Children's Book Monday

Quite often these days, Will and I have requests from Ella to tell her stories about when we were a little boy/girl. And it all started with the book I'm reviewing today.

It has been a wonderful time for us to recollect happy childhood memories. For me, I tell her about PirateLand Campground at Myrtle Beach and taking long walks on the beach at sunset w/my parents and sisters. My mom held one hand and my dad held the other. And before they even turned around to head back to our pop-up camper, I was asking to be held. A four-year-old can only walk so much after all. :-)
Or I tell her about being a skating waitress in the rec room along w/my best childhood friend (whose name also happens to be Laura). We would use ping-pong paddles for our order pads and have a blast skating under the shutter doors.

Will, of course, has slightly different stories of playing Cowboys and Indians or eating tons of watermelon with his Baba and swimming in the old pool during the summers they would visit their grandparents' farm.

I hope reading this book with your little one will prompt many childhood stories of your own.

Laura Charlotte
By Kathryn O. Galbraith
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

It's bedtime and Laura Charlotte can't go to sleep. So she asks her mom to tell her a story, but not just any story. She wants to hear the story of Charlotte.

So her mom begins the story of her 5th birthday when she received her favorite present, an elephant her grandmother had made her from the scraps of her sewing kit.

Laura's mother named her Charlotte because she thought it "was the prettiest name in the whole world." She reminisces about their wagon rides, shared sicknesses, and even scary adventures.

One evening, Charlotte is accidentally left outside and Laura's mom braves the darkness to find her when she misses her from her bed. She finds her but a tragic thing has happened.

"I started to cry. Poor Charlotte had only one ear. Dinah, the cat, had chewed off the other."
"But it didn't matter," Laura said quickly. "Because you still loved her best."
Mama stroked Laura's hair. "No, it didn't matter. I still loved her best. And I sat right beside her while my grandmother sewed on a new flannel ear. We were both very brave."

The story continues to bring everything full circle, back to a little girl named Laura Charlotte who continues to love the little elephant today. And it brings Laura a great appreciation for her Mama, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother.

Enjoy!

P.S. Please pray today for the Smith family, and especially little Audrey.