We have another flurry of small people birthdays coming up and I can't seem to hand-make anything right now, it's just too crazy around here—but I love giving books. These are my 2 new (old) favorites to give. If I were smart I'd buy 3 copies of each, because it seems this one above is out of print (?) but that would involve too much planning ahead. They are I'll Be You and You Be Me
We first read them from the library last summer by accident. They ended up in my bag and I don't even know who found them and put the them in there. The drawings are diminutive and charming—in a detailed black and white, pen and ink style that I love. The text is written the way children really speak to each other—nonsensical yet sweetly formal, which is how my kids talk. They are just so heartwarming to read. Ruth Krauss has many more books too, but these are my favorite. I think she actually just quoted kids directly for the text in these books.
I could barely read these at first, I was too distracted by the drawings and all the small details. The illustrations are grouped in a very unique way, often with little hand drawn borders and lots of white space. The clothes the kids wear in these pages are classic—the books are from the 1950s and I love this style of dressing.
Here's some info about Ruth Krauss and her husband, Crockett Johnson (best name ever?) of Harold and the Purple Crayon fame. I am sure many of you already know about these books and love them as well, but just in case. . .they are golden. (Here's Powell's, too.)
