Last weekend when I went to Manhattan I couldn't resist the allure of a visit to Books of Wonder. A well-curated children's bookstore is a beautiful thing. I always ogle the vintage books in the back of the store, but I'm not, in general, a collector. As I anticipated, it proved impossible for me to leave the store without a few new books in my backpack. Here are the books I chose and why:
The Children of Green Knowe. I'm surprised I never came across this book when I was a kid. It's exactly the kind of book to which I would have been drawn. Manor House? Check. British? Check. Magic? Check. Written in the 1950s by British author L. M. Boston, it is this first in a series. I can't remember where I first heard of it, but it is on many book lists of "little known gems" and many British authors name it as one of their favorite childhood books. I look forward to reading it out loud to Kiddo. 
The Adventures of Sammy Jay. When I was a kid I remember reading every single one of Thornton W. Burgess' animal books. The salmon-colored books formed a long row on a bookshelf in my hometown library. I just assumed these old-fashioned books were out of print. Imagine my surprise to see paperback versions at Books of Wonder! I choose a bird-themed book for Kiddo, since he is so into birds these days. As soon as I brought it home, it he read it straight through, and loved it.
The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity (Brixton Brothers). I'd never heard of this book before seeing it in the store. I was intrigued by the cover blurb: Since when do librarians rappel from helicopters? If Steve's an only child, then why is the series called the Brixton Brothers? Plus, I liked the retro look of the cover (...which is not the cover you see above, actually. Check out this link to see the original cover. This new cover would have made me just ignore the book, ironically.). I know, I'm a sucker. When I got home and Googled the book, I was happy to see that Betsy Bird of Fuse # 8 gave it a good review. She is usually right on the money.
What about you? Have you or your children ever read any of these books? What books are you unable to resist purchasing when coming face to face with them in the store?
P.S. I know it's kind of sad that I linked to Amazon in this post, but some of the books I couldn't link to at the Books of Wonder site. Also, I find the reviews at Amazon very useful. However, I'm sure you know by now that if you are going to buy books, I recommend your local independent bookstore as your first stop.
I'm linking to What My Child Is Reading and Book Sharing Monday.
I have never heard of any of these, but I share your love of British authors. They know how to craft a story!
ReplyDeleteall these books are new to me. I often judge book by the cover as well, but I think you and I would have little overlap on cover judging :-). Thanks for joining WMCIR!
ReplyDeleteBEYOND surprised that you bought books. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I had your book-buying restraint. I am unable to resist purchasing any interesting used children's books -- only $2 or $3! Especially since our public library has a very limited selection.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you heard of The Children of Green Knowe via me. I too had never heard of it as a child (would have loved it though!) but stumbled on it at my local used bookstore. N. loved it! I recently bought the sequel (there are several)... And I've never read any Baum (I recently bought the Oz books used) so Sky Island sounds great. I also recently bought a bunch of the Burgess animal books used but we haven't read them yet.
@Fanny H. It's very possible I saw it via your site. I hope you like the Baum books. I think it's easy to find flaws in his prose when compared with other classic children's authors, but his creativity is wondrous and always makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteWish we had an independent book store over here. It'd be lovely to go and browse the shelves.These books are all new to me. Thanks for linking up.x
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