Two new additions to the JP collection are really delightful. “Brother Hugo and the Bear” by Katy Beebe is the story of a missing library book. Beebe has a doctorate in medieval history from the University of Oxford and has spent many years studying medieval manuscripts. With this kind of scholarly background, Beebe sets her story in a medieval monastery. The characters are monks and, of course, a bear. A hungry bear has gotten a taste of how sweet a book can be by eating the letters of St. Augustine. Since it is the fault of Brother Hugo that the bear ate the book, he must reproduce a new copy. Since this is medieval times that means he must create the paper, make the inks, copy the manuscript and bind the book.
Besides being a funny and unusual story, the reader can learn a great deal about how books were created in the Middle Ages. The colorful illustrations are set off by illuminated letters beginning each paragraph. Both parents and children will enjoy “Brother Hugo and the Bear.”
“The Grudge Keeper” by Mara Rockliff is set in the town of Bonnyripple. People don’t keep grudges because that is the job of Cornelius, the Grudge Keeper. “Ruffled feathers, petty snits, minor tiffs and major huffs, insults, umbrage, squabbles, dust-ups, and imbroglios” are all received by Cornelius and tucked away in his ramshackle cottage. Rockliff’s language makes this a great read aloud selection, as well as, offering an important moral lesson. The illustrations are done in a yellowish hue that makes the characters and the action stand out. A good story about people in a small village who learn how to get along. Children will get the idea that this concept could be used throughout the world.