Alright, a response: > It's very upper-crust early 1900s It's nice to expose children to a wide range of lifestyles, particularly ones that reflect their own

Alright, a response: > It's very upper-crust early 1900s It's nice to expose children to a wide range of lifestyles, particularly ones that reflect their own cultural origins. Gives a jumping off point for discussion. > There's an open fireplace, fer chrissake! I have an open fireplace in my house. I don't use it often, but it's there, and it's cozy enough. Wood smoke isn't that great for you, so I only light it at Christmas usually. > What's up with the little old lady whispering "hush"? Who is she? It doesn't matter. Nanny, grandmother, not important. > Turn the light off. No kid goes to sleep with a light on Yes, that would have been a good addition. "Goodnight light". > The green-and-red color scheme makes it look absurd. I think this is an artifact of the printing technology available at the time. > A bowl of mush? Mush what? It's gruel. > Margaret Wise Brown also wrote The Big Red Barn which has a lot of the same sort of problems. Ahh, I love that one too, though! > Why did the big white hen stand on one leg? Why did the smaller breed of chicken have a clutch of 10 eggs, vs the white chicken's 1 egg? Maybe a farmer would have had answers for that. Maybe it was common knowledge a generation ago. > Where did the children go? Now they're grandparents, no doubt, and wonder the same thing