* The Dot and the Line * The Phantom Tolbooth: 2 big faves

These two very different books made a huge impression on me as a child. Their quirky, sophisticated style somehow sneaked into my subconscious and surreptitiously inspired me to aim to do something creative with my future - in many different areas. 
And quite ridiculously, I only realized a few years ago that they were written by the very same person...

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Margaret Perry is an avid reader and collector of children's literature. When she was young, at the Children's Library, she would start at "A" and work her way through the alphabet, 15 books at a time.

She started Little Lamb Books in January, 2009, in honor of her grandmother, to promote children's books that contain exceptional beauty in both narrative and illustration, a sense of wonder, and hopefully a touch of whimsy and silliness. 

She tells us....

"Norton Juster is best known in the Children's Book world, as the imaginative author of The Phantom Tollbooth. I never got into it as a child (though I love it now)--my favorite of his books was but his charming little "romance"-- 

-- The Dot and the Line..

It concerns a red dot and the blue line who loves her and is determined to win her.  She is, however, smitten with a squiggle. The Line is so saddened by her rejection that he is determined to do something about it [and win her over]. 

I saw this at a very young age and fell in love with the graphics. 

Chuck Jones' brilliant little gem of an animated version is perfect. I would say it is as good as reading it aloud yourself, but I don't have as nice a voice as he did.

..the book is funny, and light--but it is also profound.  In this little tale of love we learn about direction, determination, love, and its pursuit. And I don't suppose that is a lesson we can learn too early."   Margaret Perry

"You are as meaningless as a melon," the Dot said coldly. "Undisciplined, unkempt, and unaccountable, insignificant, indeterminiate, and inadvertent, out of shape, out of order, out of place, and out of luck."  Dot to Squiggle

...with the Squiggle...

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The Phantom Tolbooth is the other, very different, inspirational book from my childhood. The story can be dark and unpredictable, the characters surreal. Jules Feiffer's illustrations are sometimes simple and fresh, yet can be macabre, almost mesmeric.

Tock

Milo

A map of the Lands Beyond

Rhyme and Reason

the Doldrums

"Then one day someone discovered that if you walked as fast as possible and looked at nothing but your shoes you would arrive at your destination much more quickly"

Terrible Trivium

I highly recommend you get a copy of each as soon as possible...