September 2020: Linda
From Mamie: My love of Quail Ridge Books began at Books at Quail Corners the day I took my children there to see “Mz. Linda” and Kinderfeste, a musical collaboration between her and two friends as artists with the United Arts Council. She has worked as a public librarian and a WCPSS media coordinator. She has been a bookseller at QRB for thirteen years where she is famous for her story times because she has done graduate work in what she hilariously calls “Ham-ology.” Linda is known as “Nan” to five grandchildren, who I hope are as entertained by her as my children were so many years ago!
Jenny’s Birthday Book by Esther Averill
(NY Review of Books $16.95)
A cat person or not, one will find this simple and sweet story about Jenny Linsky, the shy little black cat of NYC, and her cat friends charming to share or read alone. Thankfully, this classic has been reprinted.
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams, Illustrator
(HarperCollins $8.99)
As a child living through temperate Florida winters, I experienced my first chills and shivers while reading about the blizzards that piled snow up to the rooftops in this South Dakota town!
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
(Houghton Mifflin $7.99)
A gem of a picture book. Like novelist Anne Tyler, I visited and revisited this book as a child and agree with her that Burton’s story and illustrations can introduce a child to the feelings of nostalgia and cause one to consider the consequences of the passage of time.
Madeline’s Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans
(Puffin $8.99)
I enjoy Bemelman’s rhyme and can recite this book from memory having read it aloud to many children over the years. It was thrilling to introduce Bemelmans’ grandson, John Bemelmans Marciano, when he visited Quail Ridge some years ago.
May I Bring a Friend? by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, Beni Montresor, Illustrator
(Atheneum $19.99)
My son and I had a rollicking good time with the rhythm while sharing this book about a boy who brings various friends to meet the king and queen. Use your different voices to speak the parts of the royal couple. Fun. Fun. Fun.
McElligot’s Pool by Dr. Seuss
(Random House $16.99)
I have loved the ridiculous and absurd fishy Seuss creatures and text since I was five years old. This is the first book my parents purchased for me at the independent bookstore in my town.
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean
(HarperCollins $8.99)
This premier book by Litwin and Dean is great fun to share with children who love to repeat Litwin’s words, “Did Pete cry, Goodness no!” and sing Pete’s song.
Play with Me by Marie Hall Ets
(Puffin $7.99)
Perfect for the young child, this book offers a dear and quiet story about longing and patiently waiting for fulfillment.
The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois
(Puffin $7.99)
I first took this balloon ride with Professor Sherman and crash-landed on the Pacific island of Krakatoa in the sixth grade as my teacher read this book aloud to my class. How many of you have experienced a volcanic eruption? What an adventure!
Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright, Joe & Beth Krush, Illustrators
(Houghton Mifflin $7.99)
My love for antiquity was nurtured by this story of the discovery of a cluster of Victorian lake houses. One house is inhabited by a pair lost in time. Friendships are made, and this is a satisfying adventure shared by young cousins and seniors during a summer.
It's a big day for Jenny Linsky, the shy little black cat of Greenwich Village, when her brothers, Checkers and Edward, take her out for her birthday. They pick up her notorious friends along the way, including the twins Romulus and Remus, who have brought a special present, and Pickles, the Fire Cat, who gathers everyone into his red fire truck to take them to the park.
The sixth book in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s treasured Little House series, and the recipient of a Newbery Honor. This edition features the classic black-and-white artwork from Garth Williams.
This picture book about the changes that come to a little house is beautiful and timeless.
The little house first stood in the country, but gradually the city moved closer and closer...
Winner of the Caldecott Medal
“In an old house in Paris
that was covered with vines
lived twelve little girls
in two straight lines
the smallest one was Madeline.”
An imaginative boy brings a surprising array of friends to dine at the palace in this Caldecott Medal–winning picture book.
One day, a small boy receives a very special invitation—the King and the Queen have invited him to the castle for tea.
Don't miss the first and bestselling book in the beloved Pete the Cat series!
Pete the Cat goes walking down the street wearing his brand-new white shoes. Along the way, his shoes change from white to red to blue to brown to WET as he steps in piles of strawberries, blueberries, and other big messes!
A Caldecott Honor Book
Out in a meadow, a little girl just wants to play, but the animals keep running away. Until she sits still by the pond, and they all come back to her. Teaching patience and gentleness this classic story is wonderful for children of all ages.
A Newbery Medal Winner
Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across the Pacific Ocean. But through a twist of fate, he lands on Krakatoa, and discovers a world of unimaginable wealth, eccentric inhabitants, and incredible balloon inventions.Winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal, this classic fantasy-adventure is now available in a handsome new edition.
A 1958 Newbery Honor Book
Summer has a magic all its own in Elizabeth Enright's beloved stories about two children and their discovery of a ghostly lakeside resort.
Free Media Mail shipping on U.S. orders over $50