I am very lucky to have a sister who, as part of her career and personal enjoyment, has stayed abreast of children's literature. She has introduced my children to books by Eric Carle, Rosemary Wells (the McDuff series specifically) and Kevin Henkes. She has also introduced me to a few great books. For years I rolled my eyes at the Harry Potter fanfare, but my sister kept telling me how well-written the books were. Finally she said, "Read the first fifty pages of Sorcercer's Stone. Get Harry to Hogwarts. If you don't like it by that point, stop reading." I kept reading and had read the first four books within about two weeks. The following summer I was in one of those lines at midnight buying the new Harry Potter book.
For my birthday this year my sister sent me a new series of children's books--The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. What a charming series of books this is. The books tell the story of four sisters who have very different personalities but manage to have great adventures together. Rosalind is the oldest and surrogate mother to the others (their mother died of cancer weeks after the birth of the youngest sister). Skye is the mathematician who is embarrassed by the overly imaginative tendencies of some of her sisters. Jane is the writer who loves attics and is constantly writing Sabrina Starr adventure stories. Bitty is the youngest who wears butterfly wings and hides behind her family members. Though she is named after her mother (Elizabeth is Bitty's legal name), she has no memories of her mother and loves when Rosalind tells her stories about their mother.
While these stories are set in the present day, they read like a story from a bygone time. Jeanne Birdsall readily admits to being influenced by classic children's authors such as Louisa May Alcott and Noel Streatfeild. The consensus of most reviewers is that these books are charmingly old-fashion. I highly recommend the series and look forward to the day my daughters are old enough to fully enjoy these books.
For my birthday this year my sister sent me a new series of children's books--The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. What a charming series of books this is. The books tell the story of four sisters who have very different personalities but manage to have great adventures together. Rosalind is the oldest and surrogate mother to the others (their mother died of cancer weeks after the birth of the youngest sister). Skye is the mathematician who is embarrassed by the overly imaginative tendencies of some of her sisters. Jane is the writer who loves attics and is constantly writing Sabrina Starr adventure stories. Bitty is the youngest who wears butterfly wings and hides behind her family members. Though she is named after her mother (Elizabeth is Bitty's legal name), she has no memories of her mother and loves when Rosalind tells her stories about their mother.
While these stories are set in the present day, they read like a story from a bygone time. Jeanne Birdsall readily admits to being influenced by classic children's authors such as Louisa May Alcott and Noel Streatfeild. The consensus of most reviewers is that these books are charmingly old-fashion. I highly recommend the series and look forward to the day my daughters are old enough to fully enjoy these books.
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