scrounge: /skrounj/ informal verb: to actively seek [books] from any available source
I had almost forgotten about Benjamin Bunny, Beatrix Potter's sequel to Peter Rabbit, but various images are coming back to me from childhood readings.
It could just as easily have been titled "Peter Rabbit II: Return to Mr. McGregor's Garden," because that is exactly what takes place. Benjamin in joyful naivete and optimism, and Peter in wide-eyed reticence marked with occasional evidence of rabbit PTSD. Peter's fear of a repeat of his previous "adventure" is obvious to the adult reader, but may go over the heads of children (it did for me).
They have a close but boring encounter with a cat, but all end up okay since Benjamin's father, as the book states, "had no opinion whatever of cats," and manages to save the rabbit boys by channeling General Woundwort from Watership Down.
As a child I remember being terribly disappointed when Beatrix Potter says that she can't draw us a picture of Peter and Benjamin hiding under the basket because it was too dark under there. For me it became a matter of great curiosity every time this was read, trying to picture exactly how things must have looked under that dark basket.
In addition to this little adventure, the story also introduces children to many words likely not found in children's books today, such as "gig" (nothing to do with a band), "muffetees," "tam-o-shanter," "cuffed," etc.
Peter's mother makes another appreance in this story -- we are told at the end that she forgave him when he returned from a second brush with death, because she was so glad he had found his clothes. I'm telling you -- it's all about the clothes with these century-old British bunnies.
Scrounged From: Our local flea market
Format: Paperback
Author/Illustrator: Beatrix Potter
Pages: 62
Content Advisory: Peril, and also, the bunnies get hit with a switch by Benjamin's father at the end.
I've grown up with Peter Rabbit, and for a book published more than a century ago, it has held up pretty well, though you'd be hard pressed to find a modern children's story that makes use of quite so many semicolons (if any).
Still, I much prefer the original, with Beatrix Potter's artwork, to any version that attempts to "update" or condense the story in various ways (such as replacing terms like "implored" and "fortnight.") Potter's little hand-drawn characters portray so much warmth, but also the gravity of being proper British rodents -- such as when Peter escapes from almost certain death and his mother's first reaction is to wonder what he did with his clothes. It's all about social survival with these bunnies. In fact, Peter's mother is clearly cut from the same cloth as Mrs. Tabitha Twitchet.
Although it may be too wordy yet for children in the "board book stage," this is still a classic cautionary story of danger and survival that all children should encounter at some point.
Scrounged From: Our local flea market
Format: Paperback
Author/Illustrator: Beatrix Potter
Pages: 62
Content Advisory: Mainly just peril. We learn early on that Peter's father ended up in a pie.
The Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature has been a very enjoyable and informative read for us. Our four-year-old has asked to read it many times now, after we read it for pre-K.
This book is actually three "books" combined. The first section is the Almanac, which introduces children to the concept of a "year," and all the different changes that take place over the course of it, from major holidays such as New Year's, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving, to seasons and the way the weather changes in each one, and explanations of major weather events like thunderstorms, wind, and snow.
The second section is the Nature Guide. This gives an overview of all the different kinds of life on our planet, as well as non-living things like rocks and other geographical features. From fish to mammals to plants and insects, the bears (with Papa as tour guide) experience a little bit of just about everything!
The last section is the Science Fair, which I found to be a bit more detailed than the others, but still just as fun. We learn about simple machines, matter (including the three states of solid, liquid, and gas), and energy. Included are a few easy science experiments that children and adults can do at home to help demonstrate some of these ideas.
Even though it's instructive, the book manages to rhyme well in each section, which adds to the fun of reading.
Scrounged From: Amazon (used)
Format: Paperback
Authors/Illustrators: Stan and Jan Berenstain
Pages: 192
Content Advisory: None
The Most Magnificent Thing is a great picture book for children that encourages them to see the value in failure. It's not very long, but it manages to express a lot in the space it has, plus the illustrations are cute.
It's the story of a girl who wants to build something magnificent. She knows how she wants it to turn out, but none of her attempts produce the result that she's looking for. She gets frustrated, and her dog (who is also her best friend) suggests going for a walk. When she gets back, the girl is more focused, and manages to see that all of her failures had some redeeming qualities in them, which helps her to make her truly magnificent thing.
This story can give an especially helpful perspective to those who are perfectionists, but there is probably something here for all of us.
Scrounged From: Amazon (a birthday present for our two-year-old)
Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Ashley Spires
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None
A Child's Book of Art helps introduce young children to art history, or even just art in general, using relatable categories such as pets, family, outdoors, etc. This is one of the largest books we have, and so the pictures are big and easy for children to inspect carefully if they feel like it.
Each category includes several paintings from a large range of time periods and painters. Art history can also become a discussion about history in general, as children get to see portraits of children their age dressed very differently!
Even though I'm not much of an "art person," I still enjoy reading this book with my kids. I recognized a name here and there, and maybe even learned something myself.
Scrounged From: AbeBooks.com
Format: Hardcover
Author: Lucy Micklethwait
Pages: 64
Content Advisory: Fairly clean for art history, but some barely noticable nudity in a couple places.
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