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CULTURAL FICTION - EUROPE
The British Isles
Katie Morag And The Two Grandmothers (Mairi Hedderwick) One of a series of picture books featuring the ever-resourceful Katie Morag and her family and friends on the Isle of Struay, Scotland. When Grannie's prize sheep gets stuck in Boggy Loch on Show Day, Katie knows just how to deal with this very sticky situation. The Katie Morag series of books paints a lovely picture of rural life on a remote Scottish island. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Katie-Morag-Grandmothers-Picture-Books/dp/0099118718
Katie Morag Delivers The Mail (Mairi Hedderwick) A picture book which features Katie Morag, a young girl with a gift for schemes. When her village gets its mail mixed up she takes it upon herself to sort out the problem, with help from her grandmother and her tractor. The Katie Morag series of books paints a lovely picture of rural life on a remote Scottish island. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Katie-Morag-Delivers-Mail-Treasure/dp/0099263548
Katie Morag And The Tiresome Ted (Mairi Hedderwick) Katie Morag has a new baby sister, and everyone is pleased except Katie Morag. 'No one talks to me any more...or brings me presents.' In a fit of anger, she kicks her old teddy into the sea. She soon regrets her action, and next morning there is a wet bed. Mum is furious and sends Katie to her gran's for a few days. While there, she finds old Ted washed up on the shore, and in patching him up, she begins to feel better. 'Having bad moods is very tiring.' She is pleased to get home and brings presents for everyone, including a conch shell for the baby. Beautiful watercolour illustrations, full of life on the Scottish isles. Yet another gem in the series, these are excellent books to read aloud, with so much to explore in the stories and illustrations. The Katie Morag series of books paints a lovely picture of rural life on a remote Scottish island. http://www.amazon.com/Katie-Morag-Tiresome-Ted/dp/0099118815
The Mousehole Cat (Antonia Barber) $5 PB VGC At the far end of England is the fishing village of Mousehole, so named because of the smallness of its harbour and the narrowness of its harbour mouth. Once, a cat called Mowzer lived there with an old fisherman called Tom; and Mowzer's life was very pleasant because Tom loved her and she loved Tom. Every day they ate mouth-watering meals of fresh fish--morgy-broth, baked hake, kedgeree or star-gazy pie. But then, one terrible winter, the Great Storm-Cat came clawing and snarling and leaping at the harbour walls so that no boat could go out to fish. And soon, with Christmas coming, there was no food left in Mousehole. It was then that Tom and Mowzer set out in their little boat to try and save their village. As they crossed the harbour towards the Mousehole gap, the voice of the Great Storm-Cat rose all around them like a giant caterwauling; and Mowzer knew that either she must soothe the Storm-Cat's anger, or she and Tom must surely die. Antonia Barber tells this dramatic and moving story so well that the sweet voice of Mowzer and the fury of the Great Storm-Cat seem to sing from the page; and the strength and beauty of Nicola Bayley's illustrations bring a vivid and shimmering sense of truth to this long-ago Cornish adventure. Winner of the British Book Award for the Illustrated Children's Book of the Year and the British Design Production Award (Children's Books). It was also shortlisted for the Smarties Prize, the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Children's Book Award. 5-10 YO
Snowy (Berlie Doherty) $4 PB EC Rachel doesn’t live in a house; she lives in a narrowboat on a canal in England. There are so many wonderful things about living on a boat, but most of all Rachel loves Snowy, the beautiful Clydesdale boat horse. Gorgeous paintings, picture book. 5-10 YO http://www.amazon.co.uk/Snowy-Berlie-Doherty/dp/0006642977
The Old Woman Who Lived In A Vinegar Bottle* (Rumer Godden) $3 PB EC *Vinegar bottle refers to the shape of the house which was an old hops drying kiln. It’s shape resembled the old vinegar bottles of the district of rural England. The story of an old woman and her fat cat, Malt who lived in the vinegar bottle house. She was poor but happy in her little home on the shores of a wide lake. Until one hungry day she found a silver sixpence and met a charming fish prince….Picture book 5-9 YO http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n25/n126653.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/rumer-godden/old-woman-who-lived-in-vinegar-bottle.htm&h=394&w=305&sz=17&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=6ZG3uuxFvCQPSM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3DThe%2BOld%2BWoman%2BWho%2BLived%2BIn%2BA%2BVinegar%2BBottle*%2B(Rumer%2BGodden)%2B%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
Beyond The Wide World’s End (Meta Mayne Reid) $2 PB FC One night Timothy overhears his new stepmother telling his father that either Timothy must go or she will. Timothy does the only thing he thinks should be done – he runs away, a hundred miles to the other side of Ireland in a quest to find his dead mother’s family. 8-11
The Flight Of The Doves (Walter Macken) $2 PB FC (Nikko price on the cover, light tanning) Finn and Derval are so miserable in their new stepfather’s family that it’s more than they can bear. Somehow, without money, they must get out of England and across the Irish Sea to their grandmother. 9+ http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Doves-Walter-Macken/dp/0330397877 (Cover different)
The Rest Of Europe
The Tale Of Hilda Louise (Olivier Dunrea) $5 HBDJ VGC (Dust jacket has a little wear on corners) Hilda Louise's longing to be part of a family sweeps her up and over the walls of the orphanage until she floats high above magnificent Paris of the early 1900s. Creamy oil paintings bask in a warm palette, with each page of text placed on a burnished gold background. Shows many scenes from French life and landmarks of Paris. 5-9 YO http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/6534682/used/The%20Tale%20of%20Hilda%20Louise
Odette: A Springtime In Paris (Kay Fender, illustrator Philippe Dumas) $5 PB EC The story revolves around an elderly man who spends his time playing an accordion in a Paris subway. He finds a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest. The man takes in and cares for the bird who he named Odette. It is impossible to describe the amount of love there is in this story. One day, as the climate begins to change, the man realizes he must let Odette go with all the other birds heading south. 5-9 YO http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qsort=p&qisbn=0916291332&siteID=pjv1c.QzcE0-U_.COHAvZygQsNo4WQlXpA
Bonjour Philippine (Ellen Paullin) $2 HB EC A lovely picture book full of the flavour of Paris from the market by the Seine, the concierge, the street sweeper, the fisherman to the gendarme. 5-9
Pigeon Of Paris (Natalie Savage Carson – author of SL title ‘The Family Under The Bridge’) $2 PB GC Discover the sights and scenes of Paris with Evangeline, one of the street pigeons living there. 7-10
Anny (Irene Pearl) $2 HB FC Anny, an English girl, learns the way of life of a little market town in the south-west corner of France, where a golden fortune means a field of mushrooms. 7-10
The Little Weather House (Elizabeth Macdonald) $3 HB FC (Ex lib) The charming story set in Germany of Heinrich and Griselda, the two figures who man the weather house in a little Tyrolean town. They get bored because, when one is outside, the other has to stay in the house and they never see each other. Rich in culture and charm, gorgeous illustrations. Recommended! 5-9 YO
A Bell For Ursli (Selina Chonz, Alois Carigiet illustrator) $6 HB EC A little boy named Ursli lives in the Swiss Alps, and he must find a big cowbell so that he can lead the spring procession through his village. He goes alone to his family's chalet high up in the mountains and, there, he spends a lonely, scary night. Generations of Swiss children have grown up with the delightful story of Ursli, and now, for the first time, his adventures have become available in English. Selina Chönz (1910-2000) was a poet from the Engadine valley in the Graubünden mountains of Switzerland. Alois Carigiet (1902-1985) was born in the Graubünden mountains in Switzerland. Alpine mountains became a central theme of his art and he became one of Switzerland's most popular painters. He won numerous awards, including the New York Times Choice of Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year 1953 and the coveted gold medal of the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1966. 5-9 YO http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Ursli-Selina-Ch%C3%B6nz/dp/3280014832
A Gift For Hans Uli (Kathleen M. Duncan) $3 HBDJ VGC Simon has many adventures while on holiday in Switzerland with his grandmother. As well as sightseeing, the lakes and mountains and watching how people lived their lives here, he makes a new friend, Hans, who comes to know Jesus as his Saviour. 9+ http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/A-GIFT-FOR-HANS-ULI-Kathleen-M-Duncan_W0QQitemZ320141115419QQihZ011QQcategoryZ1093QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262#ebayphotohosting
The Hole In The Dyke (Norma Green, illustrator Eric Carle) $2 PB FC (Minor cover wear) A retelling for young children of this famous story showing many of the distinct features of the Dutch way of life including windmills, dykes, unique clothing etc. Colourful pictures, typical of Eric Carle. 4-8 YO http://www.bookcrossing.com/images/journalpics/645/21/6451521.jpg?date=6%2F13%2F2006+5%3A57%3A30+AM
Katje The Windmill Cat (Gretchen Woelfle) $6 HBDJ EC A gorgeous picture book with the engaging story of the 15th-century St. Elizabeth's Day flood in Holland. Katje the cat belongs to Niko the miller, but when he marries and Anneke is born, the feline is no longer the centre of the household. Even though Katje moves into the windmill, she loves playing with Anneke and rocking her cradle. When the town's dike breaks and Anneke and the cat are swept into dangerous floodwaters, Katje keeps the baby's cradle level until they are rescued. The epilogue describes the Kinderdijk (Children's Dike) built to honour the baby saved by a cat. Richly detailed artwork not only chronicles the events, but also captures the cat's uncannily human emotions. The panel illustrations, like miniature Dutch paintings, glow with a patina of amber light and parallel the excitement of the text. Delft tiles in traditional patterns as well as those incorporating images from the story decorate each page. 5-9 YO http://www.gretchenwoelfle.com/work2.htm
The Cow Who Fell In The Canal (Phyllis Krasilovsky) $2 PB FC (Cover wear) Hendrika the cow lives in the Polders of Holland and is bored with doing the same thing every day. She gets into the canal and takes a ride on a raft into an old city where she sees the cheese markets, the cobbled streets, the charming old houses and the bicycles. A great insight into Dutch lifestyle. 4-9 http://www.amazon.com/Cow-Who-Fell-Canal/dp/0440408253
Tina’s Island Home (J.M. van Walsum-Quispel) $3 HB GC Tina lives on an island in the middle of Yssel Lake in Holland in a town called Marken. It is connected to the mainland by a long dyke and is a very special place for the people there still live very much the way they lived for hundreds of years. A great read picture book. 5-10
Moon-Eyes (Jean Chapman) $3 HB GC (No dust jacket, book cover very slightly warped) The story of Moon-Eyes, a very cultured, but stray cat living in the Forum piazza in the centre of Rome. How he longs for a home away from the elements and hostile people. He tries the 200 year old church, the pizza restaurant and a presepio until he finds a loving little girl to take him home. Great illustrations, picture book. 6-10 YO http://www.tarmans.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=3010&keyword=chapman+jean&searchby=author&offset=0&fs=1&CLSN_420=120900949742045f810b89ddcb233ed2
The Twins In Greece (Sally Kilroy) $2 PB VGC Katie and Ben are holidaying in Greece with their parents. See al the sights and wonders of Greece in a lovely picture book for 5-9 YO.
The Danish Teapot (Naomi Mitchison) $3 HB FC Erik and Kirsten are on holiday with Mormor, their grandmother in Denmark. They are having a wonderful Midsummer’s day with the traditional Danish bonfire tonight when, disaster strikes! They break Mormor’s precious teapot! In their efforts to make amends they give Mormor something that is worth far more to her than they could possibly have guessed! 7-11 http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/naomi-mitchison/danish-teapot.htm
Red Ribbons And Mr Anders (Elizabeth Wilton) $4 HB VGC The tale of the village in Denmark where the storks came to nest on the chimneys of the houses each spring. This year the storks don’t come and everyone is worried. Gorgeous drawings depicting town life in old world Denmark. Picture book 6-9 YO
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