A bi-monthly newsletter for readers (of all ages) who enjoy children’s novels.
Book news and reviews, writing activities, weird words, strange stories, and much more.
In The Toyland Issue:
- Did you know that the first stories of Pooh and his friends' adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood were published in October 1926?
- What is the world's oldest toy?
- Were Furbies used for spying?
- What is a dialectologist, and could you be one?
- Who was the Teddy Bear named after?
Books Featured in the Current Blurb
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The Christmas Pig
A heartwarming, page-turning adventure about one child's love for his most treasured thing, and how far he will go to find it. A tale for the whole family to fall in love with, from one of the world's greatest storytellers.
One boy and his toy are about to change everything...
Jack loves his childhood toy, Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve something terrible happens -- DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life... even toys. And Jack's newest toy -- the Christmas Pig (DP's replacement) -- has a daring plan: Together they'll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known...
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The Puppets of Spelhorst
A New York Times bestseller!
"Kate DiCamillo's dazzling first title in the Norendy Tales trilogy is brimming with wit, whimsy, and heart as it follows five puppets fulfilling their thrilling shared destiny." - Shelf Awareness
Shut up in a trunk by a taciturn old sea captain with a secret, five friends--a king, a wolf, a girl, a boy, and an owl--bicker, boast, and comfort one another in the dark. Individually, they dream of song and light, freedom and flight, purpose and glory, but they all agree they are part of a larger story, bound each to each by chance, bonded by the heart's mysteries. When at last their shared fate arrives, landing them on a mantel in a blue room in the home of two little girls, the truth is more astonishing than any of them could have imagined. A beloved author of modern classics draws on her most moving themes with humor, heart, and wisdom in the first of the Norendy Tales, a projected trio of novellas linked by place and mood, each illustrated in black and white by a different virtuoso illustrator. A magical and beautifully packaged gift volume designed to be read aloud and shared, The Puppets of Spelhorst is a tale that soothes and strengthens us on our journey, leading us through whatever dark forest we find ourselves in. -
Puppet, David Almond
Writing in the tradition of Pinocchio, Hans Christian Anderson Award winner David Almond brings his ineffable touch to a warm and wistful story that shows anything is possible with imagination and trust.
"You're a mystery, aren't you, Puppet? But isn't everything a mystery? Not just you, but every single thing that exists."
What should a puppet master do when he's old and alone and all his puppets are gone? Silvester decides to make one last puppet. But this one is different. When the old man speaks to him, Puppet speaks back. And then he starts to walk . . . While Silvester shows Puppet the town, the playground, and other wonders the world holds, Puppet in turn helps Silvester to make a new friend and share his puppet-making skills with the next generation. With themes of compassion and creativity, threaded with David Almond's inimitable humor, this wonder-filled story of creation and the circle of life, illustrated with wordless black-and-white spreads by award-winning artist Lizzy Stewart, is destined to become a modern-day classic. -
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . .
Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle -- that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again. -
The Velveteen Rabbit
This original, timeless classic has been treasured for generations—this edition has the original story and illustrations from 1922.
Once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always.
This wondrous tale of the velveteen rabbit has delighted readers of all ages with its story of transformation and redemption through a child's unwavering love.
At first a brand-new toy, now a threadbare and discarded nursery relic, the velveteen rabbit is saved from peril by a magic fairy who whisks him away to the idyllic world of Rabbitland. There, he becomes ""Real,"" a cherished childhood companion who will be loved for eternity. -
Mary Poppins Comes Back
Pulled down from the clouds at the end of a kite string, Mary Poppins is back. In Mary's care, the Banks children meet the King of the Castle and the Dirty Rascal, visit the upside-down world of Mr. Turvy and his bride, Miss Topsy, and spend a breathless afternoon above the park, dangling from a clutch of balloons.
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They Threw Us Away
"Truly captivating." —The New York Times
"A deliciously macabre fairy tale, full of snuggles.” —Holly Black, award-winning author of Doll Bones and co-creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles
Welcome to The Teddies Saga, a gripping new middle grade trilogy from New York Times-bestselling author Daniel Kraus and illustrator Rovina Cai.
Buddy wakes up in the middle of a garbage dump, filled with a certain awareness: he’s a teddy bear; he spent time at a Store waiting for his future to begin; and he is meant for the loving arms of a child. Now he knows one more thing: Something has gone terribly wrong.
Soon he finds other discarded teddies—Horace, Sugar, Sunny, and Reginald. Though they aren’t sure how their luck soured, they all agree that they need to get back to the Store if they’re ever to fulfill their destinies. So, they embark on a perilous trek across the dump and into the outer world. With ravenous rats, screeching gulls, and a menacing world in front of them, the teddies will need to overcome insurmountable challenges to find their way home.
Equal parts Toy Story and Lord of the Flies, They Threw Us Away is the unforgettable start of a captivating series. -
Spy Toys, Mark Powers
The world's leading toy manufacturer gives each toy it creates a tiny, computerized brain and a unique personality making for some seriously awesome toys. But sometimes there's a faulty toy . . .
Dan is a "Snugliffic Cuddlestar" bear--he should be perfect for hugging. But because of a malfunctioning chip, Dan is so strong he could crush a car. Thrown into the rejects pile, he meets Arabella, a "Loadsasmiles Sunshine" doll, who has a very short temper. Soon Dan, Arabella, and Flax (a custom-made police robot rabbit) are recruited by the head of the toy world exactly for what makes them unfit. And their first mission is a doozy: to protect a senator's eight-year-old son from being kidnapped.
With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this hilarious book has reluctant reader appeal written all over it. -
Mr. Lemoncello's Fantabulous Finale
Do you have what it takes to be the new owner of Mr. Lemoncello’s epic gaming empire? Find out in this fantabulous finale to the beloved, New York Times Bestselling Mr. Lemoncello's Library series!
Mr. Lemoncello's ENTIRE game-making empire is up for grabs!
It's time for one last fantabulous challenge with Mr. Lemoncello-the world's most famous gamemaker! This time everything is on the line—literally! Mr. Lemoncello has invited thirteen lucky 13 year-olds—including his biggest fan, Kyle Keeley— to compete in the final games. The winner of these games will become the new owner of Mr. Lemoncello's ENTIRE GAME MAKING EMPIRE!!! But uh-oh--someone is trying to destroy Mr. Lemoncello empire and all it stands for: imagination, games, books . . . knowledge! Can Kyle Keeley stop them and make his dreams come true?
Get ready for a whirlwind adventure that takes us from the lions of the New York Public Library to the Choose Your Own Thrill-Venture Roller Coaster inside the brand-new Lemoncelloland amusement park, filled with codes and clues, adventure and mystery, and surprise cameos from across Chris Grabenstein's many series. So sit back, relax and prepare to have your imagination take flight...you are on your way to Lemoncelloland!
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Winnie the Pooh
Happy 90th birthday, to one of the world's most beloved icons of children's literature, Winnie-the-Pooh!
The adventures of Pooh and Piglet, Kanga and tiny Roo, Owl, Rabbit, and the ever doleful Eeyore are timeless treasures of childhood. In this beautiful edition of Winnie-the-Pooh, each of Ernest H. Shepard's beloved original illustrations has been meticulously hand painted. Bright in color and elegant in design, this lovely volume of Milne's classic tales welcomes friends old and new into the most enchanted of places, the Hundred Acre Wood.