The Trumpeter of Krakow

Finished The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly. It won the Newbery Medal in 1929. Set in 1400s Poland, this is an adventure book which dabbles in alchemy. I found it a bit dull, but I think that's just because it's not my cup of tea.

Harriet the Spy

Finished Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. This is one of the books from my childhood that I am a bit embarrassed to admit I've never read before. Published in 1964, it is the story of an 11 year old girl who wants to be a writer some day. Her nanny, Ole Golly, encourages her to write down all her observations of the world in a notebook. This becomes Harriet's main focus in life, spying and recording what she sees and thinks. She is brutally honest in what she writes.

Harriet is very reliant on Ole Golly for consistency, comfort and understanding. Eventually Ole Golly leaves to get married. She feels that Harriet is old enough to get along without her. The transition is very difficult. To complicate this Harriet loses her notebook of observations. It is found by her classmates who read its contents out loud. Harriet's friends and classmates then ostracize her. Her reactions to this seem childish, but, then again, she is a child. I think in some ways, when Ole Golly suddenly leaves, Harriet regresses a bit. Change is hard on children of any age. Harriet was used to confiding in Ole Golly. She does not confide in her parents. Thus she attempts to face everything alone.

Harriet's parents, not knowing what is going on, see her grades suffer and her moods swing. They take her notebook away from her and send her to a shrink. They also contact Ole Golly who sends Harriet a very firm, but wise letter. In it she says that if Harriet's notebook were to fall into the wrong hands there are two things she will have to do, apologize and lie, "Little lies that make people feel better are not bad, like thanking someone for a meal they made even if you hated it. But to yourself, you must always tell the truth."

I wasn't that keen on this book at first. It seemed harsh, particularly Harriet's observations of people. It grew on me though. There is a very interesting article about Harriet on NPR's website entitled Unapologetically Harriet, the Misfit Spy.

A Month in the Country

Finished A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr. This is a novella set in England in 1920. A veteran of World War I travels North to uncover a centuries old mural in a church. His wife has left him and he is suffering from shell shock. He lives in the loft of the church, trying to keep mostly to himself, but the people of the village are intrigued by him and draw him out. In uncovering the mural he also solves a local mystery.

This is a very quiet book. At times it reminded me of The Go-Between, Cold Comfort Farm and even Atonement. A swift and comfortable read.

In the Forest

Finished In the Forest by Marie Hall Ets. It won the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1945. It is the story of a boy who walks through the forest blowing his horn and the various animals who join him on his walk. The illustrations are done in charcoal and have a lovely soft feeling to them. A few of the drawings reminded me of Where the Wild Things Are in terms of composition. A nice little picture book.

Marie Hall Ets won the the Caldecott Medal in 1960 for Nine Day's to Christmas. She won the Caldecott Honor Medal many other times for Mr. T. W. Anthony Woo (1952), Play with Me (1956), Mr. Penny's Race Horse (1957) and Just Me (1966).

Lamb in His Bosom

Finished Lamb in His Bosom by Caroline Miller. It won the Pulitzer in 1934. This was Miller's first novel and a bestseller at the time it was published. It's the story of a family living the the back woods of Georgia during the decades leading up to the Civil War. In many ways it reminded me of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods, only written for an adult audience. Everything is explained in terms of how everyday items, like candles and clothes, are made from scratch. The characters are engaging and endearing. The prose is so beautifully written, so poetic, that at times it took my breath away. It was also interesting to consider how far removed the characters in this book were from the issues that lead up to the Civil War.

Whose Body?

Finished Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers. This is her first Lord Peter Wimsey mystery published in 1923. The Anglophiles Anonymous group I belong to on Shelfari chose this as a group read. It was already on my TBR list so I was happy to participate. This series falls into the genre of cozy mysteries, like Miss Marple. Lord Peter is a charming man of excellent taste who dabbles is sleuthing recreationally. His valet, Bunter, is reminiscent of Jeeves, minus the constant disapproval.

The book itself was a quick read and quite funny at times. The mystery was pretty easy to figure out. The motivation for the murder which takes place seems weak and the long written confession towards the end was downright boring. However, I enjoyed the book overall and look forward to reading more Lord Peter mysteries in the future.

Mother Goose

Finished Mother Goose, illustrated by Tasha Tudor. It won the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1945. Up until this time I was most familiar with Tudor's illustrations for The Secret Garden and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. In Mother Goose each nursery rhyme has its own page and illustration. These are finely detailed, sometimes in pencil, sometimes watercolor. I was surprised at how many of the nursery rhymes I remembered and even knew by heart. I grew up with The Real Mother Goose illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright, originally published in 1916.

Prayer for a Child

Finished Prayer for a Child written by Rachael Field and illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones. It won the Caldecott Medal in 1945. Field wrote a poem for her daughter which was later developed into this picture book. The tone of the poem and the illustrations is very gentle. The pictures are soft and representational. Several show a little girl in her own room with a drawing she has done tacked up over the bed. The drawing is wonderfully juvenile, absolutely age specific for this little girl. Also, there is a line in the poem which reads,

"Bless other children far and near
And keep them safe and free from fear."

The accompanying illustration is of a crowd of children from many different races and nationalities, all standing together. An interesting drawing for 1944. I mentioned Orton Jones' display of diversity in her drawings in my post about Small Rain: Verses from The Bible in January 2009.

Rachel Field Won the Newbery Medal in 1930 for Hitty, Her First Hundred Years and the Newbery Honor Medal in 1932 for Calico Bush. Field also wrote novels for adults including All This and Heaven Too which was made into a film starring Bette Davis and Charles Boyer in 1938.

This was an interlibrary loan from the Wickson Memorial Library in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Gay Neck, The Story of a Pigeon

Finished Gay Neck, The Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji. It won the Newbery Medal in 1928. Set mostly in the Himalayas and partially in France during World War I, this is the story of a carrier pigeon. He is named Gay Neck for the colorful feathers about his neck. He is raised by an Indian boy. Gay Neck's parents teach him to fly, but the boy teaches him to be a carrier pigeon. His skills are so fine that he is recruited to work with the allies during the war. This book clearly illustrates that it is a bird-eat-bird world out there. Gay Neck's parents and many other birds are attacked and eaten by eagles, hawks, owls, vultures and crows. At times it was pretty damn disturbing, especially before bedtime.

Nonetheless, the book is an exciting one and the story holds your interest. I think perhaps the older end of the Newbery audience would enjoy it, but it might be too unsettling for younger readers.

The Mighty Hunter

Finished The Mighty Hunter by Berta and Elmer Hader. It won the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1944. It is the story of a small Native American boy who wishes to be known as a great hunter. One day instead of going to school he takes his bow and his arrows and goes hunting. The first creature he sees is a rat. He takes aim, but the rat tells him he is too small for a mighty hunter to shoot and takes him to where the boy will find a prairie dog. Again the boy aims, but the prairie dog tells him he knows where the mighty hunter can find a rabbit. This continues with each animal recommending a larger target, until finally the little mighty hunter takes aim at a grizzly bear with two cubs. She chides him, then roars so fiercely that the mighty hunter drops his bow and arrows and runs all the way to the school house.

This book is simple with very warmly painted illustrations. The Haders won the Caldecott Medal in 1949 for their book The Big Snow.

Mary Poppins Comes Back

Finished Mary Poppins Comes Back by P. L. Travers. This is the second book in the series. Mary returns, via kite, to again be nanny for the Banks children, which now consist of not only Jane and Michael, but twins Barbara and John and the soon to be born Annabel. Mary is as prim and stern as ever, but orchestrates all sorts of unusual adventures. Travers' Mary is much harder, much more severe than Disney's version of the character, but that's what makes her so much more fascinating, especially to the children.

The Brontë Project

Finished The Brontë Project by Jennifer Vandever. Sara Frost is searching for letters written by Charlotte Brontë for research in connection with her thesis. Her topic and academic outlook are out of step with the English Department's new tone and newest visiting Scholar Claire, who has created a Diana Studies genre dedicated to the life of the late Princess Diana. Sara's fiancee leaves her and her research fellowship is not renewed. While these circumstances all sound pretty bleak, the tone of The Brontë Project is edgy, humorous and at times zany. This is a fun read, especially for Brontë fans, English majors and classic film buffs.

Village Diary

Finished Village Diary by Miss Read. It is the second book in the Fairacre series (see Village School, December 2007). Miss Read continues on as Headmistress of Fairacre School. The infants teacher Mrs. Annett leaves to start a family. Miss Clare comes out of retirment to fill in for a bit, but then a new teacher, just out of teacher's college arrives to assume the post. Miss Jackson is very progressive and somewhat puzzled by the ways of this country school and it's students. She must board at the school house with Miss Read, which is less than advisable given their complete opposite natures and teaching philosophies. It's not until Dr. Martin brings Miss Clare's quiet poverty to light that a solution is found and Miss Jackson cheerfully goes to board at Miss Clare's. Once again, a cozy, funny, lovely read.

Pierre Pidgeon

Finished Pierre Pidgeon by Lee Kingman. This book won the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1944. Set in Canada, by the sea, it is the story of a boy who is fascinated with a ship in a bottle that he sees in the local store. He and the shopkeeper discuss the concept of how the ship got inside the bottle. The shopkeeper tells him that if Pierre ever figures that out he will be a very smart boy indeed. Pierre earns an unexpected dollar when he assists an artist who wants to paint in a neaby field, but is frightened by Pierre's family's ox Henri. Pierre uses the dollar to purchase the ship in a bottle, but the bottle is later broken. Pierre is very sad, but notices how the little ship has collapsed on itself. He wonders, now that it is so small, if he can insert it into another bottle. He tries this out and is successful. He then runs back to the shopkeeper the explain how it was done.

This was an interesting book with a very original story to tell. The illustrations are charming, especially those of Henri the ox. Kingman was a children's literature editor at Houghton Mifflin in the 1940s.

Small Rain: Verses from the Bible

Finished Small Rain: Verses of the Bible by Jessie Orton Jones. This book won the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1944. Normally I find picture books based on bits of The Bible somewhat annoying. Not this one. Most of the selected text is familiar, even to a heathen like me. Jones' illustrations are wonderful. Her style seems a blend of Norman Rockwell and Robert McCloskey. The drawings feature children of more than one race, and are so warm and engaging that I found myself really enjoying this book.

Another interlibrary loan. This time from the Spring Lake District Library, Spring Lake, MI.