Monday, December 5, 2022

Sometimes Monday ...

 ... is a day not to feel sorry for yourself! Lately, I've been thinking about how much I miss having young children on my lap and reading to them. I still see the children, they're just not young anymore, but I also miss the books. Picture books have a charm of their own, with delightful stories, gorgeous and oftentimes eye-catching illustrations, and they engender good feelings. I rarely buy picture books anymore unless they are gifts for grand-nephews or nieces. But recently, Margaret Renkl (NYT columnist and author of Late Migrations) had been posting on IG about some of her favorite books this year. She said she also misses storytime and buys at least one new picture book each Christmas even though she doesn't have any children or grandchildren in the house. 


I haven't purchased any new picture books, but since I have saved most of my children's books, I can easily revisit them. So that's what I'll be doing occasionally during December when I can't come up with a blog post idea. Today, let's take a look at The Mole Family's Christmas by Russell Hoban with illustrations by Lillian Hoban. My kids both came home from elementary school enamored with this story, so I bought two used copies when I found them so they could each have one. It's out of print like many children's books, but affordable copies are available if you look around. 



It's the story of Harley Mole, his wife Emma, and their son Delver. Delver is curious about the world around him, a curiosity that found its focus when he learned of the far-distant stars and had the desire to see them. But how could a mole, who lived underground and who was terribly nearsighted, ever see these shimmering celestial bodies? By using a telescope, of course! And how was he to obtain that telescope? By asking the fat man in a red suit, who visited the people aboveground once a year with gifts. And so began a process whereby the entire Mole family worked hard to make Delver's dream come true, laboring to build a chimney for this odd gift-giver while evading the claws of Ephraim the Owl.




I'm probably not giving anything away by saying that the story ends happily. My kids loved the idea of animals writing a letter to Santa, moles asking for a telescope to see the stars, and maybe even the danger of evading Ephraim the Owl. I liked the idea that Mother and Father Mole recognized their son's curiosity and were willing to help him pursue his dream. All around, a great Christmas story!

14 comments:

  1. What a wonderful story! I love the illustrations. This reminds me a bit of the books I grew up with and shared with Colin - books by Thornton Burgess (Old Mother West Wind, The Adventures of Reddy Rox, The Adventures of Prickly Porky, Old Grandfather Frog, etc, etc.). We still have those books and I may need to get one out to read! I can't wait to see your future post on children's books!

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  2. What a delightful book! My mother just asked me last week if I still had picture books from my childhood, seeing as my daughter has aged out of them. I'm pretty sure we have many of them packed up safely, and I'm excited to pass them along to my brother so he can read them to his son. Before I pass them along, though, I'm going to take some time to go through them and bring back some good memories.

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  3. I remember that book!!! We didn't have it in our home-library when the kids were little, but we did check it out every year from the library. Such comforting words and illustrations -- and I thank you for sharing it, Bonny. I have a stack of our favorite Christmas storybooks that I've saved from when my kids were young, and I put them out with the decorations each year. I usually find the kids (and especially Erin, when she's home for the holidays) picking out their favorites and reading them again. Such wonderful memories! XO

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  4. I have never heard of this wonderful book! What a fun story! (and I think I know what to get for the grands this year!)

    I, too, miss kids snuggled in to listen to a story... mine especially loved ones they knew by heart so they could help "read along" those were the best of time! And thanks for the reminder to get those books out and savor them as an adult! (and for Margaret Renkl's IG link!)

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  5. What a wonderful post, Bonny. And thanks for the link to Margaret Renkl's IG page. Now I am in for a world of hurt as the pile of "yet unread" books grows.
    Like Kym, I have a pile of Christmas books, most of them for children and some that are for adults, that I pull out with the Christmas decorations. And tho' I have become minimalist in the decorations department, the books still make their appearance.

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  6. What a sweet book. The drawings are simply BEAUTIFUL! I loved story time when Stephen was little. Even when craft group was at my house in the evening, I always took the bit of time away to have a story or two before Stephen went to sleep.

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  7. There's nothing quite like having a child in your lap and reading to them. Hannah loved picture books but I don't think we ever read this one. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  8. That's a title I'm not familiar with - it sounds like a great one!

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  9. what a treasure!!! I've never seen that book before and the illustrations are delightful!

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  10. That looks like such a sweet book! In my little collection of Christmas books, I have a few from my childhood, my mother's childhood, and even one that was given to my grandmother from her piano teacher! I love looking through these books at this time of year.

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    1. Oh, Debbie, those all sound like real treasures! What a treat that you have those special books!

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  11. What a sweet Christmas story. The illustrations are beautiful. Although I've never seen this one, I do remember L. Hoban illustrated other children's picture books. My kids had quite a few books. I bought more when I was working in early education. Every now and again, I still buy one for myself. The grandchildren love them in person and on FaceTime. I give them books as gifts. We don't have a lot of art in the house so I consider the picture books my art collection.

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  12. That book is so special - thank you for telling me about it years ago! The boys are coming over today (school holiday for the election) and I wonder if I can get them to sit still for a story? I might even get the younger one in my lap (unless Lucy is there already) :-)

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