sunshine outside my window...

i love stumbling across something new, something that gets you excited, something you weren't planning. i was in my favorite kids consignment store getting a baby gift, and after i selected it, i perused the used books. i love coming home with books for francis, and i love even more that he loves to get them. i had quite a stack already when i looked at my watch and realized i needed to bolt to get him from school on time. as i was waiting in line, this book caught my eye, "the animal kingdom", so i just grabbed it because it was hardcover and old, and francis loves animals. it wasn't til i got home and looked inside that i realized i had purchased a dollar-fifty treasure. the insides weren't old 60's photos like i thought it would be; they were old 60's illustrations, so unusual and striking. francis and i looked carefully at each page, because each page held a mystery, and i realized: a photograph of an animal is expected, and you know now what they look like. it can be an amazing photograph, and we are continually amazed by these creatures God has created. but to see an illustration, THAT is different. i asked francis: how do you think he got that idea? and we picked out our favorite ones. we've left the book on our coffee-table, and many have picked it up and been delightfully surprised and enamored by the drawings inside. it prompted me to google the artist: charles harper, and what i've discovered is: i probably couldn't afford to have his art hanging on my wall, but i've got his art already, in my library...