Thick & Thin Things

Picture Book Biographies: Charles Dickens

2012-02-07T17:55:00.000-06:00

Family Stories: The Fairchild Family series by Rebecca Caudill

2012-02-04T09:07:00.001-06:00

Rebecca Caudill, author of The Best-Loved Doll, A Pocketful of Cricket (1965 Caldecott Honor winner), Tree of Freedom (1950 Newbery Honor winner), The Far-Off Land, etc. wrote a lovely series of family stories, largely forgotten, but luckily back in print. I came across this series years ago when I was trying to find more books by the author after I read the charming A Pocketful of Cricket.

The stories featuring the delightful Fairchild family were first published in 1947 in children's magazines, and then compiled into a series of four books, lately republished in 2004 by Bethlehem Publishers with beautiful covers by Lydia Halverson. This episodic series, based on Caudill's family life growing up in the mountains of Kentucky in the early 1900's, is a treat to read, and the original internal illustrations by Decie Merwin are delightful. The Fairchilds are a family of seven: Father, Mother, Althy, Chris, Emmy, Debby, and Bonnie. Bonnie, who is four years old when we first meet her (and is based on Caudill herself) feels all the anguish of being the youngest in the family. But life is never dull with three sisters and a brother to play with, the woods to explore, the river to skate on, going to school for the first time, meeting new neighbors, inventing new games, earning money, etc.

I read these aloud to my girls a couple of years ago, when Olivia was six years old and Karina was four. Both girls were enthralled, always eager to listen to more Fairchild family adventures. These are books full of the simplicity and innocence of little happy childhood explorations and wonders, and shared family experiences.

The Fairchild books include:
Happy Little Family
Schoolhouse in the Woods
Up and Down the River
Schoolroom in the Parlor

And don't forget to check out other family stories featured in our on-going Family Stories series:
The Moffats (Eleanor Estes)
The Ingalls (Laura Ingalls Wilder)

Books Read in January

2012-01-31T08:52:00.003-06:00

Linked to my reviews.

Books with asterisks (*) are re-reads.

Picture Books

The Sorely Trying Day (Russell and Lillian Hoban) - A chain of events leads members of a family to behave badly, causing a ripple effect of bad behavior down the line. Funny and still apropos, despite the somewhat archaic language form used at times. My girls laughed ruefully as they recognized their own behavior.
Fannie in the Kitchen (Deborah Hopkinson; illus. by Nancy Carpenter) - Takes place in the late 1880's in Boston, Mass. Marcia's mother appreciates Marcia's "helpfulness" but hires Fannie Farmer as a mother's helper, mostly for her cooking. Marcia's ire soon turns to intrigue as Fannie teaches her how to cook. Marcia in turn inspires Fannie to set down her recipes on paper. The pictures are an intriguing combination of images and styles: Victorian lithograph-type for the background, parents and baby; warmer, rounder drawings, in color, of Fannie and Marcia. The idea, obviously, is draw the eye to these two central characters. The hilarious little details in the period-inspired drawings keeps them from pretension; one page shows Marcia's mother licking her plate. The chapter divisions are in keeping with the theme. Each one is a meal "Course," with a little Fannie Farmer hint box on most full page spreads.
Apple Tree Christmas (Trinka Hakes Noble) - A terrible blizzard near Christmas ruins a girl's favorite apple tree. Will her personal sorrow ruin Christmas? A very good family Christmas story, non-religious, without Santa Claus.
Birdie's Lighthouse (Deborah Hopkinson; illus. by Kimberly Bulcken Root) - Birdie's journaling of how her family becomes the lighthouse keepers on a small, bare, rocky and lonely island. Then when her father gets sick, she has to take over as lightkeeper. Although fictitious, Birdie is based on real women who were lightkeepers. There is a wonderful "Afterward" by the author that gives the history of real women/girl lightkeepers.
When Jessie Came Across the Sea (Amy Hest; illus. by P.J. Lynch) - A young Eastern European Jewish girl receives a boat ticket to America from her Rabbi. Leaving her beloved grandmother behind, she uses her sewing skills -taught to her by her grandmother- to earn money in America, saving it in order to bring her grandmother across the sea as well. A lovely story, beautifully told and illustrated, of devotion and love.
Uncle Vova's Tree (Patricia Polacco) - A story about a family's Epiphany traditions and the continuation of them even after their beloved uncle, who was the "keeper" of the traditions, dies. I liked it up until the mystical end, which made it lose its power as a family story, to me.
The Orange Shoes (Trinka Hakes Noble; illus. by Doris Ettlinger) My girls loved this story of a poor country girl who uses her art skills to turn an ugly incident into a work of art, and the family who loves and supports her through it all. Olivia was the one who found this book and read it first, and then came to me and said, "Mom, you have to read this! It's so good!"
*Tikki Tikki Tembo (Arlene Mosel; illus. by Blair Lent) - This classic brings a giggle every time we read it.
Grandmother Winter (Phyllis Root; illus. by Beth Krommes) - My girls were confused by this story until I explained the concept of Grandmother Winter. Then we read it again and they could enjoy it. Gorgeous illustrations.
Blue Willow (Pam Conrad; illus. by S. Seilig Gallagher) - The "fable" of how the design on Blue Willow china came to be. Well written but sad story.
Morris the Artist (Lore Segal; illus. by Boris Kulikov) Morris, who loves to paint, buys a birthday gift for another child that he wants, and when he gets to the party, won't hand over.
Uncle Blubbafink's Seriously Ridiculous Stories (Keith Graves) - "Seriously ridiculous", yes. I think it takes a different kind of personality than mine to appreciate this book. Didn't appeal to me at all. I couldn't bring myself to read it aloud to my kids.
*The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter) - I read this periodically to my children, but they never get excited about them.
*Frog and Toad All Year (Arnold Lobel) - My girls are huge fans of Frog and Toad.
*Days With Frog and Toad (Arnold Lobel) Reading about Frog and Toad never gets old, although some volumes (like this one) are better than others.
*My First Counting Book (Lilian Moore; illus. Garth Williams) - Linked to my review.
Al Pha's Bet (Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illus. by Delphine Durand)
This Plus That (Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illus. by Jen Corace)
Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illus. by Jen Corace)
Little Oink (Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illus. by Jen Corace)
Little Hoot (Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illus. by Jen Corace)
Spoon (Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illus. by Scott Magoon)
*Blackout (John Rocco) - A young child wants to play a board game with someone, but all the family members are "MUCH TOO BUSY." When the lights suddenly go out, there is nothing but time for family togetherness. My girls love this book and keep picking it up to read or look at the pictures. The pictures do most of the storytelling; the text is pretty spare. (As an aside, I love that the family is multi-racial, that the youngest family member could be a boy or a girl, and the dad is cooking.)
*Grandpa Green (Lane Smith) A little boy tells the life history of his great-grandfather, who is forgetting things. But the topiaries he creates do the remembering for him. A beautiful book, full of clever topiaries to help tell the tale. I appreciated it more than my girls did.
*Are You My Mother (P.D. Eastman) Always a favorite with my littles.
*A Bargain For Frances (Russell and Lillian Hoban) - Frances gets tricked by her friend into buying her friend's tea set. When Frances finds out about her friend's trickery, she figures turn-about is fair play. I was never that smart as a child.
*Bread and Jam For Frances (Russell and Lillian Hoban) - My personal favorite of the Frances books. Deals with the meal battles that parents face with picky eaters. If only they were resolved as easily (and amusingly) as they are in this book.
*Owl Babies (Martin Waddell; illus. by Patrick Benson) - Linked to my review.
*Chrysanthemum (Kevin Henkes) - A little mouse girl is made fun of because of her name, until a wise music teacher intervenes. My girls love this book.

Children's Non-Fiction

Swirl By Swirl (Joyce Sidman; illus. by Beth Krommes) - A lovely, lyrical book about spirals and the many places/ways they occur in nature. Gorgeous illustrations.
A Fraction's Goal - Parts of a Whole (Brian P. Cleary; illus. by Brian Gable) - Excellent for gaining an overall understanding of fractions. My only reservation was with the pages showing the baking measurements, as the drawings made it unclear to my daughters what the "whole" was. But I can understand how that would be hard to capture in a drawing. We followed up with some hands-on kitchen fractions.
So You Want to Be An Inventor? (Judith St. George; illus. by David Small) A big hit with my girls, this fun book that talks about the qualities necessary to be an inventor and highlights actual inventors throughout history and the inventions they created as a result of those personality qualities. Superb illustrations.
Just a Second (Steve Jenkins) A fun trivia book of happenings in the natural world based on time as the unit of measurement, i.e. things that happen in a second, a minute, an hour, etc. Fascinating stuff. Amazing collaged pictures.
What To Do About Alice? (Barbara Kerley; illus. by Edwin Fotheringham) - An amusing picturebook biography about Alice Roosevelt (daughter of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt) who wanted to "eat up the world." The illustrations are great.

Middle-Grades Fiction

The Little Bookroom (Eleanor Farjeon) - A compilation of fantastical little stories; some better than others.
The Middle Moffat (Eleanor Estes) - I read this aloud to Olivia and Karina. Linked to my review.
The Children of Green Knowe (L.M. Boston) - Linked to my review.
Ballet Shoes (Noel Streatfeild) - Linked to my review.
Rufus M. (Eleanor Estes) - I read this aloud to Olivia and Karina. They liked this one better than The Middle Moffat. The episodes are more amusing.
Breaking Stalin's Nose (Eugene Yelchin) - Linked to my review.
Anna's Blizzard (Alison Hart)

Young Adult Fiction

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Rae Carson) - I liked it.
Divergent (Veronica Roth) - I read this for book club. Meh.
The Wild Orchid: A Retelling of "The Ballad of Mulan" (Cameron Dokey) Well written, likable characters, great storyline, but for the length of story it was (not long), there was too much build-up. When it came to the actual getting to the battle and what made her a hero, it felt rushed and hurried. This is my complaint of all Cameron Dokey's novels in this series: too much build-up, rushed climax and ending.
*Wildwood Dancing (Juliet Marillier) - This intriguing story is a wonderful blend of several fairy tales (12 Dancing Princesses, The Frog Prince, etc.) and Eastern European legends.

Adult Fiction

Gap Creek (Robert Morgan) - Just didn't do it for me.
The Hum and the Shiver (Alex Bledsoe) - Interesting modern Appalachian spin on Celtic legends. Just not sure how I feel about it.
The Informationist (Taylor Stevens) - Linked to my review.
*Sacred Hearts (Sarah Dunant) - Linked to my review.

Adult Non-Fiction

Reading For the Love of It: Best Books for Young Readers (Michele Landsberg) - I love her insightful look at so many aspects and issues within children's literature, and I agree with her on so much. So worth the read despite it's age (published in 1986.)
The World of Downton Abbey (Jessica Fellowes) - I loved this behind-the-scenes look at the world of BBC's Downton Abbey. A fun peek at history, too. Gorgeous photos and back story, in-depth look at the filming of the show. I'm so enjoying watching it right now.
HTML Manual of Style (Larry Aronson) - Marginally helpful. It would have been more helpful if I understood it better; I think I need a "dummy's" version.
The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins) - So interesting. He has many valid points, and makes his points very logically and sensibly, but I can see how religious people would be offended by some of what he says. But it's also true that religious people tend to see atheists as amoral at best and immoral at worst, which is just a completely false picture.
Things I Learned About My Dad (In Therapy) (essays compiled by Heather Armstrong) - Some interesting essays on fathers; some not so interesting.

2012 Newbery Honor Winner: Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

2012-01-27T13:32:00.000-06:00

This book flew invisibly past my radar. I hadn't heard of it or even seen it until I read that it won the Newbery Honor. Obviously, I had to rectify that, so when my latest batch of books came from the library yesterday, full of this year's award winners, I wanted to read this one first.

Synopsis: Ten-year-old Sasha is a fervently loyal Stalinist, who is excited to become a part of the Young Pioneers (Stalin's youth organization) and extremely proud of his father, who works for the State Security (secret police). They live with 46 other people in a communal flat/apartment, happy -from Sasha's perspective- that they are the living epitome of Stalin's ideals. Then, in the middle of the night, the secret police come and roughly haul away his father. What follows is a quick succession of events that has Sasha questioning his loyalty and the validity of the system.

The action of this fairly quick and completely gripping story takes place over the course of only one evening and the following day. It's a book that contains important issues such as freedom (or the lack of it), paranoia, propaganda, idealism vs. reality, standing for right (or not).

Here are some thoughts I had as I read:

I think Yelchin does a very admirable job of tackling his subject from a naive ten-year-old's perspective. It's a genius approach, reminiscent of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, where the limits of the young protagonist's understanding and maturity throws a spotlight on the horrors going on around them. What Yelchin seems to steer away from are Sasha's emotions. Deliberate devise or not, I think it's genius to downplay them, because again, it throws the spotlight onto the world in which he lives. The buildup of paranoia and hysteria that exists in the book -created by living in such a system- engulfs the reader in their own emotions. I think it would be completely overwhelming if we had to deal with both sets of emotions at once, especially for the targeted reading age group.
In the beginning, Sasha is the perfect little Communist, just as he's been trained from baby-hood. Even as people are betraying his family, he doesn't feel a sense of betrayal, rather he admires their patriotism. There are also a few instances where Sasha has to choose to take a stand for right, and you can't help having empathy for his choices. (You will have to read the book to understand this in context.) I think it's a credit to Yelchin's writing ability that he can make us empathize with a boy with whom we have ostensibly very little in common.
It's interesting to me how the author subtly shows the disconnect between child and adult. Here is Sasha's father, who has trained him to be a good little Communist from birth, and yet somehow expects him to know where the inconsistencies lie between the dogma and reality. It's a mistake we parents frequently make: assuming that our young children can see and understand those subtleties and inconsistencies.
Yelchin, through young Sasha, gets to the heart of why this period of Russian history is known as The Great Terror: what happens to society as a whole and the individuals within it when every infraction is treated like it's the very worst possible crime? What happens when people are kept in such a state of terror and propaganda that they don't even realize they are the victims?
The illustrations are dark, and have an exaggerated quality that perfectly accompanies the exaggerated paranoia. (There's an ironic one on pages 106-107 depicting the principal as Hitler.) The illustrations are reminiscent of Communist propaganda posters from the era. The other interesting thing to note is that we only see Sasha from the back or side -always turned away from the viewer- throughout the book, until we finally see his face for the first time on p. 137, just before the end.
This book would make an excellent accompaniment to history lessons about that era for children age 10 and up. I'd have high schoolers read it as part of a Russian history unit. I think it would also make excellent book club reading.

My First Counting Book by Lilian Moore; illustrated by Garth Williams

2012-01-25T09:31:00.004-06:00

iMy First Counting Book

by Lilian Moore
Illustrated by Garth WIlliams

"One little puppy,
A roly-poly puppy, alone as he can be.
Isn't there a boy or girl
Who wants to play with me?"

Thus begins my Susanna's favorite counting book, which also happens to be a Little Golden Book, first published in 1956. "Ithn't he tho cute?" coos Susanna about the little puppy. "I want him. He would like me."
This book features sweet, cuddly animal drawings by Garth Williams (the illustrator of Charlotte's Web, The Little House on the Prairie series, and many, many more books.) Each number features a little rhyming poem by Lilian Moore.

"Bunny finds five cabbages-
One, two, three, four, five-
Near the garden wall.
Bunny sniffs five cabbages,
And Bunny wants them all."

This book has been a favorite of each of my girls, so loved and read that we are on our third copy.

Ghosts and Ballet and Mini Reviews, Oh My! (Some read-alouds for the 7-12 age range)

2012-01-24T12:20:00.000-06:00

The Children of Green Knowe (L.M. Boston). The story of young Tolly who goes to live with his kindly Great-Grandmother OldKnowe whom he has never met, in an old manor in the English countryside and finds it benevolently haunted by the spirits of three children (Tolly's ancestors) who died during the Plague in the 1600's. Lonely Tolly loves exploring the grounds with their whimsical topiaries, and learning about the history of the house and his ancestors and the three children, Toby, Alexander and Linnet.

Originally published in 1955, this book has a gentle, old-fashioned feel, with a delicious bit of shiver to it. It somewhat reminds me, writing-wise, of Frances Hodgson Burnett's books.
It's suitable for good readers from ages seven and up, it would also make a good read aloud (if your children are okay with the idea of ghosts. Mine are not, even though the ghosts in the story are benevolent.) It is the first of a series.

Ballet Shoes (Noel Streatfeild). Great Uncle Matthew is passionate about collecting fossils and other natural items, and fills his large house with the things he's collected on his travels, including the three abandoned baby girls -each under different circumstances- he brings/sends home on three separate occasions to his niece, Sylvia. When GUM (Great Uncle Matthew) disappears and money gets tight, Sylvia takes in a motley assortment of boarders who all teach the girls something, which allows the three very different but devoted "sisters" to come into their own.
Written in 1936, it was really quite a progressive book for it's time, when you think about it, in terms of its treatment of women and careers. I like that it shows, in a rather vague way, that every person has something to teach us.
I'm remembering the scene in the movie You've Got Mail, where Meg Ryan's character kind of gushes over this book and the other "Shoe" books by Noel Streatfeild. I'm sorry to say I can't gush, but it was a good story, with solid writing and interesting characters. It just didn't grab me. Maybe because the problems the family faces are easily and conveniently solved with no real character growth on anyone's part. Although it's not one I'm personally anxious to read aloud to my girls, it would make an good read aloud, especially if you have little dancers in your family.
This is the first time I've read this children's classic, and I wonder how I'd have reacted if I'd read it at the right age. Maybe then I would have gushed, but I doubt it. Even then I liked a little more dramatic tension in my stories. (I wish the publisher had put in more pictures by Diane Goode in this version I read. It was too slim on the illustrations.)

2012 Book Awards Announced This Morning

2012-01-23T10:29:00.002-06:00

I'll highlight the Newbery and Caldecott winners in this post, but be sure to go here for the complete list of award winners.

Winner of the 2012 John Newbery Medal:

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
I haven't read this book yet. In fact, I've never read anything by this author. I need to rectify that.

Winner of the 2012 Newbery Honor:

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
I'm so glad this book at least got the Newbery Honor. I loved it. You can read my review here.

Winner of the 2012 Newbery Honor:

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

This one went completely under my radar.

Winner of the 2012 Caldecott Medal:

A Ball For Daisy by Chris Raschka
I haven't read this one, so all I can say about it right now is that the cover looks cute.
My library doesn't have it.

Winner of the 2012 Caldecott Honor:

Blackout by John Rocco
Beautifully illustrated story of a family in the city when the power goes out and how that event brings them together. My girls love reading this.

Winner of the 2012 Caldecott Honor:

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Sweet story where the topiaries tell the story of a Grandpa who's losing his memory.
My young children didn't fully appreciate it, but I loved it.

Winner of the 2012 Caldecott Honor:

Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell
I own this one, and my girls love it. (I do too.)
It's the story of Jane Goodall as a young girl.

I have ordered the books I haven't read from the library, which had everything except A Ball For Daisy.

Family Stories: The Ingalls Family

2012-01-22T17:16:00.002-06:00

Little House in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder) was the first book I read aloud to my girls. Olivia was three and a half years old, Karina was two and Susanna was in utero. We had already read the My First Little House Books, which I had come across at our small local library, and Olivia kept wanting more stories about Laura. But there weren't any more of those books, so I decided to feed her desire by reading her the original book Little House in the Big Woods. It had the added advantage of being about a girl that was close to Olivia's age (Laura is four in that first book) and her family life in the big woods of Wisconsin.

I took it slow, reading only about half the chapter every day. I knew she had an excellent attention span and comprehension for someone her age (a result of being read aloud to almost from birth combined with no television viewing) but some of those chapters have long descriptive passages that were beyond her knowledge base and so could easily lose the attention of one so young. Olivia loved it. It delighted her to encounter the expanded episodes she was familiar with from the My First Little House Books. (I think the pace we took was perfect for her.) To this day she remembers the story of Ma slapping the bear (thinking it was Sukey the cow), and cousin Charley's version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, where his trouble-making lands him in a yellowjackets' nest, and he has to wrapped in mud and linens to bring down the swelling.

Coincidentally (or maybe not) this is the first novel I remember being read aloud to me, and it made a big impression on my young mind, too.

For those of you unfamiliar with this book -is there anyone unfamiliar with this book?- it tells the story of a family living in the woods of Wisconsin in 1872. Pa is a tall hard-working brown-haired, brown-bearded man with twinkling blue eyes, adored by his little girls. Ma is quiet, gentle, and determined to teach her girls about manners, hard work, and self-sufficiency. Mary is the oldest daughter who, even at five years old, is always obedient and industrious. Laura is four years old, small in size but large in spirit, which frequently gets her into trouble in this and the subsequent books. Baby Carrie is the youngest. This is the story of their life in those big woods.

I remembered the books with such fond nostalgia from my childhood, but reading them as an adult gave me a whole new appreciation for them. What strikes me in reading these books is the background story that's taking place: the hardship the family experiences may be mainly from Laura's point of view, but the tension and thread under the surface is about these two adults who are trying to scrabble out a living while protecting their children as much as possible. Life was very hard for those pioneers and homesteaders. The mere act of living for pioneering people meant working from sunup to sundown just to make sure they had what they needed to see themselves through the cold winters. These are wonderful history books about the pioneering movement and spirit. The fact that Laura gives so many wonderful descriptions of what living that life entailed, means that we get a fascinating glimpse at what life was like for those pioneers and settlers. Despite what some critics of the books have said, Laura doesn't romanticize the life. She tells the good and the bad matter-of-factly. Some of the bad things that happen in this and the other books of the series have no easy, nicely-wrapped-up resolutions. She knows that life was hard, and yet they found comfort in the little things like Pa's fiddle music, an ongoing motif throughout the series. (See my post about Pas' Fiddle Project for a fun addition to your reading of this series.)

Our family has gone on to read more of the Ingalls family adventures in:

Little House on the Prairie where the family leaves the Big Woods because they were getting too crowded to Pa and journeys to the Kansas Territory. It tells of life on the trail in the covered wagon, the family building their log cabin and the problems of life on a flat prairie in Indian Territory (wolves, a prairie fire, etc.) (Be aware that this book contains some of the prejudiced attitudes of white settlers at the time. But I thought the scenes where Laura and her Pa discuss those issues were very poignant, since Pa recognized the problem that people like him were creating by their westward expansion -i.e. the Native Americans being booted off their land- but didn't know what to do about it. Toward the end of the book, this forced migration is something Laura witnesses.) In the end, the Ingalls family is evicted from their land by the U.S government as well.
Little Farmer Boy is about Almanzo Wilder (Laura's future husband) as a boy in on a large farm in New York state.
On the Banks of Plum Creek has the family leaving the Kansas territory and settling in a dugout on Plum Creek in Minnesota, before Pa builds a house with machine sawed lumber. In this book Laura and Mary go to a real school and church for the first time, and meet obnoxious Nellie Oleson. The family also has to contend with a plague of locusts, which forces Pa to walk to find a job three hundred miles away in order to feed his family and be able to buy grain for the next planting season. Ma and the girls has to cope with everything in his absence.
By the Shores of Silver Lake takes place five years after the family first came to Plum Creek and finds the family just recovering from a scarlet fever epidemic. Mary has been blinded by scarlet fever. and Grace has been added to the family. The family (Baby Grace has joined the family) moves to the Dakota territory, where Pa works as the pay clerk for the railroad company. And the family becomes one of the first to settle in DeSmet. (This one was our least favorite so far.)

That's as far as we've gotten in our reading aloud. We will probably revisit the series toward the end of this year, rereading Little House in the Big Woods for Susanna's benefit. She will be delighted to read about a girl who is her age. (She seems a little obsessed by that idea right now.) And my older girls appreciate it more at their "advanced" ages than they did at three and two.

P.S. If you're going to read these books to your boys, you'll need to start them on it at an early age, before peer pressure (and possibly parental pressure) has built up a scorn for "girl's" books. I would highly recommend the series for young boys. There are tons of exciting things that happen. But again, you have to get them started early. If there's one thing I would plead with parents of boys about, it is not to cut off a whole world of excellent literature to them on the grounds that it is a "girl's" book. Down from the soapbox now.

The books of the The Little House on the Prairie series:

Little House in the Big Woods
Little House on the Prairie
Farmer Boy
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years
The First Four Years

When Did I Become a Book Lover?

2012-01-21T22:17:00.001-06:00

I silently pondered that question, driving home from the library this afternoon.

I think I always knew books were important. I saw my mother reading constantly. It was her leisure activity of choice. And I loved it when she read aloud to us. She is very good at it. I loved the cozy feeling of snuggling up next to her after my bath/shower and listening to her take me to other lands and lives. My little girl thoughts, however, were taken up with exploring and adventure --acting out any book adventures, and making up my own adventures. I grew up spending more time outside than inside. When the sub-Saharan rainy season hit, it was necessary to spend more time indoors, and that's when I explored our bookshelves. (We didn't have TV.)

Don't get me wrong; I loved to read any time of the year, and my parents provided plenty of variety in the way of picture books, children's literature, encyclopedias, reference books, maps, etc. Reading was something I just did, without conscious thought, as common as breathing air. But being outside was living life to the fullest, as far as I was concerned.

The concept of reading changed for me the year I was twelve and the Banjul American Embassy School (B.A.E.S.) was formed in The Gambia, West Africa. (We'd already been living in The Gambia for three years when the school opened. My mom was one of the people responsible for that happening.) In that newly formed school was a small room that had been dedicated as the library. As soon as I stepped across the threshold of the library that first school day, and saw the shelves filled with books, something snapped alive inside. I had never before been given access to so many books. I tingled with unknown anticipation. It occurred to me that on these shelves were book adventures for me alone to discover, that my reading life could be a whole new private realm of adventure; something of my very own that no one could/would share. It seemed like a powerful concept to my twelve-year-old mind.

I spent a lot of time in there over the next two years, and read many of the books on those shelves. The library shelf discoveries led me back to our bookshelves at home, too. I became aware of the many wonderful books that were on our shelves that I had ignored up to that point. I have read voraciously ever since.

Do I think it was the library that created that deep love of reading? No. I think the foundation had been laid for years from being read to aloud by my dedicated mother, and from the home library my parents provided. I give my mother the credit. She wisely never pushed me regarding books; never told me what to read (although she gave me occasional suggestions) and showed me by example how important a reading life was.

What that library at B.A.E.S. (poor and meager by U.S. standards) did was awaken a powerful hunger in my mind I'd never felt before. To this day, I get tingles when I walk into a library.

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant

2012-01-18T11:06:00.001-06:00

I first read Sacred Hearts in September of 2009, and decided to re-read it this year. The following review is adapted from my 2009 review.

During the late 1500's, it had become so expensive for families to give their daughters in marriage (the girls were supposed to enter marriage with a good dowry) that most families -even wealthy ones- could only afford to marry off one daughter. And generally the only option left for the remaining daughters was the convent and life as a nun, bringing with them a small dowry.

This story takes place in the year 1570, and Serafina (the name given her as a Novice) is endowed to the convent of Santa Caterina at sixteen years of age. Her hysteria at finding herself in this position brings her under the care of Suora Zuana, the Dispensary Mistress, a middle-aged nun whose advent into the convent years before was due to her physician father's death.

The story revolves mainly around these two women (although other nuns play large roles) and takes place solely within the walls of the convent. It is a story of convent politics, religious fervor, boredom, intrigues, and relationships within those walls.

The author does not sentimentalize the lives of these women; in fact, the narrative is quite bleak and harsh. I almost quite reading in the first quarter of the book. I'm glad I persisted, because against this bleak backdrop, the humanity of these women shines through.

The author pulled me so deeply into the story that every time my kids pulled at my sleeves to get my attention, I had to shake myself to get back into my life and time. It was a hard book to read from that standpoint. I came away with a new respect and empathy for these women who had no choices in life, yet who made the most of the life that was given them.

Here are some thoughts I had as I read.

Did the girls' families know what life would be like for their daughters inside the convent? I somehow doubt it. It was considered an honor to have a family member who was a nun or priest. Although families got to visit the nuns occasionally, I doubt that the life they led was ever discussed, probably out of loyalty to the church. I think it is human nature not to want to discuss the problems of your religion, out of a feeling of self-preservation, if nothing else. And even if the families did know, what else was there for the daughters?
The nuns could, under a good abbess, be put where their strengths would serve the convent best. And where else in that day and age could you have women apothecaries/healers freely able to work without a man's supervision?
I think the author excellently depicted the religious fervor that can grip a community that is so closed. Then again, you can see that religious fervor even in communities that are not closed. Religion, by its very nature, incites fervor.
As powerful as the nuns were within their own community, still they had to answer to and obey the priest. It's sad to me that in this day and time, for all our progress, it is still that way in religious communities.
Then there's the perennial question: do the ends justify the means? (You'd have to read the book to understand why I ask this.)
The author does not divulge Serafina's real pre-convent name until almost the end of the book. I thought this was a master stroke since -as she says through her characters- names have power. (Again, you would have to read the book to understand this in context.)

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

2012-01-15T12:25:00.001-06:00

Vanessa "Michael" Monroe was the child of American missionaries in Cameroon. Ignored by her parents, she grew up with a quick ear for learning the languages spoken around her, a talent for observation and blending in, and a rebelliousness that screamed for attention. Her skills led her to fall in with a group of criminals as a teenager and some appalling things happened to her (you'll find out as you read further into the book) that turned her into a smart, strong, savvy and emotionally crippled survivalist. As an adult, she has made a career out of using her talents to gather information in African and other third world countries for businesses and governments. When a big oil tycoon hires her to find out information about his step-daughter, who went missing in central west Africa four years previously, Michael quickly discovers that she's going to have to use all her skills just to stay alive on this mission.

I came across this book on some one's blog. (I'm so sorry, I can't remember whose it was.) I wanted to read it just because it was about an American girl who grew up in Cameroon, a country I lived in when I was very young. It's the first country we lived in that I have vivid memories of. (We lived in Chad when I was a baby.) I was four when we left Cameroon. (Then we spent the school year in the 'States before taking a job in Ougadougou, a country that has since changed it's name to Burkina Faso. No, my parents weren't missionaries. My father was a range ecologist who was contracted by organizations who were contracted under the United States Agency for International Development. Clear as mud?)

When I found that my library didn't have it, I bought it on my Nook.

The writing at the beginning had a distancing quality that didn't appeal to me. Twenty pages in, I started to wonder if I'd ever care about the character, if I even wanted to read the book.

And then...I couldn't stop reading.

Having finished the book, I'm still not sure I like Michael Monroe, and I'm not sure how I feel about the book. This book is not for the faint of heart. There is graphic violence in some scenes, which was a turn-off, so I had to gloss over some parts. At the same time, I can completely see where it's coming from since Michael's experiences as a young teen have created emotional demons that cause her to snap under certain circumstances. And I don't like how emotionally manipulative she is. But again, I get that her background has made her that way.

Have I given the impression that I didn't like it? I did like it, but at the same time I have mixed emotions about it. It's an unusual thriller, it's setting and history of the main character unique and keeps moving like a good thriller should. I liked that about it. I thought the author did a superb job of capturing the central west African climate and the attendant cultures and customs. She also nailed the ambiguous life of Third Culture Kids. I liked how the action played out, and the pacing of the story, for the most part. After the first I'm-not-sure-this-book-is-for-me 30 plus pages, the things I didn't like weren't reason enough to stop reading. (I'm going to recommend it to my parents and get their take on it.) And I plan on reading the next book, The Innocents.

How's that for an ambiguous review?

Family Stories

2012-01-14T20:33:00.000-06:00

I love stories about families; most especially I love stories about families who like each other, and work together, and play together. I love reading them aloud to my children, so they can savor other childrens' childhood adventures and the love they share with their families.

Young children need stories that water the garden of their childhood. Life is hard enough; books should be a safe haven for children. Fortunately, there are many wonderful novels of families written in yesteryear, still in print, that are as magical today as when they were first published.

Over the course of the next couple of months, I'll feature some of these wonderful older stories that our family has read aloud, as well as some written more recently. (You can read about our most recent family story read-aloud in my last post featuring The Moffats.)

Stay tuned.

Family Stories: The Moffat Books by Eleanor Estes

2012-01-12T10:09:00.000-06:00

We had a delightful time reading The Moffats aloud last year, and the girls are eager for more Moffat adventures. So I caved to their begging and pleading and am reading the second book in the Moffat series, The Middle Moffat.
If you are not familiar with The Moffats, the stories -written in the early 1940's- revolve around an American family living in Cranbury, Connecticut before and during the first World War, that includes Mama, Sylive, Joey, Jane, and Rufus. Their father died before we meet them in the first book. Their mama supports the family with her sewing and tailoring, but it's not an easy living. There's a lot of scrimping and making do, and the children have a lot of freedom to come and go, in a manner unfamiliar to children in our day.

The first book's overarching theme is that their house, which all the young Moffats have grown up in, is only a rental, and the landlord has put a "For Sale" sign on the house. With this looming over their heads, the Moffats proceed with life.

In these somewhat autobiographical books, based on Eleanor Estes' childhood memories, each chapter of the books is a complete story about some episode in the children's lives. My girls' favorites from The Moffats were the Halloween chapter, where they make a ghost in their attic to try to scare the obnoxious neighbor boy, and the chapter about Jane losing their coal money.

The second book, The Middle Moffat (winner of the Newbery Honor), finds the family adjusting to life in a new house, neighborhood, new friends, and for Jane, a new school.

The appeal that Eleanor Estes' books have is that she is able to capture the mind set of young people, their impishness, their curiosity, how they see the world, etc., in a way that transcends the passage of time. And Louis Slobodkin's whimsical sketches helpfully highlight the story. (These books are also an interesting look at American children's lives during this time in history.)

We've enjoyed getting to know the Moffats and we're looking forward to more of their adventures.

Here are the books, in order:
The Moffats
The Middle Moffat
Rufus M.
The Moffat Museum

Please visit Hope Is the Word to see what other families are reading aloud.

The Best of Our 2011 Reading, Month by Month

2011-12-31T17:05:00.001-06:00

Why month by month? Why list them at all? I dunno. 'Cause I wanna? I think? I may regret this. I can already feel my brain seizing up.
I read 400-ish books this year and when it came time to breaking down this year's reading into favorites, I started to feel overwhelmed at the thought. I mulled it over a long time, wasting valuable brain time on the issue and finally decided to break it down by month: the favorites from each month. Then I balked because what if the favorite of one month wasn't as good as the not-quite-most-favorite of another month. That hurt my brain to dwell on, so I didn't. (As a result of the inability to stick to just one choice per category, you will notice more than one book per category at times. Please note that my children are also afflicted with this same problem. You may also notice that I do not include the older girls' personal favorite chapter books; that's too hard for me to keep up with.)

January

Adult fiction: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (Helen Simonson)
YA fiction: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow (Jessica Day George)
MG fiction: The Giver (Lois Lowry)
Adult non-fiction: The Underground History of American Education (John Taylor Gatto)
Children's non-fiction: Red Sings From Treetops (Joyce Sidman; ill. by Pamela Zagarenski)
My favorite picturebook(s): Red Sings From Treetops (Joyce Sidman; ill. by Pamela Zagarenski)
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): When the Relatives Came (Cynthia Rylant)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): The Golly Sisters (Betsy Byars; ill. by Sue Truesdell)
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): The Best Nest (P.D. Eastman); Are You My Mother? (P.D. Eastman)
Best read aloud novel(s) of the month: By the Shores of Silver Lake (Laura Ingalls Wilder)

February

Adult fiction: The Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy (Patricia A. McKillip); Poison Study (Maria V. Snyder)
YA fiction: The Heavenly Village (Cynthia Rylant)
MG fiction: When You Reach Me (Rebecca Stead); Esperanza Rising (Pam Munoz Ryan)
Adult non-fiction: The Power of Positive Parenting (Glenn I. Latham)
Children's non-fiction: Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow (Susan Campbell Bartoletti); My First Body Book (Christopher Rice); The Flag Maker (Susan Campbell Bartoletti and Claire A. Nivola)
My favorite picturebook(s): The Rainbabies (Laura Krauss Melmud and Jim LaMarche); Crow Call (Lois Lowry and Bagram Ibatoulline); A Sick Day For Amos McGee (Phillip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead)
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): The Philharmonic Gets Dressed (Karla Kuskin and Marc Simont); The Stray Dog (Marc Simont); Albert (Donna Jo Napoli and Jim LaMarche)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): The Lady and the Lion (Jacqueline K. Ogborn and Laurel Long); A Sick Day For Amos McGee (Phillip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead); Cinderella (Barbara McClintock)
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): Birds (Kevin Henkes); The Tub People (Pam Conrad and Richard Egielski); Owl Babies (Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson)
Best read aloud novel(s) of the month: All-Of-a-Kind Family Uptown (Sydney Taylor)

March

Adult fiction: This Rough Magic (Mary Stewart)
YA fiction: The Boy Who Dared (Susan Campbell Bartoletti); The Water Seeker (Kimberly Willis Holt)
MG fiction: All Their Names Were Courage (Sharon Phillips Denslow); Love, Ruby Lavender (Deborah Wiles)
Adult non-fiction: 100 Best Books for Children (Anita Silvey)
Children's non-fiction: Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists (Jeannine Atkins) We read this aloud.
My favorite picturebook(s): Emily (Michael Bedard and Barbara Cooney); Island Boy (Barbara Cooney)
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): O'Sullivan Stew (Hudson Talbot); Wind Child (Shirley Rousseau Murphy and The Dillons)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): Goose's Story (Cari Best and Holly Meade); King Midas and the Golden Touch (K.Y. Craft);
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): Ferdinand (Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson); Flora's Very Windy Day (Jeanne Birdsall);
Best read aloud novel(s) of the month: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Joan Aiken); Sarah, Plain and Tall (Patricia MacLachlan); Skylark (Patricia MacLachlan); Grandfather's Dance (Patricia MacLachlan); Homer Price (Robert McCloskey)

April

Adult fiction: Both the adult books I read this month were duds.
YA fiction: High Heat (Carl Deuker); Fat Cat (Robin Brande); Heist Society (Ally Carter)
MG fiction: Out of My Mind (Sharon Draper)
Adult non-fiction: Women in the Material World (Faith D'Aluisio)
Children's non-fiction: An Egg Is Quiet (Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long)
My favorite picturebook(s): The Gardner (Sarah Stewart and David Small); The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks (Katherine Paterson and Leo and Diane Dillon)
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): The Greatest Treasure (Demi); Aunt Claire's Yellow Beehive Hair (Deborah Blumenthal and Mary Grandpre)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): Lucia and the Light (Phyllis Root and Mary GrandPre)
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): The Mitten (Jim Ayelsworth and Barbara McClintock)
Best read aloud novel(s) of the month: Bink and Gollie (Kate Dicammilo, Alison McGhee, and Tony Fucile); Mercy Watson books (Kate DiCamillo and Chris Van Dusen); Pepper and Salt (Howard Pyle)

May

Adult fiction: One Second After (William R. Fortschen)
YA fiction: none
MG fiction: Penny Dreadful (Laurel Snyder); Nancy and Plum (Betty MacDonald)
Adult non-fiction: Simplicity Parenting (Kim John Payne and Lisa M. Ross)
Children's non-fiction: They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group (Susan Campbell Bartoletti); Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider (Jean Fritz); Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo Da Vinci (Gene Baretta); Now and Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin (Gene Baretta); Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein (Don Brown); Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci (Joseph D'Agnese and John O'Brien); The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon (Jacqueline Davies and Melissa Sweet)
My favorite picturebook(s): All the terrific biographies we read this month.
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): Elsie's Bird (Jane Yolen and David Small)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat (Jennifer Armstrong and Mary Grandpre)
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): Hansel and Gretel (Paul O. Zelinsky)
Best read aloud novel(s) of the month: The Boxcar Children (Gertrude Chandler Warner)

June

Adult fiction: Deerskin (Robin McKinley)
YA fiction: The Doll Mage (Martine Leavitt)
MG fiction: Inside Out & Back Again (Thanhha Lai); A Tale Dark & Grimm (Adam Gidwitz)
Adult non-fiction: Home Schooling: A Family's Journey (Martine and Gregory Millman)
Children's non-fiction: Leonardo: The Beautiful Dreamer (Robert Byrd)
My favorite picturebook(s): Mirror Mirror (Marilyn Singer and Josee Masse)
Olivia's favorite picturebook: Leonardo: The Beautiful Dreamer (Robert Byrd)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): King Bidgood's in the Bathtub (Don and Audrey Wood)
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): I Need My Monster (Amanda Noll and Howard McWilliam)
Best read aloud novel(s) of the month: The Night Fairy (Laura Amy Schlitz); Ivy and Bean (Annie Barrows)

July

Adult fiction: Sylvester (Georgette Heyer; audiobook); The Convenient Marriage (Georgette Heyer; audiobook)
YA fiction: Inside Out (Maria V. Snyder)
MG fiction: The Mysterious Benedict Society (Trenton Lee Stewart; audiobook); Bless This Mouse (Lois Lowry; audiobook); What Katy Did (Susan Coolidge; audiobook); Mr. Popper's Penguins (Richard and Florence Atwater; audiobook); Charlotte's Web (E.B. White; audiobook)
Adult non-fiction: The Scientist and the Sociopath (Joseph D'Agnese)
Children's non-fiction: The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Suzy) (Barbara Kerley and Edward Fotheringham); We the Kids (David Catrow)
My favorite picturebook(s): The Best Loved Doll (Rebecca Caudill and Elliot Gilbert)
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): The Magic Nesting Doll (Jacqueline Ogburn and Laurel Long)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): Dahlia (Barbara McClintock)
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): A is for Annabelle: A Doll's Alphabet (Tasha Tudor)
Favorite read aloud novel(s) of the month: See the MG Fiction section for this month to see all the great audiobooks we listened to and loved.

August

Adult fiction: Coronets and Steel (Sherwood Smith)
YA fiction: Entwined (Heather Dixon)
MG fiction: ???
Adult non-fiction: Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From The Front Lines of the Girlie-Girl Culture (Peggy Orenstein)
Children's non-fiction: A Seed is Sleepy (Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long); Spectacular Science (poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, ill. by Virginia Halstead)
My favorite picturebook(s): The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin (Peter Sis)
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): Cloud Tea Monkeys (Mal Peet, Elspeth Graham, and Juan Wijngaard)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): The Humblebee Hunter: Inspired by the Life and Experiments of Charles Darwin and his Children (Deborah Hopkinson and Jen Corace)
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): Press Here (Herve Tullet); About Birds: A Guide for Children (Cathrine and John Sill)
Favorite read aloud novel(s) of the month: Twig (Elizabeth Orton Jones)

September

Adult fiction: Blood Spirits (Sherwood Smith); The Peach Keeper (Sarah Addison Allen); Caleb's Crossing (Geraldine Brooks)
YA fiction: Drink, Slay, Love (Sarah Beth Durst)
MG fiction: The Iron Man (Ted Hughes)
Adult non-fiction: Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration (Dilys Evans)
Children's non-fiction: Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap pf Faith (Deborah Heiligman)
My favorite picturebook(s): Lines That Wiggle (Candace Whitman and Steve Wilson)
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): The Paper Princess Finds Her Way (Elisa Kleven)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): The Elves and the Shoemaker (Jim LaMarche)
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): A Visitor for Bear (Bonny Becker and Kady MacDonald Denton)
Favorite read aloud novel(s) of the month: Lulu and the Brontosaurus (Judith Viorst); Akimbo and the Crocodile Man (Alexander McCall Smith)

October

Adult fiction: The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)
YA fiction: The Ramsay Scallop (Frances Temple); By These Ten Bones (Clare Dunkle)
MG fiction: Waiting For the Magic (Patricia MacLachlan)
Adult non-fiction: Material World: A Global Family Portrait (Peter Menzel)
Children's non-fiction: Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty (Linda Glaser and Claire A. Nivola)
My favorite picturebook(s): Home Place (Anne Shelby and Wendy Anderson Halperin); The Clown of God (Tomie dePaola)
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): The Library (Sarah Stewart and David Small); Cinder Edna (Ellen Jackson and Kevin O'Malley)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): Vasilisa the Brave (Marianna Mayer and K.Y. Craft);
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): Time to Eat (Steve Jenkins); Me...Jane (Patrick McDonnell); Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? (Martin Waddell and Barbara Firth)
Favorite read aloud novel(s) of the month: The Moffats (Eleanor Estes)

November

Adult fiction: When Autumn Leaves (Amy S. Foster)
YA fiction: Chime (Franny Billingsley); Plain Kate (Erin Bow)
MG fiction: ???
Adult non-fiction: ???
Children's non-fiction: Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought) (Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt)
My favorite picturebook(s): Perfect Square (Michael Hall)
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): The Princess and the Pig (Jonathan Emmett and Poly Bernatene)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett and Barbara McClintock)
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): Waiting For Winter (Sebastian Meschenmoser)
Favorite read aloud novel(s) of the month: Smiling Hill Farm (Miriam Mason)

December

Adult fiction: The Heir of Night (Helen Lowe)
YA fiction: Ruby Red (Kerstin Gier)
MG fiction: With a Name Like Love (Tess Hilmo); Snow in Summer (Jane Yolen)
Adult non-fiction: Book Lust (Nancy Pearl); More Book Lust (Nancy Pearl)
Children's non-fiction: Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art
My favorite picturebook(s):All the Way to America: The story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel (Dan Yaccarino)
Olivia's favorite picturebook(s): The Trees of the Dancing Goats (Patricia Polacco)
Karina's favorite picturebook(s): Christmas Farm (Mary Lyn Ray)
Susanna's favorite picturebook(s): Little White Rabbit (Kevin Henkes); The Sniffles for Bear (Bonny Becker and Kady MacDonald Denton); Come Over to My House (Theo LeSieg)
Favorite read aloud novel(s) of the month: A Tree for Peter (Kate Seredy)

WHEW!!!
Now I need a nap.

Some of our favorite Christmas reads

2011-12-07T13:15:00.000-06:00

Selling some books on Ebay

2011-12-05T17:55:00.002-06:00

After combing through my bookshelves, I've listed a bunch of books for sale on EBAY. My seller ID is Mouseprints.615, if you want to see what's available. All the books listed are in excellent, like-new condition, unless specified otherwise. (I take good care of my books.) If you win multiple books, I will consolidate shipping. And if you want them faster than Media Mail, you can specify that BEFORE you pay, so I can adjust the shipping costs. (Once you pay, nothing can be changed.) I will be listing more books -some sets- over the next couple of days, so check back to see the new listings. Happy bidding.

P.S. There are 25 books listed so far, but sometimes it takes a couple of hours for Ebay to process them, so don't be surprised if you only see a few right now.
And don't think I'm expecting y'all to buy them. I just wanted to let you know in case I have one listed you've been looking for at a less-than-new rate.

Books Read in November 2011

2011-12-01T13:32:00.001-06:00

Picture Books

Susanna continues her love affair with the My First Little House books. We re-read all of the series a few times this month, and found A Farmer Boy Birthday at the library. There was great rejoicing, as it was the first time we've read that one. (I kept refusing to buy it.) I have to say, when I first saw these books years ago at the library, I was appalled at the thought of "dumbed down" classics, but when I perused them, I found them to be excellent. The illustrations are reminiscent of the original Garth Williams illustrations, and they use the sentences from the originals, for the most part, just simplified. We love them. They have been favorites of all my girls. And it segued nicely into reading the original novels as they grew old enough.

Wolf! Wolf! by John Rocco. The story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, from the wolf's perspective. (Warning: it might undermine the moral of the original!) Fun story. Great pictures. My girls really enjoyed it.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by John Scieszka. The wolf's version of the story, claiming it was all a big misunderstanding. Funny, clever story. My older girls thought it was great, Susanna wandered away. This is definitely one that needs a certain level of maturity to be understood and appreciated. (Ages 7 and up.)

Waiting For Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser. Susanna's new favorite book. Charming story about some hibernating animals that have never seen snow, but stay up to watch for it. And then, thinking that they have somehow missed the first snowflake, they search the forest floor for it, with hilarious results. The pictures had Susanna giggling all the way through. (They had me giggling, too.)

The Snow Day by Komako Sakai. This one just didn't appeal to me or my girls.

Snow by Uri Shulevitz. (Caldecott Honor book) Fun illustrations; I love the palette. But the story didn't really excite my girls.

White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin R. Tresselt; illustrated by Roger Duvoisin. (Caldecott Medal) Not very kid-appealing. My four-year-old's attention was lost less than half-way through. My 7 and 8 year olds' reaction was "That was kinda boring."

Young Adult

Plain Kate by Erin Bow. Very well written, interesting story, great characters, and I couldn't put it down. But it was also quite unrelentingly depressing, with just a few clutches of hope.

The Shakeress by Kimberley Houston. I picked up this book from the library shelves, knowing nothing about it, but intrigued by the title (because I'm fascinated by the Shakers) and the great cover. There are so many ways this could have been a great book based on the plot, but it just fell flat for me. It turned into a typically done Mormon conversion story.

Chime by Franny Billingsley. I reviewed this one already. Clicking on the title will send you to my review.

The Bargain Bride by Evelyn Sibley Lampman. This is a book that I picked up from a library sale because I vaguely remembered reading it when I was young, but couldn't remember if I liked it. It was a good read, but not stand-out. Twelve-year-old me would probably have liked it more.

Adult Books

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson. I couldn't finish this one. The overblown "lushness" of the language just turned me off. I felt like the author was trying too hard to make each sentence a work of art, and by the end of it I had no idea what she said. The other thing that bothered me was the blatant similarity to Du Maurier's Rebecca. There were other things I found wrong, but I won't belabor the point.

When Autumn Leaves by Amy S. Foster. Overall fun to read despite certain weaknesses (e.g. weak dialogue, flat-feeling characters. Sometimes I felt like the author was talking about life situations she had no experience with and hadn't fleshed out the emotions of very well. Other situations I felt she knew intimately, and those really worked.)
I like the premise of the story. But my main problem with the book is this: have you ever been talking to someone and you're right in the middle of an interesting conversation that gets interrupted, and you never get back to it? Reading this book feels like that. I felt like I had barely begun to learn about each woman before I was whisked away from that particular person.
Quite possibly that was the intention, since the whole premise is about new beginnings.
I'm looking forward to reading Foster's next book.

The Mousewife by Rumer Godden. An allegory for repressed womanhood. It's a quick read, well-written, but ultimately disappointing (for me).

Should writers ever explain their novels?

2011-11-28T11:37:00.004-06:00

There was a fascinating discussion going on over at An Awfully Big Blog Adventure, started by Rosalie Warren's post entitled On being understood (or not), in which she talks about not wanting readers to read her book and say, "I get it!" Go read it!
I left a comment (there were 5 comments already when I gave mine), but I guess they didn't want to publish it. Not sure why. (Update 11/29: There was no deliberate slight; the comment seems to have just vanished, which, I'm finding out, happens more often than one would wish.) Here's what I said:

This is a fascinating discussion. May I put in my two cents?
As a reader, I don't want an author (or anyone, for that matter) telling me what I should have understood from their book. That's not to say I don't enjoy hearing other peoples take on the same book; to the contrary, I love it. But understanding is as understanding does, so to speak.
I argued this very point with my literature professors time and time again in college (all those eons ago.) I remember having to write a paper on a Thomas Hardy book, regarding my interpretation of a certain scene. When I got the paper back, the professor had marked it all up with "NO!! It didn't mean that at all, it meant THIS!" And he proceeded to tell me where I had completely missed the boat. But to me, I hadn't. I understood it in a certain way. He understood it in another way. He insisted that his way of understanding it was the way Hardy meant it to be understood. I argued that if Hardy had meant it to be understood a certain way, he wouldn't have made it so ambiguous to begin with.
I get the need to be understood. It's human nature to want that. But I think that whatever your intentions were when you wrote the book, ultimately don't matter. We all bring our own life experience to the table of reading; you as the writer, me as the reader. Once the book leaves your hands and goes out into the world, it becomes whatever the reader needs/understands/wants it to be.
I think when people say, "Oh I get it," they are speaking through the lens of their own life experiences, sometimes forgetting, as my English professor did, that books are written to be interpreted by the reader. And everyone will get something different out of the book, to varying degrees. Otherwise, what would be the point? Reading would cease to be a personal experience, which, to my mind, would kill the desire to read dead.

So what's your opinion? Do you like it when authors explain their work (I'm talking novels here) or not?

Karina's New Favorite Series: The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley; illustrations by Peter Ferguson

2011-11-20T11:42:00.001-06:00

Our library has a section devoted to Middle Reader book series, and one day about a month ago, Karina spied The Sisters Grimm series on the shelf and brought one (it was Book 4) to show me. She was so excited. "Don't you think this has a spooky cover, Mom? It reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. Is this one I can read?"
I was a little nervous, because I didn't know what these books contained. And with her still being so young, (she turns seven in December) I don't want her reading things she isn't ready to handle. I also know Karina. She has, up until now, been largely a book snacker (meaning she rarely reads a whole chapter book straight through.) And although lately I have noticed her getting more into reading whole books, I doubted that she'd stick with this book.

On the other hand, they sounded right up her alley. (Combining fairy tales with sleuthing? Genius!) So I gave the go-ahead. She started with Book 4, Once Upon a Crime, because she liked the deliciously spooky cover.

She started reading it on the way home. After about 20 minutes of silence, she said, "Mom, I'm not sure I got the right one."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, I think I've started in the middle of the story. Things are happening and I don't know why. I don't think these books are separate like Nancy Drew, I think the story continues in each book. I think I need to start with Book 1." So we went back to get Book 1, The Fairy-Tale Detectives. And last week we got Book 2. And yes, indeed she reads them avidly. And comes to share funny bits and scary bits, and I have only the vaguest notion what they're about.

She got Olivia hooked on them too.

The library only has Books 1-7. The other night I was looking at Hastings (a book store in our area that also sells used copies, which is now going out of business) and found Book 8. There was much jumping up and down and squeals when I came home with the loot. I was the hero of the hour.

And then they discovered the audio books at the library. More jumping up and down and giddiness. And I hear them upstairs, blasting (okay, I'm getting old) the audio books and chortling at the antics of the characters, and squealing when something bad starts happening. And again with the pausing and running down, both of them laughing and trying to outdo each other in relating the current happenings. And still I have no idea what's going on. (The audios are very ably narrated L.J. Ganser.)

Here's the little I know about the books:

Read them in order!
The main characters appear to be sisters Sabrina and Daphne, and their mischievous friend Puck, who comes to live with them, and both helps them and makes their lives fun and miserable, as only brothers can.
Something has happened to their parents and they live with their granny, whom they only just met.
There are loads of fairy-tale characters.
They have awesome covers and internal illustrations.
I'm going to have to read them myself.

The Fairy-Tale Detectives (Book 1)
The Unusual Suspects (Book 2)
The Problem Child (Book 3)
Once Upon A Crime (Book 4)
Magic and Other Misdemeanors (Book 5)
Tales From the Hood (Book 6)
The Everafter War (Book 7)
The Inside Story (Book 8)

There may be more coming??? Not sure.

Author Michael Buckley's website
Illustrator Peter Ferguson's website

Spot the Book

2011-11-17T18:37:00.000-06:00

The other day I watched the film No Reservations with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin. (Love the songs in it!)
Toward the last half of the movie, the main characters were walking the city streets and came upon a sidewalk artist who had the sidewalk blocked off to complete his scene. The characters stop to admire, and as the camera pans down, there is Hilary Knight's Cinderella in her Regency-inspired glad rags, dancing. A scene straight from his book. A month ago I wouldn't have known that. It gave me a zing, I tell you, a zing that I was able to recognize it. Here it is.

Have you spotted any books in films lately?

Questioning the purpose of this blog

2011-11-17T12:19:00.000-06:00

I'm wondering if it's worth maintaining this blog. My enthusiasm for books and sharing books I've found is an exciting idea, but I'm wondering if it translates well into reality. I look around the web, and there are others who are talking about kid's books in a much more useful way than I. I love reading their blogs. I prefer reading their blogs, to writing my own. I don't say that in a poor-me, I'm-feeling-sorry-for-myself way, I say it in all practical honesty and reality. When I read their reviews I think, "Yes, that's how it supposed to be done!" (I don't know how my reviews sound. I just hope they're coherent!)
I never meant this blog to be "professional." Just fun (for me.) But I'm finding that I'm not having enough fun with it lately, and actual posts take up a lot of time, in my effort not to sound like an imbecile. I never expected to be "popular." And honestly, sometimes the thought of blogging about a book I read takes the joy and magic out of reading it.
I get about 1200 views per month, 95% of those from Google searches for a specific book or topic (so it appears.) I have 39 subscribers, 28 "followers", although I'm not sure how many people actually read it, because only a few regulars comment. So it begs the question: am I performing a useful function? Because that's what I need to be doing. If my book talk isn't being useful, is there really a point in doing this? Writing posts is not a quick, easy thing for me, although granted, some are easier than others. It's time consuming.

I don't feel depressed, so please don't think this is a bid for sympathy. I'm not that invested in this blog. And maybe that's the point/problem. Should I be that invested? I'm just in a contemplative mood, wondering if this is the best use of my precious time. Sorry for the stream-of-conscious rambling.

Chime by Franny Billingsley

2011-11-14T20:02:00.001-06:00

Chime
by Franny Billingsley
Young Adult
Published in 2011 by Dial

Briony lives with her mentally challenged twin sister and her detached clergyman father in the small town of Swampsea. Her world is full of dichotomies. Progression, in the form of trains, automobiles, and gas lights, stands in sharp contrast to the ancient supernatural beings -the Old Ones and their ilk- that inhabit the Swamp and still hold sway over the villagers. Briony has always been able to see and talk to the Old Ones and she thinks this means she is a witch, a secret that only she and Stepmother knew, since witchcraft is a hanging offense in her village. Not only that, but sometimes her passions and jealousies wreak havoc on those she loves best.

As the book opens, it is several months after her beloved Stepmother's death. Briony believes -because it is what Stepmother helped her to understand- that she is responsible for the many bad things that have happened in her family, including her sister's mental condition and her stepmother's injury and subsequent death. The dreams Briony once had of education and a life of her own are buried under the guilt and self-loathing she feels, as she cares for the sister she feels responsible for. To a certain extent, Briony has withdrawn mentally from the world around her, in order to protect her family from her wickedness. When Eldric -the son of the engineer sent to oversee the draining of the Swamp (in order to advance the railway line)- comes to stay at their house, he befriends her and accepts her for who she is, without any pressure. Little by little Briony's frozen mind begins to accept his friendship.

When the Old Ones' anger erupts at the draining of the Swamp, Briony must strike a deal with the Old Ones to save her sister from becoming their next victim. But saving her sister is going to mean revealing her own wickedness.

Told in first person, past tense, Billingsley's writing style reflects Briony's mind. It is self-deprecating, at turns humorous or serious, jumpy, a bit muddled (because Briony knows things that we, the reader, aren't privy to yet) and a bit like actually being inside her head, listening to her stream-of-consciousness thought. Sometimes this got a little frustrating and sometimes I had to go back and re-read the passage because I thought I'd missed something. Still, the story moves along at a good clip, and I really didn't want to put it down. I found it interesting and compelling. I wasn't surprised by the reveal; I don't think you're meant to be, because you pick up little clues all along, but I was completely invested in the story and anxious to see how she would come into her own truth. (Am I sounding really vague? I'm trying not to give too much away.)
There is a somewhat dark, oppressive tone to the story, not only because of Briony's guilt, but because of the Swamp inhabitants, who are not very nice. And yet there are lighter moments in the interplay between Briony and Eldric, and there is the seed of hope, that surely Briony will not be left to wallow in her misery forever, surely she is not as wicked as she thinks she is.

De-cluttering My Books Is Surprisingly Painful

2011-11-13T22:05:00.000-06:00

I don't, generally, form sentimental attachments to "stuff." Growing up in the nomadic way I did, you'd think it would be the opposite. But no. "Stuff" doesn't mean much to me. I have only a few physical items from my growing up years: letters from my family, some of my better artwork, five expired passports, a piece of Kolonyama pottery from Lesotho, and a leather jewelry box from Ougadougou that got stained by a green marker in one of our moves. I have kept only a shoe-boxed size container of the girls' baby stuff I can't part with.

I'm a ruthless purger. If I don't love it, and/or it's not performing a function, out it goes.

But not when it comes to books. I have a hard time letting go of books, except for those I didn't care for. I have a theory about that. Books were the one constant -besides my family- of my nomadic life. They were the steady friends that never failed me, bringing comfort and pleasure.

But my shelves will only hold so many books. So it's time to purge...I guess. Either that, or buy more bookshelves, which Todd's not thrilled about. I'm not either, since it means I'll have to put them together.
Theoretically, I don't believe I need to keep every book I buy. And just because we homeschool doesn't mean we need a house full of books...does it? See, here's the problem: that sounds like a great idea to me: a house full of books. Bookshelves as functional decoration.

I've been working on book purging for over a month, but I'm killing my effectiveness with my waffling.

Do you have regular book purges? Any ideas on how to get over my dread of missing a book after I get rid of it?

The Little Match Girl, adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

2011-10-19T18:05:00.000-05:00

My favorite tale by Hans Christian Anderson has always been The Little Match Girl. The poignancy, the helplessness...it moved me deeply as a child, and still does. Naturally, then, it was a story I wanted in my own library, to share with my daughters, but with so many versions, which to choose? It was blind serendipitous luck that the version I ordered, because the cover drew me in, was adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. I love it. And that seems like a feeble way to describe my emotional reaction to it.

It is an incredibly moving version, both the text and pictures. Set in a large turn-of-the-century American city, where horse-drawn carriages are sharing the road with automobiles, Pinkney's version highlights the poverty prevalent in such big cities. His match girl has a more homogeneous, easily overlooked face. But don't let that fool you into thinking this is a bland version. The pictures, to me, reflect the rough life of the poor. From the very first picture of the story that shows the fear and destitution and hopelessness on the children's faces as they work in the cold attic to make small bouquets of flowers to sell, to the hungry longing on the little girl's red-cheeked face as she stares at the food on a cart on another page, to her little hand cupped around the lit match as she sits on the snow covered sidewalk in her torn stockinged feet.... It a good thing you can't see me now; the emotion that his drawings evoke in me in really quite embarrassing.

And yes, my children love it, too.

Thank you, Jerry Pinkney, for making this hauntingly beautiful book.

Cinderella Picture Books - A List of Covers

2011-10-17T16:15:00.001-05:00

"Traditional"

Adapted and illustrated by David Delamare

Adapted and illustrated by Hilary Knight

Adapted by Evelyn Andreas; Illustrated by Ruth Ives

Adapted and illustrated by Ruth Sanderson

Adapted by Amy Ehrlich; Illustrated by Susan Jeffers

Adapted and illustrated by K.Y. Craft

Adapted and illustrated by Marcia Brown

Adapted and illustrated by Barbara McClintock

Adapted by Christine San Jose; Illustrated by Debrah Santini

Illustrated by Loek Koopmans

Multicultural

Fun Twists

Halloween

Misc. Versions

A Graphic Novel

Poetry

Compilation

Mini reviews of some of this year's reads

2011-10-04T09:40:00.000-05:00

God Went to Beauty School

by Cynthia Rylant
ages 12 and up

I really enjoyed these poems. They are both fun and thought-provoking at the same time. A very intriguing image of God, although some critics may say it humanizes God too much.

The House of Dead Maids

by Clare Dunkle

ages 12 and up

I have never been able to get into Wuthering Heights, and since this book is billed as a prequel of sorts to Wuthering Heights, I'm probably missing something. All in all, even without reading Wuthering Heights, it was a good ghost story. It definitely had the Gothic horror vibe going, if you like Gothic horror. I liked the story, and it held my interest, although the writing felt a bit choppy and incomplete at times. But maybe that's just a reflection of what the character felt. I liked the main character, Tabby, and was intrigued by how Dunkle wound her into the back story of Wuthering Heights.

The Heavenly Village

by Cynthia Rylant
Ages 10 and up

I loved this book about a picturesque village God created as a "halfway house" for souls not ready to go to Heaven. This is a book of short stories about the residents of that village. Such good stories! Categorized as juvenile fiction, this is nevertheless a book anyone can enjoy. (And adults will probably appreciate it more.)

Downright Dencey

by Caroline Dale Snedeker

ages 8 and up

Newbery Honor Book

I expected to like this one more than I did. Especially given that it's a Newbery Honor book. The writing is excellent -albeit too long and wordy at times- and I like the character development. It was also an intriguing look into Quaker life. The main male protagonist annoyed me no end. It was okay overall, good, even great in some places, but I struggled to stay interested enough to finish.

Some Sandra Boynton Love

2011-10-03T10:41:00.000-05:00

Sandra Boynton is an expert at packing a party into a small room, so to speak. Her books are the perfect read for babies and restless toddlers: bouncy, catchy rhymes, cute pictures, quick read. They have been favorites with all my girls, and Susanna, although she is now officially a pre-schooler (she just turned four), still loves them and she insists on having them read to her. And as much as her sisters grumble about her love of them, they still come running when they hear me reading them, and they'll willingly (mostly) read them to her. The problem is, the books are so catchy and fun to read, that my older two read aloud with me, which results in a stereo effect and drives Susanna batty. I have to threaten expulsion of the older two every single time we read them.

Here are Susanna's three favorite, most requested Sandra Boynton books:

Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!

Kids learn more complicated opposites in a fun way.

Barnyard Dance

A rollicking animal hoedown.

Moo, Baa, La La La!

Featuring animal sounds

Books I Read In September

2011-10-02T17:07:00.003-05:00

Children's Literature: A Reader's History From Aesop to Harry Potter by Seth Lerer. (Non-fiction)
I only got through about half of this book before it had to go back to the library. Very informative, but rather dry. I love reading about the ins and outs of children's literature, but this book is text dense, ponderous and heavy, and is not a quick read.
I feel like I should give it another chance, but not right now.

The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. (Middle Grade)

An odd little story; an allegory of peace, if you will. Despite being the inspiration of the animated movie The Iron Giant, the only resemblance between the two is the presence of a metal eating iron giant and the boy named Hogarth.

Ivy's Ever After by Dawn Lairamore. (Middle Grade)

This reminded me a little of the picture book The Paper Bag Princess. Plucky princess Ivy doesn't wait around to let life happen to her, especially when she learns that the prince who is supposed to rescue her from her dragon-guarded tower imprisonment is an evil jerk, and her word puzzle-loving dragon jailer turns out to be a real friend. Together, she and the dragon set off to find her fairy godmother to enlist her help in fighting the people plotting to take over her father's kingdom. I think this would make an excellent read-aloud for my girls, and I like that the story is about friendship, family, and resourcefulness. There is a sequel out just today called Ivy and the Meanstalk.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. (Adult Fiction)

This is about two women in a small Southern town, connected through their grandmothers who were once best friends, brought together in a surprising friendship as they struggle to right old wrongs and forge new paths of community, belonging and love. A story that is a combination of mystery, romance, coming-of-age, and just a touch of magic.
(I liked that the main character from Garden Spells, Allen's debut novel, made a brief appearance in the book.)

Show and Tell: Exploring The Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration by Dilys Evans. (Non-Fiction)

A feast of a book for illustration enthusiasts, highlighting a few of the very talented illustrators of children's literature. The "story" behind the art of: Hilary Knight, Trina Schart Hyman, Harry Bliss, David Shannon, Bryan Collier, Paul O. Zelinsky, Brian Selznick, David Wiesner, Betsy Lewin, Denise Fleming, and Lane Smith. Interesting and well-written. My only "complaint" is that I wish there were more artists featured. (It makes me sad that many of the books by Trina Schart Hyman are no longer in print.)

Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst. (Young Adult)
Pearl (please note the irony of a creature of death named for the jewel symbolizing purity and innocence) is a young vampire from an old and distinguished vampire family. When she is stabbed through the heart by a unicorn, her whole world shifts. Suddenly she can be out in sunlight without burning up. When a diabolical plan hatched by her scheming parents lands her in high school, Pearl finds herself developing a conscience and friends. What will happen when her two worlds collide?

Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith. (Adult/Young Adult Fiction)
I was so excited to read this sequel to Coronets And Steel, that came out the week after I finished the first book. And I wasn't disappointed. Excellent writing, same great characters, excitement, faster paced (than the first book), and a satisfying conclusion. (At least I'm guessing it's the conclusion?)

Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman. (Non-Fiction)
A fascinating, excellently written, and thoroughly researched, enjoyable biography about the Darwin's life together.

Overbite by Meg Cabot. (Adult Fiction)
The sequel to Insatiable. I liked it okay, although I wasn't thrilled with where Cabot chose to take the story. Oh well. The writing seemed rushed, compared to her first book.

Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie. (Adult Fiction)
My first Jennifer Crusie book. A fluffy, romantic story about an older divorced woman who reluctantly falls in lust/love with her younger downstairs neighbor.

Amish Women: Lives and Stories by Louise Stoltzfus. (Non-Fiction)
A loving, intimate look at a few selected Amish Women, mostly in their own words, by a former member of their order.

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (Adult Fiction)
A poignant, powerful look at life in early American history, as a young Puritan girl struggles with her place in the world, and her Native American friend is dragged, by circumstance, out of the life he knows. My first book by Brooks. Now I want to read her others.

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker. (Non-Fiction/Memoir)

Elna Baker is a Mormon living in New York City, something her mother, especially, is not comfortable with. This is Elna's frank account of her life as she struggles with her religious identity and what it means to her.

Fostering a Love of Reading: What I've Learned As I've Watched My Girls Teach Themselves to Read

2011-09-27T00:20:00.001-05:00

This post was inspired by an excellent blog post at Fanny Harville's Unschool Academy, which talks about linear vs. non-linear reading with young readers (specifically, her son), or "dipping" into books as opposed to reading them straight through. "Dipping" into books is a very common practice of young readers, but often not talked about, let alone understood. It can cause anxiety on the part of parents, as "Fanny" forthrightly discusses in her post. Go read her post; it's an important topic. I have been mulling over the whole learning-to-read-naturally in general, but especially in regard to fostering a love of reading in my girls. Here are my thoughts on the issue and what the process looks like for us. Deep breath...here goes...

Reading to my girls. Feb 2008.

We adults spend so much time worrying about our children's reading abilities, that we've created complexities where there don't need to be.

Children learn to read when they have an internal incentive to do so. Sure, they can be forced into reading at home or in school, but children who are forced to read and never given the chance to foster the internal DESIRE to read, do not read well or voluntarily, for their own enjoyment. I think this is where public/private schools fail: they force kids through plodding, boring reading exercises that tend to kill the love of reading rather than foster it.

Children come with curious minds that are wired with the urge to "de-code" the world they live in, IF they are free to de-code it in their own way. The desire to read, if fostered gently, is a natural corollary of that need to "de-code" life. It doesn't have to be a painful, unpleasant process. And it doesn't need to be forced or fretted over. We need to trust in that innate desire to learn. They will ask for the help they need. ("Mom, what does ... spell?") And parents can take opportunities to teach very brief "lessons" here and there, as the opportunity and need arises. (For example, I taught my girls their vowels to the tune of "Old MacDonald".) Do NOT belabor the point. This is about their learning in their way, not about you and your desire to impart knowledge and wisdom. (Where we, in this country, got the idea that children have to be able to read by the time they're ages five or six, I don't know. But I think it's asinine to assume that every child should be ready to read at age five.)

The best, most effective ways to instill and develop a love of reading:

   1. Provide a text-rich environment. This means having books in your home, and making frequent trips to the library. It means that your children need to see you reading books for fun. Children who witness their parents reading for pleasure absorb that this is a desired activity, especially when they see their same-gendered parent reading. (This is especially true of boys.)
   2. Strew (spread around the house, on obvious surfaces) a mixture of reading materials (e.g. magazines, specific books, maps, phone books, etc.) A marketing strategy that works! A variety of materials gives kids experience and familiarity with text in all its various forms. And opens doors of discovery and discussion, and new interests.
   3. Read aloud to your children DAILY with expression, proper syntax and cadence. Let me point out that audiobooks are good, but they should never replace YOU, as the read aloud adult. There is something about the physical act of reading aloud with your children sitting beside you or near you that helps them to process the reading experience in a personal way. If your child is in a two parent home, both of you should be reading aloud to your children. It broadens their "de-coders" to hear books read "live" by different people. If you can do only one thing from this list, make it this one. Reading aloud with expression plays a HUGE role in your child's reading and language development, and is absolutely essential to foster a love of reading.
   4. Limit your children's viewing of television and their online/video gaming activity. I know this advice will not be popular in some quarters, but TV, computers, and video gaming teach a child's brain to rely on extremely quick, constantly changing images and functions, in other words, rapid stimulation. Children who live in visual media-intense households have very little or no patience with text-rich experiences. Books to media-saturated kids are boring compared to constant, ever-changing images. I have seen this time and again as the common denominator over the years with friends who lament their child's disinterest in books and reading.
   5. Find books that appeal to them, that they want to pick up and look at. Yes, this includes comics. This doesn't have to be books that necessarily appeal to you and your desire to introduce them to "good" literature. And for heaven's sake, don't bother with worrying about the so-called "Reading Level". If the reading level of the book they want to read is beyond their ability, or all they seem to want to read are books below their reading level, don't stress. It is the act of reading a desired book that is so critical. Also know that you don't have to read everything out loud. It helps keep their interest piqued if there are books that they want to read, but you won't read. Save the reading aloud times for the quality books, for the most part. (I'm speaking here of kids ages 4 and up. If your baby or toddler brings you a book to read, read it, no matter what. If it's one you don't want to read, you can grab a more desirable one, and simply say "How about we read this one instead?" And if they bring you something that you know isn't going to keep them interested for long, just pull them on your lap and talk about the pictures or what's happening in the story.)

There you have it: laying the groundwork to foster a love of reading. Your kids will take it from there. Relax and enjoy the ride. (But keep the books coming.)

Questions? Concerns? Comments?

(Also check out an earlier post Reading Aloud: The "Secret" to Reading Success.)

The Walloping Window-blind

2011-09-24T13:01:00.001-05:00

The Walloping Window-blind

Adapted from Charles E. Carryl's poem

Illustrated (and adapted) by Jim LaMarche

A capital ship for an ocean trip
Was "The Walloping Window-blind;"
No gale that blew dismayed her crew
Or troubled the captain's mind.

This picture book is Jim LaMarche's adaptation and pictorial vision of Charles E. Carryl's fun, rollicking, nonsensical, sea shanty-ish adventure poem, first written in 1885. My girls, who groaningly interrupted me after the first stanza with "Is this a rhyming book?" soon got into the swing of the poem, greatly aided by LaMarche's funny, imaginative illustrations featuring kids as the captain and crew of the Walloping Window-blind.

This is a poem I remember from my childhood, that I'd all but forgotten until I saw this book at the library. (It was made into a folk song at some point, and I remember hearing it on an LP record when I was young.) As I read this book to my girls, I kept thinking, "Wait a minute, I don't remember it saying that!" With that bee in my bonnet, I went and Googled the poem when we were done reading the book. The poem has indeed been "adapted" (i.e. changed) from the original, in places, to reflect a more universal, PC appeal. It's not something that would necessarily bother other people, but I don't, as a general rule, like it when the words of an author are "updated" for PC purposes. I understand the reason for it (mostly), but I don't approve. (She said, with her nose in the air.) To me, it's changing an historic record.

In all fairness, my peevishness aside, I think the changes are well done, and in keeping with the general spirit of the poem. And I adore LaMarche's kid crew; their facial expressions are priceless.

The Walloping Window-blind

(The original version)

by Charles E. Carryl

A capital ship for an ocean trip
Was "The Walloping Window-blind;"
No gale that blew dismayed her crew
Or troubled the captain's mind.

The man at the wheel was taught to feel
Contempt for the wildest blow,
And it often appeared, when the weather had cleared,
That he'd been in his bunk below.

The boatswain's mate was very sedate,
Yet fond of amusement, too;
And he played hop-scotch with the starboard watch
While the captain tickled the crew.

And the gunner we had was apparently mad,
For he sat on the after-rail,
And fired salutes with the captain's boots,
In the teeth of the booming gale.

The captain sat in a commodore's hat,
And dined, in a royal way,
On toasted pigs and pickles and figs
And gummery bread, each day.

But the cook was Dutch, and behaved as such;
For the food that he gave the crew
Was a number of tons of hot-cross buns,
Chopped up with sugar and glue.

And we all felt ill as mariners will,
On a diet that's cheap and rude;
And we shivered and shook as we dipped the cook
In a tub of his gluesome food.

Then nautical pride we laid aside,
And we cast the vessel ashore
On the Gulliby Isles, where the Poohpoo smiles,
And the Anagazanders roar.

Composed of sand was that favored land,
And trimmed with cinnamon straws;
And pink and blue was the pleasing hue
Of the Tickletoeteaser's claws.

And we sat on the edge of the sandy ledge
And shot at the whistling bee;
And the Binnacle-bats wore water-proof hats
as they danced in the sounding sea.

On rubagub bark, from dawn to dark,
We fed, till we all had grown
Uncommonly shrunk, - when a Chinese junk
Came by from the torriby zone.

She was stubby and square, but we didn't much care,
And we cheerily put to sea;
And we left the crew of the junk to chew
The bark of the rubagub tree.

Last weekend's doings, bookish and otherwise

2011-09-21T12:35:00.002-05:00

Todd and I saw Les Miserables live for the first time last Friday. It was wonderful performance, amazing singing, staging, etc. It would have been a magical night, except for our seats. We were high up on the extreme right and the conductor had a light that turned upward. I think the purpose of the light was to make his arms visible on the TV monitor that the actors use. But where we were, it glared in our eyes for the entire performance, flashing as the conductor waved his arms, resulting in a disco-ball effect. We finally figured out how to hunker down in our seats enough to reduce the blinding glare (which was harder for Todd because he's tall), but then of course we had to bob and weave our heads around the heads of the people in front of us in order to see what was going on. Can I just say, Javert's suicide scene Blew.Me.Away. That scene was so amazingly clever. And now I really want to read the book.

Todd's mom came from Nashville to watch the girls for our night on the town. She came bearing the gift of books for the girls: the most coveted 7th Ivy and Bean book, and some Magic Treehouse books that my girls have just started getting in to. The girls had a blast with their Gammy. She also brought bubbles and a huge plethora of bubble wands. And even 8 year old Olivia, who is starting to express scorn for "baby" activities (as she calls them), cheerfully abandoned her jaded attitude for the magic of bubble play.

On Saturday we got up planning to go to the Airshow in Millington, TN. But after inching along three tenths of a mile in one hour (I'm not kidding) toward the exit, with another 3 miles to go to the airbase, we abandoned the idea and went to lunch followed by book store browsing at Hastings (where they sell new and new-to-you books), which resulted in the following very inexpensive and thrilling purchases:

A Coal Miner's Bride: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. I borrowed this from the library the first time I read it. I really liked this fictional account of the life of an immigrant Polish girl who becomes a coal miner's wife in 1896. I love Bartoletti's work. She writes very compelling, thoroughly researched non-fiction and historical fiction (and some picture books, too). It's hard to believe I only discovered her books this year.
Mistwood by Leah Cypess. I read this book for the first time last September and really liked it. (See here for my brief synopsis.) I'm sending this copy to my mom.
Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal by Mal Peet. This one sounds fascinating to me. I was just introduced to his work through Cloud Tea Monkeys, so I'm eager to read this YA novel about a WWII Resistance fighter in Holland.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. I read this book before it won the John Newbery Medal, and was very happy when I heard it won. So well-written, gripping, and mind-spinning, and features a protagonist who LOVES one of my favorite-ist books ever: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. (One might say that the entire concept of the book is a loving homage to A Wrinkle in Time.)
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers. The first book in the Theodosia series. I've been wanting to read this series for a while. I like books that feature clever girls solving problems. One of the things I lamented while I was growing up was the lack of adventure stories featuring girls. I'm glad to see that there are authors rectifying that now. I'm hoping Olivia will get interested in this book.
The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan (An Enola Holmes Mystery) by Nancy Springer. Another fascinating sounding series featuring a clever girl, the much younger sister of Sherlock Holmes. This book is actually number 4 in the series. No, I don't have any of the others. But I couldn't pass up such a good price. I'll have to get the others from the library.
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly. A new-to-me author. But I've heard good things around the web about this book.

Sunday morning, we got up early and drove to the Airshow, with no traffic problems. We spent the day walking through the aircraft static displays, before hunkering down to watch the aerial displays and eat lunch. The girls did amazingly well. I was sure the day would be full of groans and complaining, but they were troopers. We found a great spot on the grass to watch the airshow. Whenever they got tired of sitting, either Todd or I would go walking with them for about 10 minutes, and then they'd happily settle down to an hour more of watching the flying stunts. The highlight of the day came at 1530 (3:30 pm), when the Blue Angels flew. Then home, supper, playing and bedtime.
After that full day, bedtime was a cinch. In fact, they asked to go to bed. Glory, glory halleluiah!

Cloud Tea Monkeys

2011-09-20T09:43:00.000-05:00

Cloud Tea Monkeys

by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham; illustrated by Juan Winjgaard
Ages 6 and up

Tashi is a young girl living in a small village in the shadow of the Himalayan mountains. Every morning she walks to the tea plantation with her mother and sits in a secret spot playing and sharing her food with a band of monkeys who also spend each day there, as she waits while her mother spends the day picking tea. And now her mother is ill with a cough "hard and sharp like a stick breaking". One morning, when her mother is so sick she cannot rise from her bed to go to work, Tashi tries to take her place, dragging the her large tea basket to the plantation. When the heartless Overseer scorns her efforts, Tashi takes refuge in her secret spot and tearfully spills out her troubles to the monkeys. The male monkeys take Tashi's basket and disappear up the mountain into the mist, and return with the greenest, most fragrant tea leaves Tashi has ever seen or smelled.

This poignant tale is filled with lush, descriptive language as fragrant as the mysterious Cloud Tea. And Juan Winjgaard's detailed, gorgeous illustrations capture the emotion and heart of the story, and so perfectly aided my daughters' understanding of key parts of the story. This is one of those perfect marriages of text and illustrations.
As I read this book aloud to my daughters, I was struck by the realistic portrayal of Tashi's and her mother's life. The writing is so descriptive I could feel the morning chill that burned away to "cruel" heat, the fear in Tashi as she listened to her mother cough, the fear of no money available for a doctor, the weight of the basket she dragged to the tea plantation, her crushing disappointment at not being allowed to pick tea in place of her mother. (You know it's descriptive when your children try to breathe in the tea clouds as you read.) And I marvelled at Winjgaard's talent for capturing all the emotional nuances of the story. My daughters sat enthralled throughout.

Other reviews:
Hope Is the Word
Pink Me

Children's Classics: The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

2011-09-19T14:15:00.001-05:00

The Hundred Dresses

by Eleanor Estes
Illustrated by Louis Slobodkin
Newbery Honor Book
Ages 8 and up

This is the story of Wanda, a poor immigrant girl who is left out of the games the other girls play, through her own innate shyness and their careless small cruelties. One day, after being taunted for her differences yet again, Wanda claims to have a hundred dresses, which makes the girls turn more cruel as they know she can't possibly have them. It becomes a game: to taunt Wanda about her made-up dresses. Told in third person narrative, through the "eyes" of Maddie, one of the taunters (a girl who fears that she herself will become the taunted) this is also the story of how her experience with Wanda changes her forever. It is a timeless story that children (and adults) can relate to today just as much as when it was written 66 years ago.

Through Estes' understated, unemotional writing, the little cruelties of the girls stand in sharp relief, and Maddie's moral dilemma is more poignant. One of the things I love about this story and what makes it so effective, is that the ending is so bitter-sweet, much like real life. Maddie learns a deep, lasting lesson, but too late to change how she treats Wanda. It is questionable how much of a lesson the other girls have learned. Again, much like real life. We, the readers, absorb the lesson, and at the same time, learn that some situations in life are not cut and dried, so to speak, but full of contradiction and nuance. We learn to be careful, because we can't always right the wrongs we do.

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-tale of Mystery - Book and Audiobook review

2011-09-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-tale of Mystery

by James and Deborah Howe
Audiobook read by Victor Garber

Silliness abounds in this story that revolves around a vampiric bunny (who "bleeds" vegetables so dry they turn white) and the family dog and cat whose reception of said bunny is not exactly warm and fuzzy.
We read this book for a homeschool kid's book club that my girls have become involved with. We also listened to the audiobooks that were so wonderfully read by Victor Garber (who played Jack Bristow in Alias, Professor Callahan in Legally Blond, etc.) He has a beautifully rich voice that gives the perfect blend of hilarity and drama to the story.

Here is what my 8 year-old Olivia has to say:

This is my new favorite book, about a family who finds a bunny at a Dracula movie, of all places. Harold, the dog (who narrates the story) finds a note attached to the bunny written in an obscure Carpathian dialect, and because Harold is a Russian wolfhound, he can read it. Harold and Chester the cat get suspicious about the bunny, whom the family names Bunnicula.
I like it because the main characters are animals. It's sort of a mystery. It's interesting to read because the boys in the story argue like my sister and I do. And the cat is smart but crazy.

You can read more tales about Bunnicula, Harold, and Chester:
Howliday Inn
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
Nighty-Nightmare
Return to Howliday Inn
Bunnicula Strikes Again
Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allen Crow

Bless This Mouse - Audiobook Review

2011-09-12T13:27:00.001-05:00

Bless This Mouse

by Lois Lowry; read by Bernadette Dunne.

"A resilient and quirky colony of church mice fears another Great X more than they fear cats. Under Mouse Mistress Hildegarde’s leadership, they save themselves from one danger after another—sometimes just by the skin of their tails! Can one ultimate act of bravery during the feast day of St. Francis get Father Murphy to bless these mice and keep them safe forever?
Goodreads)

I didn't really think that my girls would be very interested in the story, but I figured I'd play the audiobook while I had them "trapped" in the car on a long drive to a family reunion site, because I really wanted to hear it. Boy, was I wrong about their reaction. There was not a peep from the older two, as they avidly listened, and they frantically shushed their three-year-old sister if she made a peep.
We had just finished the first disc (there are two) when we arrived at our destination. And for the next two days, they speculated back and forth about what would happen next. They even asked if they could go sit in the car to finish the rest of the story. But I made them wait until the trip home. We borrowed this from the library, but now my girls are hounding me to buy it. Oh, twist my arm, please!
A wonderful listening experience. Dunne's voicing of the characters was just perfect. She gave each their own distinct voice, matching the voice with their personality and age, in a manner that was never overly dramatic: just perfect.

Books I was reading this time last year

2011-09-09T12:38:00.000-05:00

A Curse Dark As Gold
Elizabeth C. Bunce

I really enjoyed this book. A unique twist on the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale, it is the story of a young woman who inherits her father's mill, and tries to save it and all the employees from ruin. It takes place during the age of industrial revolution. It has a delicious foreboding tone that keeps you wondering when the shoe is going to drop, so to speak. (There were a few slow spots where I wondered where the story was going, but it all worked itself out.) Definitely worth a read.

Mistwood

Leah Cypess

A very intriguing story that I couldn't put down, about a shapeshifter who has been the personal guardian/bodyguard to a certain line of kings for centuries, who then loses her memory due to a traumatic event. The story is about how she negotiates her world not knowing who she is. It has magic, mystery, action, political intrigue, a little romance and a very strong heroine.

A Pearl Among Princes

Colleen Murtagh Paratore

Gracepearl lives on an island that, during the summer months, is used to train princes in the Charming Arts. But Gracepearl doesn't really like her life on the island. She longs to leave but that would mean having to marry one of the princes, and leaving her father and her best friend and she doesn't know if she's ready for all of that. (Although the main characters are teenagers, this book would probably appeal more to the pre-teen set.)

August's Reading Round-up

2011-09-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

Forged: Writing in the Name of God - Bart D. Ehrman (Adult Non-Fiction)
Coronets and Steel - Sherwood Smith (Adult Fiction)
Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Frontlines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture - Peggy Orenstein (Adult Non-Fiction)
Entwined - Heather Dixon (Young Adult)
Nightspell - Leah Cypess (Young Adult)

The Humblebee Hunter: Inspired by the Life and Experiments of Charles Darwin and His Children by Deborah Hopkinson; illustrated by Jen Corace
One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin by Kathryn Lasky; illustrated by Matthew Trueman
Animals Charles Darwin Saw: An Around-the-World Adventure by Sandra Markle; illustrated by Zina Saunders
The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin by Peter Sis
What Darwin Saw: The Journey That Changed the World by Rosalyn Schanzer
Who Was Charles Darwin? by Deborah Hopkinson; illustrated by Nancy Harrison
The Riverbank by Charles Darwin; illustrated by Fabian Negrin
Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution by Heather Adamson; illustrated by Gordon Purcell and Al Milgrom
Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure by A.J. Wood and Clint Twist
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston; illustrated by Sylvia Long
The Chimpanzee Family Book by Jane Goodall; photographs by Michael Neugebauer
The Scarecrow's Dance by Jane Yolen; illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill; illustrated by John Sill
If the Shoe Fits: Voices from Cinderella by Laura Whipple; illustrated by Laura Beingessner
Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham; illustrated by Juan Wijngaard
Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters; illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins; illustrated by Virginia Halstead

Learning About Charles Darwin: A Book List for Ages 4 and up

2011-08-30T15:42:00.005-05:00

The Humblebee Hunter: Inspired By the Life and Experiments of Charles Darwin and His Children

Written by Deborah Hopkinson; illustrated by Jen Corace

(Ages 4 and up)

As told from the viewpoint of Darwin's young daughter, Etty, this beautifully illustrated book gives an intriguing look at Darwin as a family man, and how his children entered into the quest for knowledge, too. My own daughters' desire to learn about Darwin was sparked by this book.

One Beetle Too Many:

The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin

Written by Kathryn Lasky; Illustrated by Matthew Trueman

(Ages 7 and up)

Great introduction to Charles Darwin, wonderfully written and outstanding, whimsical illustrations. A real treat for both eyes and mind! My girls loved this book.

The artist had this to say about the illustrative process of this book: "The illustrations in this book started out as drawings created with acrylic inks, watercolor, and graphite pencil. I moved up the food chain to add gouache and colored pencil. After sealing the pictures with acrylic medium, I did my thicker acrylic painting, then fooled around a little more with graphite and colored pencil. Finally, I added the collage elements, including paper, string, and weeds and wildflowers from my yard and nearby ditches and fields."

Animals Charles Darwin Saw: An Around-the-World Adventure

(Explorers Adventure Series)

Written by Sandra Markle; Illustrated by Zina Saunders

(Ages 7 and up)

Well-written with great illustrations, this book does a great job of showing how the animals he saw led Darwin to contemplate the common accepted "truths" of his day, without overwhelming the reader (or hearer, in our case) with science.

The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin

Written and illustrated by Peter Sis

(Ages 8 and up)

Here is a wonderful taste of this book. (Don't forget to click on the "more" button in the bottom right corner of the linked page. It will take you to other pages of the book.) We love Peter Sis books. So full of detail.

What Darwin Saw: The Journey That Changed the World

Written and illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer

(Ages 7/8 and up)

A wonderfully illustrated graphic novel-type book, better suited for self-exploration than reading aloud.

Who Was Charles Darwin?

Written by Deborah Hopkinson; illustrated by Nancy Harrison

(Ages 8/9 and up)

Deborah Hopkinson's book (she also wrote The Humblebee Hunter) about Darwin's life and adventures, geared for slightly older readers, but also great for reading aloud to ages 7 and up.

The Riverbank

Written by Charles Darwin; illustrated by Fabian Negrin

(Ages 8 and up)

Fabian Negrin's lush illustrative interpretation of Darwin's first paragraph from The Origin of Species. Beautiful pictures, but the words are difficult for youngsters to understand.

Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution

(Graphic Library Series)

Text by Heather Adamson

Illustrated by Gordon Purcell and Al Milgrom

(Ages 7 and up)

If your kids like comics/graphic novels, this provides a good introduction to Darwin.

Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure

By A.J. Wood and Clint Twist

(Ages 8 and up)

A clever, scrapbook-type book with lots of pockets, pictures, pull-out maps, quotes, etc.; in other words, much fodder for explorative learning. This book kept us entertained a long time, and my girls continually pull it out and pore over it.

Are there any other great books about Darwin for this age group that we've missed?

Dear Book, I Love You, But Can't Explain Why

2011-08-25T10:23:00.002-05:00

Books/stories/writing and our reaction to them is such an elusive, deeply personal thing - so hard to pin down. The meandering plot I'll put up with in one book, will irritate me in another. A certain personality trait of the main character that I find fascinating in one book, will make me grind my teeth in another.

What is that elusive quality that causes a certain book to resonate with us? I can say that usually if I don't like/ can't relate in any way to the characters, I will put the book down. But not necessarily. I think it's a lot like trying to explain why we love someone. We can point to their various traits and the things they do that we find lovable and endearing, but lots of people have those same traits. In the end it boils down to a "gut" reaction.

Hair Flair...err... Flare

2011-08-24T21:56:00.000-05:00

Today I took a deep breath and lopped off 9 inches of Susanna's hair. (No, I didn't measure, but it was a lot 'cause her hair was long.) She will be turning 4 in a month, and I have never cut her hair. Well, the bulk of it anyway. When she was 1-ish I gave her bangs/a fringe, but they soon grew out and I decided to just leave them be. Her hair was halfway down her back, but at various lengths. Now it is just skimming her shoulders. And I must say, it looks cute, but she also looks older, which makes me sad.

Of course, the older two had to come downstairs and observe the process. When I was done, Olivia expressed the sudden desire for bangs. So I gave her bangs. Karina looked undecided and then said she wanted bangs. No sooner had I finished, than the meltdown began. She cried for two hours, about how she hated bangs and how ugly she looked now. This girl, who is so not into looks or clothes, who wears the most outrageous outfits, cried and carried on about her new ugly state. TWO HOURS, people!!! Finally, she ran upstairs to her bed, and after a little bit, there was blessed silence. (Bad mother - didn't even check. Are you kidding me? Checking might start the waterworks again!) She came down about 40 minutes later with some major sleep marks across her cheek, completely restored to cheerful equanimity. She even admitted, as we were having dinner, that she thought she liked the bangs. It helped that Daddy told her it made her eyes look especially pretty. Daddies are so essential to a little girls' self esteem, aren't they?

Reading Status and What's On My Nightstand

2011-08-23T14:07:00.000-05:00

Join us at 5 Minutes for Books.com to see what books others have on their nightstands.

Books just finished:

Entwined by Heather Dixon. (Young Adult)

An adaptation of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale.
What I liked: well-written; the relationship between the sisters; the idea of how the enchantment came to be; the many dances referenced; the idea that they danced to honor and remember their mother, who had taught them to dance; the broken relationship with their father that needs to be healed.
What I didn't like: I think it needed some tightening; I think it got bogged down a few times in "same-ness" (meaning that some of the scenes seemed to repeat themselves too much with only a small change here and there).
All in all, I enjoyed this version and would willingly read more books by this author.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein. (Non-Fiction)

Wow. Just wow. Peggy Orenstein, you read my mind. And you are my hero. People, read this book! As a mother, I have to confess I have a major beef with the whole Disney Princess marketing mumbo-jumbo, and I've worried for a long time about what kind of mixed messages the "princess" movies and fairy tales (speaking of fairy tales!) are sending our girls. Not only that, but this relentless oversexualization of young girls is scary to me. In this book, Ms. Orenstein articulates so well all the issues that I have a problem with as I try to bring up daughters in this day and time. I deeply appreciate Ms. Orenstein's courage in tackling this subject and being a voice of warning and reason.

Currently reading:

Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith. (Fiction; perfectly suitable for teenagers, as well)

Initial impressions: A smart, swash-buckling adventure story, a la Prisoner of Zenda, with just a touch of supernatural thrown in. The protagonist, Kim Murray, goes to Europe to try to trace her family's mysterious history and gets mistaken for someone else. I can't say much beyond that without ruining the story. I'm really enjoying it, and eagerly anticipating where it's going. I think it's the start of a series, 'though I don't know how many books are planned.

(I have to get this off my chest: I DO NOT like this cover. And the sunglasses make it even worse. Except for the Wren books, I don't think the publishers have done a good job with any of her book covers. Okay. There. I feel better.)

On My Nightstand:

Here are the books I have lined up to read next. I'm still working on reading the unread books from my own bookshelves. I did just get one hold in from the library which I must read first: Junonia by Kevin Henkes (not pictured.)
Any suggestions as to which ones I should read next?

Igraine, the Brave by Cornelia Funke (Middle Grade)
The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton (Adult Fiction)
Young Joan by Barbara Dana (Middle Grade)
The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama (Adult Fiction)
The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine (Adult Fiction)
The Bread Winner by Arvella Whitmore (Middle Grade)
Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littman (Middle Grade)
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley (Young Adult)
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (Young Adult)

Picturebooks On the Kids' Nightstand (from the library):

A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston; illustrated by Sylvia Long
The Chimpanzee Family Book by Jane Goodall; photographs by Michael Neugebauer
The Scarecrow's Dance by Jane Yolen; illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill; illustrated by John Sill
If the Shoe Fits: Voices from Cinderella by Laura Whipple; illustrated by Laura Beingessner
Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham; illustrated by Juan Wijngaard
Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters; illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins; illustrated by Virginia Halstead

When you're the father of daughters...

2011-08-19T20:17:00.000-05:00

Todd reading a Nancy Drew comic.

...you find yourself reading books you never dreamed you would.

Book Give-Away: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

2011-08-18T14:55:00.001-05:00

My girls wanted to share one of their favorite stories, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken (linked to my review), with one lucky individual.

Here's what you need to do:

Leave a comment about a book you either read or were read as a child, that scared you, but that you loved. Make sense? Or you can write a memory regarding this particular book.
You must leave, in your comment, a way for me to get in touch with you to let you know you won, preferably a valid email address. If you don't, your comment won't count. (Kids, please check with your parents before entering this give-away.)
Anyone is eligible. We will send the book anywhere in the world.
The give-away will close at 11:59 p.m. this coming Sunday (21 August 2011), U.S. central time. The winner will be announced on Monday morning and contacted. The winner will have 24 hrs to reply, at which time (if they do not respond) a new winner will be chosen.

July's Reading Roundup: Books for Me

2011-08-16T00:13:00.000-05:00

Is it too late to share what I read in July? I will anyway, 'though it was a pretty light reading month; too many other distractions. But I did manage to read a few good books.

The Scientist and the Sociopath

by Joseph D'Agnese

I first got hooked on books about science in high school, (where the only thing that saved me from flunking IB biology was the discovery of The Lives of a Cell, The Selfish Gene, The Panda's Thumb, and Eight Little Piggies, and an insane amount of studying.)
So back to this book: funky cover, awesome content. (Not the same content/subjects as the books mentioned above, by the way.) I downloaded this on my Nook for the screaming hot deal of $1.99. This is my kind of book: completely fascinating true stories, where science and the people who "practice" it intersect. I just like Joe D'Agnese's approachable style of writing. And he has a knack for making science -and any other subject he tackles, for that matter- completely compelling.

She Went All the Way

by Meg Cabot

This is a fluffy, fun adult (yes, most definitely adult) romance with a touch of mystery and a whole lot of being chased by bad guys. Not my usual read, it is only my second Meg Cabot book; the first being Insatiable a year or so ago. I read She Went All the Way at my sister's house, where, coincidentally, my 15-year-old niece was in the middle of Cabot's famed Princess Diaries series, which she says she's really enjoying. ("And completely different from the movies," she says.)She kept eyeing the book and finally asked if it was by the same author. I said "Yes, but if you touch this book your mother will string me up by my little toes, so hands off, toots."
Oddly enough, I've never read any of Meg Cabot's tween/teen books.

Inside Out

by Maria V. Snyder

Trella is a pipe scrubber, a resident of the Inside: a mysterious, overcrowded world where classes of people (the intellectuals vs. the "workers") are kept separate, and not given much knowledge of each other, or what, exactly is the world they inhabit. When Trella reluctantly goes with her foster brother to meet a prophet claiming the existence of the mysterious Gateway -a portal long talked about, but held by most to be mere myth- she inadvertently starts a growing rebellion against the establishment.
I started reading this dystopian book and didn't want to put it down until I finished. (And for those who care about possible objectionable content: if it were a movie, it would be rated PG for violence, and G -possibly PG- for sexual content, and I don't remember any language.) The sequel is Outside In.

Susanna's Current Favorite Book: Press Here by Herve Tullet

2011-08-10T12:07:00.002-05:00

Press Here

Written and illustrated by Herve Tullet
Ages 2 and up
(Published in 2011 by Chronicle Books)

This charming and oh-so clever, interactive book is magic to my little three-almost-four-year-old. She giggles, and pushes, and shakes, and tips, and blows, and claps according to the directions each time we read it, as if it's the first time. (You'll know what I mean once you've read/done the book.) It's very seriously fun business to her. It's the requested bedtime read right now. (Check out the trailer below to get a taste of what I mean.)

Vacation highlights, coming home, and more audio book listening

2011-08-05T13:49:00.000-05:00

We are finally home from our month-long vacation out west. We had fun visiting family, catching up on all the happenings in their lives. My girls thought they died and went to Heaven when we stayed with my sister and they got to play with their girl cousins all day long. I loved the time I got to spend with my best friend (my sister) despite the many interruptions from various quarters of life. And I'm grateful to my bro-in-law for putting up with the added estrogen factor. We stayed at my sister's house for the first half of our visit, and then went to my parent's house for the last half.
I took my computer along with every intention of blogging during that time, but it was never really convenient.
My parents recently emptied their storage unit that they had had during their decades in Africa, moving the contents to their new-ish home. It was fun unearthing some of the treasures that haven't seen the light of day in 30 plus years, and hearing the stories behind some of the items I didn't recognize. And the books! So many old friends that I wanted to browse through, but couldn't due to a too-full house. (Next time I'm staying in the guestroom with the bookshelves, Mom!) I spent hours going through old school papers they'd kept for me, tossing out most of them. It was a fun walk down memory lane.
My older brother and his family came from Louisiana for the reunion, and we got to spend quality time with them as well.
And I got to meet my new little nephew, and nominally help my younger brother and his family move to their new house.
So, all in all, fun times were had, but in the end I was very ready to come home. It's hard to be away from home and Todd for so long (his work load wouldn't permit a vacation at this time), and my girls, despite all the bontemps, were chomping at the bit to come home to Daddy.
The drive back was sooo not fun; my girls were fractious and antsy and not behaving well, despite the following audio books:

1. What Katy Did At School, written by Susan Coolidge, read by Laurel Lefkow, produced by Naxos AudioBooks. My girls were anxious to hear the next installment of the Katy series. This story follows the adventures of Katy and her next sister Clover as they navigate the world of boarding school.

2. Best Loved Stories in Song and Dance, told by Jim Weiss, produced by Greathall Productions. The stories on this disc are The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White and Rose Red.

3. The Mysterious Benedict Society, written by Trenton Lee Stewart, read by Del Roy, produced by Listening Library. I haven't read these books or heard much about them, other than one friend's recent recommendation, and so didn't know what to expect. I was hooked from the start. I loved this clever story and listened avidly. My girls, not so much. I'm not sure why, but they didn't follow the story very well, or listen very well. I think it was the anticipation of going home rather than the story itself. Now I'm dying to read the rest of the books, and see what other adventures the Mysterious Benedict Society has. Poor Grandma (my mom) was left hanging near the end, since we hadn't finished by the time we dropped her off in Nashville, and still had two hours left of the story. But we promised to buy her the books so she can find out what happens.
(I forgot to mention that the highlight of our drive, going and coming, was that my mom came with us. She flew to Nashville, where we picked her up, and she drove west with us. Then we did the same thing in reverse on the return trip. It was so wonderful having that time with her, since she had to work for most of our visit and wasn't able to spend a lot of time with us. It was fun listening to books with her.)

Long Road Trips + Great Audiobooks = Heaven

2011-08-01T20:17:00.001-05:00

We have made the trip west to attend two family reunions this month, and made the decision to drive rather than fly, since we would need a car once we arrived at our destination anyway.
In anticipation of our trip (and out of abhorrence of plugging my girls into portable DVDs since I find it makes them horrible travellers), I purchased and rented a quantity of audio books for the trip.

Here is the line-up of our audio selections we've listened to so far. (We head east again tomorrow, so stay tuned for the going-east audio line-up.):

1. What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge, read by Laurel Lefkow, produced by Naxos AudioBooks. My girls loved this abridged story, about a girl named Katy Carr, the oldest girl in a widowed doctor's family of six, in the 1860s. Katy is tall and gangly and careless, and leads her siblings in all sorts of adventures, until tragedy strikes and she has to have her own adventure. Laurel Lefkow does such an amazingly superb job of reading. Her pacing and voicing are perfect.
(P.S. I love, love, love Naxos Audiobooks. Their audio books are consistently, wonderfully done. Their readers do such a superb job.)

2. Charlotte's Web by E.B White, read by the author. One of our very favorite stories about the loyal friendship between a pig and a spider. The audio left a lot to be desired, 'though. The author has quite a monotonous voice that doesn't do his wonderful story any favors.

3. Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater, read by Nick Sullivan, produced by Hachette Audio. A silly, fun and lively story of a house painter whose fascination with penguins causes a noted Antarctic explorer to send him a live penguin, which results in a few problems. The story is brought to life so well by Mr. Sullivan.

4. Sylvester, or The Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer, read by Richard Armitage, produced by Naxos AudioBooks. "When Sylvester, the Duke of Salford, first meets Phoebe Marlow, he finds her dull and insipid. She finds him insufferably arrogant. But when a series of unforeseen events leads them to be stranded together in a lonely country inn, they are both forced to reassess their hastily formed opinions, and begin a new-found liking and respect for each other. Sylvester calls to mind the satirical genius of a Jane Austen novel and is adored for its wit and a fast-paced plot that ranges across a myriad of settings." (From Naxos AudioBooks)
Richard Armitage reads this abridged book with panache and suavity, and real depth of feeling. He does such a superb job of voicing the various characters. (His voicing of Sir Nugent Fotherby especially had me in stitches.)

Chapter Books For Doll Lovers

2011-07-05T12:57:00.001-05:00

The Racketty-Packetty House

Written by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Ages 6 and up

Originally published in 1906, this is a charming, classic story (by the author of A Little Princess and The Secret Garden) of two dollhouses and their inhabitants and the little girl who is their careless and untidy owner. With the advent of the new, modern Tidy Castle and its inhabitants, the old-fashioned hand-me-down dollhouse and family gets dubbed Racketty-Packetty, and moved to an out-of-the-way corner of the nursery and ignored. But the old doll family continues to live life to the fullest, in a jolly, happy fashion. And then their world is threatened as they learn that their little owner intends to burn their house, and only the fairy queen Crosspatch, who loves them and visits the happy family often, can save them. (The story is narrated by Queen Crosspatch.) My girls are enchanted by this story that contains timeless lessons about life.

We have the version illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, and my older girls pore over the illustrations constantly, as well as re-reading it. (The cover for the one illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin is not very appealing, but the internal illustrations are lovely.)

Big Susan

Written by Elizabeth Orton Jones
Ages 6 and up
(Published in 2002 by Purple House Press)

This wonderful classic book was originally published in 1947. It's a timelessly sweet story that my little girls love. A tale about miracles large and small, the story focuses on Christmas Eve, the one night when the dolls come alive each year. (Big Susan is the little girl who owns them.) Most appealling for the 6-10 age bracket.

The Doll People

Written by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin
Illustrated by Brian Selznick
Middle Readers, Ages 7 and up
(Published in 2000 by Hyperion Books)

This is the first book in a series that my girls continuously turn to for reading pleasure. This first book tells the story of Annabelle Doll, an eight-year-old doll who had been passed down from mother to daughter for 100 years. Her current owner, Kate, seems to be getting too old for dolls because Annabelle hasn't been played with much lately, and she's bored. It seems to Annabelle that nothing exciting has ever really happened, except for the matter weighing heavily on her mind lately: the disappearance of Annabelle's Auntie Sarah some 45 years ago. No one knows where she's gone. In her exploring, Annabelle has found Auntie Sarah's journal, but keeps it a secret from her family while she figures out what to do.

When Kate's little sister, Nora gets a new dollhouse set for her birthday, the two girls from the very disparate doll families become fast friends. Together they try to solve the mystery of Auntie Sarah's disappearance, while trying to bridge the generational gap between their two families, and avoid Doll State (if they are seen moving by a human, they lose the ability to move and end up in Doll State for 24 hours) and the family cat, Captain, who shows too much interest in their movements and seems to have a penchant for stashing toys.

My girls love this story, and the other two books of the series, and they love the illustrations. We had these books before Karina could read, and she frequently picked them up to pore over the pictures. She was so excited when she was finally able to read these books. Now both older girls pick them up frequently to re-read their favorite parts.

These books also make good read-alouds. And if you have a chance to listen to the audiobook version, do. It is read to perfection by Lynn Redgrave. We've checked it out from the library so many times, I really need to buy our own copy, which will be possible this September.

The Meanest Doll in the World is the second book of the series, but is its own adventure, as is the third book The Runaway Dolls. But I would encourage you to read The Doll People first, to be introduced to the doll families and find out their histories, etc.

House of Dolls

Written by Francesca Lia Block
Illustrated by Barbara McClintock
Middle Readers, Ages 8 and up
(Published in 2010 by HarperCollins Children's Books)

Madison Blackberry's dolls live the high life in a sumptuous dollhouse, with handmade clothes and furnishings, provided lovingly by Madison's grandmother. The problem is, Madison is being ignored by the adults in her life, and she's taking her resentment out on the dolls.

A good story that is both tragic and hopeful, about the importance of time spent with your children. The issue of the grandmother showing her love for her granddaughter by providing her with these lavish "things" for her dolls, but not lavishing her time on the girl is an important message for anyone. And the story's resolution is satisfying. I certainly enjoyed the book and message, and, of course, the illustrations. (The main reason I bought it. I'm a huge fan of Barbara McClintock's work.)
I haven't read this aloud to my girls, because the dolls in the story have "boyfriends", and one of the ways the little girl punishes the dolls is by sending their boyfriends to "war" (a shoebox in the closet.) This is a very big deal to the dolls, and while nothing inappropriate goes on, I feel like that is not an issue I want raised front and center with my little girls. There will be plenty of time for that later. So this is one book I will have to keep for my own enjoyment for a few more years.

And some recent purchases that I'm looking forward to reading:

Hitty: Her First Hundred Years

Written by Rachel Field

Illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop

"This Newbery Award winner is a timeless classic about a very special doll that belongs to Phoebe Preble. Phoebe brings her beautiful doll everywhere she goes, both on land and sea, and they share many adventures and meet new friends. This is the story of Hitty's years with Phoebe, and the many that follow in the life of a well-loved doll." (From Goodreads)

The Friendship Doll

Written by Kirby Larson

"I am Miss Kanagawa. In 1927, my 57 doll-sisters and I were sent from Japan to America as Ambassadors of Friendship. Our work wasn't all peach blossoms and tea cakes. My story will take you from New York to Oregon, during the Great Depression. Though few in this tale are as fascinating as I, their stories won't be an unpleasant diversion. You will make the acquaintance of Bunny, bent on revenge; Lois, with her head in the clouds; Willie Mae, who not only awakened my heart, but broke it; and Lucy, a friend so dear, not even war could part us. I have put this tale to paper because from those 58 Friendship Dolls only 45 remain. I know that someone who chooses this book is capable of solving the mystery of the missing sisters. Perhaps that someone is you." (From Goodreads)

The Doll Shop Downstairs

Written by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Illustrated by Heather Maione

"Nine-year-old Anna and her sisters love to play with the dolls in their parents' doll repair shop. But when World War I begins, an embargo on German-made goods-including the parts Papa needs to repair the dolls-threatens to put the family's shop out of business. Fortunately, Anna has an idea that just might save the day. Inspired by the true story of Madame Alexander, this is a timeless tale of family and imagination." (From Goodreads)

The Doll In The Garden

Written by Mary Downing Hahn

"After Ashley and Kristi find an antique doll buried in old Miss Cooper's garden, they discover that they can enter a ghostly turn-of-the-century world by going through a hole in the hedge." (From Goodreads)

The Dolls' House

Written by Rumer Godden

"Tottie is a loving little wooden doll who lives with her family in a shoebox. The doll family are owned by two sisters, Emily and Charlotte, and are very happy, except for one thing: they long for a proper home. To their delight, their wish comes true when Emily and Charlotte fix up a Victorian dolls' house - just for them. It's perfect. But then, a new arrival starts to wreak havoc in the dolls' house. For Marchpane might be a wonderfully beautiful doll, but she is also terribly cruel. And she always gets her own way ..." (From Goodreads)

Picture Books For Doll Lovers

2011-07-01T09:49:00.005-05:00

In cleaning up the inevitable books scattered here, there, and everywhere, I suddenly realized that we have quite the collection of books about dolls. I suppose that's natural, given that I have three very girly girls who love their dolls. So here you go: our well-loved collection of picture books featuring dolls (and the books we haven't read yet but want to, that feature dolls.) The next post will be the chapter books we have featuring dolls, as well as the books on our reading wish list.

A Is For Annabelle: A Doll's Alphabet

Written and illustrated by Tasha Tudor

A charming book that gets pored over frequently by my girls, about two little girls who discover their grandmother's doll -a nineteenth century porcelain doll- and all her drool-worthy accoutrements, written and illustrated by the incomparable Tasha Tudor.

The Dolls' Christmas

Another fun and charming doll book from Tasha Tudor. It has made my girls long for the doll house in it, and start writing tiny doll letters.
This book appeals to my bigger girls more now at ages 6 1/2 and 8 than it did when they were younger.

Dahlia

Written and illustrated by Barbara McClintock

All of us love this delightful story of a little tomboy of a girl named Charlotte who receives a frilly doll from her aunt. At first, the tomboyish, nature-loving little girl doesn't know what to do with her, but she drags Dahlia along on her day's adventures anyway. By the end of the day, Dahlia is not so frilly anymore, but she has a strangely happy smile on her face. Best of all is the aunt's reaction when she discovers the state of the doll. Such a good story, with wonderful illustrations! One of our most favorite books!

The Best-Loved Doll

Written by Rebecca Caudill
Illustrated by Elliott Gilbert

If you haven't read this book, it's a little gem. First published in 1962, this sweet story is about a little girl named Betsy and her dolls. One day Betsy is invited to a party and the invitation instructs her to bring one doll to the party. "Prizes will be given for the oldest doll, the best-dressed doll, the doll who can do the most things," reads the invitation. Which of her dolls should Betsy take? Find out which choice she makes, and find out what the wise mother of the birthday girl does to pay special tribute to Betsy's choice. This is a charming story that my little girls love.

William's Doll

Written by Charlotte Zolotow

Illustrated by William Pene Du Bois

A classic. Beautiful, poignant story, beautifully told, with a message that is still valid, despite the dated illustrations. Has anyone not read this? If not, you should, especially if you have little boys. If I were an advocate of required reading, I would thrust this into every father's hands and make them read it.

The Story of Holly and Ivy

Written by Rumer Godden

Illustrated by Barabra McClintock

Another classic that I loved when I was a girl, and now my girls love as well. This Christmas story of how a doll, an orphan, and a couple's three wishes converge and are fulfilled makes a truly satisfying read no matter what time of year.

The Magic Nesting Doll

Written by Jacqueline Ogburn
Illustrated by Laurel Long

A Russian-inspired fairy/folk tale of a girl given a matroyshka doll, which comes with special instructions. Best of all (in my girls' eyes) the girl rescues the prince, instead of the other way round. I love Laurel Long's magical illustrations that accompany this intriguing story.

Other picture books we haven't read yet, but would like to read soon:

Babushka's Doll
Written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco

"Babushka's doll was special. She had played with it only once, when she was a little girl like her high-spirited granddaughter, Natasha.
Now Babushka is going to the store and it's Natasha's turn to take the little doll down from the high shelf. When the naughty doll comes to life -- and is even more rambunctious than the little girl herself -- Natasha finds out why playing once with Babushka's doll is enough!" (From Goodreads)

Elizabeti's Doll

Written by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
Illustrated by Cristy Hale

"When her new baby brother arrives, Elizabeti decides she needs a doll that she can care for the way her mother cares for the new baby. After looking around the village, Elizabeti finds the perfect doll to love. She names her Eva. When Mama changes the new baby's diaper, Elizabeti changes Eva's. When Mama sings to the baby, Elizabeti sings to Eva. And one day when Eva turns up lost, Elizabeti realizes just how much she loves her special doll. For children adjusting to a new sibling, this story is perfect." (From Goodreads)

Little Mommy

Written and illustrated by Sharon Kane

"THE 'LITTLE MOMMY' in this story is an adorable little girl. We spend the day in her charming company as she cares for her dolls, treats their ills, gives them a tea party, feeds them dinner, and puts them to bed. Beautifully illustrated, this book has a timeless feel." (From Goodreads)

The Apple Doll

Written and illustrated by Elisa Kleven

"Lizzy loves the big apple tree in her yard more than anything. So when the first day of school comes, she picks a beautiful apple, turns it into a makeshift doll she names Susanna, and takes it along to keep her company. But her teacher tells her that dolls aren't allowed at school. Even worse, her sister says that Susanna won't last forever. Then Lizzy's mom shows her a way to turn Susanna into a real apple doll. And with the help of Susanna the Apple Doll, Lizzy overcomes her shyness at school and makes plenty of new friends to bring home to play in her beloved apple tree.
Detailed, delightful collage illustrations accompany this sweet story about one girl's success in bringing together her home world and her school world. Instructions for making an apple doll just like Susanna are included!" (From Goodreads)

The Surprise Doll

Written by Morrell Gipson
Illustrated by Steffie Lerch

"For more than half a century children have been captivated with the story of Mary and her dolls. Mary's father was a sea captain who took long trips across the ocean, bringing back a doll from each journey. Soon Mary had six dolls and wished for a seventh one to become her "Sunday" doll. But Mary's father said six dolls were enough for any girl, so she set off to visit the Dollmaker and, oh, was she in for a surprise!" (From Goodreads)

The Wheat Doll

Written by Alison Randall

Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth

"It is the late 1800s. Mary Ann lives with her family in the rugged Utah territory, where she tends the vegetable garden, dips candles, and braids rags into rugs. Mary Ann has a busy life, and a special friend to share it with: her beloved homemade doll, Betty.

Betty s wheat-filled body sits straight and tall. Her embroidered eyes never blink. Still, Mary Ann knows that Betty is always paying attention, and listening to her secrets.

But one afternoon, a sudden, fierce storm forces Mary Ann and her family into their cabin before the young girl can retrieve her doll from the garden. By the time the wild wind and rain subside, Betty is gone. Heartbroken, Mary Ann refuses to give up searching for her best friend. Then one day, when winter turns to spring, Mary Ann spies a familiar shape growing as a patch of slender grass near the bottom of a hill...

An afterword by the author reveals the story of the real-life Mary Ann and her doll, the inspiration for THE WHEAT DOLL." (From Goodreads)

Stay tuned for the next post: Chapter Books For Doll Lovers

Learning ALL The Time

Hope Is the Word

Book Talk Tuesday

Olivia Reviews the First Book in Her New Favorite Series: the Harriet Bean Books by Alexander McCall Smith

2011-06-21T12:48:00.000-05:00

Eight-year-old Olivia (who had her birthday this month) now has a new favorite series that she is devouring: the Harriet Bean books by Alexander McCall Smith. I found them at the online library site while I was checking on the availability of his Akimbo series (of which they only have one), and hoped she might like them.

The other night she dashed into the family room, gripping the first book, and exclaimed in an excited way, "This is SUCH a good book! I've been so absorbed in it!" Yes, she really did say that, and yes, she was. She lay on her bed all evening and read the book from cover to cover. It's so fun to see kids connect with books. When she was done, she handed it to me and said, "Mom, you've got to read this!" And I will, so we can talk about it together.

But since I haven't finished it, and Olivia is anxious to tell everyone about it, I asked Olivia to do a quick review of the book she liked so much. Here is what she has to say about it, synopsis and all:

The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean

Written by Alexander McCall Smith
Illustrated by Laura Rankin

Harriet Bean lives with her absentminded inventor father. She learns, for the first time, that she has five aunts, her father's sisters. She takes an interest in that right away, especially when her father shows her a unfinished portrait of his family, and wants to know where they are. When her father tells her he has lost touch with them, she decides to take matters into her own hands, knowing her father is too absentminded to do so. She decides to write to the one aunt her father still has an old address for. Join Harriet Bean as she goes in search of her five lost aunts and tries to bring the family together again.

The way she went about finding the lost aunts was very interesting. And I thought she was clever in how she got her father to talk about his sisters. She discovered that the only way to get her absentminded father to talk about her aunts was to keep feeding him buttered scones and peppering him with questions. That's how she kept getting bits of the story from him. Isn't that funny? When she finds the aunts, she discovers they all have interesting jobs, but I'll let that be a surprise. I just loved this book. I hope you will, too.

P.S. I forgot to say that I loved the pictures in the book, especially of Harriet's father. And I'm still reading the second book, Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats, but it's good too. I think the third one, The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean, will be just as good.

Summer Reading Game Plan A.K.A. Taming My Out-of-Control TBR Pile

2011-06-17T08:29:00.003-05:00

Okay, so here's the deal! (This is my Susanna's favorite phrase right now. Don't know where she got it, but for some reason she loves it, because she uses it in any negotiating she tries to do. "Here'th the deal, Mom. You make me a thandwit-th and I'll take it upstairth to wath a movie." "No, here's the deal, Toots, I'll make you a sandwich, and you get to eat it at the table." OR "Here'th the deal, Mom. You read me ten bookth tho I want to thtay in bed." I've got a con-artist in the making.)

Anyway, in looking over my bookshelves in the last few days, I realize I really, REALLY need to concentrate on reading from my own shelves instead of getting distracted by the amazing books y'all are bringing to my attention, thus forcing me to keep borrowing more and more books from the library while my own shelves weep in abandonment. I have a whole bunch of books that have been waiting patiently for me to get around to them. And I need to use the summer to start purging books that I really don't want to re-read. (For myself, I only keep books that I love to re-read.) I also need to go through the kids' shelves to get rid of books that aren't favorites, especially those that are available at the library as well.

So my summertime reading is going to consist of books off my own shelves with only a few library books sprinkled in here and there. And heaven knows my two older girls are set for reading for a while. I purchased the next three Ivy & Bean books for them, plus, they recently acquired a bunch of Boxcar Children books at a library book sale. And it won't hurt Susanna's to be limited to our own shelves.

*UPDATE: I am deeply embarrassed to admit that after counting the unread books in my shelves, I find there are 115 books THAT I OWN still waiting to be read. Appalling. And that doesn't include my Goodreads list or my own Excel spreadsheet that contains a combined 500-ish books I want to read...someday.

And since publishing this post, I discovered that the Book Blogger Hop this week is on this very subject. Head over to Crazy For Books to join the Hop and disclose your own/read others' dirty little secrets regarding their out-of-control TBR stacks.

Problems with Blogger's "Follow" Button

2011-06-16T20:16:00.001-05:00

My "Followers" button has not worked for over a month now. It doesn't even show up. And when I visit other Blogger blogs I can't follow them because theirs don't show up either.
Any one else experiencing this problem?

In Honour of Our 12th Wedding Anniversary...

2011-06-15T08:15:00.000-05:00

...a few rambling remembrances of how we got here.

The night we met, Todd called me stupid.
Well, really what he said was, "I know you're health conscious and all, but don't you think it's stupid to be riding your bike on a night like this?"
I didn't like him much.
He was an arrogant fly-boy.
Four months later, he asked me on a date.
In front of an office full of co-workers.
Because he liked how I looked in saggy baggy coveralls.
I said yes, but really meant no.
It was more fun than I expected.
I didn't let him kiss me goodnight.
I certainly never expected him to call me again.
But he did.
So we started dating.
And it was fun, and stress-free, because we both knew he was transferring to San Diego in the summer. (We were in North Carolina.)
Three months later, he took me for a drive.
We stopped at some gazebos on the Pasquotank River.
He looked nervous.
I was nervous because there were spiders, lots of spiders.
And I kept waiting for the So-long-it's-been-good-to-know-you speech.
But that didn't happen.
He got down on one knee.
And said, "Will you marry me?"
While holding out a diamond ring.
He had to save me from falling backward into the water.
I said "no."
Because I didn't know if I loved him enough.
He said, "Please keep the ring while you think about it."
So I kept it.
And it burned a hole in my drawer.
I wanted to give it back.
Then one day, two months later, I realized I didn't want to give it back.
I realized I was crazy about that arrogant fly-boy.
Who wasn't as arrogant as he let on.
So I said "yes", and put on his ring.
And we separated.
Him to the West Coast
Me on the East Coast.
Out of our duty to the Coast Guard.
And we wrote letters.
And talked on the phone.
And wrote more letters.
And missed each other very very much.
We were married almost a year later.
And we lived realistically ever after.
The end.
But really it's just the beginning.

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

2011-06-14T05:00:00.002-05:00

Inside Out & Back Again

Written by Thanhha Lai
Middle Readers, Ages 8 and up
(Published in 2011 by Harper Collins)

In 1975, ten-year-old Ha and her mother and brothers flee Saigon, before the Communists take over. After a grueling sea voyage on an overcrowded ship, and time spent in refugee camps, they end up in Alabama through the sponsorship of a "cowboy." There they must learn to navigate life in this new world, and Ha despairs of ever fitting in and not feeling stupid. Told through Ha's eyes, this story chronicles her life before leaving Saigon, and after coming to Alabama.

I love, love, LOVE this book! Written in free verse form, Lai's turn of phrase is so lyrical, beautiful, and evocative. For example, when they're embarking on the refugee boat:

"We climb on
and claim a space
of two straw mats
under the deck,
enough for us five
to lie side by side.

By sunset our space
is one straw mat,
enough for us five
to huddle together.

Bodies cram
every centimeter
below deck,
then every centimeter
on deck.

Everyone knows the ship
could sink,
unable to hold
the piles of bodies
that keep crawling on
like raging ants
from a disrupted nest.

But no one
is heartless enough
to say
stop
because what if
they had been
stopped
before their turn?"

And then later, when Ha is trying to learn English:

"Brother Quang says
add an s to nouns
to mean more than one
even if there's
already an s
sitting there.

Glass
Glasses

All day
I practice
squeezing hisses
through my teeth.

Whoever invented
English
must have loved
snakes."

Isn't that gorgeous imagery? I couldn't stop reading this book. I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen to Ha and her family, and I ached for them as they tried to find a place in the new world they fled to.
Thank you for writing such a marvelous book, Ms. Lai.

Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder

2011-06-13T05:00:00.002-05:00

Penny Dreadful

Written by Laurel Snyder
Illustrated by Abigail Halpin
Middle Readers, Ages 8 and up
(Published in 2010 by Random House Books for Young Readers)

Penelope goes from a rich, pampered, sheltered, boring life in the city, where books are her best friends and her parents are too busy for her, to living a poor but free and adventure-filled life in the country as Penny, with a whole town full of real friends and parents who finally pay attention.

This fun and cozy book is peopled with some great eclectic characters, and great illustrations. And it's the perfect summertime (or anytime) read. I love all the bookish references peppered throughout the story - books either mentioned outright or referred to in some way like this:

"Maybe she was the friend of Penny's dream: a Betsy to her Tacy."

How can you not love a book that does that? This is a book that feels like an old friend and an exciting new friend, both at once. It has a homey all-your-favorite-books-from-childhood feel to it, and yet it also feels contemporary.

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

2011-06-10T05:00:00.007-05:00

A Tale Dark & Grimm

Written by Adam Gidwitz
Middle Grade Fiction, Ages 8 and up
(Published in 2010 by Dutton Children's Books)

This is a deliciously gruesome and imaginative tale, done in the original Grimm style, only much better written, with some hilarious pithy, but sympathetic narrative asides. (It's worth reading the book just for those.)
The story is a clever combination of several fairy tales (Hansel and Gretel, Faithful Johannes, The Seven Ravens, Brother and Sister, The Robber Bridegroom, and The Devil and His Three Golden Hairs) and the author's own originality. It makes for a scary good read. (It would make an excellent read-aloud. But as the narrator warns, it is gruesome and scary in places, so know your child.)
Here's wishing you many more books, Mr. Gidwitz. I eagerly anticipate reading them.

My Girls' New Favorite Book: Ivy & Bean

2011-06-09T10:25:00.001-05:00

Ivy + Bean

Written by Annie Barrows
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Ages 6 and up
(Published in 2006 by Chronicle Books)

I bought this book a few weeks ago, not knowing anything about it, but as I skimmed through it at the store, it looked like one both my girls could and would want to read because:

1. The two little female protagonists are seven years old.
2. It is a book about best friends.
3. It has a young reader-friendly print size.
4. It is liberally peppered with pictures.

I was sure it had "hit" potential with my girls. They ignored it.
Then, when we were at the library the other day, I saw the audiobook version and borrowed it, hoping it would jump start their interest. And boy, did it! They have giggled over the audiobook all week (whose reader, Cassandra Morris, does a superb job, by the way), and now Karina is half-way through the book, with Olivia chomping at her heels to be finished so she can read it.

The synopsis:
Bean's mother keeps wanting Bean to make friends with Ivy, the new girl her age in the cul-de-sac. But Bean thinks she looks boring. One day, in hiding from her older sister Nancy after playing a practical joke on her, Bean finds an unexpected ally in Ivy. And a friendship blossoms as they discover their similarities and differences, and together conspire to take revenge on Nancy for her big sister meannesses.

The book is a quick read, for you moms (and dads) who like to pre-read books before handing them to your kids. It's a fairly quick read for kids too, which is appealing to young readers. And while, as a mom, I hope it doesn't give my girls any ideas about ill-treating each other (as if they didn't get plenty of ideas themselves!), the kid in me giggled along with the adventures of these two quirky, funny, vibrant, REAL girls. We look forward to more Ivy and Bean adventures.

There are 7 books in the series so far:
2. Ivy + Bean and the Ghost That Had to Go
3. Ivy + Bean Break the Fossil Record
4. Ivy + Bean Take Care of the Babysitter
5. Ivy + Bean: Bound to Be Bad
6. Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance
7. Ivy + Bean: What's the Big Idea

Also go visit Chronicle's Ivy + Bean Website for the Ivy + Bean Fan Club and some great teacher and librarian resources, such as book-inspired worksheets and fun games you can play.

And check out what other families are reading at Read Aloud Thursday.

Home Schooling: A Family's Journey by Martine and Gregory Millman

2011-06-08T06:00:00.003-05:00

Home Schooling: A Family's Journey

Written by Gregory and Martine Millman

Autobiography/Memoir

Published in 2008 by Tarcher

This very well-written book chronicles the journey of one New Jersey family out of the public/private school system and into interest-led home schooling; a journey these highly educated parents didn't originally anticipate, but one which they found to be completely rewarding.
This book also touches on some important deficiencies in the public education arena, and gives a very interesting look at one family's personal solution to those deficiencies. If you are a home schooling family looking into interest-led home schooling, read this book. If you are a mainstreamed public or private school parent, this is a good book to read to understand why some parents choose the home schooling route for reasons other than religion.

"We want our children to become who they are--- and a developed person is, above all, free. But freedom as we define it doesn't mean doing what you want. Freedom means the ability to make choices that are good for you. It is the power to choose to become what you are capable of becoming, to develop your unique potential by making choices that turn possibility into reality. It is the ability to make choices that actualize you. As often as not, maybe more often than not, this kind of freedom means doing what you do not want, doing what is uncomfortable or tiring or boring or annoying." - Gregory Millman

Their approach to learning is characterized by a reliance on "real" books (as opposed to textbooks), real-world experiences, and travel, with very marked success. Gregory Millman says, " With exceptions so rare it is hard to remember one, textbooks are to books as powdered food supplements are to a good, balanced meal." Yes, yes and yes.

Here are some other quotes from the book on issues that resonated with me:

"Sometimes it [the government/society]* wanted children to solve the social problems, such as racial segregation, adults could not handle. Sometimes it tacitly supported some schools as warehouses, not instructional facilities. Sometimes it sought schooling to be the equalizer in a society in which the gap between the rich and the poor was growing... Now the drumbeat demands that all children achieve academically at a high level and the measure of that achievement is tests." - Patricia Albjerg Graham, former director of the National Institute of Education

In elaboration of the above statement, Millman writes, "The decision to send a child to school is a decision to send a child into an environment with an organization and culture shaped by such seldom articulated assumptions and compromises. It is a decision to entrust a child to an enterprise whose tacit mission and goals may be different from the ones written on the wall. These missions and goals are both political and economic."

He discusses the concept of "agency risk - the notion that people who manage an organization [in this case, schools] tend to manage it in their own interest, not in the interest of shareholders or other stake-holders [i.e. the children]."

Personally, I read this book with a silent cheer, because not only does it outline so well the issues and struggles my own family has faced in the public school system in our town, but the Millmans' philosophy toward education and learning is one that I passionately share.

(Let me also clearly state that I support every family's right to choose the educational option that works best for them, be it public school, private school, home school, or even no school. It is not my place to question another family's educational decisions.)

*The words within the brackets [ ] are mine, to make the quote clearer.

The Millman's blog at http://www.homeschoolingafamilysjourney.com/

Bloggy Awards and other Random Stuff

2011-06-07T17:22:00.000-05:00

A huge "Thank You" to Sarah Ducharme of Try Curiosity and Catherine of The Cath in the Hat, both fabulous bloggers whose blogs I read all the time, for the Irresistibly Sweet Blog award. Thanks for the kindness. I really appreciate the recognition.
In receiving the award, I'm supposed to list 7 random facts about me. Hmmm...

I am the second of four children, and the oldest girl.
My first pet was a hyena cub.
The first book I remember looking at and being fascinated by as a 3-year-old was Where There Is No Doctor.
I learned to read with Asterix and Tintin.
I sleep with my feet out of the covers.
I love salty licorice.
I adore the smell of coffee, but hate the taste of it.

These awards can become a bit of an endless circle, and I don't want to leave anyone out, so I'll just say that all the blogs listed on the right sidebar are blogs I think are terrific and read whenever they post.