and I'm back!

Sorry for the long hiatus. I'm back and ready to read.

Our latest fav is Hogula:Dread pig of night by Jean Gralley. Hogula lives on top of Grimy Pork Chop Hill with his faithful servants; Chad ,a Frankenstein's monster type whose vocabulary consists of "Uhhhhhhh," and Igoretta, a tiny red-head with a big nose and (at least when I read it aloud) a voice to rival Fran Drescher's. But the Pig of Darkness is lonely and wants a friend. So the ever helpful Igoretta sends him to the Princes Mall (get it?) to meet people. The problem is, Hogula really wants to snort everyone into sleepy oblivion. How can a pig make friends while he's denying his inner urges with every fiber of his being? Enter Elvis Ann, who has a secret of her own. Part vampire tale, part Cinderella, this is great Halloween fun.

Even though the book is 10 years old, it's still in print! How awesome is that? We should add a copy to our "scary" book collection this year. While it's not One Witch (Little Brother's all-time fav and total comfort book) it's a keeper!

Haiku Monday

Not an original haiku this time, but I have to mention this beautiful, lyrical picture book. Today and Today, haiku by Issa, illustrated by G. Brian Karas tells the story of an ordinary family throughout one year. In the artist's note, G. Brian Karas notes that he selected 18 of Issa's (Kobayashi Yataro 1763-1828) poems to tell this story.

What the artist hopes we take away from this book is that even the ordinary moments are extraordinary. TI'll warn you that this is a bit a tear-jerker, but what a lovely way to describe the last year in someone's life. Two children, two parents, and a grandfather garden, fly kites, splash in puddles, and blow dandelion seeds. No doctors, pills, or hospitals are mentioned, rather the lovely, insignificant things that make up a life. One might be reminded of Emily's heart-wrenching speech from Our Town.

"Good-bye , Good-bye world. Good-bye, Grover's Corners....Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking....and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new ironed dresses and hot baths....and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth,you are too wonderful for anybody to realize you. "

T - 4 and counting...

Advent is almost here! You can countdown to the big day (if you are so inclined) in a crafty, arty way here starting Saturday.

Haiku Monday

Snow, wonderful snow
Better appreciated
Without a schedule.

a summer sorority

I don't have any sisters; I'm the oldest of 3 with 2 younger brothers. (In case you don't like sums.) I always wanted a sister, preferably a twin. Ok, not something that can be accomplished after the fact, but one can wish. I'm in awe of those women who grew up in families of females. They seem to have some innate knowledge that is lost on me. My mother grew up with 2 sisters yet she is surprisingly "un-girly." I know I was a conundrum to her--I loved curls in my hair, dresses, and dolls. At seventeen, I found a salon that did manicures, made an appointment, walked to it and spent my babysitting money on a real manicure. And now? Now I am the mother of two rapacious boys. The only reason I'm not outnumbered is because the cats are all girls. So, imagine my delight when I discovered The Penderwicks, a debut novel for middle grade readers that garnered the National Book Award in 2005. The four motherless Penderwick sisters (a smart one, a responsible one, a dreamy one, and a little one) spend summer vacation in the Berkshires with their father. There they meet a lonely boy, a truly awful adult and have wonderful adventures. How could anyone resist a family that has MOPS (Meeting of Penderwick Sisters), MOOPS (Meeting of Older Penderwick Sisters) and naturally gives spokesmenship and authority to the OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick)? An obvious choice for summer reading, the Penderwicks would be a great family to hang with on cold, dreary November days. Red curtained window seats not mandatory.

Time for Bed

Little brother has rediscovered Mem Fox's Time for Bed which was the bedtime story for many months over a year ago. It is a sweet book although he is convinced that the child at the end is sad. I'm assuming the illustrator (Jane Dyer) was going for sleepy but then again little brother considers falling asleep to be a major tragedy these days.

Time for bed, little mother, little mother.
You're so tired that you couldn't do other.

G'night!

J 294.52 (The Ramayana)

It all started because I wanted to read something scary without necessarily reading something "Halloween-y." It was the week before Halloween and the library shelves had slim pickings for anyone wanting a genuine Halloween story. So....I brought home Linda Ashman's The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner David Small. In rhyme, the author describes 13 mythical beasts from around the world. At our house, Ravana, demon king of the Rakshasas quickly became the favorite. With his ten heads and 20 arms, what little boy could resist him? Next thing I know, big brother is on the phone to Nana asking her to accompany him to India. "Just to look, Nana." Because, of course, Ravana is far too dangerous to approach."Now Nana, if we see Ravana and I say let's go, what are you going to do? Good. Let's practice. Let's go! Now, what do you do! Very good!" We watched Alfonso Cuaron's version of A Little Princess which frames Sara Crewe's story with portions of the Ramayana, drawing parallels between the two. (I'll admit that the movie is truer to the Shirley Temple movie of 1939 than to the original book, but Cuaron is a genius. His use of color and imagery take both this movie and the third Harry Potter movie to another level. But I digress.)

The next step was a trip to the library for books on India, the Ramayana, and maps (to figure out how to get there, of course). I am always up for the teachable moment, so off we went. I can recommend Hanuman: based on Valmiki's Ramayana retold by Erik Jendresesn and Joshua M. Greene for a child-friendly but detailed retelling of the story; little brother prefers Jessica Souhami's Rama and the Demon King, a simpler retelling with bold shadow puppet style illustrations. The Hindu festival of Diwali was this past week -- a great time to introduce this ancient story to your eager readers.

NB: Big brother has decided to be Ravana for Halloween next year. Feel free to contact me if you have any idea how to fit 9 more heads on a first grader's shoulders!