Oh my gosh! THANK YOU for reminding me of “Rise and Shine, Mariko-chan!” My mama used to read this to me all the time, but I’d completely forgotten about it till now. 🥹
Being Japanese (I’m called “Erichan”), this book felt extra special to me. ❤️
Do you know you are the ONLY other person I know who has ever heard of this book? I can't remember how I discovered it, but both my kids were obsessed with it when they were toddlers and it remains one of our all-time favorite and most beloved books. It's just so sweet -- I never get tired of reading it.
These books remind me of treasured memories going to the library as a child. Stonewall Jackson memorial library Weston, West Virginia. The old beautifmul house turned library. It still had its secret passages used in the Civil War times for exciting things. Long dark wood banister and wide steps that once accommodated hoop skirts, now lead to second floor rooms of big people books. I even remember how it smelled, and the floors creaked.
I grew up in Columbia, SC and our downtown library was a green glass building. The children’s room was framed by life size Maurice Sendak Where the Wild Things Are characters and trees growing up to the skyline. It was on the bottom floor. I don’t ever recall the staff being particularly wonderful to me there. My mom worked downtown at the time and it was always close to closing when we could go- my favorite thing to do at 5:45 when we heard the library will close in 15 minutes was go to this one aisle of paperback chapter books- Anastasia Krupnik, The Baby Sitters Club, the Alice books, Sweet Valley Twins or Sweet Valley High- and my sister and I would just get all we wanted up to the max number and be done in 5 minutes. I loved my stacks of books on the fireplace hearth at home. Core memory of being 7-12 years old ❤️ when I worked in my dads law firm during college summers I went to that library all the time, libraries are so, so special to me.
Sarah, I am loving these! I also know this Mariko-Chan book from my MIL! She has a great interest in having an expansive library and asks for recs at our local library for children’s books all the time so maybe that’s how she found it?! I’m intrigued by the breadth of her children’s books at her house.
That is so cool. I rarely hear about grandparents having amazing libraries of children's books, though I know from this newsletter that there are many out there, avidly collecting titles for their grandchildren and building upon what they have, which is fantastic. How lucky to have a home library AND a library at someone else's house to explore and enjoy.
Her mom was a career English teacher! She had a sign that said “of course you are out of room on your bookshelves, if you have enough room on your book shelves you probably aren’t very interesting.” I met my grandmother in law when she was pretty deep into her dementia years but they gave me her Shakespeare mug and many of her books when she died. I really wish I could’ve known her, my husband and his brothers were so fortunate to have a grandmother who met them where they were with reading.
It was ON her bookshelf! My husband’s grandma died in 2014 and his grandad died in 2020 and they lived across from us- I would come over and play piano for his grandad, he owned a music store and always asked what instrument people played on their first meeting! Such an interesting family I married into! ❤️
I would read “The Tiger Who Came to Tea” ! 🫖 🐯
You would like it!
Thank you!! You give me such good ideas for my grandchildren!! They love books and being read to and must be ‘fed’ a lot!!!
I'm so glad. We should all be so lucky to be "fed" such a yummy diet 😊
We are on a huge Tiger who came to tea kick right now. Read 3 times at bed last night!
When I lived in Oxford, I got to hear Judith Kerr speak at the Oxford Literary Festival. She was so delightful and has such an amazing life story!!
So cool! I don't know anything about her, but I do love her books (I am covering one of her Mog titles for my upcoming special edition on Christmas).
You should check out When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, her story of her family fleeing Nazi germany.
Will do!
Oh my gosh! THANK YOU for reminding me of “Rise and Shine, Mariko-chan!” My mama used to read this to me all the time, but I’d completely forgotten about it till now. 🥹
Being Japanese (I’m called “Erichan”), this book felt extra special to me. ❤️
Do you know you are the ONLY other person I know who has ever heard of this book? I can't remember how I discovered it, but both my kids were obsessed with it when they were toddlers and it remains one of our all-time favorite and most beloved books. It's just so sweet -- I never get tired of reading it.
So precious. Hopefully now, other readers will get the chance to read it, too!
These books remind me of treasured memories going to the library as a child. Stonewall Jackson memorial library Weston, West Virginia. The old beautifmul house turned library. It still had its secret passages used in the Civil War times for exciting things. Long dark wood banister and wide steps that once accommodated hoop skirts, now lead to second floor rooms of big people books. I even remember how it smelled, and the floors creaked.
I love your book selection!
Thank you! And I love people's library memories -- they're always so unique and special.
I grew up in Columbia, SC and our downtown library was a green glass building. The children’s room was framed by life size Maurice Sendak Where the Wild Things Are characters and trees growing up to the skyline. It was on the bottom floor. I don’t ever recall the staff being particularly wonderful to me there. My mom worked downtown at the time and it was always close to closing when we could go- my favorite thing to do at 5:45 when we heard the library will close in 15 minutes was go to this one aisle of paperback chapter books- Anastasia Krupnik, The Baby Sitters Club, the Alice books, Sweet Valley Twins or Sweet Valley High- and my sister and I would just get all we wanted up to the max number and be done in 5 minutes. I loved my stacks of books on the fireplace hearth at home. Core memory of being 7-12 years old ❤️ when I worked in my dads law firm during college summers I went to that library all the time, libraries are so, so special to me.
They are magical places, for sure.
Sarah, I am loving these! I also know this Mariko-Chan book from my MIL! She has a great interest in having an expansive library and asks for recs at our local library for children’s books all the time so maybe that’s how she found it?! I’m intrigued by the breadth of her children’s books at her house.
That is so cool. I rarely hear about grandparents having amazing libraries of children's books, though I know from this newsletter that there are many out there, avidly collecting titles for their grandchildren and building upon what they have, which is fantastic. How lucky to have a home library AND a library at someone else's house to explore and enjoy.
Her mom was a career English teacher! She had a sign that said “of course you are out of room on your bookshelves, if you have enough room on your book shelves you probably aren’t very interesting.” I met my grandmother in law when she was pretty deep into her dementia years but they gave me her Shakespeare mug and many of her books when she died. I really wish I could’ve known her, my husband and his brothers were so fortunate to have a grandmother who met them where they were with reading.
"...if you have enough room on your book shelves you probably aren’t very interesting." I am a fan of ANYONE who has that posted up anywhere 😂
It was ON her bookshelf! My husband’s grandma died in 2014 and his grandad died in 2020 and they lived across from us- I would come over and play piano for his grandad, he owned a music store and always asked what instrument people played on their first meeting! Such an interesting family I married into! ❤️