Boo and Baa Have Company

The Boo and Baa books are quirky little tales of the adventures of two sheep. Boo and Baa are always getting themselves into scrapes of one kind or another and inexpertly getting themselves back out again. The text is translated from, I believe, Swedish. The translation seems to be a bit clunky, but this amuses me even more--the fact that they call a "board" a "plank" and say things like "now it dares go onto the plank!" all contribute to the wonky humor of the story. I also enjoy details in the illustrations which show the book is clearly not American (the kitchen, the presence of bubbly water, and the sandwiches prepared in this story are a dead giveaway on that point)--a refreshing change. Kids may miss out on or not care about these details, but they will enjoy this charming little seasonal story. Living in a place with four seasons, I always enjoy reading seasonal books with my children as it helps them to notice and appreciate the changes going on around them. Having grown up in New England, I will continue to read seasonal stories with my children even if we move at some point to a different climate. I'll want them to know what they're missing! :) I also think that an awareness of the changing times in a year helps to break up time and give reference points to small children--to whom even one rainy afternoon can seem like an eternity!

Blueberries for Sal

This is an excellent old classic which everyone has probably heard of. (Yes, I did just end a sentence with a preposition.) In this story, the ordinary adventure of blueberry picking undergoes a twist when a couple of bears are involved. Through patterns and repetition, children can see Sal solve the problem of suddenly finding herself with the wrong mother (something probably experienced by all children at one time or another in the supermarket...). As the repetitious reader out loud, I enjoy the details in this book's illustrations. I am amused to see Sal's mother traipsing up a hill through the blueberry bushes in a long skirt with her hair tidily done (thank goodness those days are over!) and I especially like the illustration on the hardcover's endpapers of the vintage kitchen with its wood stove and the old school canning jars (I'm also glad these technologies have been improved...). The car drawn at the beginning help to complete the visage of 1948, the year of the book's original publication--at least the quaint, picturesque parts. I suppose, though, it is difficult to enjoy the picturesque-ness without remembering the alarming inequalities and discrimination of the time, not to mention the ever-present political turmoil... . It is interesting to see the ways in which the media of a given time treats--or fails to treat--the ills of the contemporary society. Here we have a cute little story about mundane every-day things written in a year that sees the mistreatment of anyone not white and male, the Berlin Blockade, and the ongoing restructuring of Germany after WW II. Even children's books are not free from cultural context and can help one to better understand a time period. That was probably all very boring for normal people. Sorry. Even if you're not interested in things like cultural context, this is an enjoyable little time capsule with a timeless appeal.