My lovely and talented friend Erika from Oh Erika Rae shares her favorite children's book with us below. A little plug from me, they read us this book one day and it is delightful! I need it for our collection.
By Erika
Being an English major, books are everything to me. I'm one of those people who can never give a straight answer when asked what my favorite book is. I am constantly reading and reading and reading.
That all started with my childhood, and the love for reading my parents instilled in me. They always kept a box full of books nearby, and my mom still collects extra children's books.
Even though I don't have kids of my own, I thought I would review a children's book that I'm excited to read with my own children.
Amos & Boris - By William Steig
Scott found this book online - I don't know how, in fact I don't know if he remembers how - but I feel like it matches us and our little family perfectly.
He was drawn to it for sailing and adventures. I was drawn to how creatively the book was written, and I later fell more in love with it when I found it was written by William Steig.
William Steig also wrote Dr. de Soto, and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble - both amazing classics that I read as a kid. We ordered an old, used library copy online, and so began our collection of children's books.
The book is a charming story about a mouse named Amos who loves the sound of the ocean and sailing. He builds his own boat and sets sail into the ocean for his own little adventure. His friend Boris is a whale with perfect timing when things go wrong for Amos. The story is a celebration of friendship - both large and small. It includes profound questions about heave, and cute phrases like, "holy clam and cuttlefish!"
One thing I love about William Steig is that he doesn't talk dumb to children. His books are simple but profound - they actually have meaning to them. I absolutely adore the writing - it's something that even I find well done and entertaining - and the lovely watercolor sketches by the author.
Amos & Boris has sailing, adventures, whales, starry nights on the high seas, a brave mouse, and even elephants - a perfect story for kids.
...Or husbands like mine.
"one night, in a phosphorescent sea, he marveled at the sight of some whales spouting luminous water; and later, lying on the deck of his boat gazing at the immense, starry sky, the tiny mouse amos, a little speck of a living thing in a vast living universe, felt thoroughly akin to it all. overwhelmed by the beauty and mystery of everything, he rolled over and over and right off the deck of his boat and into the sea."
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