Five Book Friday
by Kat H., January 19, 2024 9:02 AM
In the coldest months of the year, the natural response of any bookworm is to bundle up with a blanket, some tea, and a homey book. We seek to warm the most frigid corners of our hearts and bring light to the darker seasons on earth — to reassure ourselves that even in dark times, hope and light will always return to us. In my experience, no subject is better suited to this task than tales of anthropomorphic adventure. From Aesop to Alice in Wonderland, stories of furry friends and their surprisingly thoughtful adventures have provided a safe and comforting vantage point from which a reader may witness stories both grand and quaint, strange yet familiar, and always entertaining. The stories don’t always have to be sweet. Often the tiny, whiskered main characters will face deep hardships before their inevitable happy ending, but we can always count on them returning home to a warm fire and a loving home. If you think about it, isn’t that the kind of ending we all hope for?
by Juneau Black
Charming and homey, Shady Hollow is a quaint little town, far from the hub and bub of city life. But the serenity of this country village is quickly shattered when the local hermit, a toad named Otto, is found stone dead. It is up to the intrepid local fox of a reporter, Vera Vixen, to dig up whatever has cast a shadow on her home and make Shady Hollow safe once more. Whimsical and amusing, this mystery manages to retain its soothing and welcoming atmosphere, even amid murder-most-fowl.
by Hitsuji Yamada
Living alone with your cat is a whole lot easier when the cat is taller than you and does your grocery shopping. Saku is a young woman who works long and thankless hours. Luckily, she also gets to come home every day to her best friend and enormous cat, Yukichi. Full of sweet domesticity and heartwarming moments of connection, this slice-of-life anime is pure wish-fulfillment for any tired cat owner who wishes that their cat took care of them as well as they take care of their little furry friend.
by Christopher Denise
A little ball of fluff with bold aspirations, this nocturnal cutie pie may only be a few ounces of feathers but what he lacks in size he more than makes up for in bravery! Join Owl in this Caldecott honor title, as he joins the Knight’s Night Watch, confronts a fire-breathing dragon, and makes unexpectedly cheese-y friendships along the way. An adorable picture book full of witty puns and ear-catching turns of phrase, this book is perfect to read before bedtime.
by Lisa McMann
Any good storyteller knows that the coziest moments can be found after some of the most traumatic, and this is absolutely true for the main character of this book. A tiny rodent on the open ocean, ship mouse Clarice must protect her brother and herself against all manner of dangers, from storms to mutiny to a hungry cat. A classic adventure of a brave little mouse facing impossible odds, this middle reader book is just the right pick for younger fans of The Tale of Despereaux or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
by Jill Barklem
Peek into the inner world of critters in the English countryside in The Complete Brambly Hedge. Brimming with restful illustrations and positively darling short stories, each page of this richly designed book offers a glimpse into snippets of the lives of a community of tiny mice, all living inside of a hedge bush. This book is perfect for bedtime stories with the little ones, or to stare at wistfully as you imagine nibbling on some jam and toast with a mole in a waistcoat.
|