TWOsday ~ children's books

Violet Goes to the Country ~ story by Melanie Cecka, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully, 2007, children's, 10/10

This is the second in a series of bestselling Mitford Storybooks inspired by Cynthia Coppersmith, a character from Jan Karon’s Mitford Years series.  Violet and her owner, Alice, are off to the country for a visit.  Violet is as excited as can be, but she keeps getting in the way of Alice’s uncle Leo (who is "not much of a cat person").  Actually, the full title of this book is Jan Karon Presents Cynthia Coppersmith's Violet Goes to the Country.  Cynthia Coppersmith, who is a main character in Jan Karon's novels about a place called Mitford, is a writer and illustrator of children's books.  Melanie Cecka, with approval from Jan Karon, wrote this story as if it were one of the fictional Cynthia's books.

The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury: Celebrated Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud ~ selected by Janet Schulman, 1998, children's

This splendid anthology brings together some of the most memorable and beloved children's books of our time.  Here are classics such as Madeline and Curious George; contemporary bestsellers such as Guess How Much I Love You and "The Stinky Cheese Man" story from the longer book; Caldecott Medal winners such as Make Way for Ducklings and Where the Wild Things Are; and family favorites such as Goodnight Moon, "The Sneetches" from Dr. Seuss, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and a story from Winnie-the-Pooh.  There is also a Guide to Reading Ages, showing 17 of these stories for young children, 19 for younger children, and 8 for the very youngest children.  I've done the math for you:  44 books are covered in this big 308-page book.

TWO children's books
I attended a session of storytellers week before last, and books from one of their recently deceased colleagues were spread out on tables for anyone who wanted them.  I skipped the ones for adults and chose these two children's books.