Sunday, February 27, 2011

Merry Merry FIBruary


Merry Merry FIBruary
written by Doris Orgel
illustrations by Arnold Lobel

As March blows the door closed on February, I thought it appropriate to show off my new favorite find.  At a buck seventy-five, Merry Merry FIBruary is a book full of crazy.  And it had Pippi and I in stitches all the way through to the skinny yellow pencil at the end.

Although Lobel illustrated FIBruary for its author, Doris Orgel, there is so much of Lobel in this book.  The armchair which sprouts a rosebush (Mouse Soup) would have fit neatly within the pages of FIBruary, which makes me think that Orgel could have lived happily ever after inside Lobel's brain, watching his clever images in early infancy as a sort of moving picture show.  Crazy talk, maybe.  You be the judge. 

Merry Merry FIBruary is that one magical month of the year when everything is turned on its ear, with each of the thirty days (FIBruary includes a bit of fibbing about the numbers) represented by a truly nutty scenario.  The animals at the zoo are made to wear "shoes and socks and pants and dresses - You and me, though, we go bare."  And Uncle Harry "found no reason why he should spend his whole life as a grown-up - and grew back down to babyhood."

The book even includes a mock calender for each of the four weeks.




So without further ado, here is a sampling of the happenings of the merry merry month of FIBruary.

Day First.


And one of our favorites, a day when "Giants shrink and midgets grow.  Take Fee-Fi-Fo and Tiny Tom, though which is which I do not know."



And here's Billy Frink, who "grew petunias in his bathtub and took showers in his sink."


And Pippi's ultimate fantasy, the dentist turned patient, with the girl holding the drill.


And the hands down giggle winner.  Gotta give you the verbatim words for this one.



And here it is.  The skinny yellow pencil at the end.  Nothing remarkable about its yellow pencil-ness.  But without it, my previous reference makes no sense.




 Have a merry merry last day of FIBruary!


7 comments:

  1. Your children are going to be book experts! Hmmm. Teachers, book reviewers, librarians....or just the greatest of jobs; parents or grandparents that love to read to their little ones!
    What a wonderful upbringing. Way to go, Mrs. Books for Breakfast! There is nothing like reading; especially aloud to children that expands their minds. Not to mention the fringe benefits of cuddle time!

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  2. Oh, another mysterious book that looks fantastic!

    What happened to the picture of P and T in the tree hollow? I´m glad I got a quick flash of it.
    I came to say they looked lovely.

    Hugs and see you soon.

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  3. Silvia, I put it to draft because I wasn't quite happy with the layout, font or something. Not quite satisfied. Plus, Shirley Hughes' art for that poem is fantastic. I want to find a way to incorporate the art in the post, or maybe follow up with it before posting. Sorry. I do love the picture, though, and will put it back up. Just as soon as I figure out what to do with it. BTW, Pippi is sick now. Maybe we can shoot for Tuesday. Tommy is mostly over it, though.

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  4. Oh, I´m sorry to hear about Pippi, however I´m glad that Tommy recovered. We can wait until she is well again, let us know.

    Yes, that is a lovely pic. I am looking forward to the other post with Shirley Hughes´art or what you decide.

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  5. Oh, I think I need this book, since FIBruary is my birth month. My girls would LOVE this, in all its silliness!

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