I really like this little alphabet book because, unlike many ABC books that are just collections of objects or words, it’s a rhyming poem that also tells a story. With frequent alliteration showcasing the letter that is featured on each page, author Miska Miles tells the story of an apricot that falls to the ground and is the subject of much talk and investigation by the varied inhabitants of the meadow where the apricot lands.

Then, comes the conflict of the story when a monstrous hen comes along, threatening to trample or even devour all of the insects and other small creatures in the meadow. Can the creatures hide themselves quickly enough to escape the hen? What will happen when the hen finds the apricot? How will the story of the little apricot end, only to begin again in the cycle of nature?

Young tree will flower, fruit will grow,

While crickets click and roosters crow

And sparrows cheep

And locusts leap.

Young fruit will ripen in the sun

And busy creatures, one by one,

Will hop or jump or creep to see

Yellow-ripe apricots fall from the tree.

The pictures by illustrator Peter Parnall hide a capital letter in each page of the double page spreads, and children will have fun finding the hidden letters as they view each page. The colors are mostly natural greens, browns, and oranges with little splashes of color now and again for the sake of interest—and flowers.

I highly recommend Apricot ABC for your alphabet book or poetry picture book collection. Author Miska Miles, aka Patricia Miles Martin, also wrote Annie and the Old One, a Newbery Honor book in 1972, and several other lovely picture books. Peter Parnall’s illustrations can also be found in Year on Muskrat Marsh by Berniece Freschet and The Moon of the Wild Pigs by Jean Craighead George as well as in several picture books that Mr. Parnall wrote and illustrated himself.

Don Freeman wrote many picture books, but he is probably best known for his books about Corduroy, the stuffed bear that belongs to a girl named Lisa. My children enjoyed the Corduroy stories, but perhaps their favorite book by Don Freeman was this one, Norman the Doorman.

Norman is a mouse who lives in the basement of the Majestic Museum of Art. He stands daily in front of a “small, well-hidden hole” and welcomes all of the art-loving mice visitors who come to the museum to see the treasures kept in the basement. Norman also acts as a guide, pointing out and explaining the artwork to cousins and strangers alike. And finally, Norman protects his art patrons from the sharp-eyed upstairs guard (human) by preemptively springing all of the traps and by keeping a sharp eye out himself for the guard and his flashlight.

The story goes on to tell of Norman’s artistic aspirations and of how he manages to enter a sculpture competition even though he’s much tinier than all of the other entrants. Norman is just an endearing and humble little mouse with a good lesson to teach the rest of us. “Each night after work he tried to create something pleasing or beautiful—perhaps a painting of Swiss cheese and crackers, or a statue.” Now, what if we all tried to create something pleasing or beautiful each day?

Don Freeman’s illustrations for his story are pleasing and beautiful themselves. Watercolor pencil drawings make Norman and his adventures as well as scenes from the museum itself a lovely sight to behold. In addition, since one of Norman’s art pieces is a sculpture made of wire, this book might be a good introduction for younger children to the idea of sculpture and mobiles. You might even want to have some wires or or pipe cleaners or other sculpting materials on hand to work with after reading Norman the Doorman. (Another book about making things out of wire is Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams.)

This Caldecott award-winning picture book does have some interesting illustrations. Basically, they’re done with black and white cross-hatch lines, with a splash of purple color on each page. I guess the purple alludes to the heather? Since the book is a retelling of a Scottish folk song?

Sorche Nic Leodhas, whose real name was LeClaire Gowans Alger, was an American librarian of Scottish extraction. Her father and grandfather handed down this folk song to her when she was a child, and she re-wrote it to make it a bit more friendly to American children, taking out some of the Scottish dialect and replacing it with more familiar English words. There’s still plenty of Scottish flavor and dialect left in the song as presented in this picture book, and there’s also a glossary in the back of the book to translate those Scottish words and phrases.

In the story song, householder Lachie MacLachlan welcomes all of the travelers who pass by his door to come in and rest a while, saying “There’s room galore! There’s room for one more! There’s always room for one more!” He welcomes so many visitors that his house, already full with Lachie and his wife and ten bairns, is literally filled to bursting, and everyone who’s enjoying the hospitality must decide what to do next when the house “with its but and its ben and its walls and its roof DINGED DOWN!” (Tumbled down)

So, this book is a folk song. I very much appreciate the printed music, also in the back of the book, for a suggested tune for this song, but what I’d really like to have is a video or recorded version online where I could listen to the song as it’s meant to be sung. This book is a little bit difficult to read aloud what with the unfamiliar words and the inconsistent rhythm of the song. I looked for a video version, but I couldn’t find one. I would suggest picking out the melody on the piano if you can before reading/singing the book aloud with a child. That would make it a lot more fun.

On a couple of review sites I checked, most people were not too fond of the illustration style in this little book, with pictures by Nonny Hogrogian. They are rather different, but a close look might inspire a child or an adult to try some of the same. I kind of enjoyed the style that Hogrogian chose, once I got used to it.

If you enjoy this picture book and the story it tells, you might like Sorche Nic Leodhas’s longer compilation of Scottish folk tales, Thistle and Thyme: Tales and Legends from Scotland. This folk tale anthology won a Newbery Honor in 1963, and it’s a good source for anyone interested investigating old Scottish tales or one’s own Scottish heritage.