Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows is absolutely my favorite book. I was given a 2-record dramatization when I was a child, which is still one of my treasured possessions. I can’t count how many times I listened to it…in the hundreds of times. This set of records is battered and scratched after years of use and are stored in my sister’s basement in Pennsylvania. Of course, no one listens to records any more and my own turntable disappeared long ago. So, it’s been just AGES, since I’ve heard it.

Today, I discovered this beloved recording on YouTube. I couldn’t be happier. It’s a thrill akin to digging up buried treasure. I’m passing on the links so that you, too, can experience this audio book which is second only, in my opinion, to Jim Dale’s magnificently brilliant performance of the Harry Potter series.

I hope you enjoy this spectacular audio version of one of the greatest children’s books ever written.

Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzQYQDN-kPw&list=PLDXwaR5YG0CNHlOzaLXyLn_6bht83VQmw&index=1

Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z55sKXRUMY&list=PLDXwaR5YG0CNHlOzaLXyLn_6bht83VQmw&index=2

Night Songs

NIGHT SONGS is children's book for very young readers from author and illustrator Anne Miranda. It's perfect for bedtime reading. As children read along with this lullaby, they will enjoy finding the animals that sing the night songs in the illustrations. Night Songs is illustrated with cut-paper collage.

The genesis of the book came from my son, Tyler. When he was a very little baby, he always cooed, as rocked him to sleep. When he stopped I knew he was asleep. One night as I was putting him to bed after one of his little night songs, this book came to me fully-written in a woosh. I put him down and rushed into my office to write down what had been sent to me, as if taking dictation. This has happened to me a rare few times in my life…and I am eternally grateful to the sender.

I was given the huge privilege of illustrating the book. I am not a trained artist, nor had I ever illustrated anything before, so the publisher took a big gamble. The illustrations were entered into the Society of Illustrators show in the year the book was originally published and the book got many good reviews based on the art.

Tyler is all grown up and is, unlike me, a trained illustrator. He and I are making YouTube videos to bring some of my work back to life. We have come full circle! We hope you enjoy it.

Here’s our newest video, Night Songs…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2nv553a7S8

The book has been re-published and is available on Amazon. Night Songs: https://amzn.to/2YcaVNc

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck

Today’s offering is a read aloud of Beatrix Potter's classic children's book, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck. In this story a well-meaning, but not so clever duck, wishes to sit on her own eggs. The farmer has assigned this task to a brood hen much to the chagrin of Jemima. She flys off from the farm and is enticed by a fox to lay her eggs in his summer home. She has no clue to his intent. Will she be saved? Perhaps by some happy twist of fate she will be.

We hope you enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=Z9iVeeJYGD4&ar=3

Monster Math

My son Tyler and I have teamed up to make read-aloud YouTube videos of my own children’s books, some of my childhood favorites, and eventually to launch new materials together as a team. I’m thrilled to be working with Tyler, who is a budding illustrator in addition to being a computer whiz. This seems like a natural collaboration.

The video we are haring with you today is Monster Math. It’s a darling little counting book about a little monster who is having a birthday party. Many guests arrive and Mom does her best to contain the crowd and make a wonderful memory for the birthday girl. This book is a great read-aloud at home or in class. It is a counting book and so fits nicely into a preschool or kindergarten curriculum. TEKS

Here is a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJgYSJysAXw

In case anyone is interested in purchasing the book, it’s for sale on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/2laULBQ

The team of Miranda & Miranda hope you enjoy it!

YouTube

My grandmother worked at Korner & Wood, a very elegant bookstore in Cleveland, Ohio, for 30 years. It was a magical place filled with books, art and antiques….a wonderland for an inquisitive child. I can still see it in my mind’s eye and hold it dear in my memory. https://case.edu/ech/articles/k/korner-wood

Back in the day, before chain stores and Amazon, book sellers had personal relationships with publishers and authors and also, very importantly, with their customers. My grandmother gave well-informed recommendations to clients who relied on her judgement when choosing a new read or giving books as gifts. I was lucky to have been given many well-chosen books when I was very little. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was probably the first book my grandmother bought for me. I remember her reading it to me long ago…and being sternly warned not to go into Mr. McGregor’s garden.

I’ve recently begun a YouTube channel. In addition to my own books, I decided to also narrate stories from my childhood, especially those with special memories, such as Peter Rabbit. Beatrix Potter was a must for people of my age and I hope children today will find her stories as charming as I did. So, I ‘m recording these as a tribute to my grandmother who enriched my life so greatly with her love of books.

Hattie Evans