This week's Six for Sunday * topic is "books with animals". Now, here's a little fact about me: exposure to Charlotte's Web as a preschooler cured me of any tendency toward wanting to read a book about an animal, and the required reading of Old Yeller in elementary school put the seal on it. So, if you're looking for a list of those kinds of animal books, you'll not find them here. Instead, here are six cheerful books, all favorites from my childhood, filled with animals that don't die -- because when it comes to fauna, I do not want to cry.
1. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne (1926)
Pooh Bear doesn't need any introduction or explanation. The complete copy was a gift from a college friend, but the little boxed set was a preschool age Christmas gift from Mom.
2. The Pig Who Saw Everything written and illustrated by Dick Gackenbach (1978)
Oh my gosh, you guys, I love this book! I've had this same copy since I was in kindergarten, and it's quite well-loved. The best part is when the pig sees the truck leaking oil and calls it "oozy droppings". I'm dying laughing over here just typing it, and you are all just looking at me, eyebrows raised, heads shaking, saying "ooooooh-kay". . . Just trust me, it's the best exploration book ever!
3. The Whispering Rabbit and Other Stories: Margaret Wise Brown, author; Garth Williams, illustrator (1965)
I have loved this book so much for so long. Mom got it for me from the library's used book sale when I was quite young, and I've had to work hard to keep the pages from falling out. There are several poems and two stories all of which are great, especially the one when the little duck throws a little rock, but Williams' illustrations make them even better.
4. The Bat-Poet: Randall Jarrell, author; Maurice Sendak, illustrator (1964)
Here's another one that came from the library's used book sale when I was a child, and is quite possibly the reason I love bats so much. This is an illustrated chapter book about a bat who sees things differently from his colony, and how he learns to express himself. Oh, it's a beautiful, beautiful book!
5. A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond (1958)
I got this in my Easter basket one year, and wore it out reading it over and again. (This is a second copy.) I can't make it through the grapefruit-in-the-eye incident without guffawing, even when trying to read it out loud. What a great book!
6. Mystery in the Night Woods: Jon Peterson, author; Cyndy Szekeres, illustrator (1969)
Yet another from the used book sale, and one more reason for my love of bats. This illustrated chapter book is a set of connected short stories about the anthropomorphic residents of the wood, focusing particularly on Flying Squirrel and his friend Bat.
Yet another from the used book sale, and one more reason for my love of bats. This illustrated chapter book is a set of connected short stories about the anthropomorphic residents of the wood, focusing particularly on Flying Squirrel and his friend Bat.
*Six for Sunday is a feature by Steph at A Little But A Lot
