WRB—Children’s Literature Supplement, Feb. 2024

“Why?”

Early though it may be, hints of green and even a few crocuses are peaking out from dirt mounds wherever Sarah looks. February, thank goodness, will be over in a few short days, and we can truly begin to anticipate spring. The season of Lent is also upon us, and can be a difficult time for little ones. There are numerous beautiful Lenten traditions to share with them, however, and the CLS has a few gems to recommend. We’ve also included a charming mystery series, a tirade against abridged books, and handy tips for memorizing poetry.

Lenten practices

Valentine’s Day took on a slightly different tone this year, as it coincided with Ash Wednesday. If you have little ones who struggle with this season, or you yourself want to find ways of preparing your heart and home for Easter, consider reading Leila Lawer and David Clayton’s book, The Little Oratory (2014).

Black history month 

February has a number of holidays and commemorations, a key one being the dedication of the month to black history. Sarah recently discovered Gloria Whelan’s The Listeners (2009), and found the story and illustrations very moving.

New titles from old authors

Maurice Sendak passed away in 2012, but he still has new books being published. Regardless of her thoughts on Where the Wild Things Are (1963), Sarah finds many of Sendak’s other works delightful, particularly the Little Bear stories. In this new book, NPR tells us:

In Ten Little Rabbits, a new posthumous picture book by Maurice Sendak, Mino the Magician waves his wand and, poof, a rabbit appears. Another wave and out springs a second and then a third. By the forth [sic] rabbit, Mino yawns. By the sixth, he's annoyed. Ninth, he's exasperated, as the rabbits crawl all over him. So back they go, one rabbit at a time, giving readers the chance to count up and back again by the time Mino is done.

Old titles from new publishers

George MacDonald is often considered the “grandfather” of fantasy writing, and is said to have inspired J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and J. K. Rowling — among many others. Author and speaker Haley Stewart discusses his enormous impact on the world of fantasy literature with John J. Miller on a recent Great Books podcast. Stewart also edited a collection of MacDonald’s stories for the Word on Fire Votive Imprint, and it is a must-have for fairytale lovers. 

Mouse-sized mysteries

Speaking of Haley Stewart, she’s also the author of the Sister Seraphina Mysteries, an amusing trio (with hopefully more to come) of books about a group of mice who are nuns and “run a school under the floorboards of G.K. Chesterton’s home.” Sarah was utterly charmed by The Curious Christmas Trail (2022), and can’t wait to start gifting the books to her goddaughter.

What the Kids are Reading