conversations between books

Though there are many books with kids riding an assortment of animals and mythological creatures, I thought it was very clever to find these two face outs together due to the last names of the authors.

And, as someone was hurrying from the library the other night, they abandoned their two books.  I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the titles together. 

my turn

While bicycling to work the other morning I passed a few joggers, a lady walking two giant dogs, and to my delight and astonishment, two bicyclists who were using the sidewalk just like me.  As always, I biked into the grass each time I came across anyone and shouted a good morning.  The first cyclist, a man, nodded and hurried on.  The second cyclist, a woman, joyfully echoed my good morning.  Because her panniers were packed, I assumed the lady was commuting, and I was absolutely thrilled by this. While I ate breakfast I wrote this down as my favorite bicycling moment of the day.  

Then something amazing happened on the way home.

As I was bicycling home, I thought I saw the same gentleman cyclist from the morning but couldn't be sure.  I veered into the grass just as he shouted, "my turn," while veering into the grass.  He was the same cyclist!  And he remembered me! 

I felt the pages of my life flip back back back to when I was a child thinking about my future.  Seeing the same people day in and day out while bicycling to work was something I imagined my adult self doing.  This was an exotic idea to me because I lived in a teeny tiny town that not only lacked the necessary humans to interact with, but was also quite a dangerous place to walk due to an abundance of bars (one for every family it seemed like).  I had two walking options - clinging to the ditch or clawing my way through the woods (my preferred method) - and two destinations - grocery store or gas station.

I believed in sidewalks with the same reverence as some people believe in angels or salvation.  Would I ever live in a town that had them?  Would they lead to exciting places like the library?  More importantly, were they even real?  Occasionally, while in the neighboring town, I thought I spotted one but couldn't be sure.  Just as fast as I spotted one, it would disappear, ending abruptly in a field.

To my young mind, sidewalks were pathways to neighbors and civilization and libraries, salvation from boredom.  As a child, I imagined a series of sidewalks leading my adult self to all the places I needed to go each day.  What I didn't realize is that finding a sense of community would be just as tough in a big city as it was in a teeny tiny town, maybe even tougher!  Living in such a big city with lots of people certainly makes it tough to see the same people day in and day out.  Surprisingly, not a lot of people use the sidewalk, especially early in the morning and late in the afternoon.  When I do see a familiar face, it's such a treat.  Each time it happens I am transported right back to my childhood dreams, and it feels like I'm adding another piece to the jigsaw puzzle of my happiness.

Spring Break

Rachel, Robert, Audrey and I just got back from a fabulous week-long road trip.  Rachel picked two colleges to visit during her spring break - Purdue, which is in West Lafayette, IN, and Macalester, which is in St. Paul, MN.  We traveled up through Illinois to Indiana, where we visited Purdue, spent two days in Chicago, then traveled through Wisconsin to Minnesota, where we visited Macalester, and then back through Iowa and Missouri to home.  Whew.  The trip was broken up into chunks so we didn't drive more than 6 hours at a time.

After this trip, the order of Rachel's list of colleges has changed and she may be leaning towards a smaller college.  She's going to investigate a little bit more so we may have another place or two to visit (in addition to Hendrix in AR).  Though it's a large school, KU still reigns supreme, so this summer will be very interesting as she makes her final selections.

In addition to visiting schools, we spent a lot of time exploring, eating, visiting libraries and listening to podcasts.  It was a very relaxing, meandering kind of trip. 

My top five favorite eats were:

5. La Michoacana Ice Cream and Fruits in Downer's Grove, IL.  I had the gansito ice cream, which is basically ice cream with chopped up pieces of the chocolate-covered, strawberry-filled Mexican snack cake, which I hadn't heard of before this experience.
4. A Baker's Wife in Minneapolis, MN.  They had some of the best donuts I've ever had.  Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.  The strawberry (minus the icing) was my favorite.
3. Moscow on the Hill in St. Paul, MN. Rachel picked this place and while everyone happily ate cow tongue (which they raved about), I chose to tuck into their borscht, which is my new favorite borscht. It was chunkier than other borscht soups I've had and included sour cream. Delicious!
2. Hero in Chicago, IL.  This was the best coffee I drank on the trip, and one of the best cups of coffee I've had in some time. It was even better than my local KC fave - Messenger.
1. Sultan Kebab & Bakery in Norridge, IL. Our lunch was great, but it was their Harissa cake (a coconut yogurt semolina cake) that stole my heart. It reminded me of suji halwa (another semolina dessert), which is one of my favorite desserts, but it was different because it was cake-like.  I plan on making it at home as soon as I have some extra time. It was so amazing I would definitely say it's in my top ten all-time favorite desserts.

These are my favorite pictures from the trip. Enjoy!

This was a mural on the outskirts of Purdue's campus.  Rachel affectionately calls it 'the banana storm.'  I love it so much I might just blow it up and hang it somewhere in our house.

Though we didn't buy anything, we found an amazing bookstore in West Lafayette, IN called Von's Book Shop, which had both new and used books.  I was incredibly impressed by their poetry collection, which is one of the most fleshed-out collections I've seen.  There was also a part of the store we couldn't even see due to a low ceiling, which was pretty interesting.

Rachel and Robert had a thrilling time visiting the Willis Tower (while I was safe on the ground exploring the Harold Washington library).

Rachel and I spent way too much time at The Art Institute of Chicago, which was way too big to see in one day, let alone a few hours.  Rachel was very patient with me while I looked at every single Thorne room (the exhibit was everything I hoped it to be and so much more). 

Rachel's favorite thing in Chicago was the Bean, and though it was snowing, windy, and freezing, she spent a long time with it, mostly petting it and making funny faces at it. 

I checked out three libraries on the trip - the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, IL, The Dole branch of the Oak Park library system in Oak Park, IL, and the Roosevelt branch of the Hennepin system in Minneapolis, MN.  I learned a little bit from each branch and enjoyed exploring them.   The Dole branch was by far my favorite.  Though it was small, it housed a mighty multicultural collection - each of those boxes is filled with items relating to different cultures and available for checkout.  

Like me, Rachel gravitated towards the children's areas in each library and made herself at home.  She even found a friend at the Dole library.

We took a whopping five jumping pictures on this trip - Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Missouri (we were a little surprised we didn't have this one).  Wisconsin was our best jump.

I also have to sneak this one in too, which was the best non-jumping state picture (yes we spend a lot of time at rest stops).  

I was very sad we didn't get to hike during this trip. The weather just wouldn't cooperate.  We did walk around Minnehaha Falls and enjoyed the waterfall, which was even more glorious due to the weather.  

Oh, and where was our poor abandoned dog during this trip?

Don't judge us just yet!

She was taking a leisurely vacation herself at Hunter's house (Hunter is a close friend).  We received this picture during the trip and rolled our eyes a bit.  She had a great time, received far more attention than the piddly amount we give her, drank all the kitty water she wanted, and basked in the hatred of Hunter's two cats. One of Hunter's cats even tried to kill Ella by pushing her container of pills onto the floor (two weeks worth), but because they were only pain and glucosamine pills, the only side effect was that Ella was high as a kite for a day.  Much to the cat's disdain, Ella probably loved her even more after that.

It was an awesome spring break!

so when are you bringing your unicorn to the library?

Like other libraries, we have a very exciting St. Patrick's display (it has a rainbow).  For part of the display, I taped a black hole pastoral landscape cat cauldron to the wall, and set out a bucket filled with paper shamrocks that actually look like shamrocks.  There is a sign prompting kids and parents to write on a shamrock what they are lucky to have.  I am greatly enjoying this interactive display and have heard some interesting responses (and not just about what the black thing is on the wall).

Today's interaction, however, takes the cake.  

Mom with son (5 or 6 years old) and daughter (toddler) approach desk and look at the shamrocks curiously.

I explain their purpose.

Mom asks daughter what she is lucky to have.  Daughter says brother's name.

Mom asks son what he is lucky to have.  He says, 'unicorns.'

Mom tells son he has to spell it on his own.

Son shouts, "ok then, a dog!"

Mom sighs and says, "but we don't have a dog."

February Reads Part 3

This is the last of my February Reads list, I promise! 

Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process edited by Joe Fassler (adult nonfiction)

I grabbed this book on a whim because it featured a handful of my favorite writers - Billy Collins, Aimee Bender and Charles Simic to name a few. The very first essay, which is by Aimee Bender, blew me away. I immediately bought the book, which is rare for me, and took my time reading and savoring it. Each essay features a quote that changed the life of the writer in some way. It's a double whammy of beauty - writers writing about writers. I was jotting down authors to look up so fast I could barely keep up with my delight. 

My favorite moments? 

In Bender's essay, she writes, "When language is treated beautifully and interestingly, it can feel good for the body: It's nourishing, it's rejuvenating." Also in Bender's essay, she writes, "Language is limited, it's a faulty tool. But how high it lights the dark." 

Sherman Alexie's essay was my favorite. I don't have enough words to convey how much his essay meant to me. Alexie beautifully interprets Adrian C. Louis' quote about being in the "reservation of one's mind" and writes, "The line also calls to mind the way we tend to visit our prisons. And we always go back." Alexie goes on to say that even though we all have a "reservation" in our minds we'll keep revisiting, we can learn how to choose when we visit and therefore, prepare ourselves for it. 

I also enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert's essay and the line, "A catastrophe is nothing but a puzzle with the volume of drama turned up very high." I was surprised by Amy Tan's essay, which punched me in the gut, overjoyed by Jim Crace's essay (favorite line: "we should never underestimate what it is that will turn a young person into someone who wants to love literature"), and spent many hours pondering Yiyun Li's essay (favorite line: "I like to think you write a book to talk to another book.") 

Zen Doodle Unleashed by Tiffany Lovering (adult nonfiction)

My favorite part of this book is the step-by-step instructions for each pattern, which are super easy to follow. I also really liked the 53 go-to patterns at the end of the book. A few seemed like brand-new patterns I hadn't seen earlier in the book, and though I may have just missed them, it was a nice surprise to find even more patterns after I thought I had already seen everything. This is my new favorite Zen Doodle book, and it's going to be tough to beat!

Petra by Marianna Coppo (picture book)

Surprisingly I'm not overjoyed by the illustrations in Petra. But I love Petra despite that, and that's a big deal for me, as I am a person who is all about the illustrations, especially in picture books. Petra the rock is such a special character with an outstanding outlook on life, and the message this rock delivers is too vital to ignore.

Every Color Soup by Jorey Hurley (picture book)

This is Hurley's newest book, and it's also the first one I picked up. Each of her books is a story told one word at time with illustrations that leap from the page. A personal story relating to topic of the book concludes most of her books. In this book each page illustrates an essential step of the soup-making process. After I read this I immediately put holds on the rest of her books. I also looked up her journal (yes, she has an illustrated journal filled with prompts!) and immediately bought it. I can't wait to see what she does next!

Hop by Jorey Hurley (picture book)

I love Hop almost as much as I love Every Color Soup. The illustrations are lively and soft and the life of a rabbit is captured well (there's even suspense!). My favorite illustration is the 'snuggle' illustration. In each of Hurley's books about wildlife, there's an illustration that makes me feel safe and warm. In this book, I can imagine exactly what it's like to be a rabbit, ready to hop away from danger, find a hidey hole to escape to, and snuggle with my rabbit siblings. It's a beautiful book. 

Psst this is what Jorey Hurley's journal looks like, and it's full of prompts!

February Reads Part 2

Here is the next chunk of awesome books I read in February:

Spots in a Box by Helen Ward (picture book)

If you're thinking I love this book because of the sparkly shiny pages, you are correct. However, I also love the message at the end, about how we can make others happy with our happiness. So if sparkly shiny stuff makes us happy, that same happiness is going to give sparkle and shine to someone's day. Plus, shiny and sparkly stuff aside, the illustrations are gorgeous! I've never seen such expressive, lovable guinea fowls in all my life.

Lost and Found by Barbara McClintock (picture book)

The illustrations are jam-packed full of detail, people, colors, and beauty. I thought the story was decent. I really enjoyed the postcard aspect of it - how each adventure depicted a postcard Adele wrote to her mother. I really didn't care too much for her brother losing things in every adventure but I think kids will think it's fun to search for him and find out what he's lost. Really, the brilliant illustrations are the reason I adore this book. The canal pages are my favorite. 



King Baby by Kate Beaton (picture book)

This is one of those books that is humorous to both children and their adults. And quite frankly, it leans more towards a parent's sense of humor than a child's. I love when the baby points and says "ehh bpp," which is baby talk for "bring me the thing." The parents try to bring the right 'thing,' but of course the baby wants the 'other thing.' I also thought the illustrations were hilarious, for example the illustrations of the baby when he tries to crawl to 'the thing,' and will make most anyone laugh, no matter their age.

A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (picture book)

The idea of a pig parade is pretty ludicrous; therefore just the thought of it is absolutely hilarious. Before you open this book to read it and look at the pictures you should imagine what a pig parade would look like. After you've thought about it for a few minutes that's when you should open the book. Why, you ask? Both Michael Ian Black and Kevin Hawkes perfectly capture the absurdity of a pig parade in all its glory. This book looks exactly like what you've imagined a pig parade to be. The writing is both funny and enjoyable to read aloud. I read this during storytime recently and when we got to the part about snuffling, we said the word aloud and also pretended to snuffle, because we simply had to try it out for ourselves. The illustrations are crazy fantastic and amazingly realistic. I feel like Hawkes must have been a pig in a past life and I feel confident he's attempted to lead a few pig parades in his current life. The expressions on the pig's faces are so appropriate. It's as if they're all saying, "Really, a pig parade?"

Jinx and the Doom Fight Crime! by Lisa Mantchev and illustrated by Samantha Cotterill (picture book)

I can't even begin to wrap my mind around the illustrations in this book. The copyright page describes the illustrations as "hand drawn, paper cut, and digitally colored, then set in a 3-D environment and photographed." The shadow illustrations are particularly exciting. I read this during a recent storytime and the toddlers were excited about every shadow. I paused the book each time and we speculated together. I didn't realize how engaging the illustrations would be so I was delightfully surprised by this. The story is also pretty great - a brother and sister fighting everyday crime together. My favorite line from the book is such a great message, "They used to fight each other. But then they realized they could use their powers for GOOD and not EVIL." Before I conclude my gushing, I must point two more awesome things about this book - the dinosaur endpapers (gorgeous) and the flashlight at the end (very clever).

much gratitude for a silly chicken and a cuddly dog

Earlier this week I had the exciting opportunity to shadow a storytime in a completely different library system.  The youth librarian was passionate about her job and very zany.

She plopped down next to a giant fabric tree in the middle of the youth area and started singing.  No slide show, no explanation, and the kids instantly settled down and sang with her.  After two songs, she dug around in her bag of books (great suspense I might add) and pulled out her first book.  Thus began a very organic, laid-back approach to storytime I simply haven't seen before.

At one point, after asking for song suggestions, she opted to have a child teach her a dinosaur version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

My favorite thing about her storytime was just how incredibly interactive her stories were.  During one book she began telling her own story and ignored the words.  I found out later that she did this because she was losing their attention.

It went very smoothly and I walked away completely inspired, ready to give my next storytime with fresh perspective.

The moment the toddlers entered the room for my storytime I knew something was different.  They were distracted, antsy, and acting even sillier than normal.

I knew instantly that it was a terrible day to bring out musical instruments and sing songs that required focus and attention.

But that's exactly what I had planned for the storytime.

It was total chaos.  We actually quit singing one of the songs about halfway through because everyone was acting so noisy and crazy that nothing could be heard.  

And well, the second song with the musical instruments was pretty much a disaster as well.  

After storytime, for the first time since my storytime journey began, a parent criticized me in a demeaning way (thankfully not a parent who regularly attends), and to my horror, other parents saw that moment to jump in and criticize me as well (sadly, some were regulars).  

I was very polite.  I said thank you, packed up the toys and musical instruments, cleaned and put everything away.  And then I sat in the office, took several deep breaths (and tried not to cry), and got to work.  I thought about solutions, investigated a few things the parents mentioned, and picked out brand new material and songs for my next storytime.  I thought long and hard about the feedback and criticism given, and gleaned as much constructive feedback as possible.  Then I took all the negative bits home with me and told Ella about it and cuddled with her for a long time.  And now, poof, it's all gone.  I'm ready to move on.

I'm new and still inexperienced.  But I am passionate about storytimes.  The difference between myself and the storytime greats, such as the lovely lady I shadowed earlier this week, is experience, lots and lots of experience.  

On another positive note, not a single toddler cried or became upset during storytime (not sure if this has happened before).  I'm pretty sure they were having such a grand time they didn't even realize my adult brain was sounding the disaster alarms.  Also, one of my books, A Hat for Minerva Louise, was a hit.  Thank you, Minerva Louise, you silly chicken.

Next week is a new storytime filled with possibility and exciting songs and books about the ocean.  

February Reads Part 1

February was such a crazy month for reading.  I read a whopping 14 amazing kids books and 2 fantastic adult nonfiction books last month.  I am going to break up my reviews into three posts so that no one is overwhelmed.

Happy reading!

Cat Knit by Jacob Grant (picture book)

Cat Knit is both sweet and silly. Cat's friend, Yarn (capitalized yes!), changes suddenly and Cat must learn to embrace the new Yarn. The ending is particularly funny.      

Santa, Please Bring Me a Gnome By An Swerts and illustrated by Eline Lindenhuizen (picture book)

Another book that delivers the message that you may not get what you wished for, but to always be prepared for something even better. Swerts' book stands out because the parents do something so beautifully thoughtful and sweet in response to Tess' request, and I was totally surprised by it. I wondered the entire way through the book what the heck the parents could possibly get Tess that could be as grand as a little gnome friend. But they delivered! I also thought the illustrations were sweet and portrayed an elf that will not induce nightmares.

Buster and the Baby by Amy Hest and illustrated by Polly Dunbar (picture book)

My favorite moments of Buster and the Baby happen each time baby is found by dog and there's a loud CHAA! that fills the page prior to each discovery. CHAA! represents the moment of joy when you've found your best friend during hide and seek AND also the feeling of being found. It's also so much fun to say aloud. The last CHAA! is absolutely heart-melting. The story has both the heart-melting sweetness for softie adults and mega playfulness for kiddos.

Octopuses One to Ten by Ellen Jackson and illustrated by Robin Page (children's nonfiction)

After reading this I have decided I would like to always have an inch of glass between me and any octopus I meet. Oh they're fascinating all right. Octopuses One to Ten does a great job highlighting some of the weirder things about Octopuses (they can detach an arm to throw off a predator). But boy are they scary! Thankfully it's the delightful kind of scary. After finishing this book I cannot wait to find out more about them! 

Little Yoga by Rebecca Whitford and illustrated by Martina Selway (picture book)

I've read a handful of toddler yoga books and this one is my favorite. I love how the illustrations are colorful, playful, and easy to mimic. My favorite illustration is the "wobbles like a little bird" pose. I also really like the animal noises given for each pose, the inclusion of the 'ha' breathing pose, and the information at the back of the book.

The Very, Very, Very Long Dog by Julia Patton (picture book)

The first time I read this I laughed so hard I cried. The Very, Very, Very Long Dog is Very, Very, Very entertaining. Bartelby (an awesome name I might add) is sooooo long his bottom causes all kinds of problems. The moment Bartleby discovers his bottom is the troublemaker is one of the funniest illustrations I've ever seen. And the solution for Bartleby's long and wayward bottom is clever, oh so clever. My favorite line? "But his blundering backside caused a calamity!"