To this day, while there are many compilations and anthologies of the Peter Rabbit series, nothing... NOTHING compares to the magic of the small, hardback set of single, independent, tiny volumes. If your home library of picture books consists of nothing other than this set, you'll be leagues ahead of 90% of your parenting peers in the sheer quality of what you're offering.
Anyway, it got me thinking about the awesomeness of tiny books in general. What child doesn't love miniature things designed just for their size? Especially when the miniatures are real, be it functional tea cups, utensils, brooms, aprons etc. So it is with books. There is something special about volumes published under 7 inches tall. And the only thing I love more than reading tiny books to my children, is seeing my young ones sprawled out in the grass on their own with a little book of their own fitting so nicely in their little hands.
Little books pack into diaper bags well, fit into stockings, Easter baskets and everyday baskets, and make fantastic little bonus gifts to accompany other items. Here is my pick of the 10 best little books on the market today:
The Peter Rabbit books. Of course. Just go ahead and throw all 23 titles into one listing here. Each is excellent.
The Story of Little Black Sambo. Okay, so all the modern parents prefer The Story of Little Babaji (also on the small side) because it is more PC, but I love the original myself. I have both books and my children like both equally but I have a nostalgic spot for the old one because my mother read it to me so many times...
The Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak. Alligators All Around is the standout book in this 4-volume set but they are so well priced as a collection, I'd go ahead and purchase the others with that title.
Pelle's New Suit (mini edition). I normally prefer my full-sized Elsa Beskow books, but this one in particular works as a mini because it doesn't have as much text as most of her other titles. For that, and the fact that it is the perfect springtime book, it's on the list.
A Hole Is to Dig is perhaps my very favorite "nonsensically profound" books (I made that category up; nice eh?). From the silly to the thought provoking, Ruth Krauss found magic in pairing with Sendak on this title. The hardback is out of print, but worth finding...
A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog is the first in the series and my favorite Mercer Mayer books by far. They are wordless but tell a lovely story... don't forget the equally excellent sequels Frog Goes to Dinner, Frog, Where Are You? and others.
The Brave Cowboy. My three year old fell in love with the Brave Cowboy when he first met him and it's still one of his favorite books to call his own and to be found curled up with in a corner somewhere. That's enough to merit a spot on this list.
Alphabet of Boats. Linocuts. Boats. Education. Beauty. Simplicity. All under 5 square inches. I can't help that so many of the books I love are out of print— sorry! Just keep your eyes peeled for this little gem. (Which reminds me... I've seen enough good stuff now to warrant "Volume 3" version of Top Ten Alphabet books... hmm, will attend to that soon hopefully.)
Let's Be Enemies. Sendak illustrating again! He excelled at the tiny books. Janice May Undry created a lovely little tale of making and breaking friendships. It's very fun to read with a 5 year old...
The Little Train... or really, any Lois Lenski books. All are small. My favorite ones are his seasonal books which are a bit spendy OOP, but any of his occupational books like this one or Policeman Small or The Little Airplane, etc are vintage winners as well.*********
And now, some qualifying remarks:
I would've included the gorgeous Flower Fairies Alphabet, but I'm mad that they skipped the letter X. You can cheat a little or work around it... but don't skip the letter altogether!
Also, these are slightly larger than 'tiny', but of immense importance in the picture book collector's world: The Year in Brambly Hedge Set and Adventures in Brambly Hedge Set. Unfortunately these books are long out of print but they are really wonderful to own and cherish... in the same botanical goodness vein as one would find the Beatrix Potter books.
And lastly, I've requested an inter-library loan to get my eyes on The Treehorn Trilogy. It looks fabulous. Edward Gorey is not everyone's cup of pictorial tea but I like him and am eager to see these books!
No comments:
Post a Comment