Stuart Little by E.B. White

Watching my little baby girl grow up has inspired me to read children's books. One of the novels that I recently read was the classic Stuart Little, the ageless tale of a small mouse who is born to a human family in New York. Despite his diminutive stature, Stuart proves to have an explorer's heart, as shown by his adventures sailing a toy boat and his scuffles with the house cat.

His greatest adventure, however, arises when his best friend Margalo, a little brown hen-bird, escapes from his nest. Determined to find his trusted companion, Stuart starts off on a quest to find him.

This book is very well written and wonderfully told. Like Kafka's classic novel Metamorphosis, in which a travelling salesmen wakes up one day as a bug, the reader can easily suspend disbelief and accept the fact that a tiny mouse can be born into a human family. If I had one small critique, however, is that the book ending seems a bit rushed. The final scenes do not seem like the logical consequences of the story, but rather as the quick scribbles of a tale that needed to end suddenly.

Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the day when I can read it to my daughter.

4 out of 5 stars

Toby Alone by Timothée de Fombelle (Translated from French by Sarah Ardizzone)

As a new parent, I recently decided to start reading children's literature. One of the first books that I borrowed from the library was Toby Alone, a harsh tale about a small boy named Toby who is only one-and-a-half millimetres tall and lives in a tree.

Although advertised for young people, this book tackles many adult-themes. For instance, the subject of dictatorship is raised through the character of Joe Mitch, a very coarse, brutal and disagreeable man who connives to take control of the tree, which serves as the world for Toby's tiny race. The depletion of natural resources and climate change are also discussed through the actions of Joe Mitch's men, who are mining, carving and building in the tree at an unsustainable rate.

The plot of the story is quite interesting, even if it is a bit violent. The novel centres around the family of Toby, whose father is a great scientist. One day, Toby's father makes an incredible discovery, but fearful of how it could be used in the wrong hands, refuses to divulge its secret. In retaliation, the family is banned to the lower branches of the tree, far away from their family. The story revolves around the consequences of this exile, while Joe Mitch's men are rapidly destroying the tree.

As pure story-telling this book is excellent. The imagination required to write this story is quite impressive, as is the skillful combination of hard themes into a tale that children can understand. Nevertheless, I must admit that the level of violence in the novel disturbed me. The scenes of beatings, fighting, death and mentions of executions were unsettling. While I would recommend this book to my adult friends, I am not sure if I would feel comfortable giving it to my daughter before she turns into a mature teenager.

4 out of 5 starts

Where's Spot by Eric Hill

My baby girl is now a toddler who loves to waddle around the house. Although she can can't form sentences yet, I want her to appreciate books, so I have been borrowing some from the library for her.

Where's Spot? is a cute pop-up book for little children that allows them to "search" for Spot the dog who is hiding somewhere in the house. The book is a lot of fun, even if some of the reviews are a bit over the top. (Parent magazine said: "Spot is one of the essential experiences of childhood," which is a bit much). That being said, this is a great story that will encourage your little ones to love books.