Artist: Dennis Smith

Through the dark winter months, I enjoyed reading and listening to books that I somehow missed reading when I was growing up. It’s been a delightful way to spend many winter hours indoors. I would have loved them as a child, so to honor that child in me, I’m continuing to find missed treasures and appreciate and love them. It’s never too late to read wonderful books!

Here are the books that brought delight to a dark gray winter…

• The Psammead Trilogy, by E. Nesbitt, includes with Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, and The Story of the Amulet. The continuing adventures of Robert, Jane, Cyril, Anthea, and The Lamb (little brother who was given that name because his first word was Baa) who find a sand fairy (a psammead) who grants them one wish a day. They had to make very careful wishes, however, because each one turned out so differently than they had anticipated!

• The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame. The adventures of Ratty, Mole, Badger, and Toad was a joy to read!  I’ll never look at a river or woodland again in quite the same way since meeting these wonderful characters.

• Tom’s Midnight Garden, by Phillippa Pearce, is a wonderful time-travel adventure and so much fun to read.