Epistolary Novels

Having recently read both The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Shaffer and Barrows) and 84, Charing Cross Road (Hanff)--both excellent books; I highly recommend them!--I got to thinking about books written in letters, as both of these are. It wasn't hard to think of several more, for all ages.

For teens there is Daddy Long-Legs, by Jean Webster. I reviewed this one once before, so you can read more about it here. Then there is Karen Hesse's Letters from Rifka, about a twelve-year-old girl fleeing Russia with her family in 1919. Rifka knows that her letters will never reach her cousin, whom she is writing to, so this book is more like a diary than a true epistolary novel, but I thought it worth including here anyway. And for a more modern version of the epistolary style, there is the TTYL series by Lauren Myracle. These books (TTYL, TTFN, and L8R G8R) are written entirely as a series of instant message conversations between three teen girls.

There are a few selections for middle-grade readers, as well, including P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail No More, both by Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin; Dear Mr. Henshaw, the Newbery winner by Beverly Cleary; and the Regarding the... series by Kate Klise. The latter is a little different in that the books include things like newspaper clippings among the letters.

And lastly, I even found an epistolary picture book--two, actually: Dear Mrs. LaRue and LaRue for Mayor, by Mark Teague, which are composed of letters from a dog to his owner.

I'm sure there are more--let me know if you've read others! I love to write letters, which is probably why these books have such appeal for me; I'm dreaming of the day when I can exchange long, witty letters with anonymous Englishmen who send me books and invite me to visit their country and stay with their family or the old woman next door. A girl can dream, right?

My Little Girl

Those of you who remember Julia Denos from when she worked at The Alphabet Garden might be interested to know that she has illustrated another book. Written by Tim McGraw, My Little Girl tells the story of a little girl's day out with her dad and the fun they have just being together.

The Dog Who Belonged to No One

I have another cozy fall book for you today. This one is about a dog who, as the title says, belonged to no one, and a "little slip of a girl named Lia" who spends her time helping her parents in their bakery. Both dog and girl are lonely, with no one in particular to call a friend, until they meet one rainy night. Amy Hest tells their story in an interesting parallel fashion--a bit about the dog, a bit about the girl, and so on until their paths cross. There's nothing really surprising about the plot, but it's the kind of story I would enjoy reading to a child on a rainy day while curled up on a comfy chair with a blanket and maybe some homemade cookies fresh out of the oven. A sweet and cozy kind of book.

The Little Yellow Leaf

"It was autumn. In the hush of the forest a lone yellow leaf clung to the branch of a great oak tree." So begins Carin Berger's story of The Little Yellow Leaf. This leaf is afraid to fall like all the other leaves. He insists he's "not ready," as the autumn passes and snow falls. But then he notices another leaf, a little red leaf, still hanging on just like him, and together they are finally able to let go.

I think the reason I like this story so much is because I can so relate to that little yellow leaf, feeling like I'm not ready. And I know the reassurance that comes of finding a friend who feels the same way. But I can also imagine not liking this book if it weren't so well done--if the text were not as gentle or the illustrations so original. I love that mixed-media style--cut paper and paint and probably some materials I don't know enough to identify--and I love how these illustrations capture the feel of fall and early winter.

Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

We were pleased to have Nancy Elizabeth Wallace visit us last week. She is the author and illustrator of many picture books, including Leaves! Leaves! Leaves!; Apples, Apples, Apples; Paperwhite; Fly, Monarch! Fly!; Alphabet House; Look! Look! Look!; and many more.
During her visit, Ms. Wallace showed us some of the different kinds of paper she uses, including those recycled paper things you get with coffee--she used one of those for a road in one of her books.The kids who attended were also able to try their hand at some paper art by making butterfly magnets.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

So apparently there's a new Star Wars movie coming out? An animated one? I guess I'm a little out of the loop, because I didn't know about it until I checked all these books in. We have a Clone Wars Galactic Photobook, Clone Wars chapter books for two different levels, two early-reader books (levels 1 and 2), an activity book, a sticker book, a picture book, and The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide! Wow. My brothers would have gone crazy for these back in their Star Wars-obsessed phase.

Spring Events

We have a number of fun events coming up at The Alphabet Garden!

The first is our Teachers Only Night on May 21st from 6:00-8:00 PM. There will be refreshments; door prizes; and a 20% discount; as well as guest speaker Susannah Richards, assistant professor of reading/language arts at Eastern Connecticut State University; and author Bob Shea, author of the picture book Big Plans. Please call (203) 439-7766 to RSVP.

On Thursday, May 29th, at 4:00 PM, we are excited to welcome Billy Steers, author of the Tractor Mac books. Come meet the author and make a fun craft! Call to reserve a signed Tractor Mac book.



And on Thursday, June 12th, at 4:00 PM, we will be visited by Bill Thomson, illustrator of Karate Hour, Building with Dad, and most recently, Baseball Hour. These books would make great gifts for Father's Day, teachers, coaches, and kids!

A Visitor for Bear

Bear has a sign on his door: "No visitors allowed." One day a mouse comes for a visit. Bear tells him he is against the rule--no visitors allowed! The mouse, however, is persistent. Finally Bear gives in to the mouse's request for a fire in the fireplace and a cup of tea--on the condition that the mouse leave immediately after. But Bear is in for a surprise. The mouse compliments his fire and his headstand skills and laughs at his jokes! Suddenly visitors don't seem like such a bad idea, after all. The noble mouse, however, is determined to hold up his end of the bargain by leaving right away.

"Don't go!" wailed Bear, throwing his body across the path.
"But I gave you my word," said the mouse, pointing at the "No Visitors" sign.
"Oh, that!" cried Bear, pulling down the sign and tearing it up. "That's for salesmen. Not for friends."

And... they all lived happily ever after.

I don't think there is anything about this book I don't like. It would be fun to read aloud, exaggerating Bear's comically dramatic responses to finding the mouse, yet again, in his house. And the illustrations are lovely--large, simple, warm and homey.

Best suited for ages 2-5.

Violet the Pilot

Violet isn't like the other kids at her school. She wears greasy coveralls and plays with wrenches instead of dolls. Violet is a mechanical genius who likes to build flying machines in her spare time out of parts she scavenges from the junkyard next door. Her parents don't mind, as long as she wears a sweater and doesn't crash into the house, but the rest of the town just thinks she's weird until one day she and her flying machine are in exactly the right place at the right time.

Violet the Pilot is brightly colored and cheerful; a fun read for kids 5 and up!

Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood

Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood, by Timothy Knapman, is one of my favorite new picture books. It's always nice when a book lives up to the expectation generated by a nice cover, as this one does. Narrated by a dragon, it tells the story of how he meets a Benjamin and takes it to school one day, to the curiosity of all the other dragons. The Benjamin explains to the dragons about his home, and even teaches them a very strange game--soccer! Eventually, though, he has to go home. His dragon friend takes him home--the other dragons are all too scared--and returns with more surprising details of the strange world of the Benjamins.