Bright April by Marguerite de Angeli. Doubleday & Company, 1946. Reprint published by Purple House Press. Bright April was a ground-breaking story in its time, about a little girl living in Philadelphia with her mother and father and older brother and sister, an intact and loving African American family. April does experience prejudice and some discouragement, but mostly the book is about her and her family and her Brownie troop, celebrating the ordinary days and the holidays throughout the year and acting as any American family might with one son in the military and three young people at home, growing up in the Birthplace of Freedom.

Brian Wildsmith’s Animal Gallery. Oxford University Press, 2008. Reprint published by Candlewick. I can hardly wait to get my hands on this one. It’s a book of collective nouns, like Eve Merriam’s Gaggle of Geese or Ruth Heller’s Cache of Jewels, but I think this one may become my new favorite collective nouns books. Brian Wildsmith is one of my top ten illustrators, and I’ve enjoyed every books of his that I’ve seen. Thanks to Betsy at A Fuse #8 Production for bringing this reprint to my attention.

The Ark and Rowan Farm by Margot Benary-Isbert. Harcourt Brace, 1953. Reprint published by Purple House Press. Really, these are the only historical fiction books I know of that are set in post-war Germany, about an ordinary German family trying to survive in the aftermath of the war. I read both books when I was a young teen, and I think I’ll take some time in January to re-read them. I remember the drama of the family subsisting on limited resources, and I remember the love of animals that characterized the story. And I remember Benary-Isbert as just an excellent storyteller.

Hallelujah: Cultivating Advent Traditions with Handel’s Messiah by Cindy Rollins. New edition published by Blue Sky Daisies. Not exactly a reprint, this little book constitutes a new edition of Cindy Rollins’ Advent family traditions book. It includes Scripture passages, hymns, poems, information about the church calendar, recipes, and suggestions for celebrating the feasts of St. Lucia and St. Nicholas. Get it now for next year’s Advent celebration.

Gladiola Garden by Effie Lee Newsome. Published by Living Book Press. I looked through the preview of this book of poetry by an African American poet of the early twentieth century, and I found the poems to be delightful, short and sweet and all about childhood and nature in the voice of a black child and influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. The illustrations are the original ones by artist Lois Mailou Jones, also a black artist influenced by the Harlem Renaissance and by her life and studies in both the U.S. and in France.

• Our Little Italian and Spartan Twins, and Roman Cousin by Lucy Fitch Perkins.
• Our Little Irish and Scotch Twins, and Celtic Cousin by Lucy Fitch Perkins.
• Our Little Dutch and Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins.
• Our Little Japanese Twins and Siamese Cousin by Lucy Fitch Perkins.

Published by Libraries of Hope. I absolutely loved the Little Twins books by Lucy Fitch Perkins when I was a beginning reader. I can’t wait to see them again and see if the magic holds up.

No Flying in the House by Betty Brock HarperCollins, 1970. Republished in paperback by Harper Trophy. This 1970 title was recommended to me by someone at Reshelving Alexandria, I think. I haven’t read it, but it looks adorable. It’s about a little girl who finds out she’s part fairy and must choose whether to be fully human or completely a part of the fairy world.

In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck. Harcourt, 2008. Another Purple House Press publication. This book was definitely recommended by the folks at Resolving Alexandria, and I can’t wait to get my own copy. Thanks to Purple House Press for all the lovely books you have made available to a new generation of readers. (Just take a look at what they have coming out in 2021.)

Master Skylark: A Story of Shakspere’s Time. by John Bennett, 1897. Published by Yesterday’s Classics. A choir-boy, kidnapped and taken to London, eventually sings before the Queen herself. Another book that I can look forward to enjoying, this story was quite popular around the turn of the century when it was first published.