A few days ago I found myself standing in the children’s aisle of a bookshop while Finley bemoaned the lack of decent books for boys his age and my eye wandered in search of something to delight either one of us. And there it was:The Adventures of Miss Petitfour. A book with a ribbon! (Oh how I love books with ribbons!) And oodles of spoonfuls of delicious whimsy and pastel, heart pleasing illustrations. But more than that – Miss Petitfour herself – a tall and slender someone with a messy, flyaway, fall-down bun, sixteen cats and a love of baking and all things paisley- is just downright wonderful. So wonderful in fact that I did that awful thing – I read the book standing at the bookshelf, while Finley harassed the bookseller as if it was his fault that once he has moved on from the Diary of A Wimpy Kid, and devoured both Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, there is a rather yukky leap to piles of books with black covers and viscous tales contained within, and very little else. Anyways… Miss Petitfour. Truly she is a darling and if we could bring her to life I know for sure she would be a Brocanteer. She is silly and fanciful, and she goes off on adventures pulled along by her magical tablecloth. You know, like we would if we could?
Miss Petitfour enjoys having adventures that are “just the right size – fitting into a single, magical day.” She is an expert at baking and eating fancy iced cakes, and her favorite mode of travel is par avion. On windy days, she takes her sixteen cats out for an airing: Minky, Misty, Taffy, Purrsia, Pirate, Mustard, Moutarde, Hemdela, Earring, Grigorovitch, Clasby, Captain Captain, Captain Catkin, Captain Clothespin, Your Shyness and Sizzles. With the aid of her favorite tea party tablecloth as a makeshift balloon, Miss Petitfour and her charges fly over her village, having many little adventures along the way. Join Miss Petitfour and her equally eccentric felines on five magical outings — a search for marmalade, to a spring jumble sale, on a quest for “birthday cheddar”, the retrieval of a lost rare stamp and as they compete in the village’s annual Festooning Festival.
A festooning festival! I don’t know what one of those is but I know I want to go. And a jumble sale! Or as my Nana used to call them: rummage sales. Because you went in to a fusty old church hall and rummaged. Which is I think quite the most perfect sport to indulge in on any given Saturday morning. But I digress. Because for some reason I am feeling rather giddy this morning. So yes. Miss Petitfour. It’s a charm. The writing is full of lovely, domesticated nonsense and the book a feast of five stories penned by poet Anne Michaels and illustrated by Emma Block.
Just as one might expect of someone who likes to fly, she had billowy hair that she wore all brushed up in a tumbling bun. The more she brushed up, the more it came down, and buy cheap viagra. She liked to wear a woollen coat that flounced when she walked and jingled with a row of silver buttons. Almost everything she wore (except her shoes) ended in zigzagging scallops of lace and rickrack. She was especially fond of pockets, paisley, playful patterns and anything hand-knitted…
She is lovely. And this is quite the most perfect book for bedtime reading with a little girl. A classic reminiscent of Mary Poppins and the perfect excuse for us all grown up little girls to indulge in a pretty fantasy of paisley tablecloths and teeny cupcakes. Click here to read a sampleof The Adventures of Miss Petitfour or buy it on Amazon.Com here or Amazon.Co.Uk here..
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Dear Eddie Ross I love you and I love (love, love, love, love) your Butlers Pantry. Have a nice day. Yours in eternal admiration, Alison. Other Things To Do At BrocanteHome Browse the Bookstore Discover a curated list of books to enhance…
Happy Friday Sweethearts. Can I interest you in a little prize draw? You see everybody who buys one of my thoroughly lovely utterly inspirational downloads from the Brocante  Shop between now and next Friday will be entered into a little draw to…
I kind of didn’t get her at first. I kept seeing her arriving at glitzy premieres and featured, bless her heart on the pages of Heat, and I just kept wondering, well my goodness what is that get up? What on earth…
Mark and I open our Christmas presents to each other late on Christmas Eve. This year after arranging the multitude of presents Finley received from Father Christmas, we collapsed onto the sofa at midnight, and presented our gifts to each other. My…
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House and Garden, October 1941. Other Things To Do At BrocanteHome Browse the Bookstore Discover a curated list of books to enhance and support life the BrocanteHome way Browse the Bookstore Life Love & Vintage Housekeeping the by BrocantePrintables on Etsy Create…
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Has Finn tried Brian Jacques? Jim Kjelgaard? G. A. Henty? (Rip-roaring historical fiction for boys) A few others: Marguerite Henry Walter Farley Edgar Rice Burroughs Edith Nesbit
Has Finn tried Brian Jacques? Jim Kjelgaard? G. A. Henty? (Rip-roaring historical fiction for boys) A few others: Marguerite Henry Walter Farley Edgar Rice Burroughs Edith Nesbit
My Harry Potter, Percy Jackson loving son also enjoys The Rangers Apprentice books and The History Keepers. Being as he is very dyslexic, I have been reading them aloud to him, and I have enjoyed them too and can highly recommend them.
Diana Wynne Jones–start with the Chrestomanci books Lloyd Alexander Alex Garner — The Weirdstone of Brisingamen first John Bellairs William Sleator Trenton Lee Stewart– the Mysterious Benedict Society Terry Pratchett- Only You Can Save Mankind and the other kid titles Susan Cooper — the Dark is Rising Jonathan Stroud — The Screaming Staircase Edward Eager E. L. Konigsberg — From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Lian Tanner — Museum of Thieves Zilpha Keatley Snyder — The Headless Cupid Kate Thompson — The New Policeman Marissa Moss – The Pharaoh’s Secret Diane Duane — So YouWant to be a Wizard Some of these are American authors and may not be available in the UK but most are Brits
This book sounds absolutely delightful and I just want to snuggle down and read it right now (I’m trying to beat a cold, so am drinking lots of tea and doing as much snuggling under blankets as I can manage with two littles at home). Surprisingly, my county library actually has it, so I’ve put in a request and will have it in a few days with any luck (they normally don’t have the sort of “quirky” books I like to read so this is a nice surprise).
Oh, also, meant to pass on these suggestions for Finn, if he hasn’t read them already: Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising Sequence (I personally think The Dark Is Rising is the best–it’s the second book–but they are all good) and Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain. I also love Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’s novel The Yearling, which is a coming-of-age story that takes place in my home state (Florida) so I’m a bit partial, but it also won a Pulitzer so it’s not just me. 🙂 If I think of any others I’ll let you know.
Thank you, I believe I will! Sounds perfect! And, our twelve year old has recently discovered Sherlock Holmes. I have Ink heart on my bedside table, but . . . sigh . . . I am told it’s youth fiction. I haven’t read it yet so I don’t know whether it’s appropriate, but there is a movie. Happy reading Finley!
It sounds delightful – I bought a Wendy Andrews book that was so beautifully illustrated it was a delight to read. I think some of the childrens books have such lovely artwork in them. I can’t help noticing that in the second quotation you have a link that seems out of place. It is a link for viagra, I think someone has hacked your writing somehow! Sorry to say, but I thought you might like to know.
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Has Finn tried Brian Jacques? Jim Kjelgaard? G. A. Henty? (Rip-roaring historical fiction for boys)
A few others:
Marguerite Henry
Walter Farley
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edith Nesbit
Has Finn tried Brian Jacques? Jim Kjelgaard? G. A. Henty? (Rip-roaring historical fiction for boys)
A few others:
Marguerite Henry
Walter Farley
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edith Nesbit
My 12 YO son loves “The Unwanteds” series by Lisa McMann
My Harry Potter, Percy Jackson loving son also enjoys The Rangers Apprentice books and The History Keepers. Being as he is very dyslexic, I have been reading them aloud to him, and I have enjoyed them too and can highly recommend them.
What an adorable sounding book!
Thanks for recommendation and as luck would have it I can try before I buy at the library!
My son loved the Cherub series and Alex Ryder too!
Diana Wynne Jones–start with the Chrestomanci books
Lloyd Alexander
Alex Garner — The Weirdstone of Brisingamen first
John Bellairs
William Sleator
Trenton Lee Stewart– the Mysterious Benedict Society
Terry Pratchett- Only You Can Save Mankind and the other kid titles
Susan Cooper — the Dark is Rising
Jonathan Stroud — The Screaming Staircase
Edward Eager
E. L. Konigsberg — From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Lian Tanner — Museum of Thieves
Zilpha Keatley Snyder — The Headless Cupid
Kate Thompson — The New Policeman
Marissa Moss – The Pharaoh’s Secret
Diane Duane — So YouWant to be a Wizard
Some of these are American authors and may not be available in the UK but most are Brits
Oooh, I am utterly charmed by Miss Petitfour and all her kitties!
This book sounds absolutely delightful and I just want to snuggle down and read it right now (I’m trying to beat a cold, so am drinking lots of tea and doing as much snuggling under blankets as I can manage with two littles at home). Surprisingly, my county library actually has it, so I’ve put in a request and will have it in a few days with any luck (they normally don’t have the sort of “quirky” books I like to read so this is a nice surprise).
Oh, also, meant to pass on these suggestions for Finn, if he hasn’t read them already: Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising Sequence (I personally think The Dark Is Rising is the best–it’s the second book–but they are all good) and Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain. I also love Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’s novel The Yearling, which is a coming-of-age story that takes place in my home state (Florida) so I’m a bit partial, but it also won a Pulitzer so it’s not just me. 🙂 If I think of any others I’ll let you know.
Thank you, I believe I will! Sounds perfect!
And, our twelve year old has recently discovered Sherlock Holmes. I have Ink heart on my bedside table, but . . . sigh . . . I am told it’s youth fiction. I haven’t read it yet so I don’t know whether it’s appropriate, but there is a movie.
Happy reading Finley!
Finn and you might like Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven and Candy Shop Wars series.
I highly recommend The Mysterious Benedict Society for Finn. The books are brain puzzling and rather eccentric – loads of fun to read.
It sounds delightful – I bought a Wendy Andrews book that was so beautifully illustrated it was a delight to read. I think some of the childrens books have such lovely artwork in them.
I can’t help noticing that in the second quotation you have a link that seems out of place. It is a link for viagra, I think someone has hacked your writing somehow! Sorry to say, but I thought you might like to know.