Fiction

One

Author(s): 
Kathryn Otoshi

Our own Number Seven has read this new picture book aloud to me countless times since I picked it up at the library last week. She loves it! Perhaps it is because the numbers in the story stop at seven... or more likely it is because the book gives the colors personality and emotion, creating interesting twists to a fun story.

Product Description:

The Last Straw

Book cover: The Last Straw
Author(s): 
Frederick Thury
Illustrator(s): 
Vlasta Van Kampen

To celebrate Christmas, in addition to baking Christmas cookies, setting up the manger scene, decorating the tree, and numerous other seasonal activities, we also like to pause in out preparations to cozy up together and read good books that encapsulate the true meaning of Christmas. The Last Straw by Frederick H. Thury is one such book.

The Trees Kneel At Christmas

Book cover: The Trees Kneel at Christmas
Author(s): 
Maud Hart Lovelace
Illustrator(s): 
Marie-Claude Monchaux

Maud Hart Lovelace is famous for her Betsy-Tacy series of chapter books. The Trees Kneel At Christmas is a delightful story of two Lebanese-American children in 1951 Brooklyn. Their grandmother tells them how the trees kneel on Christmas in their homeland of Lebanon, but in their new home of Brooklyn the people do not have enough faith for the trees to kneel.

Blue Willow

Book cover: 'Blue Willow'
Author(s): 
Doris Gates
Blue Willow is the sweet story of ten-year-old Janey Larkin, whose family is struggling to make ends meet in California's Central Valley during the Great Depression. Janey and her family have a few treasured possessions which they've dragged along with them from place to place because of the difficulties in finding work. Janey's beautiful blue willow plate is her greatest treasure, but when tough times get worse, she decides to offer it as payment for her family's rent...

The Scarlet Pimpernel (BBC/A&E Series)

Book cover: 'The Scarlet Pimpernel'
After thoroughly enjoying the BBC/A&E production of Pride and Prejudice, I was thrilled to see that they also had done the Scarlet Pimpernel, which is one of my favorite stories. Unfortunately, my expectations were completely shattered by this production which is really more of a television series loosely based on the books. It seems intended for those who enjoy rather steamy romance novels.

Emma

Book cover: 'Emma'
Based on the novel by Jane Austen, Emma is a fun and frivolous story of a young woman's misguided ideas about matchmaking for her friends that ends up saying some very nice things about friendship. It's funny, clever and great family entertainment. My children and their friends have very much enjoyed the story, the dancing, the music, the dresses, etc.

Pride and Prejudice

Book cover: 'Pride and Prejudice'
This is a lovely, touching, funny, clever and meaningful miniseries (produced by BBC/A&E) based quite closely on the book Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. While it's certainly a "chick movie", there's enough clever writing and acting in it to allow "the guys" to tolerate at least one viewing and probably get something out of it. The theme of the story, which is set in 18th century England, is choosing a marriage partner, and the morals here are very sound.

Sense and Sensibility

Book cover: 'Sense and Sensibility'
Adapted from the novel by Jane Austen

Though more serious in nature than Emma, Sense and Sensibility portrays life in a more beautiful, if not always more fair, time. Three sisters and their mother are being turned out of their family estate upon their father's death because of the laws of succession to their half-brother, whose scheming wife prevents him from helping them out financially. After they move to a small cottage in the country, the family find friends and happiness in unexpected places.

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