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Archive for the 'Childrens Stories' Category
Contents
Posts
Reading of The Gingerbread Man
Thursday, August 27th, 2009I love the story of The Gingerbread Man!
Here you can hear someone doing a nice reading of it on YouTube…
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
Exhibition of Original Artwork from Golden Books
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009This traveling exhibition presents original illustrations from Little Golden Books. They celebrated their 65th anniversary in 2007. It includes 60 original illustrations from: The Poky Little Puppy, Tootle, Home for a Bunny, The Kitten Who Thought He Was a Mouse, The Color Kittens, I Can Fly, and more. Check out the following link to see where the Golden Books Art Exhibit is currently touring.
A Nursery Rhyme Story and Illustration
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009Young nursery rhyme lovers will enjoy this little story featuring Mother Goose characters. Kids who aren’t familiar with a lot of nursery rhymes can learn new ones. I made each character linkable to a page where you can read that character’s rhyme. At the end of the story is an illustration that includes many of these beloved nursery rhyme characters.
MOTHER GOOSE’S MAY PARTY.
BY AGNES CARR.
It was May-day, and the sun popped out of bed early that morning to wake up the little birds and flowers, that they might clear their throats, and wash their bright faces in dew, by the time the old woman had swept the cobwebs from the sky, and left a beautiful blue roof over Gooseneck village; for they knew it was the 1st of May, and that dear old Mother Goose, who taught the Kindergarten, or infant school, was going with all her little scholars to have a May party under the trees in the merry green wood.
And the children knew it too, and they were all on hand bright and early- Tommy Green and Johnny Stout, Humpty Dumpty and Little Bo-peep, Jack and Jill, Little Boy Blue in a brand-new suit of clothes, and Goldilocks with her yellow hair flying in the wind, Tom, the Piper’s son, and poor Simple Simon, the dunce of the school, with many others that we have known and loved-and all brought baskets filled with good things for their dinner.
"Oh, won’t we have fun!" said Margery Daw to Jacky Horner. "I hope you have got something nice in that big basket of yours."
"Yes, indeed," said Jack. "Cook made me a lovely pie, and stuffed it just full of plums. I will try and pull one out for you;" and he lifted up the napkin over the basket, and was trying to break a hole in the pie-crust, when Mother Goose came in, and seeing him, said, "Here, here, Master Jack! keep your fingers out of the pie. I never saw such a boy. He sticks his thumb into everything, from Christmas pies to inkstands."
"Oh, Mother Goose, do let us start!" shouted the children.
"Yes, yes, my dears, very soon. We are only waiting for Contrary Mary. I have sent Nimble Dick for her; and here they come now."
Sure enough, there was heard a jingling of bells, and in danced Mary, quite contrary, with her fingers covered with rings, and her apron filled with flowers from her garden, with which to make a wreath for the May-Queen.
And now they all started, walking two and two, with Mother Goose at the head, holding the youngest scholar, Baby Bunting, tight by the hand, for fear he should fall down and tear his new rabbit-skin overcoat, while Tom, the Piper’s son, played "Over the hills and far away" on his pipe, and all the little folks danced and skipped along to the gay tune.
When they reached the pleasant wood, they were all glad to sit down on the green moss and rest awhile; and Mother Goose said, "The first thing is to choose a May-Queen: now who shall it be?"
"Goldilocks!" "Goldilocks!" shouted the children, for they all loved the dear little girl with pretty hair and sweet blue eyes.
"Oh, no, no!" said Goldilocks, and she hid behind Tommy Tucker.
But they made her come out and sit on a throne formed of Miss Muffet’s tuffet, scattered over with wild violets and May-flowers, which grew all around; and Contrary Mary put a beautiful crown of "roses and lilies and daffadown-dillies" on her golden curls, and she looked just the dearest little May-Queen in all the world.
Then all the children joined hands, and danced round the throne, singing,
"Hail to the Queen of May
On this our festal day!
Gay flowers we’ll bring,
Sweet blossoms of spring,
To crown our Queen of May."The little Queen then gave each one a flower, and let them kneel and kiss her tiny white hand; and then they scattered through the woods, and played "Oats, peas, beans," tag, and other games, until Little Boy Blue blew a blast on his horn, which meant "Come to dinner"; and when they all came running back at the call, they found Mother Goose had a table-cloth spread on the grass, and all the biscuits, cake, and fruit from their baskets set out on green leaves, while in the centre stood Jack Horner’s pie, a bowl of curds and whey that Miss Muffet brought, and a plate of strawberry tarts sent by the Queen of Hearts; and Jack and Jill were bringing a pail of nice cold water from the spring.
How hungry they all were, too, and how good everything tasted! while they had such a laugh at little Miss Muffet, who screamed and ran away when a great daddy-long-legs walked across the table.
They ended the feast with the plum pie, which the little Queen cut, and gave every one a piece; and they all said it was so nice. Jack Horner felt quite proud, and thought he was a bigger boy than ever.
After everything was eaten up, Margery Daw and Little Bo-peep washed the dishes, while Little Boy Blue went fast asleep under the fence, and Mother Goose told all the little ones a story, until the cobwebs began to come over the sky, and the sun whispered to the little birds and flowers it was time to shut their peepers for the night, when they started for home, Goldilocks the Queen riding in the middle of the procession on big John Stout’s shoulder; and when they bade their teacher a tired but happy good-night, all said they had had the nicest kind of a day, and hoped next year Mother Goose would give them another May party.
GOING HOME FROM THE PICNIC.-Drawn by Jessie Curtis.
This seems to be the order of characters in the illustration above: Simple Simon, Contrary Mary, Tommy Tucker, Little Bo-peep, Tommy Green or Johnny Stout, Humpty Dumpty, Nimble Dick holding Goldilocks, Little Boy Blue, Tom, the Piper’s son, Jack and Jill, and Mother Goose carrying Baby Bunting
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
The Online Children’s Book, "Our Children" ("Les enfants") by Anatole France
Thursday, May 7th, 2009Project Gutenberg just released an online version of Anatole France’s book "Les enfants" in English. It’s called "Our Children", which is a collection of little stories for kids. It has some lovely illustrations.
I read a couple of stories from it to my daughter yesterday and she enjoyed them. The book is from around 1886. So I think it was interesting for her to see how they lived then. The first story, Fanny, is about a little girl visiting her grandmother. Her grandmother cooks by the hearth and the little girl carries a pocket knife to cut her food. It’s very quaint! Here are some of my favorite illustrations from the story.
Some of the stories have ideas that we might find a bit different in today’s day and age. There’s the story called The School. It starts out with an interesting idea, even if the way these children comport themselves in school would be stiff by today’s standards – at least in the US…
I declare I believe Miss Genseigne’s school is the best school for girls anywhere in the world. I maintain that those who believe and say the contrary are false and misleading. All Miss Genseigne’s scholars are well-behaved and diligent. There is nothing so pleasant as to see them, with their little stiff bodies and their heads so erect. You would say they were so many little bottles into which Miss Genseigne was pouring knowledge.
It’s the illustration that goes with this idea that’s so great…
The last story in the book is called The Little Sea Dogs. It’s about children whose relatives are sailors. They’re waiting for them to return from sea.
This story reminds us of how much harder life was in those times. It ends by discussing the fickleness of the weather. A storm can capsize a ship, leaving women widowed. Sad ending, but it’s important for children to know that we generally live in a safer, more comfortable world than ever before.
The book Nos enfants is online in French too. I found that one a bit difficult to navigate. Perhaps it might be easier to check out the text only version of Nos enfants in combination with the English version that has the illustrations.
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
“Where the Wild Things Are” Trailer
Monday, March 30th, 2009Check out the trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. (Coming out on October 16, 2009.) It looks awesome!
Thanks to Troy McDonald at PeekaBookaZoo for pointing this out!
Can Anyone Help with Info about the Italian Version of The Story of the Man in The Moon?
Monday, November 3rd, 2008Debra wrote:
Hello Mama Lisa:
I just found your wonderful website and am hopeful someone there can help me find the following information…. I have been trying to research this question now for almost three years!
The Story of the Man in The Moon – the Italian version… the character’s name is pronounced something like (AIR-IT-TEY), not sure of the spelling… phonetically something like… Erite, Aeritei, Eretei?
I would love any help you and/or your readers could be in solving this mystery for me…
Thanks, Debra
If anyone can help Debra with the Italian name of the Man in the Moon and/or any other info, please let us know in the comments below. I think it would be fascinating to learn what the Italian legend of the Man on the Moon is all about.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
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