Friends of the Library Booksale Finds (with a giveaway for one of you!)

Well, I missed our town's Friends of the Library sale earlier this year because I was pregnant and wasn't in a condition to be able to haul large bags of books around. So I consoled myself by going to the library sale one town over. The selection was much, much smaller (and WOW did I appreciate our town's sale!!) but I still walked away with a thing or two I was excited to find.

I may and/or may not have picked up extra copies of books that I already own, some with the express intent and purpose of giving away to some of you during upcoming challenges. ;) And then I picked up a duplicate book by accident which you can find out more about below.

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I love old books. Especially little hard back books originally marked $0.15! (I paid $1.00, but oh well.) Then, when you call it a "Junior Elf Book" you're practically advertising it directly to me. (I'm remarkably easy to advertise to sometimes.)

This story, written by Jessica Potter Broderick, tells the story of little Alexander who feels it is his Duty to chase away strange creatures and hurt them before they hurt him. However, being a tiny little kitten doesn't allow him to win many of his battles. After he attempts an attack on his great grandfather, it is suggested that he might try being friendly or simply leaving other creatures alone. Alexander tries this and discovers that life is a lot more fun when you aren't running around attacking everything in sight.



We're still working on building our Thanksgiving home library around here. (I've found this to be a surprisingly difficult holiday to find books for. I'm not sure why this is - but Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day have been a challenge!) I don't think you can really go wrong with Thanksgiving Day, by Gail Gibbons though. The illustrations are very simple. The page spreads have a bold look to them but are easy on the eyes. She describes Thanksgiving in a manner that I desire to have it represented to my children, complete with Pilgrims wanting to travel to a new land where they could worship God as they please. For $0.50 - this is a winner!



(Side note: Check out the used price for a copy of Come Over to My House by Theo. LeSieg over on Amazon! And this would be why I LOVE used book sales.) I'd never seen Come Over to My House before but it's awesome. Reminds me of the It's a Small World ride at Disneyland. Illustrated by Richard Erdoes, it takes you around the world, showing the young reader what kind of homes people live in. Bricks and sticks, some on stilts, some short, some tall. It talks about the different games children play and food that they eat. It's an easy introduction to the world and I really, really love this book. (So I don't want to part with it despite the high asking price on Amazon!)



I know nothing about A Little Maid of New England: A Little Maid of Province Town / A Little Maid of Massachusetts Colony. I picked it up based on price, cover art and the book flap description. Anyone have a history or reading experience with this title? I'm very curious to read it.



I haven't read it, but after watching the mini series on John Adams (linked to my thoughts) I feel like I ought to read the book. I've wanted to. I just haven't. Again, for $0.50, how could I NOT!?




Apparently I'm not connected enough to Dickens to have realized that I already owned Dickens' Christmas stories. I picked up this copy of Dickens' Christmas stories. The volume includes A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth. I already own this copy which includes the aforementioned stories along with The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man. I was planning to read this book this year. But now I have a pretty hardback edition to give away!

Would you like to win the copy I picked up at the Library Book Sale (the one with three Christmas stories inside?) Simply leave a comment below including a valid e-mail address. This contest is open to U.S. and Canadian residents and will be open through Monday, November 28th.

I'm happy to share the wealth and if you'd like to read Dickens alongside me this December, let me know. As the regulars around here know, I'm not actually a fan of Dickens. Like, at all. However, I DO love A Christmas Carol so perhaps I'll just like him in holiday fashion. I'm willing to take a gamble on it. Clearly. I've bought the book twice now!

Hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving week and here's a chance at a Christmas book to get you going during the month of December. A classic, to boot!