“Put on that shirt, the yellow one”
“Thinking,
I was thinking
Of all the pieces of dust that float
And shine
In the sunshine
And I was thinking of lemons and limes, and oranges
And yellow.”
The excerpt above is from The Thinking Book, a picture book I purchased for my daughter, Carey, as a Christmas present. This book published in 1960 and written by Sandol Stoddard Warburg and designed and illustrated by Ivan Chermayeff, records a parent’s directives (in bold) paired with the musings of the child in response.
After enjoying the yellow double-page spread with it’s bold, colorful illustrations, I quickly turned the page to read what came next. A huge watermelon and pink flowers took up most of the page, accompanied by these words:
“I was thinking of watermelons
I was thinking of pinks
I was thinking”
I could picture a little child matter-of-factly explaining what was running through his mind as his parent asked him to keep getting ready. I could relate to the experience of the parent. But it was what the child was thinking about that made me want to go hug a little person in my life.
I felt this bubble of delight, contentment, and longing rising up in me as I read the story and this feeling stayed with me all day, reminding me of the magical world of words and sharing them with children. I made a running list in my mind of books that had created that happy, cozy feeling that spilled into my love for the world and then increased it. I called my children’s book-loving friend Joy Strawbridge to talk stories that cause such happiness. I stumbled over my words trying to explain that morning’s experience of reading The Thinking Book—how I loved the ordinary-ness of the setting, the use of words strung together connected to the bold colored pictures, and the increased love I felt for the world in those moments of reading.
Is there a special word for this? Maybe it is a combination of the Danish word hygge and the German word sehnscuht. Simply, hygge is about creating a place that increases coziness and contentment, while sehnsucht is about yearning and wistful longing. But there would also need to be another word for the feeling of joy that Marilyn Robinson in Home describes, “Their father said if they could see as God can, in geological time, they would see it leap out of the ground and turn in the sun and spread its arms and bask in the joys of being an oak tree in Iowa.” (italics mine)
Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel have given me this mercurially magical feeling. Recently A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles caused an elusive delight for me from beginning to end. Sentences like this would have been underlined had I been reading my own copy of the book: “Manners are not like bonbons, Nina. You may not choose the ones that suit you best; and you certainly cannot put the half-bitten ones back in the box.”
The following excerpt from Jim the Boy by Tony Earley, which I read more than a decade ago, is still intertwined with yearning and wistfulness for me.
“When Jim opened his eyes, he saw Uncle Zeno’s face swimming inches from his own. Uncle Al and Uncle Coran knelt on either side of him.
“Hey, hey. Shh,” Uncle Zeno said. “What’s the matter?”
Jim waved an arm out at the world beyond the end of the mountain.
Uncle Zeno frowned and shook his head.
“It’s too big,” Jim said.
“What is?
“Everything.”
“I don’t understand, Doc.”
“I’m just a boy,” he said.
Uncle Zeno rocked back on his heels. He looked at Uncle Coran and Uncle Al, then smiled at Jim.
“We know that,” he said, “But you’re our boy.”
Hygge-senschuht-joy inspiring books make perfect gifts. These days I find it a little overwhelming to figure out what to buy for people. Children, teenagers, and adults are bombarded with ads and marketing strategies of what to want, making it hard to keep up. I want to give meaningful gifts and to add something good into people’s lives, even if it is easier for me to give money or a gift card. Books are usually my go-to presents . . . given with the hope that the receiver, even the young ones, will find the treasure in the words and stories I am sharing with them.
Here is a list of books that have created that inexplicable feeling of delight welling up, bubbling over into contentment and joy for the world around me. My daughter Carey, who teaches Pre-K and loves picture books more than I do, helped me with this list. May you find gift ideas here for someone you love this Christmas or maybe even something for yourself. Although most of the books are published for children, these books will also delight adults.
The Thinking Book I bought as a Christmas present for Carey was given to her as a “just because I cannot wait” gift because I had to share it with her . . . I will probably find another book to give her at Christmas.
Board Books
But Not the Hippopotamus written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton
But Not the Armadillo written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton
Woodland Dance written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton
Hello Baby by Mem Fox and illustrations by Steve Jenkins
Picture Books
A Troop of Kangaroos written and illustrated by Lisa Mundorff
Home written and illustrated by Carson Ellis
A Walk in the Forest written and illustrated Maria Dek
Another by Christian Robinson
Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd Jones and illustrated by Leo Espinosa
Rain by Sam Usher
Thank you, Omu by Oge Mora
Into the Snow by Yuki Kaneko and Illustrated Masamitsu Saito
Read Alouds
Tales of Trotter Street written and illustrated by Shirley Hughes
The Light Princess by George McDonald and illustrated by Ned Bustard
Winnie the Pooh A. A. Milne
Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame and illustrated by Earnest Shepherd
For Teens
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Once We Were Strangers by Shawn Smucker
I like buying my books from independent stores, such as Hearts and Minds Bookstore, Eighth Day Books, and a new Lancaster local children’s book store, n00k b00ks (found on Instagram).
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This post was written by Leslie Bustard, one of the co-editors of Wild Things and Castles in the Sky, coming in 2022.
