Classic Picture Book: Brave Irene

Every two weeks my girls and I go to the library and check out an enormous pile of books (though I do encourage the girls to store them in one place it can get awfully difficult to keep track of them all!). I am often surprised by the amount of picture books that they bring home and dismiss relatively quickly -- I keep a close eye on these things and take note of the books that they want to read again and again.

One of the books that they can't get enough of is the picture book classic Brave Irene, by William Steig. Perhaps best known today as the author of the original Shrek!, Steig hits the nail on the head with this sweet picture book -- and in my capacity as a "girl book" reviewer, I see tremendous value in this story. Why do my girls like this picture book so much? I think they can see themselves in the main character, Irene.

Irene is a good daughter, who must deliver a dress that her sick mother has made for the duchess. On the way to the duchess' house, Irene encounters a fierce snowstorm. The storm becomes a character in the story that battles against Irene's equally fierce determination. But just when the storm seems ready to declare victory, Irene's ingenuity shines through and she finds her way past the trouble.

Steig's illustrations bring Irene to life, and I love the writing especially as Irene shouts at her nemesis, the wind. But my favorite part is the end, when we see so clearly the love between Irene and her mother.

This book makes a great gift from one generation to the next -- my own mother sent my oldest daughter a copy several Christmases ago. It's a wonderful story of adventure, hope and determination -- a wonderful message to send to any girl.

I Love Lucy Moon

Lucy Moon is cool. She doesn’t think so, but I do. I think her story is too, as told in the book That Girl Lucy Moon, by Amy Timberlake.

The book starts with a storm rolling in – both literally and figuratively. Lucy is going through many changes. She’s gone from outspoken activist in her elementary school (she wears a hat made from hemp to support third world workers) to feeling like an invisible, voiceless sixth grader.

Add to this problem the fact that her adored photographer mother is leaving town for an assignment – and isn’t sure when she’ll be back. And Dad, well, Dad just isn’t sure how to deal with Mrs. Moon’s departure and Lucy’s questions.

Top that with Lucy’s latest cause: after a group of kids is arrested for sledding on Wiggins Hill, Lucy takes on the most influential woman in town, Miss Ilene Viola Wiggins. Lucy soon discovers that fighting this injustice is doing major damage to her reputation – and she begins to wonder if her battle is worth the trouble.

When even her best friend, Zoe, begins to doubt her – it seems as if Lucy’s whole world is falling apart. Will life ever return to normal for Lucy? Or will she have to change her definition of normal?

Thanks to the writing of Amy Timberlake, Lucy becomes as real as your own best friend and the town of Turtle Rock, Minnesota comes alive on the pages of the book. You’ll want to grab a warm blanket and a cup of cocoa before you settle down and pay a visit to Lucy’s world. I guarantee you won’t want to leave.

Girls everywhere will love That Girl Lucy Moon. I know I do.

Continued prayers for the victims of Wednesday’s Minneapolis bridge collapse and their families.