red Cross nurse, digging shelters to protect children, or knitting for the “troops”) in order to fight off invading weasels. I would say it was also fairly “basic” were it not for the fact that it was hilarious to see this next to titles like Little Grey Rabbit Makes Lace. How often do you see Cute Lil Animals preparing gas masks for their chemical warfare plans?

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ripplefactor · 11 months

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Little Grey Rabbit Goes to the Sea by Alison Uttley, pictures by Margaret Tempest .. Collins. 14 St. James's Place. London, 1954 ..

#Little Grey Rabbit #Alison Uttley #ripplefactor #rpf2

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mayamiyamaillustration · 11 months

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こんにちは6月！芒種の頃(穂の出るイネや麦などの植物の種をまく季節を意味)蛍が現れ始める頃でもあります。イラストレーションはアリソン・アトリー「むぎばたけ」より。月夜の晩に、一匹のハリネズミが出逢った仲間を伴い、むぎが穂を伸ばす歌を聴きにいくお話です。良い月夜の冒険になるようにと願いを込め、蛍を持たせました。

Hello June! It’s the time when the fireflies start to appear around the time of Awn seed (meaning the season for sowing seeds of plants such as rice and wheat with ears). My illustration from Wrriten by Alison Uttley “The Cornfield “. It’s the story about a hedgehog who accompanies a fellow he met and goes to listen to the song of wheat growing ears on a moonlit night. I drew him a firefly in the hope that it would be a good moonlight adventure.

#maya miyama #illustration #june #alison uttley #cornfield #hedgehog #firefly #moonlight adventure #wheat #kidlit #kidlitillustration #childrensbookillustration #むぎばたけ #アリソンアトリー #ハリネズミ #麦 #月夜の冒険譚

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best-childhood-book · 4 months

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#best childhood book #poll #the candy shop war #beacon street girls #rose #the chronicles of dragon #a traveler in time #the chronicles of egg #chronicles of the dark star #dragon slayer's academy #animal ark #time hunters

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along-the-meadow-path · 7 months

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A collection of warm sunlight feelings in honour of the last dregs of summer - 3

Studio Ghibli - Arrietty / Alison Uttley, The Farm on the Hill / Jisca Lucia – The Sun is Shining Through Trees in the Forest / Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden / K.M. Peyton, A Pattern of Roses / Danielle Eagle – Sun Setting Over Trees / L.M.M. Montgomery, A Tangled Web / Philip Halling - Evening Sun on Trees in Cwn Rhiwiau / C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

#sunlight #sunrise #sunset #compilation #comparatives #web weaving #parallels #*

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nostalgicstitchcraft · 6 months

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Alison Jane Uttley (1884 – 1976)

Little Grey Rabbit makes lace

#bobbin lace #books #children's books

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sanjogsonsand · 2 years

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" The sweet warm breath of spring was mangled with the odours of winter, but already the spikes of bluebells had pierced the earth and the pale green buds showed in the rosettes of stiff leaves. "

~ Alison Uttley from Farm On The Hill.

beautiful nature # flowers # bluebells # bluebells woods # landscapes # beautiful places # england # country side # landscape photography

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alphabetbl0cks · 6 months

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Hare and Guy Fawkes - Alison Uttley & Margaret Tempest (1956)

#kidcore #vintage children's books #guy fawkes day

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masterblackoak · 2 years

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“Of course you must understand that Grey Rabbit’s home had no electric light or gas, and even the candles were made from pith of rushes dipped in wax from the wild bees’ nests, which Squirrel found. Water there was in plenty, but it did not come from a tap. It flowed from a spring outside, which rose up from the ground and went to a brook. Grey Rabbit cooked on a fire, but it was a wood fire, there was no coal in that part of the country. Tea did not come from India, but from a little herb known very well to country people, who once dried it and used it in their cottage homes. Bread was baked from wheat ears, ground fine, and Hare and Grey Rabbit gleaned in the cornfields to get the wheat.

The doormats were plaited rushes, like country-made mats, and cushions were stuffed with wool gathered from the hedges where sheep pushed through the thorns. As for the looking-glass, Grey Rabbit found the glass, dropped from a lady’s handbag, and Mole made a frame for it. Usually the animals gazed at themselves in the still pools as so many country children have done.”

(Alison Uttley)

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aioleis · 10 days

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The Child in the Country, Colin Ward

English literature abounds in the kind of autobiographical novel in whose opening chapters our young hero (for it is seldom a heroine) is seen in the ancient small-town grammar school, daydreaming of the woods and fields, while his elderly teacher is droning on about Latin declensions.

Once let out of school, his real life begins – wandering by the river banks and up through spinney and copse to the hilltops, observing nature with a learning eye and absorbing the wisdom of shepherd and gamekeeper, forester and farrier, from the lovable old poacher with a heart of gold and from the scary old hermit whose tumbledown cottage is really a treasure trove of country lore and bygones.

In the urban equivalent our hero is rather lower down the social scale. Once released from his stern mentors in the board school, he is out and down the street like a shot, everybody’s friend in the market, besieging the old lady in the sweetshop on the corner, begging orange boxes from the greengrocer, nicking coal from the railway yard, all as a rough-and-ready apprenticeship to the life of the city. Years later (for such stories are always set in the past) these stereotypes have become successful citizens, and when they unbend to the young graduate seeking the hand of their favourite daughter, they usually confess that, ‘I was educated in the School of Life’, The point that they and their creators are making is the truism that our homespun philosophers invariably call it, is no substitute for Life Itself. The stereotypes are, of course, intensely literary in origin. The first owes a great deal to Wordsworth and his immense influence on the British imagination, with the long shadow of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s cult of the ‘natural man’ behind it, and the second belongs to a picaresque tradition stretching back through Dickens to Defoe. Teachers of English have for years sought to democratize and update these stereotypes of the separateness of urban and rural experience. Think of the whole series of excellent books with which vast numbers of children have been made familiar as they became set books for examination purposes. I am thinking of texts like Flora Thompson’s evocation of Victorian rural childhood in Lark Rise, Alison Uttley’s Edwadian The Country Child, Laurie Lee’s idyll of the years after the First World War, Cider With Rosie, and Ronald Blythe’s assemblage of his neighbours‘ recollections in Akenfield. Excellent books, all of them, in their examination of the relationship between children and their environment, but I often wonder if their popularity among teachers is precisely because they promote a picture of a purified identity of rural childhood, uncontaminated by urban influences which muddy and confuse the image. In exactly the same way, travellers returning from Polynesia report that secondary school pupils there are obliged to read Margaret Mead’s Growing Up in New Guinea and Coming of Age in Samoa, the fruit of her research in the nineteen-thirties, to learn about the world they have lost.

Read

#wildchildren

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teanoeuvres · 6 months

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November is the pearl-grey month,

the changeling between warm crimson October and cold white December,

the month when the leaves fall in slow drifting whirls,

and the shapes of the trees are revealed,

when the earth imperceptibly wakes and stretches her bare limbs and displays her stubborn unconquerable strength

before she settles uneasily into winter.

November is secret and silent.

Alison Uttley

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ripplefactor · 4 months

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Little Grey Rabbit's Christmas by Alison Uttley, Pictures by Margaret Tempest, William Collins, Sons & Co. Ltd., 1940❄️

#Little Grey Rabbit's Christmas #ripplefactor #rpf2

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mayamiyamaillustration · 11 months

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今夜は満月。6月の満月はストロベリー・ムーンと呼ばれるそうです。 イラストレーション(鉛筆、色鉛筆、水彩絵の具)は、アリソン・アトリー著「むぎばたけ」より。  1.ハリネズミが一ぴき、生け垣ぞいに、野道をぶらぶらやってきました。楽しそうに、鼻歌を口ずさみながら。  2.夜ともなれば、ぱっちりと目を覚まし、月夜の冒険にくりだすのです。小さなけものたちって、たいていそうですけどね。 

3.「やあ、ジャック。最近どうよ？」ハリネズミは、人なつっこく呼びかけました。「まぁまぁだね。」ノウサギは、こたえました。  4.「やあ、こんちは。最近どうよ？」ハリネズミは、人なつっこく呼びかけました。「どうってことないね。」カワネズミは、こたえました。  5.三匹は座り込み、さやさやとたえまない麦の穂の合唱に、息をのんでききいりました。

6.キャラクター構成のための鉛筆スケッチ。  Tonight is full moon. The full moon in June is called the Strawberry Moon. My illustration(Pencil, Colored pencil, Water color) from Text by Alison Uttley “The Cornfield”.(From selection of tales “Magic In My Pocket”, “The Weather Cock” copyright © Penguin Books Ltd, 1957. ※”The Weather Cock, and Other Stories” First published in England 1945.)  1.A Hedgehog jogged along the country lane between the hedged, singing to himself his own little song of happiness. 

2. Now night had come, and, in common with many small animals, hedgehog was wide awake, and off for a moonlight adventure.  3.‘ Hello Jack’, said Hedgehog in his friendly way, ‘How’s the world treating you?’ ‘Pretty middling.’, replied the Hare.  4. ‘How d’ye do?’ said Hedgehog. ‘How’s life treating you?’ ‘Not so bad,’ replied the Water-rat.  5.The three animals sat breathless, listening to the little sounds and murmurs of the corn’s voice.

6.Pencil sketch for character design.

#maya miyama #illustration #alisonuttley #the cornfield #hedgehog #hare #water rat #moonlight adventure #wheat #kidlit #kidlit illustration #children’s book illustration #むぎばたけ #ハリネズミ #ノウサギ #カワネズミ #満月 #月夜の冒険譚 #ストロベリームーン

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