Claire Loves…

I’m really looking forward to getting back to some fiction writing when I’m all done with massage therapy school and able to set my own, flexible working schedule. One of the first things I plan to do is begin working on a children’s book. This has been an increasing desire for me as of late and as I contemplate it more and more, I find myself thinking back on all the books I read and loved as a kid. 

Aunt Isabel Tells A Good One

By Kate Duke

With the help of her niece Penelope, Aunt Isabel tells the story of the plucky young Lady Nell, a feminist rodent if there ever was one. A mixture of action adventure, fantasy and romance, Aunt Isabel Tells A Good One is a wonderful little story all about the art of storytelling. 

Ferdinand The Bull

By Munro Leaf

A classic about the importance and beauty of pacifism and the simplistic joy of a life spent just sitting beneath a lush tree, smelling the flowers. 

The Big Orange Splot

By D. Manus Pinkwater

A wonderful early lesson in nonconformity and acceptance. When a bird drops a gallon of orange paint on Mr. Plumbean’s roof, he paints his house multi-colored to match the splot and the change turns the neighborhood upside down. 

Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport

By Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

This story, about the difficulty of moving and acclimating to a new place really resonated with me as a child because my family moved around quite a bit when I was little. 

In The Night Kitchen

By Maurice Sendak

In The Night Kitchen, from the author of Where The Wild Things Are, is a book that I remember reading with my older brother. It’s a wonderfully illustrated story of Mickey’s adventure through a baker’s kitchen.