Tuesday Tome - A Child's Calendar

Once in awhile I add a beautiful children's book to my library. Few things are as enjoyable to me as reading a book with a grandchild or the child of a friend visiting our home. I admit that these books also delight me with nostalgic feelings and memories of my own childhood visits to the public library.

A new arrival to my children's book shelf this week is John Updike's classic, A Child's Calendar. Updike's arresting and winsome poetry accompanied by watercolor illustrations from Trina Schart Hyman make for a book that is much more than kid-stuff. That being said, I much prefer the original edition with illustrations from Nancy Ekholm Burkert. I'm baffled why that edition is no longer in print and is so difficult to find.  Some publisher really ought to re-release the original version.

In either case, A Child's Calendar is real poetry and real art and enriches the reader, whether child or adult. My suggestion and preference is that the book be read by both child and adult at the same time.

I'll post a poem tomorrow for Wednesday Words.