Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life | SCHOLASTIC GLOBAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN

Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life | SCHOLASTIC GLOBAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN
Check this out--Scholastic is celebrating its 50th anniversary by creating a community of readers. Sign in, add your "bookprint, " check out the bookprints of others, including Daniel Radcliffe, Bill Clinton, and Mo Willems.

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!