A common theme in Roller Skates is people giving gifts as if from someone else. Lucinda pays a storekeeper to "give" a toy to a little girl, and her uncle gives out coins, saying "I just go down to the bank the day before Christmas and ask for a pocketful to give away. And they're always nice about it."

It seems an odd way to arrange a surprise. Maybe "magical" methods were frowned upon? I know some libraries have been anti-fantasy for children.

#bookstodon @bookstodon #kidlit #childrenslit

George was my childhood hero, the only time I ever saw anyone in a book who was anything like me. #FamousFive #EnidBlyton #childhoodhero #ChildrensLit

Last night I finished reading /The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane/ by Kate DiCamillo to my kids. My eldest was entranced by the tone of the novel, waiting patiently through multiple nights for the scene of a rabbit in a red suit walking through a door on the cover with his imagination captured by Edward's thoughts and development. The way he sleepily asked for "one more chapter" is itself a glowing recommendation.

The book is narrated by Edward Tulane, a porcelain rabbit doll, as he learns about love and loss over the course of years. DiCamillo uses repetition to pull the story and character development forward within the nostalgic (though less reactionarily wholesome than some of the Mercy Watson series) setting of the book. It held the attention of my kids and provided opportunity for mini-history listens in response to their questions about the setting (a period I've studied fairly extensively, so I was in my element).

As a children's book, it was perhaps slightly too old for my 5 year, and required some very minor censoring in two parts that would likely have given him nightmares, but it isn't gruesome in the way /Redwall/ is and doesn't require anywhere near the vigilance of that series.

DiCamillo's style is so varied across her works but there's a magic in her writing that pulls through the various styles she engages in. My kids love, absolutely love, Mercy Watson and I am a huge fan of the Bink & Gollie series. Even though all these books are so different, DiCamillo's spark is there.

While I wouldn't want a sequel to Edward Tulane, each day I was excited to get to our chapters as part of the nightly reading roster. As the littler kids get bigger I will definitely get /The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane/ out from the library to read to them again and again.

#BookReview #ChildrensLit

Tooters! Perhaps you can help: years ago I found a book at a shop that was about the day to day lives of gnomes (or dwarves?). It was *not* The Secret Book of Gnomes, but the spirit was similar - little vignettes, gnome facts, etc. It had a less classical-Scando gnome aesthetic (ie. no tall hats) than a slightly hobbitty one. I have no memory the name of this thing.

#fantasy #childrenslit #lookingfor #books

For some reason my timeline makes me think of the classic children’s picturebook, “Millions of Cats” by Wanda Gág. If you haven’t read it, buy it for the kids in your life! It’s absolutely wonderful in every possible way. https://millionsofcats.weebly.com/ #KidsLit #ChildrensLit #PictureBooks #Cats #CatsOfMastodon

A delight to see everyone at #DublinBookFestival at the weekend. Huge thanks to Sarah Webb and Alan Nolan for all their organising and lovely hosting. Thanks also to our fab audience who came along full of questions about #comics #graphicnovels and #picturebooks. Lovely to meet #AoifeDooley #SarahMacIntyre Bruno, Ruth and everyone. Really enjoyed being out in the real world again talking about #books #childrensbooks #childrenslit #kidslit #publishing #gettingpublished #writing #author

@chrisvolion Luckily I was in—I think it was Group 49: Historical Fiction/Fury/Rags to Riches. I was very happy with my submission. But oh man, if I advance and am assigned anything in the fantasy, sci fi, speculative genres, I am beyond screwed. Outside of #ChildrensLit I am purely a #NonFic fan.

Did you know that in December 2020, the #BMJ published a scientific paper where two researchers analysed the toxicity of all 34 ingredients in George's medicine? Conclusion: "Our findings suggest that far from being marvellous, George’s medicine is in fact incredibly toxic." 😂 Don't try this at home, kids! #RoaldDahl #childrenslit https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4467

Did you know that in December 2020, the #BMJ published a scientific paper where two researchers analysed the toxicity of all 34 ingredients in George's medicine? Conclusion: "Our findings suggest that far from being marvellous, George’s medicine is in fact incredibly toxic." 😂 Don't try this at home, kids! #RoaldDahl #childrenslit https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4467

#introduction Hello everyone! My name is Kris, and I've maintained https://www.roalddahlfans.com/ since 1996. #RoaldDahl was my favourite #author as a kid, and I was lucky enough to get to visit his home in Great Missenden and meet some of his family. I've read everything he's ever written, and I've got quite a Dahl collection including some very rare stories. Happy to answer any questions you have about his work! #childrenslit #childrensliterature

#introduction Hello everyone! My name is Kris, and I've maintained https://www.roalddahlfans.com/ since 1996. #RoaldDahl was my favourite #author as a kid, and I was lucky enough to get to visit his home in Great Missenden and meet some of his family. I've read everything he's ever written, and I've got quite a Dahl collection including some very rare stories. Happy to answer any questions you have about his work! #childrenslit #childrensliterature

I cannot read my server's name, zirk.us, which thinking of my very favorite Dr Seuss book: If I Ran the Circus.

It's the Circus McGurkus, the world's biggest show
on the face of the Earth or wherever you go!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Ran_the_Circus

#KidsLit #ChildrensLit #DrSeuss #Books #PictureBooks