Dedication + Mission

I'm home for Christmas, and we're packing. Actually, home is no longer home, because next week my parents are moving from the home I grew up in, to a newer smaller house on the shore of a river, near the San Francisco Bay. It's an exciting, but bittersweet way to begin the new year.

While digging through a box in our attic, I discovered a little cotton knit jumpsuit that was my father's when he was a baby. Embroidered on it were the words "Little Lamb." I had to smile--this was my Grandmother's favorite greeting for a baby. Baptismal cakes and cards always said "Welcome Little Lamb." And it is from her that I derived the name for this blog. When I was born she gave my mother the little lamb statue pictured above, and I've brought it with me everywhere I've ever lived.

In this blog I aim to direct my long cherished love for Children's Literature towards criticism and evaluation of both classic books of the Children's Canon, and the wonderful new books that come out all the time for kids today. My aim is to draw your attention to some of the best books being published today. When evaluating books I look for beauty in both story and illustration, a sense of wonder, and hopefully a touch of whimsy and silliness. I want to find books that broaden a child's mind by engaging their imagination. I rarely like morals (except Aesopand Belloc'sCautionary Tales)

I will be trying to post new content every weekday. I'll be focusing on picture books, because that's about all I have time for these days to read, but will review a chapter book once a week, and revive a classic work once a week as well. I have a growing list of subcategories, including age references, and subjects, so you'll easily be able to find a number of excellent books for a 4 year old who loves animals, or a teething infant (gotta love board books!) As the blog grows, I hope to grow in my aims and goals. And I want feedback from all of you!

In the meantime, I dedicate this blog to my grandmother, Helena. If I turn out to be half the woman she was, I'll be extraordinarily blessed.

"Do you know," Peter asked "why swallows build in the eaves of houses? It is to listen to the stories." --J. M. Barrie, Peter and Wendy.