The Blue House Little Library #31740
19 Pheasant Place L9A4Y4 Hamilton, ON, Canada

Today's shelfie. Beautiful day to read outdoors - just sayin'.

In the late 1930s-1940s, Michael Bond, author of Paddington Bear, saw Jewish refugee children (Kindertransport children) walking through London's Reading Statio...n, arriving in Britain escaping from the Nazi horrors of Europe. Mr. Bond, touched by what he saw, recalled those memories 20 years later when he began his story of Paddington Bear. One morning in 1958, he was searching for writing inspiration and simply wrote the words: Mr. and Mrs. Brown first met Paddington on a railway platform They all had a label round their neck with their name and address on and a little case or package containing all their treasured possessions, Bond said in an interview with The Telegraph before his death in 2017. So Paddington, in a sense, was a refugee, and I do think that there’s no sadder sight than refugees. Paddington Bear - known for his blue overcoat, bright red hat, and wearing a simple hand-written tag that says Please look after this bear. Thank you, Paddington embodies the appearance of many refugee children. His suitcase is an emblem of his own refugee status. We took in some Jewish children who often sat in front of the fire every evening, quietly crying because they had no idea what had happened to their parents, and neither did we at the time. It’s the reason why Paddington arrived with the label around his neck. -- Michael Bond Michael Bond died at 91 in 201. The epitaph on his gravestone reads "Please look after this bear. Thank you." Please look after all the young Bears in Ukraine.

If you're looking for strong female characters in children's literature you don't have to look any further than Canadian treasure, Robert Munsch - The Paperback... Princess is iconic! And many of his other books have determined and plucky female heroines that your children will enjoy! #WomensHistoryMonth #girlpower See more

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Some fabulous new reads added today: Thanks to Scholastic Canada & @littlefreelibrary, we have a copy of Robert Munsch's 'Think Big!'. I've been reading the 5 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlisted books donated to us by Scotiabank and two of them are now in the Blue House LFL: Miriam Toews's 'Fight Night' (Wow! Loved it!) and Omar El Akkad's 'What Strange Paradise' (Also wow! Beautifully written. Powerful. The Giller Prize finalist.)... Lastly, there is 'The Witcher 'by Andrzej Sapkowski. This is the collection of short stories that the first season of the Netflix series is based on. Sword & Sorcery fantasy at its finest! I always love a good fantasy.

Little libraries everywhere! I can confirm that they are a source of joy. We love stewarding The Blue House Little Library.

Bond Street North in Hamilton, another library https://littlefreelibariesandbookexchanges.blogspot.com//b

Oh no. This is a cherished book. Sad to hear the author has left us. https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle//arid-40052351.html

"Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true." - Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Thank you for being such a strong role model for people everywhere. We light a candle for you today. #RIPRBG

Sometimes a fitting re-title is in order