1. Happy November! Though it’s past peak color in most places, we’re still celebrating the beauty of autumn with more art by London based artist Laivi Poder. Who says November has to be bleak?
Last time we featured her wintry scenes, and now we’re all about the golds, russets, reds, browns, magentas. Originally from Estonia, Laivi enjoys creating dreamy and peaceful atmospheres and derives most of her inspiration by visiting nearby and distant woodlands, forests, meadows, lakes, botanical gardens and parks.
She uses a lot of stamp brushes in her work, all of which are created from hand drawn images. After painting backgrounds in watercolor, she uses Procreate to add details digitally.
Wish I could step right into any of her enchanting pictures; they are all so calming.
If there is one thing I learned from living in England, it’s that the British love their gardens. Residents take great pride in cultivating their own personal Edens whatever their domicile: terraced or detached house, cottage, bungalow, mansion. Even the smallest patch of ground flourishes under their loving care.
The infinitely charming new picture book, Betty and the Mysterious Visitor by Anne Twist and Emily Sutton (Candlewick, 2023), celebrates the specialness of a particular garden and the loving relationship between those tending it.
Every summer, Betty loves visiting Grandma at her cottage in the village of Wobbly Bottom. They spend hours in a large community garden adjoining Grandma’s back yard called Acorn Hollows, Betty’s favorite place in the whole world.
There, Grandma grows flowers as well as lots of berries — raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and gooseberries. Betty helps Grandma pick the fruit and cook it to make jam to sell at the farmers market.
But one morning, Betty discovers somebody has ruined the garden. “The grass was a mess, a higgle and puff. What had been smooth was now muddy and rough.”
Betty is quite sad and determined to find the culprit. That night, when she peers out her window, she sees a large creature “pushing its nose under the fence,” but she loses sight of it when the moon drifts behind a cloud.
She tells Grandma what she saw the next morning, noting “it had a striped head.” Grandma thinks it’s a badger, an animal bound to come back once it’s found access to food. Sure enough, over the next few nights, the badger destroys more and more of the garden.
Welcome to Mari Takabayashi’s cozy world, where adorable animals eat, play, and relax together or with their human friends.
I discovered Mari’s work by lucky happenstance one day while browsing the internet. Something about her naive, childlike style caught my eye, and upon further investigation, I learned she was a children’s book author and illustrator (where have I been?).
~ from Class Picture Day by Margaret McNamara and Mike Gordon (2011).
Class pictures are a lot of fun. As the poem describes, there are interesting stories behind those seemingly innocent smiles.
It’s actually kind of miraculous to see a school photo where everyone is behaving themselves. Sometimes there’s a kid who makes a face right as the camera clicks, another who decides to call out something at the last minute – hence an open mouth – or another who blinks. Those who photograph children have to be extra patient; being able to bring out the best in one’s subjects is a true talent.
You know what they say: Christmas is for kids. Well, here at Alphabet Soup, we hope to bring out the kid in you.
Look who dropped by for tea: Madeline, Anne Shirley and Eloise! Three spunky girls we all love for their inimitable personalities. They each agreed to share a little something from their stories if we bribed honored them with special treats. We were more than happy to oblige, yet with these three, you just never know.
So here’s to a little magic, some quality kindred spirit time, and lotsa ho ho ho zippity jingle Christmas cheer. Put on a cheery bib and ring when you’re ready to join the fun! 🙂
*
🇫🇷 MADELINE’S MADELEINES 🐕
Bonjour, Madeline!
Who can forget your iconic opening rhyme:
In an old house in Paris
That was covered with vines
Lived twelve little girls
In two straight lines.
They left the house at half-past nine
in two straight lines, in rain or shine.
The smallest one was MADELINE.
She was happy to tell us about one of her favorite adventures. It took place one Christmas Eve, when everyone (including Miss Clavel) was in bed with miserable colds. It was up to brave Madeline, the only one up and about, to take care of them.
Art by Ludwig Bemelmans.
When a rug merchant knocked at the door, Madeline purchased all twelve of his rugs, a good solution for their “ice-cold in the morning feet.” But the rug merchant soon regretted the sale, for without his rugs he felt very chilly outdoors. Madeline welcomed him back into the house, where she gave him medicine to help him thaw out.
Wishing to show his gratitude, the rug merchant agreed to help with the dishes.
His magic ring he gave a glance
And went into a special trance –
The dirty dishes washed themselves
And jumped right back upon the shelves.
Then, with a profound abracadabra, the rugs turned into magic carpets, flying all twelve girls home to surprise their parents on Christmas day.
Jama's Alphabet Soup 