Tag: books

HAPPY BIRTH DAY!
By Robie H. Harris
Illustrated by Michael Emberley
Candlewick Press, 1996

Category: Picture book

There are weeks when being a writer is hard. Like last week, when I had four projects screaming for attention, three children screaming for attention, and not enough time to do any of them justice. Blech.

And then there are weeks like this one. My writing buddies have helped me focus my project load and I am making good progress on the one needing the most attention. (Thank you, Eric and Liza!) This afternoon I had my first ever television interview and I feel good about how it went. Somehow I have an abundance of alone time on my schedule this week and I might—just might—finish the aforementioned project before leaving for the New England SCBWI Spring Conference in Nashua on Friday. As if all this weren’t enough excitement, I also get to meet Robie Harris on Thursday!

Could the week get any better?

Not surprisingly, I have been exploring Robie’s books all week; I am utterly smitten with HAPPY BIRTH DAY! It is the intimate story of one baby’s birth, and it was impossible for me to read it and not remember the birth days of my own three children. Michael Emberley’s illustrations are lovely and help make HAPPY BIRTH DAY!—like all the books by this author/illustrator team—an accurate and compelling resource for children who want to know a little bit more about the day they were born.

If you live near Holden, Massachusetts, you should stop by and hear Robie speak on Thursday (details below). If you are too far away, check back for a recap of the event on my blog later in the week. And in the meanwhile, treat yourself to one or two of Robie Harris’s books. You deserve a treat, don’t you?

The Gale Free Library presents:

Robie Harris
Thursday, May 17, 6:30pm
Holden Senior Center
1130 Main Street
Holden, MA 01520

 

THE CREATION, AN APPEAL TO SAVE LIFE ON EARTH
By E.O. Wilson
W.W. Norton & Company, 2007

Category: Adult Non-fiction

I am reading a lot of non-fiction these days. It started out as an Earth Day thing … I had several environmentally-themed books I had been wanting to read, and Earth Day seemed a good reason to start in on them. And I haven’t been able to stop.

Anyhoo …

Edward O. Wilson has a simple idea. Instead of focusing on the differences between those of us who praise reason and those of us who praise religion, why not focus on that which we hold in common: a dependence on Earth’s biodiversity. Wilson argues that rallying around one inescapable truth—that we humans have a profound impact our environment—will not only breed respect and understanding, but also help to save life on earth.

I applaud Wilson’s idea and recommend his book to anyone interested in a naturalist’s view of the state of our planet. But there were other reasons the book fascinated me. It is chock full of information that shocked my sense of magnitude. For example, did you know that:

“It is mathematically possible to log-stack all the people on Earth into a single block of one cubic mile and lower them out of sight in a remote part of the Grand Canyon.”

Clearly I have underestimated the scale of the Grand Canyon. Or perhaps I have overestimated the pervasive-ness of humankind? Does this statement leave anyone else with their mouth hanging open?

I’ll leave you with a final quote from THE CREATION.

“The power of science comes not from scientists but from its method.”

Amen to that.

 

LITTLE PEA
By Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrated by Jen Corace
Chronicle Books, 2005

Category: Picture book

My niece turns two this month, and the kids and I have been selecting her birthday books. Okay, well, I guess I have been selecting her books. Everyone else is supremely busy with school and baseball and T-ball and spring. All of which is fine by me, of course, because picking books is my thing.

I read LITTLE PEA when it first came out, and it has become one of my favorite toddler gift books. It is an irresistible concept … Little Pea must finish his dinner before getting dessert. Mama Pea and Papa Pea insist. (Sound familiar?) Yuck! Blech! Plck! Pleh! Little Pea chokes down his five bites, and is rewarded with his favorite desert. But Rosenthal and Corace have turned the familiar dinner time battle inside out, and the result is a round, green chuckle-fest for all ages. I’d love to tell you more, but I can’t bear to spoil the surprise. Read it for yourself!

The other titles in our birthday pile?

ESTELLE TAKES A BATH, written by Jill Esbaum and illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma, and which I have mentioned before. (I cannot wait to see my brother-in-law’s reaction. Will he giggle? Will he blush?)

A GOOD DAY, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. Simple, beautiful, perfect. Sigh.

SCAREDY SQUIRREL, the 2007 Cybils award winner in the picture book category, written and illustrated by Melanie Watt. More giggles.

I’d like to add one more book. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Bring them on! And quickly, please, because the big day is just around the bend.

 

UN-BRELLA
By Scott E. Franson
Roaring Brook Press, 2007

Category: Wordless picture book

My daughter and I enjoyed this book more each time we “read it” … which was, at last count, approximately 5,462 times.

It is adorable.

It is imaginative.

It is fun.

The blue-eyed imp on the cover has a magic umbrella (and we want one!). Whatever the weather does is undone by the UN-brella. It is a fabulous concept. Snowing outside? She wears a swimsuit and plays in the yard anyway. Hot and hazy? No worries … skating and snow angels are still possible.

Scott Franson has created a picture book that engages young readers and stands up to multiple readings … and he has done it all with vibrant graphic artwork. That’s right, folks, this book is wordless. And still, we read it … over and over and (“just-one-more-time-please”) over again.

 

CLEMENTINE
Written by Sara Pennypacker
Illustrated by Marla Frazee
Hyperion, 2006

Category: Elementary Fiction

Scene: My kitchen, early afternoon. Daughter is using markers and construction paper to make a birthday card for her friend G. Son 1, home sick from school, is doodling alongside her.

Me, entering the room: “Want to see what I got G for her birthday?”

Daughter, glancing at the book in my hand: “Not another book!”

Daughter drops her marker in frustration and gesticulates wildly with her pudgy hands, “Mom, can’t we ever give someone a toy for their birthday? Ever? Ever? Ever?”

Me: “But this is a great book, honey. I think G will really like it.”

Daughter, rolling her five-year-old eyes: “Mom. She can get books at the library. For her birthday she wants toys.”

Me: “But what if they don’t have this book at her library? What if it is the best book on the planet, and she loves it more than any other book she has ever read? She might have missed it if you didn’t give it to her as a birthday gift!”

Daughter, getting back to her card: “Whatever.”

Me, defensively: “This is a good book.”

Son1, not looking up from his doodling: “You do go a bit overboard with the book thing, Mom.”

Me, now very defensive: “Are you kidding me? Overboard? You guys love books. You love to read!”

Daughter and Son1, in unison: “We love toys, too, Mom!”

Me, sulking: “Hmmph.”

SILENCE

Me, recovering: “Well, I still think G is going to love this book.”

SILENCE

Me, scheming: “How about we read a chapter before I wrap it?”

Daughter and Son1 exchange meaningful glances : “Sure, Mom. Whatever.”

And then I read the first chapter of Sara Pennypacker’s CLEMENTINE. I am telling you, they were SUCKED IN. I mean, totally and completely helpless. By the close of the chapter they had both stopped drawing and were watching me with that rapt look that only comes when a child has fallen headlong into a story.

Daughter, giggling at the close of the first chapter: “Read one more, Mom, before you wrap it. Please?”

Me, trying hard not to gloat: “Well …

Son1: “Come on, Mom. Just one more.”

Me, giving in completely … to the gloating: “Nah. Sorry, guys, but I gotta wrap this puppy up. Maybe G will lend it to you when she is finished.”

Daughter: “Mom!”

Son1: “MOM!!”

Ha!

But I did stop by the library on the way home from the birthday party and picked up a copy of CLEMENTINE. We are three chapters in and everyone agrees it is hilarious and fabulous and probably the best birthday present we have ever given.

Thank you, Sara Pennypacker. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

THE TENTH GOOD THING ABOUT BARNEY
By Judith Viorst
Illustrated by Erik Blegvad
Aladdin Paperbacks, 1971

Category: Picture book

I read this book to my kids tonight because our Nana (my grandmother, their great-grandmother) died on Tuesday, and they are sad and intensely curious at the same time. Where is Nana? Is she in her body? Will we ever see her again? Does she miss us? Is she sad? I answered them as best I could, and then I read to them.

THE TENTH GOOD THING ABOUT BARNEY is the story of a boy grieving the death of his cat, Barney. The boy’s mother encourages him to share ten good things about Barney at the funeral, but the boy can only think of nine. As he struggles to understand what has happened to Barney, and to think of a tenth good thing about him, the boy learns to accept his loss. It is a lovely, lovely book. Lovely. And we all felt a little better for having read it.

Later, the kids and I came up with our own list. Here are ten good things about our Nana:

1. She was a very good great-grandmother.
2. She loved clowns.
3. She was open-minded.
4. She wrote poetry.
5. She was a voracious reader (especially mysteries).
6. She was very good at puzzles (especially crosswords).
7. She was generous (especially with spare change).
8. She kept pictures of her family all over the place.
9. She liked to hold babies.
10. She loved us.

We loved her, too.

RULES
By Cynthia Lord
Scholastic, 2006

Oh, I am so very behind in everything: the laundry, the groceries, the housework, the correspondence, the blog … everything. I won’t even tell you how many days it has been since I spent quality time with my work-in-progress. And I have jet-lag. How to cope? I decided the best way was a good book and a comfy place to sit. Cynthia Lord’s Newbery Honor book, RULES, has been in my TO READ pile for far too long anyway.

You all don’t need me to tell you this—I am sure you know it already—RULES is a very good book. Top notch. A must-read. It is the story of a girl defining herself in the midst of transitions (her best friend is away for the summer and a potential new friend has just moved in next door) and family dynamics (her brother is autistic and her parents are distracted by him and by life) and new roles (she has befriended a boy her age who uses a wheelchair and cannot speak). I loved getting to know Catherine, feeling proud of her decisions, and accepting her faults.

As I had hoped, reading a book like this took my focus away from the small details of my life (laundry, housework, blogs) and onto the bigger details (my children, my humanity, my love of story). Thank you Cynthia Lord!

Now, go and read RULES. It is important.

ESTELLE TAKES A BATH
By Jill Esbaum
Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma
Henry Holt, 2006

Category: Picture book fiction

A naked woman. A bubblebath. A mouse. Unlikely ingredients for a picture book, you say? Think again.

Amidst the hoopla over Susan Patron’s use of the word “scrotum” in her Newbery-medal winning novel THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY, I thoroughly enjoyed this risqué picture book. Dear Estelle is surprised by a mouse while taking her bath, and she freaks. Chaos ensues. Estelle leaps from the tub, grabs a broom, and gives chase … all in the nude. The mouse—also nude—runs for his life. The art is outrageous and the language is bouncy and the combination is fun, Fun, FUN.

A WRINKLE IN TIME
By Madeleine L’Engle
Dell Yearling, 1962

Category: Middle Grade Fantasy

Yesterday LOVE TO READ day with the second graders, today COMMUNITY READING day for the fifth graders. There is so much to love about the life of a writer!

I got the invitation to be a Community Reader months ago and my first thought was this: who picks the book? I was sorta hoping it would be me, because, well, I am picky about the books I read. Turns out the teachers and the PTA get to pick the books, but since the teachers and PTA folks around here rock, I got to read one of the most fabulous books on the planet (or off the planet!) … A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L’Engle.

I decided to read the first chapter, which introduces the book’s heroine, Meg Murray, and her strange circumstances. Meg’s father, a scientist, has gone away. No one, including Meg’s mother, knows where he is or when he will be back. For reasons Meg can’t grasp, Mrs. Murray is nonchalant about the disappearace. But not Meg. She is frightened. And angry. At the same time. Meg’s confusion only worsens when a mysterious old woman shows up in the Murray kitchen late one dark and stormy night to say “there is such a thing as a tesseract.” Who is Mrs. Whatsit? What is a tesseract? And why does news of its reality unhinge Meg’s mother?

It’s a great chapter. And because we had a little time left, I also read the bit where Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin arrive on Camazotz, the planet where Mr. Murray is trapped. Quite an eerie little scene and one that has haunted me since I first read this book twenty-five years ago.

At the end of my reading, most of the kids said they wanted to hear the rest of Meg’s story. Perhaps they heard something in the confusing reality of Meg’s adolescence that resonated with them, despite the outrageously unreal circumstances of her life? Perhaps the book touched their imaginations the same way it touched mine all those years ago? Not bad for a book published in 1962.

I’ve never read the rest of the books in L’Engles Time Quartet. Has anyone out there read A WIND IN THE DOOR, A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET or MANY WATERS? They are officially called “companions” to A WRINKLE IN TIME, and they are now on my TO READ list. How is it that I adored this book as a kid and never knew it had companions?!

BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE
By Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick, 2000

Today was LOVE TO READ day in our local elementary school, and I was invited to participate. Kids were encouraged to bring slippers, a cuddly, and their favorite book to school for a celebration of the written word. My job was to engage the second grade for forty minutes in a conversation about writing and reading. The teachers suggested I bring a copy of my own favorite book to read from. I tucked BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE in with my supplies and set off for the school as cool as a February icicle … because walking into a room of eighty-six second graders at the very end of a busy school day isn’t the least bit scary when you have Kate DiCamillo—quite literally—in your back pocket.

“My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a dog. This is what happened …”

Who wouldn’t want to snuggle in and hear India Opal tell how it all happened? I suspect that if I had read the second graders this opening line they would have begged for more. As it turns out, the completely fabulous second graders at LOVE TO READ day were not interested in anything but TRACKING TRASH! These eighty-six slippered second graders (along with their eighty-six furry friends) were astoundingly well-behaved, incredibly insightful with their questions, and wonderfully attentive to my answers. When our time ran out, they clapped like I was a rock star. And when I told them I was leaving a signed copy of my book in their library, they cheered some more.

I love LOVE TO READ day. I love second graders. And I love Kate DiCamillo and BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE. A gal couldn’t ask for better backup.