I said back before Christmas that I might share some of my favorite children's book with you. No, this is not a Mommy blogger type post. This is a Most people have to buy a baby gift every now and then kind of post. I hate to buy baby clothes for people - babies grow so fast you'd be lucky if the kid wore it once or twice before it was too small and became the beginning of years of collected clutter. Diapers and wipes are good, in that every kid needs them - they are used up then out of the way - no clutter ya know kind of way. But my favorite young child or baby gift is a book - or two, good books are treasures that can be kept forever and all that sort of sappy stuff. So here, after 32 years of parenting (my daughter's 32nd birthday is three days away now), are some of my very favorite books as gifts - to be described one or two at a time. I tend toward books with beautiful illustrations - most of these sit on the shelf just above my head right here at my computer desk, even though the kids are all technically well beyond the age associated with these books the art contained is everlasting and speaks to me. I even get requests every now and then from one of the girls that I order a copy of one or another of the books I will be sharing, so that they too can share some of these treasures.

Book the first - my very most favorite (and unfortunately out of print for years so to give this one requires hunting and ordering 2nd hand - it is well worth it both for the art and the verse) The Scroobious Pip by Edward Lear illustrated most beautifully and fancifully by Nancy Ekholm Burket. Both the paperback (which is what I have) and the hard bound are out there - the paper bound has a more colorful cover. The book was published by Harper&Row.

Each of my children can quote from this book...

The Scroobious Pip went out one day
When the grass was green and the sky was gray.
Then all the beasts in the world came round
When the Scroobious Pip sat down on the ground.
The cat and the dog and the kangaroo,
The sheep and the cow and the guinea pig too,
The wolf he howled, and the donkey brayed,
And when the lion began to roar
There never was heard such a noise before.
And every beast he stood on the tip
Of his toes to look at the Scroobious Pip.
At Last they said to the fox, "Byfar
You're the wisest beast. You know you are!
Go close to the Scroobious Pip and say,
Tell us all about yourself we pray---
For as yet we can't make out in the least
If you're fish or insect, or bird or beast."
The Scroobious Pip looked vaguely round
And sang these words with a rumbling sound,
"Chippetty flip! Flippetty chip!
My only name is the Scroobious Pip!"

The creature who is the Scroobious Pip has the face of a snowy owl with large furry ears, goat horns, and an insect's antennae.
He has the hind legs of a kangaroo but with hooves, a long silver fish tail and long transparent insect wings. He wears spectacles, a red vest and lavender jacket over his generous belly and holds a walking stick in his furry front hands - his expression is both studious and kind. The mammal verse illustration has lovely colored pencil type depictions of dozens of animals from camel and polar bear to woolly mammoth, monkeys, a wart hog and children. There is even a dinosaur tucked in there for some reason.

The book goes on have the Scroobious pip addressed by insects, birds, and fish.



This is not a particularly wonderful picture of the cover, it is a scanned copy of my own well loved edition.

I was introduced to The Scroobious Pip as a treasured baby gift given me low these many moons ago by a beloved friend - thank you Sory. I most recently ordered a copy only a couple weeks ago.