Category Archives: picture books

Picture Book Parade: Spooky Cinderellas and Grimm boogie nights

Posted on Oct 1, 2018 by

Welcome, ghouls and banshees, to Halloween Month at Postcards from La-La Land!  This month, I am focusing on twisted myths and scary fairy tales, hunting for the horrifying hearts of our favorite bedtime stories.  There will be posts on petrifying … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, folklore/fairy tales, Halloween, Picture Book Parade, picture books, spooky | 7 Comments

“Stink bugs are temporary. Love is forever.”

Posted on Mar 26, 2018 by

As I mentioned the one other time I got political on this blog…I don’t usually get political on this blog.  I usually keep La La Land and Washington very separate.  But once in a while, a thing happens that deserves … Continue reading →

Posted in favorites, humor, LGBTQIA, news, opinion, picture books | 12 Comments

Tales from the land of the Nemunas

Posted on Mar 11, 2018 by

Back in 2013, I wrote a post on some of my favorite Lithuanian children’s stories.  Today, in honor of the March 11, 1990 re-establishment of Lithuanian independence (Yep, Lithuania actually has two independence days! 😀 ), which re-asserted the Declaration … Continue reading →

Posted in folklore/fairy tales, Lithuania, picture books | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Scary ghost stories and tales of the glories: New Year’s tales and traditions

Posted on Jan 8, 2018 by

Back in 2013-2014, I was a contributor to the Insatiable Booksluts blog, which specialized in small-press literature reviews, Reading Rages™, and other fun and snark-tastic book-related business (I never did master Susie’s particularly awesome brand of snark myself).  It’s one of … Continue reading →

Posted in folklore/fairy tales, picture books | 2 Comments

Picture Book Parade: Somewhere out there (really out there)

Posted on May 25, 2017 by

Today’s round of picture books comes from the land of out there… a land of whimsy and silliness, where bears look to “find themselves” in enchanted forests; where goons in tombs fish in black lagoons; where gnomes compete for the best beard style; babies … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, favorites, humor, Picture Book Parade, picture books, spooky | 2 Comments

2015 Favorites

Posted on Dec 21, 2015 by

It’s time once again for the year-end review!  Since I’ve been reading a lot of short stories this year, I’ve given them their own section. Favorite Books –  Click each cover to see my review.                       Select Favorite … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, folklore/fairy tales, LGBTQIA, picture books, selkies, short stories, year-end review | Leave a comment

Folk and fairytale addendum

Posted on Sep 19, 2015 by

Two local libraries had displays of picture books retelling folk and fairytales, so of course I had to get on that! Baba Wagué Diakité.  The Magic Gourd.  New York: Scholastic, 2003. In a time of drought and famine, Brother Rabbit keeps … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, folklore/fairy tales, Picture Book Parade, picture books | 2 Comments

Picture Book Parade, the Third

Posted on Aug 20, 2015 by

Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein.  Granddaddy’s Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box.  Illus. James E. Ransome.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2015. It’s interesting how timely this story still is, with voting rights being discussed in Congress and in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Picture Book Parade, picture books | Leave a comment

Board Book Bonanza

Posted on Feb 23, 2015 by

Back in August, Rachel Smalter Hall of BookRiot offered a list of titles for the very newest readers – “A Bookish Parent’s Guide to Baby’s First Library.”  With titles like Moby Dick: an Ocean Primer and The Game of Let’s Go, the list inspired … Continue reading →

Posted in board books, fantasy, folklore/fairy tales, humor, mermaids, meta, picture books, spooky | Leave a comment

Nursery Rhyme Redux

Posted on Aug 15, 2014 by

Three years ago, before Fairy Tale Comics, there appeared in the folklore-themed-comicsphere… What I love about this collection is that the illustrators treat the rhymes like little stories, following the original words but interpreting them in different ways.  It’s “not a parody … Continue reading →

Posted in comics, folklore/fairy tales, picture books, poetry | 1 Comment