A peek into my collection of children's books

3 books on noticing what's in & around us 👁️

I’ve thrifted lots of children’s books over the years and wanted to begin sharing some of my finds here. Y’all enjoyed my post on Japanese children’s books, so I’m hoping this means I have readers who can enjoy these future editions on Nōto!

Math and estimations aren’t my strengths, but I’d guess that 95% of my collection was thrifted. I’m a bit picky with my book standards, so that collection has grown slowly (but joyfully) over the last 4-5 years.

When flipping through books at the thrift store, I keep an eye out for any of the following:

• lovely or lively illustrations

• lyrical storytelling

• quirky humor & good old fun

• stories about: emotions, friendships, various cultures

• hardcovers (I think they display better than floppy paperbacks…)

• less than $3

If I have extra time to spend, I’ll plop my tush on the dusty floors and purposely look for titles I don’t recognize. Today’s books were discovered this way, and I’m curious if you’ve heard of (or read!) them before? These three books are all playful, make use of bold colors, and share the theme of paying attention. 🔍

Listen! Listen!

by Ann & Paul Rand

In Listen! Listen!, Ann Rand gives a lighthearted little study on everyday sounds. Her prose is simple and almost mischievous, describing audible moments like:

It’s not too polite a thing,
but if you’ll bring
your ear up close,
you can hear the breakfast noise
I like the most.
It’s the crunch crunch
of buttered toast.

Ann’s husband, Paul Rand,¹ uses bold paper cut illustrations to help carry a scene further into one’s imagination. Maybe it isn’t a surprise that he once said in a lecture:

I like things that are playful; I like things that are happy; I like things that will make the client smile. —PAUL RAND

Together, the author and illustrator duo certainly created a book that makes me smile, and I think it’ll make you or the kids in your life smile, too.

C is for Curious: An ABC of Feelings

by Woodleigh Hubbard

As I’m sure you can tell from the cover, C is for Curious is quirky and inventive. This isn’t an ordinary feelings book with only “tidy” emotions like happy and kind. It includes jealous, vain, and even xenophobic, which hopefully gives an opportunity to talk with a child about the meanings and roots of such things, no matter how uncomfortable.

One of my favorite parts about finding children’s books is learning more about the people (authors/illustrators) behind them.

C is for Curious took on deeper significance after I learned how Woodleigh Hubbard once felt doubtful of herself:

I was born with an innate sense of joy and yet battled a stubborn sense of low self-esteem. This elemental joy and disbelief in self proved to be my greatest teacher. Feeling I didn't matter forced me to find where and how I did. False starts abounded until the day I wrapped my eager, undisciplined fingers around the body of a burgundy-silver Parker fountain pen. It was filled with a shade of such turquoise salt-water blue ink that once, when oodles of pages tumbled to the floor, I imagined I could dive in and swim away.

Have You Seen My Dragon?

by Steve Light

Seek-and-find books are such fun! In the humorous Have You Seen My Dragon?, a child gets to search for the dragon on every spread and practice counting to 20. Steve Light’s fountain pen details are impressive, and I like how he kept the pages black and white aside from the simple pops of color throughout.

I think more than anything, this book is a little love letter to life in the city, and it reminds me of how much I miss living in Atlanta.²

That’s it for today, folks! Let me know what books you’ve scored while thrifting and if you like picture books as much as I do.

I’d love to find other bookbugs! 🔭
—E.T.

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1. If you studied graphic design, then you might know Paul Rand created the early logos for companies like IBM and UPS. I liked looking at these sketches of UPS logo designs.

2. We live in metro Atlanta now, so not too far, thankfully. Aaron and I recently went on our own “seek-and-find” adventure (a paid scavenger hunt) in the city and while it was a bit boring, we still enjoyed our time together. After that, we created our own nature scavenger hunt which is extensive and a lot more fun! 🐢