The Accidental Pastor's Wife

I have decided that I will not buy toys for children anymore. Every kid I know has buckets and buckets of toys. So, starting last Christmas, I decided to buy books, good quality children's books for all my nieces and nephews and friends. And I'm focusing on building up my children's library, too, so I've made a wish list on Amazon for certain family members who like to spoil their grandchildren. I mean, you can only have so many hot wheels cars! And books last a lifetime!

We've just recently discovered Jan Brett. As both an author and illustrator, her work has been influenced by the many places she's travelled with her husband, who plays in the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

We've enjoyed her book Hedgie's Surprise, about poor Henny whose egg gets stolen every morning by a hungry, ornery Tomten. All she'd like is some piping baby chicks of her own, so her friend Hedgie, the hedgehog, devises a plan to outsmart that naughty Tomten once and for all.

In Annie and the Wild Animals, Annie's beloved cat suddenly disappears so Annie tries to fill the void by coaxing some wild animals to be her companions in her arctic neighborhood with some homemade cornmeal cakes. A surprise ending delights young readers!

Brett also has written a few books about trolls, those troublesome, pesky creatures that drive a certain little girl crazy.

She's retold some classic stories as well, such as Town Mouse, Country Mouse.

The influence of different cultures is apparent in her work. Her paintings are incredibly detailed and look like a beautiful tapestry or intricate needlework.

One of our favorite features of her storybooks is the subtle way that she gives you a hint of what's to come in the lovely borders of each page.

Her goal is to make you feel like you can just jump into the world she's created on the page-and you can!