Friday, May 19, 2006

Ramona's Reading

She currently loves Margaret Wise Brown. Naturally, we've always loved Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. One would have to have a heart of cold, hard rock to not adore those books. I even love the audio version of "Runaway" -- the song, which at first grated on me when it strained and stretched lyrics to fit the music, grew on me (so much so that it became one of those soppy things that made me cry when I thought about how I, too, just like Mother Bunny, will do anything to reach my children when they need me, "for you are my little bunny.")

Now, Ramona has added some new favorites to the Margaret Wise Brown list: My World of Color, A Child's Goodnight Book, and the very silly The Good Little Bad Little Pig, which struck me as having just the right amount of quirk. Brown is a classic, thanks in great part to Goodnight, Moon, but didn't it ever strike you as quirky that the "old lady whispering hush" is referred to as such? Why isn't she "Mommy" or "Grandma"? That's just plain odd. I adore the book, but it does have its quirks, such as the old lady, and the mush that is left out all night. Ugh.

But, that's what I love about Margaret Wise Brown. She's full of unexpected quirks, just like a child's mind.

3 comments:

Alice Gunther said...

We are heading to the library tomorrow, and these books will be on our list!

[My latest fear--I have not been reading enough to Patrick and Catherine. Why can't there be more hours in the day?!]

Tim said...

That "old lady whispering hush" did always strike me as odd, too. Still love reading the little classics (Ryan has moved onto books on planets, dinosaurs, and insects).

I don't know if you've noticed the painting in the bedroom in Goodnight Moon, there's one of the mother as fisherman and child as fish from Runaway Bunny on the wall. Gotta love stuff like that!

Karen Edmisten said...

Alice, I have a feeling you do more with your kids over the lunch hour than I do in an entire school year. :-)

Tim,
Yeah, I love that crossover, too!

And I just thought of an old post from Left of the Dial that you should read -- let me go find it ....

A-ha! Here it is:
http://scottpeterson.typepad.com/leftofthedial/2005/12/goodbye_moon.html