Marguerite de Angeli

Marguerite de Angeli

My first introduction to Marguerite de Angeli was at my grandmother's house when I was a little girl. I  found a very worn and tattered copy of Thee, Hannah in the guest bedroom, that room with floor to ceiling bookshelves on both sides of the bed and a walk-in cedar closet, packed out with wonderful vintage, dress-ups. 

I bought myself a new copy of Skippack School more than a decade ago, while visiting my college roommate out in Lancaster County. I recognized the sweet faces of the boys on the cover as being similar to those in Thee, Hannah.  Josiah and I have enjoyed this story, set outside of Philadelphia in Germantown in 1750, of pupil Eli Shrawder and  his school master and friend,  Master Christopher Dock, more than once. 

Despite my early acquaintance with Ms. de Angeli, I didn't fully appreciate her contributions to children's literature in the last century until, once again, at a used book sale I acquired an old library copy of The Door in the Wall. 

It is wonderful. We loved it. It is the story of Robin, a boy of noble birth living in London in the 14th century, who learns to overcome his crooked legs, a disability left him by an illness (probably the black plague that was sweeping through Europe at that time). He is rescued by Brother Luke, a kind friar, who nurses him back to health and teaches him how to use his hands in useful employment. But more than that, Brother Luke teaches him to care about others, to think about others, and to act courageously on behalf of others. 

One of my objects in reading with Josiah this year has been to read books that stimulate discussions about character. What character qualities do I want my boys to emulate, what do I want to hold up for them to strive towards? The Door in the Wall is a story about courage. Courage, from the Latin cor, heart, is "that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear." A quality I would be most pleased to see my boys display. 

It seems once a name is on your radar, it pops up all over the place, so perhaps I am the last person in the world to be aware of how wonderful the books are of this Michigan-born author and illustrator. I have since found two more of her books in my house, stuck on my shelves, by me, but unbeknownst to me.

By chance Marguerite de Angeli is not on your list of "authors and illustrators to look for", take this as a heads up. Her stories inspire noble thoughts and her illustrations are beautiful. 

the Alfie books

A couple of years back a friend pointed me in the direction of Shirley Hughes' books at our local public library. I am glad she did. We have loved Alfie and his little sister, Annie Rose, ever since.

Alfie is a very likable little boy of about three or four years of age, who is very British, like his creator, Shirley Hughes. He lives in a row house with his mom and dad and little sister, Annie Rose. He is friends with the milk man and the MacNallys across the street and has wonderfully common adventures that any three year old little person can relate to. He is kind and caring and a good big brother.

"Don't cry, Annie Rose," said Alfie. He put his hand through the bars

 of her crib and patted her gently, as he had seen Mom do sometimes.

Shirley Hughes is the author of more than a few children's books and there are various collections of stories about Alfie and Annie Rose. The books pictured here are part of a four-volume set of small picture books. Included in the set are Alfie's Feet, Alfie Gets in First, Alfie Lends a Hand, and An Evening at Alfie's. All of them are very sweet. 

Dogger is another very popular book by this author/illustrator. It is the story of a little boy named Dave who loses his favorite stuffed dog while out one day, only to find it later tagged for sale at a fund raiser event in the park, and then bought by another child before he can get back with his money. His big sister, Bella, takes his grief to heart and sets out to help him get his precious Dogger back. And that is just what is so precious about this book: the I'll-fight-for-you love between brother and sister. Sibling love on the pages of a book is hard to come by these days. 

The other thing I love about Ms. Hughes' illustrations is how real they are. Beds are unmade, milk is spilled on the breakfast table, toys strewn all over the floor. Alfie's home looks like a place I'd like to visit. Alfie is a little guy I think your little ones would like to meet. Mine sure have enjoyed getting to know him. 

on Peter Spier, a favorite illustrator

for Claire, as she makes the necessary preparations to welcome her little one into this world

Found this little gem at a used book sale. This is the second, happened-upon book by Peter Spier that we've fallen in love with, that cost me the equivalent of what it costs to park on a public street in Pittsburgh for 10 minutes.

The first is a paper back that I am very sorry to say is out of print.  The Cow Who Fell In The Canal by Phyllis Krasilovsky is set in Holland, the birthplace of the illustrator, and has a story line as charming as the pictures that accompany it.

Mr. Hofstra's cow, Hendrika, is a good cow who longs to please her master by giving him plenty of good, creamy, white milk, but she secretly longs for adventure. Her adventure begins the day she falls in the canal. Spier's illustrations depict a 19th-century Holland in wonderful detail, full of bicycles, store fronts you'd like to walk in, windmills and wooden shoe clad Dutch folk.

Josiah memorized this book when he was two or three years old. I caught him talking to Curious George one night, long after the lights were out, retelling the story of Hendrika in near-perfect detail. Hendrika was also the first three syllable word Tamagn learned. Back in January he was requesting "Drika" daily as a read aloud.

I don't need to sell you on it. Pick this one up if you come across it. It is worth much more than the quarter I spent on it.

And So My Garden Grows is part of a little three-volume Mother Goose series Peter Spier illustrated. Set in 19th-century Italy, it follows two children on their daydream journey through the Italian countryside, gardens and century-old villas.

"Oh that I were where I would be, 

Then I would be where I am not"

I wouldn't mind skipping along with them down this long lane that leads to San Gimignano, a 14th- century medieval city overlooking the Tuscan countryside between Florence and Siena.  

Their journey takes them into the city and to a courtyard, the courtyard of the Town Hall where Dante spoke seven centuries ago. They rest along the Via Appia Antiqua, wander down the Avenue of the Hundred Fountains and into the magnificent gardens of the Benedictine Monastery in Tivoli. That's just a taste of the delights in this charming little book.

The other two titles in Spier's Mother Goose Library are London Bridge is Falling Down!, which takes its reader through 18th-century London (and which I have a used copy on order from Amazon), and To Market! To Market!, set on a farm in Old Newcastle, Delaware in the 1800s.

I have appreciated Peter Spiers' other books that we own, People,  Noah's Ark, and The Star Spangled Banner, but the two mentioned above hold a special place in my heart. Peter Spier has over thirty children's books to his name and I don't think you'll be disappointed with any that you choose to add to your personal library.

Any personal favorites by this author/illustrator? I'd love to hear your recommendations.