What Are You Reading?

I am not reading this year with nearly the momentum I had last year (college seems to have cut down a bit on my perceived reading time), but Daddy-Long-Legs, by Jean Webster, only took me a day to finish. The whole book is written in the form of letters from an orphan girl to her anonymous benefactor, the man who is paying her way to college. She only caught a brief glimpse of him once, so all she knows of him is that he is tall. And rich. And she has been told he doesn't like girls. As her repayment for his generosity, she is ordered to write him a letter every month, to which she should not expect a response. Knowing so little of him, least of all his name, she has some trouble coming up with a name to address her letters to:

I suppose I might call you Dear Mr. Girl-Hater. Only that's sort of insulting to me. Or Dear Mr. Rich-Man, but that's insulting to you, as though money were the only important thing about you. Besides, being rich is such a very external quality. Maybe you won't stay rich all your life; lots of very clever men get smashed up in Wall Street. But at least you will stay tall all your life! So I've decided to call you Dear Daddy-Long-Legs.

It is a very enjoyable book, witty and sweet. We don't currently have it in stock here at The Alphabet Garden, but we can order it and have it in a few days if anyone is interested.

What are you reading these days? Anything good? Feel free to share in the comments section.

Hardcover Discount

Just wanted to let you all know that ALL adult hardcovers are now 10% off at The Alphabet Garden! Come on in and treat yourself to a good book to curl up with during tomorrow's snowstorm.

Pigeon Plush!

The Alphabet Garden now carries a stuffed toy of everyone's favorite Pigeon! And when you squeeze him, he yells, "Let me drive the bus!" in true Pigeon style. (Pigeon books are written and illustrated by Mo Willems and include Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!, and The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog.)

We also now have plushes of the unicorn from Claire and the Unicorn, by B.G. Hennessy; Pretzel from the book of the same name by H.A. Rey; and Maisy from the books by Lucy Cousins.

Valentine's Day Books

Looking for a book to give your valentine? We have several options for you.

A few of my favorites:

Pat the Bunny: Bunny Kisses is a touch-and-feel board book, with a button that makes a kissing noise when you press it. Very sweet!

Fancy Nancy Loves, Loves, Loves!, by Jane O'Connor, is a reusable sticker book featuring everyone's cherished (that's a fancy word for favorite) fancy girl, Nancy.



Hug Time, by Patrick McDonnell, was just published in November. It tells the story of a kitten who was "so filled with love he wanted to give the whole world a hug."


Another one I like is I Like You, by Sandol Stoddard Warburg, an ode to best friends of all ages. "I like you because..." the book begins, and lists reason after reason, ending finally with "I guess I just like you because I like you."

Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Moving Day

Meg Cabot has written a lot of books (The Princess Diaries are her most famous, but there are many more). You'd think eventually she'd run out of funny things to say, and her books would go downhill, but for now she seems to be going strong.

Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Moving Day is her first book for middle-grade readers. The protagonist is a nine-year-old girl who likes rules, because, as she explains, "Rules help make our lives easier. For instance, the rule about not killing people. Obviously, this is a good rule." What she doesn't like so much is the fact that her family is moving. Having to move to a different place makes everything seem unstable, so she makes a list of rules to compensate. Rules make the world seem sturdier--even rules as simple as "Rule #1: Don't stick a spatula down your best friend's throat."

I know there are plenty of books out there for the grades 4-6 reading level about moving, but I especially liked this one because I found Allie so easy to relate to. I remember being nine. I also remember moving when I was seven. It all felt pretty much like Meg Cabot describes it through Allie Finkle's eyes.