gloria, gloria i think i gotcha numba, gloria

Many of you already know this but, when I was a little girl I instructed my mom to call me by the name "Princess Gloria." Now, I have no idea how I came up with the name Gloria. I guess it sounded regal to me. Here, in England, they call a girl that makes such demands a 'little madam.' And, the midwives and health visitors here were calling Renee 'a little madam' a few days after she was born. "Quite a strong personality," they would say. Time will tell, but my mom--Ms. Gigi, may have had her oft repeated wish, "I hope you have a child just like you one day," fulfilled. Of course, she usually said this when I was being difficult, and I'm sure that wasn't very often : ) So, here's to all the little girls everywhere. I am likely to be eating my words on this one, but let it be said that I think all of us deserve to be 'little madams.'

Aside from fulfilling my mom's wish, having a little girl will be lots of fun. We really still don't know what kind of girl Renee will be but, I recently heard about this book on the BBC morning news, and it has a little bit of everything to suit all kinds of little girls. Whether they like climbing trees, concocting magical potions, baking mud pies, or reading all day, there's a little something for everyone, even grandma.


This is what the publishers have to say about it:

"Homemade scones, pom-poms, daisy chains. . . The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls will take women back to a time when we made cup cakes with our grandmothers, when girls weren't obsessed with all things pink, when they didn't wear ‘hot to trot’ t-shirts aged eight and when a bit of sticky-backed plastic and a tissue box could be the answer to your dreams.

Perfect for mothers, grandmothers, aunts and godmothers (as well as daughters, granddaughters, nieces and goddaughters, of course), this is a book for all women who secretly, or not so secretly, loved playing French elastics, dream of making elderflower cordial and need reminding of how to play cat’s cradle."

It does have a bit of an English flavor to it as in the States we don't make 'elderflower cordial' but those hints of Englishness will help Renee learn a bit about where she was born.

When I was a girl, I had a set of books a bit like the Big Glorious Book for Girls. My sisters will remember but my favorite was the 'Make and Do' book.


A bit dated and worn, I can assure you that this book was well loved. I remember making paper maché masks and drawing faces and all kinds of other things out of this book. It really did provide us with hours of entertainment. I am sure it also inspired us to make big messes but I don't remember that part, probably because I didn't have to clean them up. These books came in a set called Childcraft and I remember another one that was full of children's fairy tales. I especially remember a fairy tale that creeped me out a bit: The Three Billy Goat's Gruff. Here's a sample of this fairy tale just to remind you how creepy and scary children's fairy tales can be:

Once upon a time there were three billy goats, who were to go up to the hillside to make themselves fat, and the name of all three was "Gruff." On the way up was a bridge over a cascading stream they had to cross; and under the bridge lived a great ugly troll , with eyes as big as saucers, and a nose as long as a poker. So first of all came the youngest Billy Goat Gruff to cross the bridge. "Trip, trap, trip, trap! " went the bridge. "Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll . "Oh, it is only I, the tiniest Billy Goat Gruff , and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat," said the billy goat, with such a small voice. "Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," said the troll. "Oh, no! pray don't take me. I'm too little, that I am," said the billy goat. "Wait a bit till the second Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger." "Well, be off with you," said the troll.

[we'll skip the second Billy Goat Gruff as it's very similar to the first]

But just then up came the Big Billy Goat Gruff . Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap! went the bridge, for the billy goat was so heavy that the bridge creaked and groaned under him. "Who's that tramping over my bridge?" roared the troll. "It's I! The big Billy Goat Gruff ," said the billy goat, who had an ugly hoarse voice of his own. "Now I 'm coming to gobble you up," roared the troll.

Well, come along! I've got two spears, And I'll poke your eyeballs out at your ears; I've got besides two curling-stones, And I'll crush you to bits, body and bones.

That was what the big billy goat said. And then he flew at the troll, and poked his eyes out with his horns, and crushed him to bits, body and bones, and tossed him out into the cascade, and after that he went up to the hillside. There the billy goats got so fat they were scarcely able to walk home again. And if the fat hasn't fallen off them, why, they're still fat; and so,

Snip, snap, snout.
This tale's told out