Little Books for Little Bookworms
Today, Kate shares a nostalgic oldie but goodie:
My father took me to England when I was eight years old. I remember parts of the trip quite vividly, particularly my first taste of lemon squash (sour!) and my discovery of Roger Hargreaves' wonderful series of Mr. Men and Little Miss books.
The series either hadn't yet made it to the U.S. at the time of my visit or else simply hadn't made it to my local library, but I stocked up on the slim, square, identically-sized mini-volumes during that trip and have kept them until this day. My favorites included Mr. Tickle, Mr. Bump, and Mr. Sneeze, but the happy fact is that all of the books are similar in style and narrative arc (limited and child-friendly). I recently introduced the books to my daughter, and found that she enjoys the colorful blocky drawings, dopey puns, and happy outcomes just as much as I did.
The series has continued to grow in the past decades, and has even branched into successful merchandising and a television show in the U.K. The books are silly but offer the wonderfully reassuring message to children that there could be an alternative reality in which things are strange but recognizable and everything works out well in the end. And, being English, all of the characters eat a lot of toast! Dive into the Mr. Men/Little Miss universe for a fun (and nostalgic!) reading experience.
Comments
With a British mother, I grew up on these too, and recently unearthed my old (complete!) set for my girls, and picked up a few new Little Miss books for my girls on a recent trip across the pond.
Wonderfully, they are just as delightful as I remember them being! They are fun, and teach prosocial behaviour in a kooky and colorful way. NOT for early readers, but fabulous to cuddle up and read to them. Enjoy!
Posted by: Susan | January 30, 2011 11:20 AM | Reply to this comment
I had these too, as a kid (maybe the UK/Canada connection got them to me earlier?)...but recently bought Mr. Nervous for my, well, rather nervous 6 year old. Last year, we took the book to soccer practice, where I did an impromptu read aloud for the siblings of the soccer kids. From then on we used one of Mr. Nervous's quotes "Oh, calamity!" whenever something was tense on the field. It created a lovely bonding experience for parents and kids alike!
Posted by: tracyp | January 31, 2011 9:41 AM | Reply to this comment