The contemplation of the world Book

Ellen Handler Spitz's daughter is a good friend of my sister's, and they both came to our Thanksgiving dinner. Knowing that I read her Inside Picture Books several years ago, Ellen very kindly brought me a copy of this newer title and signed it for me. I was under the impression that this one was marketed more towards parents than the other. I guess it's for parents, but only those who have extraordinary patience with highly theoretical musings on practical topics like how to decorate a child's room. Ellen's language is occasionally quite obtuse. I was not crazy about her use of the first person plural, either. But it's easy to tell that she loves her subject matter, and also her children. (The anecdotes about my sister's friend made the whole thing worth it). I also appreciated her definition of aesthetics, which came early in the book, as distinct from anaesthetic. My sister and I agree that the title is extremely appealing.