Tiny Penguins and Good Old Books

Rebekah and I were reading the book, Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter when she looked at the picture below and asked the sweetest question. I had just finished reading that old Mrs. Rabbit was going shopping, when Kamele pointed to the high heal on her back foot and she asked with confusion, "Does she know a penguin is following her?...(thoughtful pause)...but the penguin is facing the wrong way?!?" I took a closer look at the illustration, and could see what she was seeing :-)

 
This book is one of my Little Golden Books, back from when I was a little kid and collected these books with every trip to the grocery store. My girls now LOVE these books, and I'm always struck with how different children's books are today. While there are several newer books that we like equally well, they just don't write them like they used to! Check out some of the writing from this book, written by Beatrix Potter, circa 1902:
But round the end of a cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor! Mr. McGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages, but he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and calling out, "Stop, thief!" Peter was most dreadfully frightened. He rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate.
He lost one shoe among the cabbages, and another shoe amongst the potatoes. After losing them he ran on four legs and went faster, so that he might have gotten away altogether if...he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net, and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new.
Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears. But his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself.
Is it just me, or do we not usually talk to kids like this anymore? I often find older books that just assume a greater level of intelligence from their readers, and wonder why this was abandoned long ago?

 
Unrelated to the "penguin" in Peter Rabbit we made these cute little penguins out of legos at the Legoland Discovery Centre. I'll post pictures from there later. We went to a workshop where they showed the kids how to make these, and after building them, the kids were asked to return the legos. Well, Emma broke down in tears, weeping, as if we were asking her to part with a beloved family member. {One she had made only moments earlier, please keep in mind} For $4.99 we were able to buy our penguins, so crisis averted, I guess. Thank you, Grandma for a fun day at Legoland!