Sunday, May 7, 2017

C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, And J. M. Barrie-All British!


Last weekend, I went to a baby shower that was at a children's bookstore! Isn't that a great idea? It was a fabulous place, beautifully decorated. In the photo above, just to the right beside the teepee reading area, there is a circular door in the wall and that is the Hobbit reading room!

   The theme for the shower was "Neverland" and of course, is from "Peter Pan". 

There is a very large wardrobe and when you open the doors...

You walk past the hanging coats into Narnia! (Also used as their story telling area.)




It did make me wonder if anyone who comes into this book store realizes how many of the authors represented here are from the British Isles.


Now, let me just say that I love children's books and they do not HAVE to be written by someone from Britain to be wonderful.
Haven't I told you of my love for Dr. Seuss? (Theodore Seuss Geisel was a genius in my book.) And not to mention the man who gave us the characters of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy, among others...Charles Schulz!  (Strictly speaking, he was a cartoonist but hey, these were made into children's books too, you know!) Both of these men were Americans and in my opinion, should have their own tables represented at this bookstore!  Hey, maybe the owners should ask me...you know I would tell them! 

Eric Carle is another author that had his own table in the bookstore and he is American!  He was one of our son's favorite authors!

So, don't anyone get into a huff that I noticed all these British authors, but being Georgia Girl With An English Heart, you knew that I would and have to point it out to you!


Oh! And it was a beautiful baby shower, by the way!


Can you spot my present above?   Here, I will make it easier for you...





Well, you know I must have a song for you!  Ralph McTell is from Croydon, England and his "Alphabet Zoo" was a favorite of our son's.  Holly the Hedgehog!

32 comments:

  1. Be still, my beating heart! My goodness, I think this was an inspired location for a baby shower. I am a serious fan of children's books and their authors, too. Love the way your present was wrapped and the beautiful handknit hat for the baby boy.

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    1. Thanks! You would love this bookstore, I know you would!
      In fact, I think I might love it even more than most kids!

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    1. If you find yourself in Monroe, Georgia, look it up!

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  3. What a great place for a baby shower! I agree that many wonderful children's authors are from England. And Dr Suess can make a rhyme like nobody's business. What about L.Frank Baum, Louisa May Alcott, an and Stan Berenstain, Mark Twain, Laura Ingalls Wilder, or Madeleine L'Engle? You also left out Kenneth Grahame who wrote Wind In The Willows. I believe we could go on and on between the two of us.

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    1. Oh yes, we could go on and on between the two of us!!
      Mark Twain, I can tell you that his book, "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is one of my most favorite books. The chapter, "You Can't Pray A Lie", made me realize that a book of fiction can be as important as a history book!

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  4. I absolutely LOVE this since I LOVE reading and I do like books by British authors - Miss Potter!! Your gift wrap and the little hat are so sweet.

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    1. I didn't tell you but there was a whole ROOM devoted to J. K. Rowling! There was quite a lot but I couldn't photograph it all!

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  5. What a fantastic bookshop! I love the doorway to Narnia - my daughter would have loved that when she was little. Her boyfriend recently illustrated a children's book so, who knows, maybe one of his will be there one day! x

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    1. WHat?! Please let me know the name of her boyfriend! I would love to know! That is very exciting!

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  6. Great creative bookshop. Another four classic children's books I'd add to the list is Gregory Maguire (an American author and his amazing take/reinvention on the Wizard of Oz in his book 'Wicked' about the life story of the green witch. Funny, brilliant and constantly inventive.
    Simon Mayo- Itch... about a teenage element hunter who finds something extraordinary underground.
    Emily Diamand- Flood and Fire... London 2216 after a great flood has turned the capital into a sunken water land and produced various clans of raiding pirates.(Think cockneys on longships)
    And Philip Pullman's- 'His Dark Material's' trilogy.
    All five star modern classics of children's fiction that can also be equally enjoyed by adults.

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    1. Thanks for your list here of some great American authors!

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  7. That book store looks pretty awesome. It would be great to spend some time there. There are many great American authors. You have Poe and Twain for a start. We can't help being the better writers though; we did invent the language after all.

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    1. Mark Twain! He is one of my favorites, of all time!
      Poe, a bit dark for me, but of course, an excellent writer.

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  8. An amazing bookstore, and i see they are doing what it takes to stay in business as a brick and mortar these days, being creative and renting out for parties.

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    1. I hope the store will make it. It seems to be popular for parties, you can see why!

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  9. This is one of the most creative bookstores I have ever seen! All excellent authors, too!

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  10. That was a great idea for a baby shower. That baby is sure to love literature.

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  11. When I was a kid, our local library was invested heavily in the great classics of British children's lit so I've read almost all of them. Fond memories!

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  12. Many independent bookstores are really well designed and have such inventive staff. Long may they stay in business.

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    1. The small bookstores are still my favorite places to visit!

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  13. I just sold a "wardrobe" almost exactly like this yesterday! I am going to contact the person that bought it and show her this idea!! I work in a used book store but it is inside our library with very little space but I am keeping this idea for future reference. My son always loved Narnia.

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    1. Hey Jackie! Isn't that funny that you sold a wardrobe like this one! (This really and truly is what they call them in England. I never saw a built in closet in England, they all have separate wardrobes like this in their bedrooms in order to store their clothes!)
      It would be great if this idea was used elsewhere, it is just too good an idea!

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    2. I only put it in quotes because the one I sold wasn't really a wardrobe. I actually do have an antique wardrobe from England, made in London. You know how excited I was to buy that and would never sell it!!

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    3. Hey! Of course, if you have an antique wardrobe from England then you most certainly know what they are! LOL! Come on, you know they are not THAT special and you want to sell it to me for a song...right? HA!

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  14. Good Luck to the new born baby! The children's bookstore looks lovely as a place for a baby shower. Your present (a cap) is both beautiful and practical.

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    1. Thank you, both for your well wishes for the baby and for your kind words about my crochet work!!
      Thanks very much for your comment!

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  15. What a great place to have a babyshower!

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