The Stories Behind the Stories by Danielle Higley

"In my research of these authors, I began to see that our most treasured children's books weren't just built on creativity and imagination - many were born from an extraordinary persistence and grit."

I thought I knew many of these back stories - but I didn't. Reading this book I made so many delightful discoveries.

Did Clement Clark Moore really write The Night Before Christmas? 

Why is there a black telephone in the room (Goodnight Moon)? After all this is perhaps supposed to be a bedroom.

Do you recognise the name Bennett Cerf?  I had no idea he was the co-founder of Random House who published books by Dr Suess (Theodor Geisel). He is also the man who set Dr Seuss the 50 word challenge which led to Green Eggs and Ham.

"When CS Lewis (The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) was sixteen, a image of a faun carrying parcels and an umbrella through a snowy wood popped into his mind."

Wilson Rawls (Where the Red Fern Grows) loved Call of the Wild which his mother read to him. He had very little education, could not spell and had no idea about punctuation or paragraphs. His burnt all his work which he had spent years writing. Luckily his wife encouraged him to rewrite his stories and she helped him with the paragraphs etc. 

Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) lived in Stuttgart, Germany during World War II. "There were no colours. ... Everything was greys and greens and brown greens and grey greens. ... (with the Very Hungry Caterpillar) the child inside me - who had been so suddenly and sharply uprooted and repressed - was beginning to come joyfully back to life."

When he was a young school boy Cadbury had a chocolate factory near Roald Dahl's school. The children were sometimes asked to taste the new chocolate creations. Have you made a link here?

I do like the way the Table of Contents page is presented.  The art in this book has been created using collage and fragments of book covers.  You can see inside this book on the publisher page. 

There are twenty-nine books explored here and nearly all are titles I am sure you would expect to see. Here are a few:

• Charlotte's web
• The Lion the Witch and the wardrobe
• Green Eggs and Ham
• A Wrinkle in Time
• Where the Wild things are
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• Peter Pan and Wendy
• Winnie-the-pooh
• Goodnight Moon
• Curious George
• The Hobbit
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Harry Potter 

And then there are other books which, while very familiar, may surprise you:

• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Henry Huggins
• Where the Red Fern Grows
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Percy Jackson
• A series of Unfortunate Events
• The Boxcar children
• Nancy Drew mysteries
• The Giving Tree
• Roll of Thunder hear my Cry
• Captain Underpants
• The Magic School Bus

I have had this book on my "to buy" list for over a year. Last week I decided this could be my Book Week gift to myself even though the books inside are not Australian. 

There is a detailed bibliography at the back of this book which you could use for extra research.

A visually stunning look at how timeless stories are made. Baby Bookworm

The publisher Bushel and Peck Books donate one book to kids in need for every book they sell. They give books to schools, libraries, shelters, and other organisations. Isn't that wonderful!

Helen Oxenbury a life in illustration Words by Leonard S Marcus

As Christmas approaches book lists are appearing all over the place - on blogs, in shops and in book store catalogues. After you have made all those book purchases for others here is a book to add to your own list or if you are looking to give a gift to a Children's Literature fan (like me) this book is perfect.

I spied Helen Oxenbury a life in illustration on the web some weeks ago and then I saw the actual book on the coffee table of a good friend yesterday. I exclaimed WOW I want to read that! She generously said take it home. You will love it.

So last night I sat down thinking I would read a few pages. You have probably guessed I read the WHOLE book in one sitting. That's over 265 pages but before you are too impressed, about half the book is given over to full page examples of the joyous work we associate with Helen Oxenbury.

My own first memory of Helen Oxenbury would be her Tom and Pippo series. Reading Helen Oxenbury a life in illustration I have discovered Helen produced 12 books about Tom and his toy monkey. They were first published in 1988. This is one series that surely should be back in print. I fondly remember giving these book to many family friends.

It is at times like this I wish I was still 'living in' my school library.  I need to sit down and look more closely at earlier Helen Oxenbury books such as The Great Big Enormous Turnip by Alexei Tolstoy (1968), The dragon of an ordinary Family by Margaret Mahy (1969), The Hunting of the Snark by Edward Lear (1970) and Meal One by Ivor Cutler (1971). I also love the way I make discoveries. I had no idea Helen Oxenbury illustrated another favourite book - Franny B Kranny there's a bird in your hair (2001).

Image Source: http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/2011/04/meal-one.html

Of course one of the most famous books illustrated by Helen Oxenbury is We're going on a Bear Hunt. This book has been a part of my read aloud repertoire since it first appeared in 1989 and who can resist Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell (1991). There is a whole chapter devoted to Farmer Duck in Helen Oxenbury a life in illustration.

Michael Rosen (We're going on a bear hunt) talks about his ideas and reaction to the illustrations in a candid way.  He simply didn't understand Helen's images at all.  We're going on a bear hunt began life as a song. Helen actually did the art for the album sleeve. About this time Michael Rosen came across the song and he added it to his one-man show for school children. An editor at Walker books heard the song and recognised the potential for a book. Helen drew on the landscapes near her home at Hampstead Heath and the landscapes of her childhood in Felixstowe. Eighteen months later the books was finished. I loved reading her thoughts about the last page, which for me is the most important. Here is a quote from The Guardian:

"It occurred to me three-quarters of the way through that possibility that the bear was all on his own in the cave, and might just have wanted some company rather than to eat the children."

So the bear, Leonard S Marcus explains : "slopes of into the night, looking utterly downcast." "The sudden pivot from suspense to pathos lends the story an unexpected poignant added dimension."

One thing that has always puzzled me is why the pop up version of We're going on a bear hunt does not have this all important end paper. The pop up does, however, have a fantastic page with the snow storm and it is such fun to pop everyone under the bed covers after they race upstairs and jump into bed.

Now take a few minutes to read this review where Booktrust asked some of the most famous names in children's books (such as Anthony Browne, Lauren Child,  Michael Morpurgo and Shirley Hughes) to share their comments about Helen Oxenbury and her equally talented husband John Burningham.

Helen Oxenbury a life in illustration is a scrumptious book. It has a beautiful dust jacket which covers a surprise, a ribbon bookmark, there is a list of all the awards Helen has won since 1969 and the bibliography of her titles is generously spread over 10 pages allowing room for many of her book covers. It is very clear Leonard S Marcus just loves Helen's work but at no point does he intrude.

One last thing - did you know Helen Oxenbury designed the famous Walker Bear - all book people know this little logo means you can be sure the book in your hands will be just perfect.

"The Walker Bear is always in motion, right foot first, perpetually carrying the flickering candle in its green candlestick - respected the world over a symbol of publishing quality and distinction."

Here is an image from Ten Little Fingers Ten Little Toes by our own Mem Fox.

Bookworm : A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan

"Was your first crush on Dickon ... do you still get the urge to tap the back of the wardrobe if you find yourself alone in a strange bedroom?  ... If so this is the book for you."

"words weren't just markings on a page to be passively absorbed and enjoyed but could be tools, treasures and toys all in one." (The Phantom Tollbooth)

"I have lived so many lives through books, gone to so many places, so many eras, looked through so many different eyes, considered so many different points of view."

A few months ago a fellow children's literature enthusiast loaned me her copy of Bookworm. I thought I would dip in and read a few chapters - the cover looked interesting and it was tactile.

A few days later I lifted my head with a huge sigh of happiness. While I was not lucky enough to have the fabulous book-abundant childhood of Lucy Mangan, she loved and read so many books that I loved and read that I felt as though I had emerged from a long a joyous conversation about hundreds of wonderful children's books and our shared memories of reading them. We both visited the public library with our dad, we both received books as presents from relatives and family friends and we both continue to love reading children's books even though we are now adults. If you, too, are a huge fan of children's books both especially the ones you read as a child then this is a PERFECT book.

Here are some moments of shared joy:

Chapter 1 The Very Hungry Reader
Miffy "To look into Miffy's face - two dots for eyes and a cross for a mount comprising a face that somehow looked back at me with  happiness, sadness, anticipation, bewilderment, surprise and all points in between"

Chapter 2 - Dr Seuss
Lucy is able to say what I always thought but could not express the huge mess created by that cat in The Cat in the Hat. All I knew was it disturbed me. Lucy calls it "anapaestic anarchy". My family home was such a tidy one I remember being quite distressed by all that mess and also the worry that the mother would come home and see the chaos.

Chapter 3  Now I am Six
I know it will warm the heart of another book loving friend of mine to her Lucy declare "It was with The Owl who was Afraid of the dark that I truly fell in love with the act of reading itself."  Lucy also reminded me how rereading is so important for children. It takes a lot of energy to decipher a text but once this is mastered the child can then "begin to get lost in the story."  I love her phrase - you can't wear out a book's patience. If you have a chance to pick up this book read page 73 and if you are a teacher you might give a copy of page 73 to all parents. (I would also look at the wisdom on pages 206-7)

In chapter 3 Lucy also talks about The Happy Family series by Allen and Janet Ahlberg and a little hardcover book series called Antelope books (Hamish Hamilton) which I remember along with books about doll houses (I long to find my childhood one with hot and cold taps) and the wonderful Flat Stanley. At age six Lucy also encountered Ladybird Books and the wonders of Roald Dahl. I marvel that she read these when so young. Like Lucy I also find George's treatment of his grandma quite aggressive and not perhaps as funny as intended. We both prefer Matilda and the BFG.

Chapter 4 - The Blyton Interregnum
My Blyton time was spent with The Secret Seven and Noddy. I scorned the Famous Five and decided The Seven were a better choice.  Lucy read many more Blyton titles and loved this period.

Chapter 5 - Through a Wardrobe
Early in this chapter Lucy mentions The Borrowers - their world always fascinated me. "drawing pins as candleholders, stamps as pictures on their walls, small coins as plates and cotton reels as stools."  But there is also the bravery of Arrietty and for Lucy it was her first fantasy book.  This, then, leads her perfectly to Narnia and just like Lucy my first joy with these books came from a gift of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Lucy herself also discovered a heroine called Lucy!

In this chapter Lucy confesses she deliberately did not read Fairy Tales as a child and this is where she and I part ways because I devoured fairy tales and still hold The Wild Swans to one of my all time favourite stories. As Lucy says about this embargo "being a bookworm does not necessarily mean being a good reader."

At this time Lucy also found Noel Streatfeild and so did I.  I loved Ballet Shoes even though I had no interest in actually taking dancing lessons and then I moved from Streatfeild onto the Wells books by Lorna Hill.  To this day I continue to be tantalized by the idea of sitting in a cafe eating ices as those Wells girls did. Reading many titles from this series is a truly happy book memory for me.

Towards the end of this chapter, though, Lucy Mangan and I part ways because her next reading adventure was with horse stories and I read none!  This section made me laugh out loud with her references to titles such as A Pony for Jean, Another Pony for Jean and More Ponies for Jean.

Chapter 6 -  Grandmothers and Little Women
When her grandmother gave Lucy a copy of Little Women she was entranced both with the story but also the edition. A red leather volume with gold curlicues, beautiful endpapers, a biography of the author and an introduction - "Why would I read ABOUT  the book when the actual book was there, waiting to be read just a few pages on?"  Lucy - thank you for making me laugh out loud!

In this chapter Lucy confesses to another enduring rule - one which I did not follow - against talking animals. Hence she missed out on Wind in the Willows, Tarka the Otter and earlier in her life books by Beatrix Potter, Winnie the Pooh and the Brambly Hedge series.

Chapter 7 - Wonderlands
Now we turn to The Secret Garden and on this topic Lucy and I are in complete agreement. We both loved this book, the garden and Dickon. "At that age, once I was reading, my concentration was total, my immersion in the book complete. A few sentences was all it took for the world to fade away and fiction to assume reality."

Chapter 8 - Happy Golden Years
These were the early days of Puffin books and Lucy started saving her own money so she could buy books like Charlotte's Web. This book outraged Lucy. "I. Could. Not. Believe. it. ... I was beyond appalled." Luckily for Lucy her next book was a sheer delight of words and ideas - The Phantom Tollbooth. She says "reading this book was like watching the translucent paper being peeled off a transfer, revealing the true colour beneath. The world of every book would glow a little brighter ever after."  I love this image and idea.

The next book was certainly life changing one for me too - Goodnight Mister Tom. Thank you Lucy I will now go back and revisit this wonderful book. You can expect to read my thoughts in a future post.

Chapter 9 - Darkness Rising
Lucy reaches High School and like I did, she finds dystopian fiction in books like Z for Zachariah, The Tripods series by John Christopher and Brother in the Land.

Chapter 10 - A coming of Age
Once again Lucy and I agree on our favourites - Bridge to Terabithia, and Dicey's Song. Where we part company is on Sweet Valley High. No titles from this series ever reached my reading pile but Lucy devoured them.

Thanks to Lucy Mangan I have encountered some delicious new words such as zeugma, interregnum and percolations.

On the final pages of Bookworm there are lists of all the books mentioned in each chapter. Thanks to this I hunted out Would you rather and talked about here it a few weeks ago.  Listen to an audio sample from Bookworm.

Here are some very warm reviews:
The Guardian
The Irish Times

Children's book-a-day almanac by Anita Silvey

You might have noticed the Book-a-day almanac on my sidebar.  I love to dip into this and now Anita has published all her reviews into a book!  I received it for my birthday.  The perfect present for a Teacher-Librarian.

I will let Anita explain the structure of these reviews :
"Every day of the calendar year I discuss an appropriate title and then provide information about how it came about, the author, the ideal audience and how the book has connected in a meaningful way with young people from babies to age fourteen. ... For each day of the year I also provide a sidebar that lists other events and contains children's books related to these events."

How will I use the Almanac?

• As a shopping list of course
• A memory jogger of books I have read and perhaps forgotten
• A diary planner so I can celebrate author and illustrator birthdays
• A celebration planner so we can celebrate using children's books
• And finally as inspiration.

Turning to my birthday I see the book of the day was Savvy which I have also reviewed.  This was a book I really loved so I am happy to see it coincides with my birthday. The sidebar mentions I share a birthday with Frances Hodgson Burnett and Carlo Collodi (Pinocchio).

I am very glad to have a copy of this book on my shelf of children's literature reference books and I am sure it is a volume I will return to many times.  My only dilemma is will I write all over it with annotations... this is so tempting.