Book No. 7.

Boo and Baa is a beginning reader series from Denmark authors Lena and Olof Landstrom about a brother and sister sheep. As I learned through a little research, several books have been translated to English, though this appears to be the only one in our collection.

In the original Danish.

In this story, Boo and Baa try to rescue a cat stuck in their tree. Prior to noticing the cat (and perhaps the line that charmed me most), the sheep collect leaves in their wheelbarrow but have to grease the squeaking wheel. Boo then comments, "Now it meows when I push it." Not long after, the two discover the stranded cat.

Adorable!

- Matthew

PS: How cute are these two?!
Click the picture to order your own.

Book No. 1.

The first book in our "L" section is a fable by the 17th century French poet La Fontaine. Admittedly, I know absolutely nothing about La Fontaine, but I'm catching on quickly. He adapted many well-known fables from the likes of Aesop, Babrius, and Phaedrus, and originally intended the adaptations for a sophisticated audience, though they quickly become popular with children. 

Even in the English translation, La Fontaine's words are poetic!

In publishing his collected works, La Fontaine expressed his intent to give [children] "an attraction to useful lessons which are suited to their age [and] an aversion to the profane songs which are often put into their mouths and which only serve to corrupt their innocence."(cited)

Ha! Where can I get my hands on a copy of that book?!

- Matthew