a year full of stories

The cover of A Year Full of Stories is modern yet warm and inviting, which is a perfect fit for the collection of stories inside waiting to be read and shared.  The folk tales and legends are from all over the world and celebrate the changing of the seasons, cultural events and international festivals that take place throughout the year.  Some of September and October's stories are: Why the Evergreens Keep Their Leaves (America), The Gifts of the North Wind (Norway), The Raja and the Rice (India) and The Buried Moon (England).

This beautiful anthology is one to keep nearby to read aloud and enrich your year, as the days move forward and turn into passing months full of traditions, milestones, gatherings and convivial times with friends and family.

Written by Angela McAllister, illustrated by Christopher Corr and published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books.

maple brown butter popcorn

A hint about what I’m sharing on The Land of Nod's blog today.  Be sure to check it out!

dogs in cars

Is there anything more carefree than a dog going for a ride in a car?  Combining different unique breeds of dogs and stylish cars in amusing situations turns the chore of counting to 100 into a lighthearted adventure with a twist at the end.

Dogs in Cars is by Felix Massie and Emmanuelle Walker.  Published by Flying Eye Books.

otto the book bear in the snow

Otto and Ernest are real life book bears that live, well, in a library book.  Nothing excites them more than to be borrowed and read by a new family.  When their book is checked out and it doesn’t look like it will be returned in time for the winter party back at the library, they take matters into their own hands and embark on a snowy journey they’ll never forget.  But do they make it back in time for the winter fête?  Something tells us there are many more adventures for the pair to come.

Otto the Book Bear in the Snow was written and illustrated by Katie Cleminson and published by Ladybird Books (Penguin UK).

boo la la witch spa

For a little witch who is plum exhausted from all of her endless nights of flying around, cooking and cackling, a visit to the witch spa for a spell is just the thing.  Her session includes a cup of warm bat-whisker tea, a broom bristle facial, a scarab skin scrub, an eye of newt wrap and probably best of all, a “soak in a cauldron of mold from four hundred fungi, four hundred years old.”  A dish of candy-corn flan ends her completely relaxing day on a sweet note.

This one would be great for reading aloud if you’re having a Halloween shindig this year, with a mini nail bar afterwards with glow-in-the-dark nail polish, of course.

Boo-La-La Witch Spa was written by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Isabel Roxas and published by Dial Books.