December Meme Question 1

[osprey_archer]

For vcmw: Favorite picture books? Favorite types of cookie? (I've been shopping for kiddos and planning holiday baking, so those are the things on my mind.)

Somehow in my mind, this question morphed into "Holiday shopping guide for picture books," so that's what you're getting, I'm afraid.

For anyone ever, Barbara Cooney's Miss Rumphius is delightful. The illustrations are lovely (lots of gorgeous pictures of the seaside, and lupines), and the message is beautiful without seeming too sledge-hammery.

For an imaginative, artistic child, I would also recommend two of Barbara Cooney's other books: Roxaboxen (actually I think Cooney only illustrated this one; the author is someone else), which is about a group of children who build an imaginary town in the dessert, or Hattie and the Wild Waves, which is about a girl who loves drawing and grows up to be an artist.

Mary Lyn Ray's Deer Dancer, which I read earlier this year and adored, would probably also be a good choice for an imaginative child - probably especially a girl, although I imagine that a boy who isn't hung up on needing to like "boy things" might like it too.

For a very girly girl, both the Fancy Nancy and Angelina Ballerina series are charming, with lovely illustrations. (The other big girly-girl series, Pinkalicious, is horrid. The illustrations are cluttered and poorly rendered, the stories aren't very coherent, and insofar as they have morals, the morals are unconvincing, too obvious, and awkwardly integrated.)

A girl who has more of a tomboy streak might like the Ladybug Girl books or the Frances books.

Actually, I think everyone - boy or girl, young or old - would like the Frances books. The Frances books are probably as close as you'll get to a surefire hit. I prefer the older illustrations (the newer ones have more colors), but I recognize that this may be a prejudice born of too many hours reading these books in my youth.

For a boy who is really into boy stuff: IDK, get him something about trucks. Boys like that, right?

***

As for cookies: honestly, I like most kinds of cookie. Chocolate chip is my standby, but I also love snickerdoodles and sugar cookies, and I have a really lovely chocolate cookie with white chip recipe that I rarely use because it's a bit of a pain to bake. Soooo good, though.

It is my firm opinion that cookies are meant to be soft and chewy, not hard and crispy. Unless they are meant to be dipped in tea. Or Oreos. Oreos get special dispensation.

Comments

[vcmw]

Thank you for this lovely list! Bread and Jam for Frances was my very favorite in first grade. I will have to go look for Deer Dancer, I don't think I've seen that one.

And I also prefer my chocolate chip cookies soft and chewy, enough so that sometimes I add applesauce in to guarantee their softness. The chocolate white chocolate chip ones sound delicious.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Bread and Jam for Frances was the BEST. So many glorious food descriptions! I coveted Frances's lunch at the end of the book. I don't think I would have eaten any part of it if someone actually served it to me, but in the abstract it was so delightful.

[entwashian.livejournal.com]

Yesssssss chewy cookies only!

I only eat Oreos if I have milk to dunk them in.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I'm only somewhat fond of normal Oreos, but I am hugely fond of the Oreos with peanut butter flavored filling. I have been known to munch my way through half a package in about a day.