Roger Duvoisin (1900–1980)

First sentence" In the meadow, early one morning, Petunia, the silly goose, went strolling. She ate a bug here, clipped off a clover leaf there, and she picked at the dewdrops on the goldenrod leaves.

Premise/plot: Petunia stars in this classic picture book from 1950. Petunia doesn't like being thought of as a "silly goose." So when Petunia literally stumbles across a book--though she doesn't really know what books are really for--she becomes a proud goose, a very proud goose. Carrying this show more newfound "wise book" everywhere she goes, Petunia is convinced that she is the wisest and best. Everyone starts coming to her for advice, but, her advice tends to do more harm than good. Petunia--book or not--is a silly goose. After a near-disaster--pride goeth before a fall--Petunia realizes something--the book is for reading. Possessing a book without having read it, without really knowing it, without really experiencing all it has to offer is shortsighted at best, foolish at worst. So Petunia decides...perhaps just perhaps...it's time she learns how to read.

My thoughts: I read this one and instantly saw some spiritual insights or lessons to be learned. Were these insights intentional by the author--maybe, maybe not. But even if they weren't, I think there's much food for thought to be gleaned.

Quotes:

So Petunia picked up the Book, and off she went with it. She slept with it....she swam with it...and, knowing that she was so wise, Petunia also became proud, and prouder, and prouder...so proud that her neck stretched out several notches.

and

Now she saw that there was something written inside the Book which she could not read. So she sat down and thought and thought and thought, until at least she sighed, "Now I understand. It was not enough to carry wisdom under my wing. I must put it into my mind and in my heart. And to do that I must learn to read." show less

As spring approaches, Santa decides that he needs a break from his yearlong toy-making, and that he wants to see the world during this season of flowers. Deciding to take a trip incognito, he orders a brand new outfit, and flies south (on a plane). But when the children in the city he is visiting accuse him of stealing Santa's white beard, red nose and gay twinkle, and he then declares himself to be the real Santa Claus, our hero finds himself taken into custody by the police. Fortunately, show more Santa knows just how to convince the police captain that he is who he says he is...

Originally published in 1954, Easter Treat is a cute little Santa fantasy, one which imagines that holiday gift-giver during another season. The idea of Santa taking a holiday has been explored before, mostly notably in Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas Goes on Holiday, but author/illustrator Roger Duvoisin brings a special kind of heartwarming humor to his tale, as Santa is at first greeted with suspicion and disbelief, and then with love and warmth, loaded down with Eastertide presents, and sent back to the North Pole with the very thing he usually sets out with, on Christmas Eve. Namely: a sack full of gifts. I found this one charming, and recommend it to more advanced picture-book readers - it's quite text heavy - who enjoy unusual Santa stories. One word of caution however: although Easter provides the setting, it really isn't about that holiday at all, and although Santa is given a bunny rabbit as one of his gifts, the scene on the front cover, in which he seems to be walking the Easter Bunny, does not occur during the course of the story. show less

I think that I've read this before, but for some reason it didn't stick. Which isn't a good sign. But jeepers I sure did enjoy it this time. I laughed at the silly advice Petunia gave all the animals, especially the rooster who knew all along why his comb is red. And I appreciated that she figured out the lesson to be learned all by herself... inspirational, that way. I will check out the sequels that I saw on the library shelf.

A small town experiences a heavy snowfall in this Caldecott Medal-winning picture book from 1947. As a number of different townsfolk—the postman and farmer, policeman and his wife—prepare and react in their own ways, a beautiful snowy day dawns, and the local children and rabbits have great fun playing outdoors. The book concludes with the eventual melting of the snow, and the first signs of spring...

White Snow, Bright Snow is only the second book I have read from author Alvin Tresselt, show more following upon his 1964 The Mitten: An Old Ukrainian Folktale, and the third from illustrator Roger Duvoisin, following upon Easter Treat (1966) and Wobble, the Witch Cat (1958). I thought it was quite lovely, and although it isn't destined to become a personal favorite, I did enjoy both story and artwork. The initial poem was probably my favorite thing about it, as it had such a lovely cadence, and so perfectly captured the peaceful feeling of softly falling snow. It begins: "Softly, gently in the secret night, / Down from the North came the quiet white. / Drifting, sifting, silent flight, / Softly, gently in the secret night." The narrative continues in prose, after the three-stanza poem, and has a charming quality of its own. The accompanying illustrations from Duvoisin, who won the 1948 Caldecott Medal for them, have a vintage, 1940s appeal to them. I was reminded of certain childhood favorites, like Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. Recommended to anyone who appreciates vintage picture books, and to those seeking engaging wintry stories for children. show less