go golden...

Welcome back!  Today we are on the letter G.  There are a lot of contenders for this one, from Green Eggs and Ham to Gossamer by Lois Lowery, with The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing vying for a nod, and Ghost Story by Jim Butcher also a likely choice.  So what to pick for this letter?  Read on and I'll tell you.

The Goblin and the Empty Chair

I am not ashamed to admit I read children's books.  Some of them are very good.  A few of them are so beautifully written that your heart is likely to burst as you read them.  This gem by Mem Fox, is one of those.  The beautiful illustrations by Diane and Leo Dillion are the gilding on story that makes my heart ache and rejoice in the same moment. 

It tells about a very ugly goblin who is very lonely.  And a family that lives near him has suffered an incredible lost, and the goblin has seen that this family is heartbroken, and he decides to see if he can do something about it. 

I'm not sure why I picked this up in the library in January, I think someone mentioned Mem Fox as a good children's writer, or it caught my eye.  Either way, I'm every so thankful that I stumbled on this book in particular.  The story is simple but moving, and the characters are easy to identify with.  There's a life lesson here, and it's not overly subtle, but it's handle with such care that you almost want to thank the characters at the end for helping you become a better person, or at least for reminding you of who you should be. 

As a children's book, it's short, and most of you could read it in less than ten minutes.  Next time you are in the library, see if they have this one and treat yourself to a beautiful story.