Big Little looks at the world through a baby’s eyes, who makes comparisons between the objects around him.

This is one of those books that, as a writer and an artist (in a very loose sense of the word), I look at and kick myself.  It’s so adorable and innocent and endearing, that I wish I was the creator who could be sitting back right now saying, “Oh, the cleverness of me!”  Which is, I am sure what the author and illustrator, Leslie Patricelli, is saying right now.

The kids and I started this tradition about five years ago.  Once the tree is up, we turn off all the lights in the living room and turn on the lights to the Christmas tree.  In the glow of the twinkle lights, we curl up on the sofa and read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.  Admittedly, it’s a bit rough on the eyes, but completely worth it. Atmosphere is everything, and when my children are grown, they will remember how they felt as we read this much loved story.

Though Dickens’ language is a bit complex for my little guys, I believe the more exposure they have to such language, the more naturally they will grow accustomed to it over time. In this edition, the illustrations by P. J. Lynch are lush and expressive, and very helpful when the kids are struggling to understand the words.

Lately, the only characters keeping my nose between the pages are a girl from Arizona and a boy who has been alive since 1901. Reading seems to be more difficult when all my time is taken up by kids and blogging and writing (forget cleaning!).
However, my friend brought me The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (the same book Stephenie Meyer recommended on her website) last week, and when I finally decided to read it, I was hooked.  I finished it in a little over a day.
Set in the future, in a place formerly known as North America, it is the story of a teenage girl who is thrown into a game with twenty-three other teenagers who must fight to the death.
Though probably not a book for those who cannot handle Lord of the Flies, it is free of profanity, and promotes themes of hope and humanity.
Romantic and ironic, haunting and thrilling,  The Hunger Gamesis an excellent read.

Tasha Tudor passed away this summer.  You may recognize her work from the covers of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess (when published by HarperFestival).  Having lived a full and fascinating life based on the styles and habits of the 19th Century, she was the Thoreau of her time.  Her book, Pumpkin Moonshine, has always been the book that comes to mind when I think of the fall. It is the story of a little girl and a runaway pumpkin.  It is sweet and simple—reminiscent of an era gone by.

Here are some of the books you all listed for our harvest of great books dialogue:
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
Max’s Halloween (Max and Ruby) by Rosemary Wells
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie (Picture Puffins) by Alison Jackson and Judy Schachner
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg (my favorite of his after The Polar Express)
A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman and Jeff Shelly
Four Scary Stories by Tony Johnston
The Hallo-wienerby Dav Pilkey

Thank you everyone for all your other marvelous suggestions.  If you haven’t had a chance yet, you can peruse them all in the comments section.

A special thanks to Erin who reminded me of the name of the book I rambled about on that post.  It was called  Pumpkins: A Story for a Field by Mary Lyn Ray and Barry Root

I have one more suggestion.  Jerry Seinfeld Halloween.  My husband and I laugh over this until we almost cry.  We were both the kids who had to go trick-or-treating with our winter coats on . . .  you’ll see what I mean when you read the book.  We bought the book for ourselves, but the kids love it, too.  I must warn you, though, it is a little rude in some parts (he uses the words shut-up and stupid, and is ungrateful to a nice old lady), at which points I will either switch in another word, or say things like, “We don’t say shut-up.  We don’t treat people like that.”  Then I just laugh on the inside so the kids can’t see.

My husband just emailed me a YouTube link where you can see the pictures, and hear Jerry perform the stand-up routine that goes with it.

I once read a book while my kids were choosing books at Borders about a man who was going to lose his pumpkin farm if he didn’t come up with $100, 000 to pay off the mortgage.  To save his farm, he mailed a letter to a hundred thousand people all over the world, telling them how wonderful pumpkins were.  He told the people they cost a dollar each, and if they all sent him a dollar, he would send them each a pumpkin.  Everyone followed his instructions, and he was able to save his farm.  Though even more far-fetched than Field of Dreams, it planted an idea in my head that I have never given up:  I want to move to the country and start my own pumpkin farm.

But I’ll talk more about that another time.

Today I want to ask you all this question:

What are your favorite children’s books for FALL and HALLOWEEN?

Let’s see how many comments we can get, so we can start a little online discussion.  Won’t that be fun?

Lovely.  I knew you’d all be into it!

Plus, if any of you know the name of the book I talked about up there, please let me know.

I’m a huge C. S. Lewis fan.  In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life, he takes great lengths to discuss his education.  He said his father bought every book he had ever read, so Lewis was at liberty to read anything lying about the house.  When Lewis’s boarding school experiences proved to be disastrous, his father sent him to live with his own former college professor William T. Kirkpatrick (the inspiration for Professor Kirk in the Chronicles of Narnia), who was his private tutor for years and taught Lewis to think logically.

Since reading it, my dream has been to get wealthy and hire a live in governess to teach my children privately.  She could go on trips to Europe with us and tutor my children in logic, literature, and languages (no alliteration intended).  A couple years ago, when I saw we weren’t getting rich, I thought I’d take a whack at homeschooling and volunteer myself as the governess.  My son was very cooperative, and enjoyed the one on one teaching, but after about six months we abandoned it for several reasons with which I won’t bore you.

Homeschooling was not a waste of time, by any means.  I had based the curriculum on Jessie Bauer and Susan Wise Bauer’s book, The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, which has become a homeschooling standard on classical education.  With it, Stuart learned much more history and literature than public schools would ever try to cover, and we even began Latin.  Since my dream of giving him the perfect education has halted until we have an extra $70,000 every year to pay the governess, he and I try as often as we can to supplement his learning with things the book suggests for people who can’t homeschool: world history, writing, literature, and logic.  That way, when I write my best-selling novel, or my husband becomes a real estate tycoon, the governess won’t have to start from scratch.

Often, for birthday parties, I encourage my kids to give books as presents.  It may not put them in the top gift-giving rank in the eyes of most of their friends, but the kids who receive them will have them for years, and will most likely pass them down to their own children.  They may not remember who gave them the book, but it will outlive the Legos and the Polly Pockets. It will become a part of who they are.

This is a picture of my son’s E. B. White books (Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little 60th Anniversary Edition, The Trumpet of the Swan), but yesterday, while shopping for one of his friends, we found the whole set—hardcover!—at Borders in the discount section for only $10.00, marked down from $50.  Another wise shopping decision!

Best of luck finding the same deal at your Borders!

You will begin to notice, after following my blog a bit, that I am quite obsessed with all things England.  I wonder if my interest began when I was a child.  I used to tape episodes of Wonderworks, the collection of films on PBS.  (They once showed Kevin Sullivan’s productions of Anne of Green Gables, which was, of course, a favorite), but they also aired a perfect rendition of A Little Princess - Wonderworks Family Movie (good luck with the link — you can only buy it on VHS, and through independent sellers, but I thought you’d be interested to know which edition it was, anyway).  I watched it again and again — so much that eventually I was Anglicized enough to enjoy the desaturated, rainy-day color characteristic of many British films.

When I had watched the tape enough times to run my VCR ragged, I read the book.  Hands down, it was my favorite book of my childhood.  It was the first time I was sad when I only had ten pages left to read, and after it was finished, I carried it around the house for days, not wanting the story to end.

Rapunzel’s Revenge, the new graphic novel by Shannon and Dean Hale, and illustrated by Nate Hale, is a modern retelling of the classic fairy tale.  Kidnapped as a child and raised by an evil witch, Rapunzel discovers the mystery of her own past and embarks on a quest to put it to rights and save the surrounding land from mystical tyranny.  With her quick whits and long locks, she saves the day more than once.  Set in a wizardy wild West and filled with comedy and girl power, it is a book unlike anything else.

Author Shannon Hale (Goose Girl, Princess Academy), along with her husband, reveals more facets of her vivid imagination.  Nate Hale (The Devil You Know) proves his talent as one of the most inventive illustrators of this generation.  And, he’s a friend of mine.  Hi, Nate!

I have been in search for the best edition of these books for ages, and now I’ve found them!  The Chronicles of Narnia Full-Color Collector’s Edition from Harper Trophy are paperback (c’est dommage!), but even so, the bindings are stitched, which will make the books last longer than some hardcovers out there.  I love the pictures—they’re the same Pauline Baynes illustrations I remember from childhood.  But to add pleasure to perfection—they’re full color.

The sound recording from Harper Children’s Audio is unabridged and features the voice talents of Kenneth Branagh, Lynn Redgrave, Jeremy Northam, and others (you can listen to all of The Silver Chair read by Mr. Knightley–sigh).

My son, who found the book series a bit daunting in second grade, popped in the CDs and read along.  He had them finished in about a week, and probably enjoyed them more being lulled into the world of Narnia by the sound of British voices.

I always like to read them in the order they were written. Some people (like the publishers) say that Lewis intended them to be read starting with the Magician’s Nephew, but I think it’s more exciting to start with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  (Incidentally, the producers of the movies seem to think so, too.)

If anyone’s interested, here’s the order they were written:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Prince Caspian

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Silver Chair

The Horse and His Boy

The Magician’s Nephew

The Last Battle

I’m about to leave for the Breaking Dawn (Stephenie Meyer’s 4th book in the Twilight series) release party.  Hanging around with a bunch of high school kids dressed as vampires at a prom at midnight would not be my first choice for a Friday night, but I cannot wait any longer for that book.  I’ve been dreaming about it for weeks, and if I get the book in 3 hours instead of twelve hours, then I will know nine hours earlier if Bella and Edward get married, if Jacob finds someone else to love, and if anyone (let’s hope not!) dies.  I’m just about beside myself.  So, if you’ll please excuse me, I have a party to attend.

We bribed our son, not too long ago, to read for a certain number of minutes in exchange for a new book. For his reward, I bought the coolest looking novel I have ever seen. Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic Press, 2007) opens with a black and white sketch of the moon set against a black background. More sketches follow as you turn the pages, and you feel almost as though you were watching a film instead of reading a book. An intriguing mix of drawings and text uncover the story of an orphan boy living in Paris in 1935 and the mystery he encounters.

After reading the book, my son has been fascinated by Georges Melies, a magician filmmaker from the turn of the last century, who plays a starring role in the story. Selznick includes a list of resources for learning more about Melies and the films mentioned in the book.