Children's Books: This Girl Isn't Just a Girl

A girl, but not just any girl.

I often find interesting things on the street, mostly because I'm always looking at the world around me, and so I make great finds. I passed by a church that has an elementary school, and I noticed that one young student must have had one heck of a good time with this book. 

BOO! Did I scare you?

Well-loved books, like beloved children's toys, come apart with heavy use, and this darling book about a little girl witch was no exception. As much as I make books to last (as part of my job), I also recognize them for what they are; precious objects that are also made for human use, especially by our littlest ones, who need them the most to learn. Besides, this girl loved finding it among the autumn leaves. 

It just seemed right.

No problem! I got it covered.

Mad about books?

http://www.pinterest.com/mariedoucette/reading-writing-books/

Fall, and school reading.

Toys: Childhood Past (and Present)

"Winnie the Pooh, I love you!"

Staying in the country with my mom, surrounded by the people, places, and things I grew up with, I can't help the sentiments experienced by revisiting one's home. I see the edits my mom has made in her home, selecting which precious objects from our past to include, like the small, charming table lamp that also functions as a nightlight, resting on an antique wood table that sits under portraits of her as a child, her children when young, and now her grandchildren. I grew up in a bedroom that was decorated by a tiny watercolor painting she made for me of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, both of them floating on a watery backdrop of green that stands in for a landscape. 

It's so charming, and I remember staring at that cute picture for hours as a little girl. I still love A.A. Milne's* stories and art, so much so that years later I named a special little Mal cub TeddyBear, who grew to enormous height, so lovable an animal was he (http://mariedoucette.blogspot.com/search?q=TeddyBear), plus a photo series from an adorable doll that my ex gave me from that time period, as a gift in celebration of sharing our home with this very beautiful animal (http://mariedoucette.blogspot.com/2011/10/ted-12901-102011.html).

The lamp has two modes: the tummy casts a small, cheery orange glow that babies (and little Acadian girls) can go to sleep to, or a more adult setting with an actual bulb. Now, as I go to sleep near it as an adult, I can't help but connect the objects from my past to this very real version of me as an adult who breathes art, design, and literature, so closely have they grown and interwoven together, that it makes me smile, just like it did then.  

What precious objects from your past have you saved?

 

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._A._Milne