Mr. Trivia

Roger Hargreaves' Mr. Men series (1971) and Little Miss series (1981) have remained in print since their respective inception, been translated into nearly thirty languages, and have sold millions upon millions of copies. Seeing them pass through the store, parents purchasing the little books and immediately handing them to their children at the front counter, has always made me a little nostalgic. I grew up on the series myself, had a few personal favorites, and still get a kick out of how deceptively stylish they are. Too cute for words, really. Not too cute for franchising however, as I discovered the other night.

Not normally one to be suckered into buying a bunch of crap just because the item(s) in question bears the image of some nostalgic-to-me icon, I have to admit that I was, sheepishly, a little smitten when I discovered some of the Mr. & Little Miss products that have been created over the past few decades. A couple of these things would probably be floating around in my room to this day if they had seen fit to distribute them more widely in the US.

-Mr. Lazy Slippers
-Mr. Cool Toilet Seat Covers
-Mr. Funny's Runny Honey (what?!)
-Mr. Bump Plasters

Furthermore, I would like to try all of these candies:

Shaun Tan

As a perennial favorite here at Green Apple and elsewhere, you may have heard something about Shaun Tan. His stunning illustrations are imaginative and emotional; his words are thought-provoking. Lost and Found, the latest from Tan is a triple threat, with three of his previously out-of-print/hard-to-find stories bound together. " The Rabbits" is a cautionary tale of how destruction to the earth and to other beings will never end in happiness, while "The Red Tree", searches for something to hope for. As well as being a curious tale, "The Lost Thing" is also an Academy Award winning short film. Rather than babble endlessly about how much I admire this one, take a look at the trailer:



Not just for children, Lost and Found, is for anyone who can appreciate the beauty in everyday life.

When Animals Want More

Sometimes animals just want more outta life. Some of them want to explore outside of the confines of their zoo pen, while others have the slightly more ambitious goal of invading a city (namely, Sicily). Frank Tashlin's, The Bear That Wasn't, is slightly melancholy, following a bear who proves himself a fine worker in an industrial complex, but is still always called a, "silly man who needs a shave and wears a fur coat." In the end, the bear rises above his silly bosses by concluding that even though people say he is one thing, doesn't necessarily make it true. Way to think on your own, bear! Curious George even takes part in the animal revolution by, among other things, wanting to make pizza.

There's a new display in the children's section of the store with some of my favorite books highlighting animals who love adventure. What are some of yours?