Below are some of the books I’ve been reading this month; note that the following may contain spoilers:

Freckles, by Gene Stratton-Porter – This is one of the best early twentieth century books I have read. Years ago I read Stratton-Porter’s sequal to this, A Girl of the Limberlost, and have now decided that I love her writing. The story, written in the early 1900s, is set in the long gone Limberlost, a wild forest in Michigan, of the United States. This coming-of-age novel follows a year in the life of a young, nameless orphan people call Freckles. The reader meets him while looking for work, itching to prove himself to anyone willing to take a chance on a one-handed young adult. Filled with Irish and Scottish brogue and rich in imagery, this book also has soft feminist undertones. It is part of a genre called ‘nature writing’, which brings the beauty of nature to the page. Despite some intense moments, (the first chapter is rather difficult to read as Freckles recounts, albeit quickly, his past), I think this story is beautiful and very much worth a read aloud..

Narrative Poems, by C. S. Lewis – This was a wonderful find. Edited by Walter Hooper, the four poems found in this collection spark the imagination and are intellectually stimulating. The four included are ‘Dymer’, ‘Launcelot’, ‘The Nameless Isle’, and ‘The Queen of Drum’. There are more adult themes in these so I would not recommend reading them to children, but they are absolutely worth the read.

The Complete Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter – This beautiful collection was another wonderful find. Included are all the books in Peter Rabbit’s world, as well as some unpublished works with illustrations. I enjoyed the background notes at the beginning of each story.