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Diversity Rocks!!

Not that I need more to do but I really liked the idea of Diversity rocks! challenge and it is something I am already working at my school with a 5th grade book club. I joining the challenge as a freethinker so I can “do my own thang”, which is just an easy way for me to not feel the strains of a number looming over my head. Our book club right now is reading Joseph Bruchac’s The heart of a chief. I will have to seek out some YA and adult books by diverse authors as well to complete this challenge. I have to finish Three cups of tea by Greg Mortenson (for my adult book club) and The friday night knitting club first but then I will be seeking new literature to read. What a joy!!! Are you up for it, V??

Story Time

On the eve of this historic inauguration (which in our household we are so, so excited about) J randomly chose from the library on Saturday and from our library bag for tonight’s read-aloud The Librarian of Basra; A true story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter. I had read it before when it first came out but reading it tonight it had so much more significance as J reacted to the illustrations of war and made comments like “she must love books more than anything!!” With the inauguration on my mind it clicked with this book in a new way. I am so happy we will have a new President, one who looks at things from a much wider perspective than we have had before.

For me, we have crossed into the promised land with the Obama family moving into the White House. Iraq is no longer on the front page much but as a peaceful family we talk about it frequently and it is important children see life in Iraq included libraries, books, restaurants, and family life just like we have here. No, life there is not like it is here but the Iraqi people had their own lives, important to them. Hopefully, we have a new era of respecting other’s lives here, there and everywhere with President Barack Obama!!! I really wish I had the money to fly there in person as he gets sworn in-it would be Amazing to be there-but I will be happy here celebrating with my family.

Listen, Listen by Phillis Gershator/Alison Jay

I received this great board book from Barefoot Books via The Picnic Basket and I can already tell it is going to be a popular check-out. I read it to a preschool and kindergarten class today and they loved it. It is such an interesting example of the seasons turning with melodic language and fun sounds for young ones to make with you while you read. Both classes got the whole change of season theme, which was very impressive!

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

A teacher friend has been begging me to read So B. It by Sarah Weeks. I finally brought it home from my school library and started reading the first few pages and I was hooked. I proceeded to read it in two sittings. It reminded me of In search of mockingbird as they both have to do with a young girl’s search for clues about their mothers. Heidi, the main young character in So B. It, is being raised by her Mother, and the next-door neighbor, Bernadette, who suffers from agoraphobia. Heidi’s mother is mentally challenged and has a hard time making it through her day without help. Heidi loves her mom and really wants more information like does she have grandparents? She gets some clues when she discovers an old camera with film still intact in the back of a kitchen drawer. After the photos are developed Heidi sets off for an institute shown in the photos. The bus trip taking her from Reno, NV to the east coast is a fantastic journey with interesting characters very typical of a greyhound bus ride. Heidi does discover more about her mother’s past and meets two long lost relatives as well. This book is beautifully written and reminded me of the valuable thread that bind mothers and daughters together.

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

I have so many hopes and dreams for this year…
no resolutions, just mental lists and when I think about it most
of my lists involve books or reading and how I never get enough time to read.

Tom Perrotta's The Abstinence Teacher

I love checking out author pages and as I am really enjoying Tom Perrotta’s new(ish) book, The Abstinence Teacher, I thought I would check out his site where I found this gem of a timeline. I can relate to much on this as he was born just a year before me and it is interesting to read of the stuggles he had getting published and all the odd jobs made me laugh.

I always enjoy books with a timely topic and this one is a perfect mix of Christian Coalition/Liberalism butting heads over sex!!! Fiesty!!
I just finished Maxinne Swann’s Flower Children, which I felt was bland and not character-driven. This book is a good one to follow it with because already I know and like Ruth Ramsey, the main character and sex education teacher and I am not even a third into the book.
oh, time to go walk the new puppy!!

Merry Christmas to all

What a wonderful day it has been. Santa was good to the girls in the family but sadly, my son was not happy with the choices Santa made for him!!! Santa was tired of electronic, tuned-out toys and made more thoughtful and creative presents for the 13-year-old and the 13-year-old did not appreciate Santa’s efforts!!! oh, woe is me that he only feels happy with toys that plug-in/use batteries/zone him out, which is partially his age, I concede. I long for the lego/play mobile years of building, once again, showing me you have to appreciate what you have when you have it. Everyone did love the books that were chosen for them and we have read another version of The Nutcracker today. Another Christmas passes and everyone will go to bed happy and that, my friends, in a family of five is the main goal.
I was able to knit a little today, and read one more chapter of The Lightning Thief. We watched The Princess Bride (a family fav.) on DVD, played a board game and I even snuck in a nap while my husband did the dishes.
Happy, Happy Day!!!

New Puppy

We did it!! My sweet husband and I picked out a lab puppy from Cedar Bend Humane Society and passed it off, at least to our littlest one, as an early gift from Santa!! We have settled on Roxanne-or Roxie-for a name. This took much deliberation with five opinions and my husband is still pushing for Eve/Genevieve. Roxie is 7 weeks old and loves to be held and carried around. Sadly, right now she is suffering from a puppy cold and I will be visiting the vet later today. We thought potty training over the holiday break would be a breeze with all of us home. We did not figure on subzero temps here in Iowa and our poor puppy doesn’t want to step one foot out the door. It has been years since either of us trained a puppy so I headed to the library to find some puppy training manuals. I was disappointed on the age of the dog collection, which seemed to come mostly from the 80’s and early 90’s. I did find a good one by Shawn Messonnier, who is a vet and it includes recipes for making your own dog food as well as homeopathic choices. I do plan on making her food as I think most commercial dog foods are, well, yucko! P.S. the puppy’s had a name change; it is now Tarah!

random thoughts

Is it weird that I walk around my own home with my black winter hat on my head for hours after i come home from work?
Funniest scene in a book so far today…Junie B. Jones hanging from a set of crutches in the nurse’s office after hiding in her kindergarten class!! J and I giggled hard about that at story time tonight!!!
We read the book Duck tonight and J said, when we finished, “fake, fake” -she went on to explain how while she liked the book it wasn’t believable that a carousel duck would be able to walk around. It is hard for 6 year-olds to understand fact/fiction but her response was valid and true.
Little Hoot-what a fabulous little gem about an owl who is forced to stay up by his owl parents (another one of those why didn’t I think of that story line!) by the author of Little Pea.

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

The book blogging club at my school are reading this wonderfully brutal book by Deborah Ellis and they love it! The book has so many things my students don’t understand and they just read it and go “read it, it was good.” That’s it!! How can I get them to explore more, go deeper? I want them to have a greater aha moment with the book but maybe it is okay that they just like it. On their blog I have requested they find out more information yet they continue with one sentence comments, i.e. “why did they take him away when he didn’t do anything?” The writer is refering to the father being dragged off to prison by Taliban soldiers. It’s not a “bad” question, it is just not a deep question. This group has now read The Devil’s Arithmetic as well as this book and I am just waiting for this big amazing moment of comprehension and it may never come. Maybe it is just hidden inside them and it will appear next year when they go off to sixth grade.