Posted on by Maureen

Contrary Woodrow by Sue Felt

There are plenty of picture books about Valentine’s Day; not as many as other holidays like Halloween and Christmas, but a fair amount. My favorite Valentine’s Day story has to be Contrary Woodrow.

 

I found Contrary Woodrow at the public library. We have a small section of donated books available for sale, and this was where I found Contrary Woodrow. This picture book was written by Sue Felt and was published in 1958.

Contrary Woodrow is the story of a boy named Woodrow Woodington. His family has declared that he is contrary, and the first part of the book is dedicated to establishing his contrariness. Woodrow is the third of five children. Maybe this is why he has such an alliterative name. His older siblings are named John and Sally, so maybe his parents wanted to get a little creative. Woodrow’s younger siblings are named Elizabeth and Pete, so clearly, his parents went back to more traditional choices for baby names. Maybe Woodrow is so contrary because he’s saddled with such a name. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Here Comes Valentine Cat by Deborah Underwood

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My three girls have been big fans of Deborah Underwood’s “Cat” series since we first discovered Here Comes Easter Cat almost two years ago. The girls were delighted by the mischievous and sarcastic cat, who just happens to have a heart of gold under his snarky façade.

Here Comes Valentine Cat follows the format of the other books: the narrator speaks directly to Cat, who responds by holding up signboards with his responses. Because cats don’t talk, of course!

Valentine’s Day is coming, and the narrator wants to know if Cat has any plans. Cat indicates that there is a dog who lives next door, but he thinks the dog is annoying. Cat plans to make some mean valentines, and to send the dog to the moon- but is the dog really as annoying as Cat says he is? Read more