Wanting to keep alive both the love of words and the love of Mother Earth, this year Advocacy Press has published Mother Nature Nursery Rhymes. The poems are a blend of original verses and re-writes of traditional rhymes with avoidance of sexual stereotypes, violence and ecological thoughtlessness. The book abounds in colorful illustrations by Itoko Maeno whose love of the natural world is apparent in her work. The book ranges from repeatable verses to activity plays to suggestions for parents to bring ecology alive in their homes. Earlier this year, Advocacy published Penelope Paine's Time for Horatio, the London adventure of a small cat who finds a kinder world as his boy-owner Oliver learns about mean time and dreams about a world without mean actions.
Children love the bigness of the world but they also love small comfy areas.
I see a blanketed dining room table, I am transported back to what it felt like to dwell in warm comforting child-constructed space. Hope Slaughter remembers well and bring her memories alive in A Cozy Place, so alive in fact that when I shared this book with my daughter, she dragged pillows and blankets from all over the house to build her own snug palace. Ms. Slaughter's book is more than a warm snuggly book, for this setting becomes the backdrop for a story of early friendship. Roberta is the young protagonist's best friend. They have built forts of every type imaginable and have filled these child havens with drawing, reading, food and fun.