Ox Cart Man by David Hall

We have been reading Ox Cart Man, the Caldecott Medal winner from 1980.  It is a simple story about a farmer who takes his leftover goods to a market far away.  The pictures are what make the story; my daughter and I love looking at them.  If you are ever stuck on what to read with your children, the Caldecott winners are always a good starting point.  

Caldecott Medal winners list

I am currently reading The Awakening by Kate Chopin.  I am in love with the growing relationship between Edna Pontellier and Robert LeBrun.  

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My daughter received this Little Librarian Kit for her birthday.  She LOVES it.  We put the card pockets in her books, set up a little library and she brought stuffed animals to be library patrons.  Library cards were distributed, story times were held, books were checked out, and the cash register was used for collecting fines.  I recommend this kit to anyone and everyone with children who love to read. 

It is $20 on Amazon. 

For those of you without children who love this idea…here is an adult kit!  This looks like a lot of fun to me…but maybe I am still just a kid at heart.  It is by Knock Knock.

It is $15 and can be found on Amazon. 

These napkins are beautiful.  They are a set of four letters composed by Jack London, Emily Dickinson, D.H. Lawrence and Mark Twain. 

They can be found at Anthropologie for $58.00.

I took my four year old to see Beauty and the Beast at the movie theater last night.  I didn’t realize how much more I would appreciate the film on the big screen.  Belle is my favorite Disney character because —no surprise here—she loves to READ!  I don’t know of any other animated characters sharing this love of literature.  My two favorite parts in the movie are when Belle is borrowing and reading a book  (beginning of the film) and when the Beast surprises her with the library.  Can anyone else think of a children’s film that promotes a love of books?

While in search for a picture of the library in Beauty and the Beast, I came across this magnificent library in Austria.  I believe it is called the Admont Abbey Library.