Monday, September 30, 2013

Children's Picture Atlas by Usborne

Children's Picture Atlas by Usborne

Rating: 4.5 stars

I really want Lorelei, Ben, and Kiefer to have a terrific sense of geography.  That desire-turned-goal comes from having traveled around the country, living in a bunch of different places as the daughter of a soldier.  Add to that living in a few different parts of Asia and traveling around to a few more in my twenties, and you get someone who can say she definitely was a traveler.  (Now I just travel via books. And to Reston.  Does that count as travel?)

This atlas, given to Lorelei by my sister for her 5th birthday, is a wonderful children's atlas that gives a whole lot of information presented in a manageable, organized, and understandable fashion.  One of the Standards of Learning for first grade social studies (nerdy me looked them up) here in Virginia involves maps.  And looky here, there is a page on maps--what they show, how they are made, different types of them--and a page on people--different cultures have different clothing, music, food, and religion.

(Of course, everyone is smiling and happy on this page, suggesting harmonic world peace despite these differences.  Maybe understanding the issues that arise from religious and cultural differences are part of  the Standard of Learning in grade 4...)

Then, there are pages about different climates and habitats.  Another Standard of Learning is climates, and how they shape the choices people have and the cultures that mature in them.  These pages do a really great job of showing just that--the homes desert people live in, the animals those in grasslands need to worry about, the religious festivals that occur alongside (and in) some rivers.  On these pages are symbols that kids can take the time to find on the next pages, which are...

Here come the maps!  The first is of the world, of course.  Green and blue and for travelers like me a bit of a dare: where you gonna go next?  Then, each of the continents.  The continents are a little crowded with symbols of animals, crops, and activities, but clearly and thankfully most kids are more interested in where wild horses run free than the political boundaries of Poland and Germany.

For someone who has a map of the world tattooed on her ankle (that'd be me--not my wisest choice ever, but...not something I lose sleep over either), a good book on maps is important.  Many thanks to my sister for finding this one for us!


P.S.  Speaking of maps, we love this puzzle of the United States, designed by children's book author and illustrator Dan Yaccarino!

Friday, September 27, 2013

Willow by Denise Brennan Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan

Willow by Denise Brennan Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan

Rating: 5 stars

Hmmm...where to begin when there are so many things right about this book?

Maybe with Willow herself.  She's a more-than-likeable character; the type of girl you'd love for a student or daughter.  She's creative and clever, cheerful and kind.  Her wiggly hair has a mind of its own; her playful outfits made even more sunny with her smile.  She carries around her well-loved art book, the one that inspires her to draw with her heart.  Best of all, her happy demeanor is resilient against put-downer Miss Hawthorn.

Miss Hawthorn is the unlikeable character, in case her black attire and slicked-back hair don't clue you into her villainous job in the book.  Sadly, she's the school art teacher.  She instructs the kids to draw trees EXACTLY as she prescribes.  (Willow's is a whimsical, pink version of a weeping willow.)  She shows the kids EXACTLY how to produce an apple tree.  (Willow's is a big blue apple with a trunk underneath.)

Despite her cold presence in the art room, warm Willow doesn't give up on Miss Hawthorn.  At winter break, the students leave the teachers' desks full of boxes and presents and cards and tokens of affections.  Except Miss Hawthorn's desk.  She has but one gift.

It's from Willow: her very own well-loved art book.

Behind a graceful willow tree,
covered in paint from head to toe,
a woman was painting.
And the book, wonderfully, inspires Miss Hawthorn to let loose.  She (literally and figuratively) lets her hair down, whips out the paint and paper and ends up painting all night.  When the students return from their vacation, the new version of Miss Hawthorn are invited to help paint the walls with their own versions of trees and apples and nature.

I admire how Willow does not give up on either Miss Hawthorn, despite the many times Miss Hawthorn dashes her artwork, nor herself--she remains quietly confident in her own artistic ability.  Plus, Willow gives Miss Hawthorn not what she wants (obedience) but what she needs (inspiration).  Bravo to Miss Hawthorn for breathing in that inspiration, letting it fill her lungs and heart...and the classroom.

I couldn't NOT review this book today; I volunteered in the art room in Lorelei's school.  It was a gift to be able to observe my first grader among her peers, diligent and focused on her work, with a smile for the teacher and her friends, and a wink or two for me.  The class was continuing a lesson on how to draw a castle with shapes--and there was a Miss Hawthorn-esque example at the front of the class for them to look at and learn from.

But each of their castles was unique and special; the wise teacher encouraged them to make each castle their own.  Most chattered as they worked, explaining to their classmates who lived in the castle and what sort of castle it was.  There was a story for every part, a reason for each color.  You could feel the joy and creativity in the room. I did not want to leave!

A great book, and a great art hour with a great art teacher at my daughter's school.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

On A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne


On A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky

Rating: 4.5 stars

"I have no special talents.  I am only passionately curious," said Albert Einstein.

I love this quotation because it makes you think that everything about Einstein is approachable.  Right!  He was only passionately curious!  If I, too, was passionately curious, then I, too, could discover such wonders as he did.

Riiiight.

But I'll keep my skepticism to myself, especially while reading this book with my kids.  I love taking the opportunity to teach them about a fantastically famous person through a well-written children's book, and On A Beam of Light is that opportunity.

Berne starts with autobiographical tidbits--Einstein was a late talker and a quiet wonderer when he did start talking.  He was insanely curious, constantly asking questions about how things worked.

(This part is perfect for my Ben, whose nickname is Mr. Question.  I've never added up the questions he's asked in an hour, a day, or a week but...he never really stops.  Sometimes I do need a break, so I sing him my goofy Mr. Question song that I made up especially for him.  It makes him smile and pause for just a few blessed moments--but then he gets right back to it, which of course I want him to do because I want to foster that passionately curious mind of his.  Just with a few breaks every now and then for sanity's sake.)

Albert began to read and study.
Along with asking questions, Einstein began to imagine, read, and study.  About gravity.  Light.  Magnetism.  Sound.  Math.  Big stuff, but kids are less intimidated than these subjects than you'd think. Wonderfully, "can't" isn't yet part of their vocabulary.

I have to admit that my favorite part of the book is when Berne shares that Einstein's favorite place to think was on his little sailboat.  She's quietly encouraging kids to have a favorite place to think--I love that.  And he even chose clothes that he thought would foster great thinking--saggy-baggy sweaters and pants, shoes without socks.  I love that--and love that maybe one day this school year my kids will get dressed in some (assuredly random) outfit that will foster creativity of one kind or another.

The back two pages are filled with more facts about Einstein--about his discoveries, experiments, personality, and of course some other books through which you can find out more information about him.

I plan on checking this book out every few months, just to keep providing inspiration into my kids' minds.  And then I'll remember to open (or close!) the door and step away so to provide the opportunity to be creative in their own way.

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman, illustrated by Betsy Lewin

Rating: 4 stars

How could I not love a book with Cowgirl Kate in it?!

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa are best friends.  In this I Can Read chapter series of six books (so far), the two friends have always cute, sometimes funny lesson-filled adventures.  It won a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book in 2006--an honor that has also been awarded to books written by wonderful authors such as Mo Willems, Eric Litwin, and Tedd Arnold.

The chapters are loosely connected and longish...this series is better for an intermediate reader or an advanced reader that is about reading to jump into the Magic Treehouse and Cam Jansen series.

Let me give you a few more details about one of the books in the series; I'll take Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Rain or Shine.  In the first chapter, despite a looming thundercloud and gutsy winds, Kate and Cocoa need to get to work counting bales and checking fences.  When thunder cracks and they race back to the barn, Cocoa pretends to have been just racing the wind for fun, not for fear.

In the second chapter, they've got to go work, rain or shine.  Cocoa isn't excited so he fakes a cold, until realizing that the "cows need us!"  And they have to walk through some fields that have some tasty timothy grass.

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa are realistic characters (except for that whole horses-can-talk thing) who are hard workers, fun havers, look-at-the-bright-side types.  What's not to love?


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

Rating: 5 stars

During the first week of Lorelei's first grade, her teacher asked each student to bring in his or her favorite book to share with the class.  That simple little assignment was like a parenting test for me.  I really wanted to intervene, to suggest some of the fantastic titles we've read and loved here.

I wanted to place one of the Little House books in front of her, so she could share with her class that we read them together each night during her Kindergarten year (and so that I could earn a gold star vicariously for my own reading of the books).

I wanted to place Loren Long's Drummer Boy in front of her, a holiday book rich with emotion and lessons, so she could share with her class the creative result of a song turned into a book (and so that I could earn a gold star vicariously for finding good books off the beaten path).

I wanted to place Lane Smith's John, Paul, George, and Ben in front of her, a unique book telling the story of five (Thomas is in there, too) of our founding fathers, so she could share with her class her knowledge of history (and so that I could earn a gold star vicariously for providing educational books to  toddlers).

Thankfully, I passed the parental test. I resisted the urge to intervene and involve my ego in her homework.

She brought in one book from the Rainbow Magic fairy series, a harmless, light chapter book series for young girls that involves a whole lot of sparkles and fairies and stuff.  (Blech.)

But another girl in her class brought in Iggy Peck, Architect!  And Lorelei was so impressed with it she asked me if we could order it from the library.  ($50 says that no one went home and asked their mother if they could check out the fairy series...)

This clever, rhyming book by Andrea Beaty (author of the Ted series...this is SO MUCH better than those) with fantastically quirky illustrations by David Roberts is about a little boy who just cannot contain his passion for building.  His first masterpiece was
and out on the porch built the St Louis arch
from pancakes and coconut pie
when he built a great tower--in only an hour--
with nothing but diapers and glue.
"Good gracious, Ignacious!" his mother exclaimed.
"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!"
But her smile faded fast as a light wind blew past
and she realized those diapers weren't clean!
There's just the right amount of humor for kids, to keep them laughing and turning the page.  Iggy builds with clay, fruit, pancakes...anything, really.  Until, that is, he gets to second grade, where he meets Miss Lila Greer who doesn't appreciate architecture and tells him to stop.

Until, that is, she takes the class on a field trip to a little island in the park and young Iggy saves the day by rebuilding the footbridge that collapsed as they crossed over the island.  (He starts the suspension bridge with her shoe, and somehow it involves someone's underwear...ha!) Miss Greer jumps from her place as dream-crusher to dream-supporter as she walks to safety.

This is a great book packed with little nuggets of goodness (support your kids' dreams, you parents and teachers! provide creative outlets for them! let them choose their own books, even if silly fairies are involved! oh wait not that one...), and we hope that our library gets Andrea Beaty's newest book, Rosie Revere, Engineer, really soon!


Monday, September 23, 2013

David and Dog by Shirley Hughes

 David and Dog by Shirley Hughes

Rating: 5 sweet stars

I have a well loved, chewed up copy of this book tucked away on a high shelf in our library, away from the curious fingers of my trio.  My ten year old full name is written out in careful cursive on the first page. I usually share well, but this is one of my very favorite books from my own childhood, and my flimsy paperback copy needs to be seriously reinforced.

This is a simple little story of a well loved, probably chewed on stuffed animal named Dog.  It's David that loves him, takes him everywhere with him, and constantly holds him.  Until the one day when David drops Dog.  His big sister offers him one of her many teddies, but...sleep is just not the same without Dog.

The next day is the school Summer Fair.  (The illustration immediately takes me back to the fundraiser of a fair at one of our many Catholic schools, Sacred Heart School in Savannah, Georgia.) Tables are set up with different sorts of games and activities, all in the hopes to make you part with your nickels and quarters that will go towards the school.

On one such table are a bunch of old toys, being sold yard sale-style.  It's there that David finds Dog--with a sign on him labeled 5 cents!  While he rushes to find his mother to get the nickel and buy back dog, a not-so-nice little girl buys him and does not want to part with him.  David returns not with his mother but with big sister Bella, who is toting an enormous teddy she's won from a raffle.  The girl doesn't want to part with Dog...until she sees that teddy.

"Then Bella did something very kind."  (I must have read that sentence a million times.)  Bella generously offers a swap of stuffed animals, and the girl and David are enormously pleased with her good deed.  Brother and sister go home happily, where sleep is made much happier with Dog in bed.

That's it.  Nothing more to it.

I don't know what struck me as so wonderful about this book when I was a kid.  The sentence of kindness was my favorite, and I am sure I was impressed with Bella's willingness to sacrifice her prize for her brother's happiness.  But as I read it today, I still smile at her kindness and still hope that my kids treat each other as well as David and Bella treat each other.  At least most days.


P.S.  This book is now called Dogger.  Not sure why, but the title changed a few decades ago; both versions of the book are way out of print.  I think that means I'm officially old!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett

Rating: 3.5 stars

Here's a segue-way book: In between the years of picture books (those gorgeously illustrated tales, both simple and complicated) and the decades of chapter books (those wordy works both true and not-so-true), books like My Father's Dragon teach your kids to sit and listen to a story told over several nights, maybe weeks or months. It's a learned skill (we forget because we're old) to sit and listen a little to a story, recalling the previous night and put on hold knowing the end because we know that end isn't going to come for a few more days or weeks. 

My Father's Dragon is a good start to reading chapter books at night. It is just ten short chapters, and after the first few chapters (which, I've got to say, aren't entirely gripping from the start), each chapter involves a story of its own. 
Her father finds and rescues the baby dragon.

A child tells the story of her or his father traveling to an imaginary island to rescue a baby dragon which is being used--rather, abused--as a means of transport from one side of the river to another. The animals on this island, aptly named Wild Island, are unwelcoming and all want to eat her father up. But he tricks them all in a David and Goliath sort of way, thus teaching your kids that brains beat brawn every time. Even though there's a threat of death on every other page and a smattering of the word "kill" and "hate," the stories are still silly enough and therefore tame enough for a preschooler--both Ben (5 5/6) and Lorelei (6 1/2) enjoyed the book very much. (Though longer, Ben was more entranced by The Wizard of Oz...)

We read about two chapters a night, though the big kids got their books taken away one night after racing up to the bathroom one night, leaving one child triumphant and one child in tears. (The previous night resulted in the same race and the same result, and I warned them that I'd take books away if they repeated it. They did, and I stood by my threat. Sometimes they forget they have a Mean Mom; sometimes I have to remind them.) 

I liked it. Didn't love it, but a solid like.  There are two sequels to the book that I've ordered from the library--I doubt I'll read them but I'm sure Lorelei will inhale them in an hour...!

Saturday, September 21, 2013

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na


A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

Rating: 4 stars

In college, when their clothing actually covered most of you and the music in their stores didn't deafen innocent passers by, I worked at Abercrombie & Fitch.  It was to get extra money for practical things, but I took advantage of the employee discount.  Especially at Christmas time.  I bought my mom and sister and best friend sweaters, but, as the good rule-follower that I am, I worried that my boss would realize that I was abusing the discount and buying stuff for others, not just me.

So I wore the sweaters a bit before giving them to my family and friend.  Just a few times!  Promise!

Some make lots of noise when they sleep.
So it is with books.  We read them a few times before finally wrapping them up.  I don't think that we've ever gotten marinara or chocolate on a gift book, but...I can't be totally sure.  Earlier this week Kiefer and I chose Mr. Tiger Goes Wild for a party we'll be going to today; we bought A Book of Sleep for the birthday boy's newborn sister.

And, because my trio and I read it a few times (and because I wrap things at the very last minute), I can tell you what a great book it is.

This is a simple book (we have the sturdy board book version)--perfect for littler listeners--about how different animals sleep, told in the presence of the nocturnal owl.  With funky-in-a-great-way illustrations and nice, clean text, Il Sung Na lures kids in and calms them down for the night.  Here, listen to the App of Sleep--a more interactive version of the book, completely worth watching/listening to (but I don't recommend pressing play and leaving the room, letting your baby watch it and listen to it by herself.  Unless you've got a dozen kids.  Then, maybe, it's okay):



We hope this book lulls Baby Willa to sleep in the nights ahead.  We sure have liked it this week, before we've given it away.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Fall Ball by Peter McCarty

Fall Ball by Peter McCarty

Rating: 2 stars

Hmm.  I hope I don't offend any football-watching enthusiasts out there, but...this book is not for me.

Peter McCarty's unique, soft illustrations show a handful of kids enjoying a few great things in the great season of fall.  They suit themselves up in light coats to keep themselves warm against the chill. They bounce like crazy over a bump while coming home on the school bus.  They enjoy leaves blowing all around them.  And they enjoy a fine game of football on a leaf-filled field.

Then, it starts to get dark.  Earlier than they would like.  Another fall thing, right?

So they give up the game and pile on the sofa and watch football on TV instead.

Say whaaaaat?

How can a children's book's happy-ending involve watching TV?!  I know: I admit that TV watching isn't abhorrent all the time, and that some bonding can occur, especially when the TV watching involves sports and boys, big and small.  But STILL.  I just can't love a book that lauds it.  I sure wish that the kids in this book had creatively rigged some lights, or worn headlamps in order to play longer, or found a way to take the game indoors.

Again, sorry to those football-watchers out there.  I don't hate you, promise!  But please do balance your watching with playing and you're all right by me.

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

Rating: 4.5 stars

Here's a brand-new book for ya.  I actually went to a bookstore to wander around the children's section and look for newly published, fall, and Halloween books.  I found a whole bunch of 'em, including this one that I purchased for a little friend who turns three on Saturday.

It.  Is.  GREAT!

Mr. Tiger lives in a busy, animal-filled town and is "bored of being proper."  Smiling is out of the question; he can only muster a stern look of frustration.  (The word "bored" is the only reason this book doesn't get 5 stars.  I know, I know...picky, picky me.)  He just can't be himself in his stuffy top hat and tight suit; he is unhappy. But Mr. Tiger finally gets the nerve to loosen up, have a little fun, start going a little wild.  He starts small: he stops walking on two feet and goes back to a primal four.  He then starts chasing (gasp!) children.  He roars on park benches.  He leaps acrobatically instead of stiffly sauntering.
Everyone was perfectly fine with the way things were.
Everyone but Mr. Tiger.

After he takes his clothes off (ha!), the still-stuffy townspeople suggest he go live in the wilderness, if he's going to be wild.  So, happily, he does.  It is beautiful there, and he has a grand time.

For a little while.

Then he gets lonely and realizes that he misses people.  As my philosopher-dad would say, he knows he's got to live as an individual, but in society; he's got to find the right balance of living true to himself, but also within the rules.  He's welcomed back to his hometown, where he finds "that things are beginning to change."  Many animals have abandoned two-legged walking in favor of four-legged bounding.
Mr. Tiger became wilder each day.

By the end, a feeling-more-free Mr. Tiger is smiling in an aloha shirt.

I don't just like this book because, coincidentally, two days before I discovered it I also discovered Katie Perry's song "Roar"(yup, I linked you to the song with lyrics because you know me, I can't remember the words to even my favorite songs).  And, two days after discovering this book, my boys and I drove home listening to said catchy song, had it turned up full blast, and roared like fools (who also think we are champions).  Or like fool tigers maybe.

No, I like this book because everyone should read it, and everyone should learn from the message of the succinct and talented author-illustrator Peter Brown.  (I like his stuff, but I think this is his best book by far.)  Especially grown-ups who feel like they live in a stuffy world, who feel pressured to look and act a certain way.  We should all remain a little wild, I think, for our own soul's sake but also so to be a good example for our kids (maybe that will give some of us a little inspiration to go a little wild).  By daring to be a little unique, I'd like to show them that they, too, can dare to be a little unique.

May we all roar more!

Monday, September 16, 2013

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum


 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum

Rating: 5 stars

We're off to read the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Because, because, because, because...because Mommy said we are!

Now you'll have the song stuck in your head all day.  You're welcome.

I read this book aloud to our kids--Lorelei, 6 1/2; and Ben, nearly 5.  Kiefer, 2 1/2, snuggled up with us many nights, too, learning by example that this is what you do at night: grab a book, listen closely, and snuggle up.  This was Ben's first read-aloud chapter book; Lorelei and I read the first 5 Little House books last year by ourselves.  Ben listened to a few pages of them but--not that he ever said this out loud--those books just didn't hold their interest.  To be honest there were times when I thought they were a little boring, too.

And this is my first time blogging on a chapter book that you can read aloud to your kids (or that older kids can read by themselves).  Hope that you like this addition--I'll be adding more to the "Read Aloud Chapter Books" section as well as early chapter books in the coming months.

Bottom line up front: Oz was great!  I chose it after the kids and I went downtown to the National History Museum this summer, and they got a whiff of all the Oz STUFF.  I bought the book there and we started reading it a night or two later.  I was unsure if it'd be a great fit, especially after the first chapter, when Dorothy's house falls and kills the wicked witch of the West!

But it worked.  Really, really well.  Here's why:
My note to Lorelei in her lunchbox today.
  1. This book is adventurous--each chapter the reader meets a different character, often far-fetched and silly, sometimes mean and a little scary.  It makes for fantastic a-chapter-a-night reading because something is always happening.  Danger (just the right amount!) was involved.
  2. This book is a classic--it's one that their teachers will reference for years to come, so it's good that they have this cultural stuff under their belt.  I've not yet explained why Dorothy's shoes are ruby red in the movie, but that historical significance is cool, too.
  3. This book has lessons upon lessons to teach--of course the Lion is looking for "his brave" as we say it in our house, the Tin Woodman is looking for a heart, and the Scarecrow is looking for a brain.  We talked throughout how they really do have these things but they don't reach inside themselves to use it.  And Ben would ask me out of the blue for weeks: Which is more important, Mommy, a brain or a heart? (The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman debate this briefly.)  He knows my answer: a heart.  In the end Dorothy finds out she could have left for Kansas again the moment the Silver Shoes were on her feet, but she didn't know the magic AND, more importantly, the timing wasn't right: Her friends needed her, she couldn't go yet, she had a few things to complete until she could.
  4. The book deals with real-life stuff in fantasy-filled ways.  The chapter or two on the Wicked Witch of the East are pretty dark; she's a nasty character.  The Wizard of Oz says he won't help them until they "destroy" (a few times they use "kill") the Wicked Witch of the East.  But aren't their nasty characters in their life (hopefully not in preschool and first grade but you get what I mean)?  I didn't remember this, but it is only by accident that Dorothy kills her by flinging water at her in anger.  Now the kids get my joke when it's raining and we have no umbrella: "Don't worry about it, it's not like we're going to melt!"


I'm pretty sure when Lorelei sees the ruby red shoes,
she'll choose to be Dorothy for Halloween, not Laura.

I'm so grateful that I spontaneously grabbed this book at the museum.  It's been a great fit for my kids, provided great conversation, and was just plain fun.  I had thought that we'd watch the movie together as a family when we were done but...I forgot about those winged monkeys.  It just so happens that there are some movie theaters nearby that are going to show the movie in 3D next week, but...can you imagine those winged monkeys in 3D, flying right at you?!  Neither can I.  We'll be watching it from the comfort of our own sofa sometime--probably later than sooner.

And if the song is not stuck in your head just yet, click here (and/or show this to your kids so they get a feel for the movie but they're not kept up with nightmares of winged monkeys):


Thursday, September 12, 2013

Meet Einstein by Mariela Kleiner

Meet Einstein by Mariela Kleiner, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli

Rating: 5 stars

I recently read that almost every single Kindergardener will raise her hand when asked, "Who is an artist?"  Yet by fourth grade, only a few hands go up when the same question is asked.  Clearly something gets in the way of creativity between those years--thanks to a bit of insecurity, a sprinkling of poor peer review, and a heavy dose of knowing what a Real Artist is and does and makes.  Kids get intimidated out of being an artist when, at their core, they still are.

Same thing with science.

I've yet to meet a kid--and with three kids, I've met a whole lot of 'em--who isn't curious.  A kid who doesn't look up and down and all around and just...wonder.  Ben is my thinker-outloud-er and he lets me know of all his wonderful wonderings.  Constantly.  An afternoon with him surely includes approximately 3,852,992* questions and half that many observations.  While it definitely infuriates my grown-up self that he often doesn't care about the answer to most of these questions (that I so dutifully and thoroughly think up!), it's his curiosity that I appreciate, that I really try my utmost to encourage.

This book helps with both of the things I've pointed out.

The book offers two simple explanations of what scientists DO: "Scientists like to ask lots of questions" and "Scientists make lots of discoveries."  No intimidating, exclusive definitions here.  While reading this book, Ben and Lorelei suddenly realized that they WERE SCIENTISTS!  Holy smokes!  They, too, like to ask lots of questions and they, too, make lots of discoveries.  POOF!  Scientists!  No expensive, time-consuming PhDs necessary.

With the help of a very simple introduction to Albert Einstein and what his major contributions were--his many discoveries of light and his insights about gravity--my kids realized that science is a natural thing that they do every day.  It is a natural extension of their own way of thinking about and exploring  the world around them.  Garofoli's simple and welcoming illustrations just add to the feeling that OF COURSE kids are all scientists.  Now my kids are armed with this confidence as they explore our woods, splash around our creek, figure out cause and effect, and make preschooler-sized predictions about their world.  (As I edit this, they are watching what happens when you put an ice cube in a cup of warm tea...)

Doctors Lorelei & Ben,
seriously hard at work making slime
Now, if only I could help them feel this confident in their scientific capabilities in middle school and beyond...  At the very least, I'm laying the groundwork for it.

Earlier in the year, my sister planned a science-themed birthday party for her twin girls who turned 6.  (Ever the entertainer, my sister has yet to plan and throw an unsuccessful, unfun party!)  Her husband was the crazy scientist, complete with a few chuckle-worthy mistakes in the experiments he was leading.  But the kids, dressed in plain white t-shirts cut open to be lab coats, each with their own personalized "doctor" name tag and safety goggles, hung on his every word.  They did a few kitchen science experiments; they giggled in awe as their volcano overflowed, the stuff floated in the fizzy water, and the made gooey slime to gross out their parents.

Doesn't it make you want to be a kid again?

(And isn't that what parenting is all about?  Your own personal do-over, re-appreciating it the second time around...)

* My Dad, when he read this, asked how I got this precise number of questions.  "One day, I counted," I retorted.  Ha!










Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein

Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein

Rating: 5 stars

Once upon a time, a long long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I sat in a hotel lobby in Seattle, Washington, listening to some former Peace Corps Volunteers talk about the country they had served in, which was the same country to which I was traveling to the very next day: Thailand.  The language is crazy! they said.  It is so different!  It is so difficult!  All you can do, they said, is have fun with it.

Before that moment, my idea of attacking something difficult included putting on a ridiculously serious face, giving it my all, and being really hard on myself if I didn't get it right (the first time, of course).  Luckily for me, my light-hearted approach to learning Thai turned out to be invaluable in many ways.  I learned to attack something super difficult with effort and humor, and I learned to love a language in a way that fundamentally changed my approach to teaching my own language to my own kids.

Dr. Seuss' approach to writing was similar to this light-hearted, give-me-a-chance-to-laugh-while-I-learn approach.  He wanted to grab kids and pull them into his books with his silliness while still turning them on to the magic of reading and, often, teaching a pretty important lesson.  Shel Silverstein's books of poems--think A Light in the Attic--were a part of my childhood, as I'm sure they were a part of yours.  But Runny Babbit, which we happened upon in our local library, is more in line with Dr. Seuss than his other anthologies.  Silverstein worked on it for decades, and it was published posthumously.  I think it is, by far, his best stuff.  It is WONDERFUL. Truly all-caps worthy!

Read a few stanzas of one poem, "Kugs and Hisses," and you'll agree, I think:
Runny said, "I'm lonesome,
I feel so glad and sooty.
I need some kugs and hisses--
Now, who's gonna give 'em to me?"
"I will," said Polly Dorkupine,
"'Cause you're cute as a rug in a bug."
Said Runny, "Well, I'll kake the tiss,
But never hind the mug."
So clever!  Genius, really!  So hilarious!  Giggle-worthy!  Side-splitting!  Turn-the-page-I-want-more stuff!  And isn't this the sort of book we want our children to read (especially in our lap, thankfully putting down whatever we're doing on our endless to do list and, instead, giggling right alongside our kid/s, understanding what Silverstein is doing here, and then creating our own Runny Babbit-language for days and weeks and years to come)?!
Oh this page is so funny!  Enlarge it and you'll agree!

The book is a collection of poems, yes, but really each poem is like a new little chapter in Runny Babbit's life.  This adds to the turn-the-page-I-want-more-ness of the book.  Lorelei was the first one to sit and read it, laughing like crazy, saying, "Oh Mom, you've got to read this!" until I did.  Months later, after we had a personal copy of the book, Ben got in on the joke and we slowly read and explained the jokes to him.  He laughed, but as he's only a beginner reader (and perhaps also a little less of a language-lover than Lorelei and me), so he hasn't yet applied the twists and turns to his own language.

Lorelei, on the other hand, can't be stopped.  Bappy Hirthday! she says to people on their birthday, completely not caring if they don't get her own Runny Babbit-language joke.  I'm proud to say she's inherited the laugher-at-myself-er gene, and I'm prouder to say she gets that from me.  I have a feeling that in a few decades this Runny Babbit-language will pop up: I've decided to major in Lenglish Iterature, Mom! or I'm going to Chudy in Stina, Mom!  It will not surprise me.  It will make me smile.

This is a must-have.  Not just a must-read.  It's one of those books that you've got to have on your shelf so that you and your kids have a light-hearted book into which you can dive when things get too serious around the house.  We love it, and I hope you love it just as much.