The Outsiders

Last night, I finished reading The Outsiders.

I had never read this American classic, but while listening to my daughter's middle school English teacher speak of the upcoming school year, he mentioned they would be reading this one as a class, using it as a model for analysis and for crafting their own characters. With it being the 50th anniversary of the novel's publication, I thought I'd hop on board. (Cue eyerolls from daughter. :) )

Initial thoughts:

It takes no time at all for the action to grab the reader in this novel. Almost at once, you are thrust into the midst of an intense gang rivalry. While the writing style often struck me as dated (lots of long, introductory character descriptions, some cheesyness), the conflict and characters keep you turning the page. Plus, I enjoyed some of the dated qualities of the book -- the style of talk, the glimpse into the time period, a less-dramatic telling of a dramatic saga that can stand on its own...

Themes and longevity:

I see now that this novel is timeless. We are certainly living in a time marked by divisions in our country -- divisions politically, racially, ideologically... And the "us and them" conflicts that drive the entire novel are themes that will likely always exist. Because of that, this book will continue to have a long shelf life as we seek to understand those who are different from us, those who live "on the other side of the tracks," who look, speak, and dress differently.

"Things were rough all over, but it was better that way. That way

you could tell the other guy was human too."

Characters:

In addition to the novel's timeless themes, it just has darn good characters. They are flawed but completely lovable...every one of 'em. You root for them all, for they are honest and ornery, but loyal and tough. They seek to do better but also to defend what they know. You finish the novel and they stay with you. In fact, the other day, my friend Antoinette and I were discussing the novel, which she read almost 30 years ago, and she said, "Oh, I loved Ponyboy." I get it!


So, in spite of being an older, dated book, this one is sticking with me. It is an American classic and will continue to be so, and I'm looking forward to discussing it with Abby!

And, can I just say, I cannot wait to watch the movie. :) What a cast (of heartthrobs from my youth :) )!

Happy Thursday,

~Jen

Hypnosis Harry

Do you remember, as a kid, your parents saying no to everything? Or, as a parent, do you get in arguments with your children about things they can and cannot do? (I vividly remember morning arguments when my oldest was a kindergartener and I insisted she couldn't wear dresses but needed to wear pants on gym days. Oh, the drama!)

Well, today's book examines what might happen if parents would just loosen up and start saying YES:

Hypnosis Harry by Catherine Bailey (author of Mind Your Monsters), illustrated by Sarita Rich (Sky Pony Press, 2016), tells the story of young Harry, who hypnotizes his parents into saying yes to his every whim. Cupcakes for dinner? Yes! Pet monkeys? Sure! No more broccoli -- ever? Absolutely!

However, getting his every desire isn't always satisfying, and things are kind of a mess. Harry soon realizes that when his parents would say no, it was truly for his own good. But wait -- what happened to grandfather's pocket watch?

Bailey's story is truly delightful. You can imagine all of the fun and messy ideas that a child might cook up, but then she examines the unintended consequences of some of those choices. She gently but clearly shows the loving boundaries that parents provide when they don't give their children everything they want. And the ending is just perfect -- satisfying and humorous all at once. :)

And Rich's illustrations do what illustrations ought -- they add another layer to the story. Her colorful and playful pictures show heaps of child-like wishes come true, and they build upon the author's words. I love that a child can listen to this story being read, while their eyes perceive new levels of meaning through the illustrations.

This author-illustrator pairing has produced a fun and meaningful book that children and adults will enjoy reading over and over again.

For further reading:

Catherine Bailey Books

 Sarita Rich
Catherine's PiBoIdMo success story!
An Interview with Bailey and Rich

Enjoy!

~Jen

Happy Un-birthday!

"They gave it to me — for an un-birthday present."

"I beg your pardon?" Alice said with a puzzled air.

"I’m not offended," said Humpty Dumpty.

"I mean, what is an un-birthday present?"

"A present given when it isn’t your birthday, of course."

Alice considered a little. "I like birthday presents best," she said at last.

"You don’t know what you’re talking about!" cried Humpty Dumpty. "How many days are there in a year?"

"Three hundred and sixty-five," said Alice.

"And how many birthdays have you?"

"One."

"And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five, what remains?"

"Three hundred and sixty-four, of course."

~from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

 

Well, we are having a busy birthday/unbirthday weekend around these parts. My husband and my oldest share a birthday on Monday, and my baby, Vivian, turns two on Tuesday. So in addition to the regular busy-ness of basketball, soccer, and choir performances, this weekend has also featured an 11-year-old slumber party and a family gathering to celebrate the multitude of early-March birthdays. Good times!

 

Happy Sunday,

~Jen 

Night's Dream

"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,

Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet muskroses and with eglantine.

There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,

Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight."

 

~from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

Abby is in a little production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at school. That she is reading and performing Shakespeare has me all kinds of excited! Casting has yet to happen, but she is hoping for Puck or Hermia. :)

Happy Sunday!

5 Classics I've Read with My Daughter

I have been reading to Abby for almost 11 years now -- and she still likes it! (She reads on her own, too, but still enjoys sharing a book with me -- I will keep this going as long as possible!) Once we graduated from picture books, we moved on to simple and more complex chapter books, including some classics. Today I want to highlight a few of those.

A quick note: All of these book have central characters that are strong females. They teach about courage in the face of adversity, hard work, and hope. They are great mother-daughter reads.

Another quick note: Often, while I'm reading to Abby, she is doodling or making something with her hands. But she is absorbing the story and often stops to ask questions. If your child won't sit still or would likely space off during reading, let them doodle or craft during reading time and see what happens!

1. The Chronicles of Narnia series

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) was the first chapter book I read to Abby, and I believe she was 5 years old. I worried that the heightened, more formal language would be over her head, and figured we would abandon the book until later, if needed. However, the characters and story were so compelling to her, that she just loved it!


Abby's 6th birthday Narnia cake

The magical story of four siblings who enter another world via an old wardrobe captivated Abby's imagination. Talking animals and beasts, castles, the battle of good vs. evil, a gentle lion king... she ate it up and I would often find her outside playing Lucy Pevensie. :)

We went on to read the next two books in the series, but then took a break to read some other adventures. We will need to resume the story some day. #somanybookssolittletime

2. The Little House on the Prairie series

I mean, how could we not, right? The books detailing the pioneering adventures of the Ingalls family were written for children. The language is easy to understand and read, and the stories of the family's day-to-day life in a time long ago are fascinating. Laura Ingalls is taught hard work and perseverance and longs to end each day snuggled on Pa's knee, hearing about his hunting adventures or music from his fiddle.

And if you live in Missouri like we do, or want to travel this way, you can take a trip to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Mansfield. It is where Laura and Almanzo moved their family, built a life for themselves, and where she wrote these treasured books.

Look -- Pa's fiddle!

 

3. Anne of Green Gables

The Anne books by Lucy Maud Montgomery are so wonderful. Anne is an orphan who is (mistakenly) taken-in by a couple in Avonlea. She talks a mile a minute, often lost in some daydreamy reverie. Matthew immediately loves her delightful ways, but Marilla thinks she can be silly and impractical. Anne gets into all sorts of scrapes, but as she grows and matures, she becomes a trusted and solid -- and still daydreamy -- star of her community.

Yet again, I wondered if Abby wouldn't be engaged with the heightened language -- but Anne is just so lovable! She is smart, determined, head-strong, kind, and, above all, exceedingly imaginative. What a great role model for a young girl.

4. The Little Princess

This is what Abby and I are currently reading (first time for me!), and we are about halfway through. The central character is Sara Crewe, whose wealthy father brings her to a boarding school in New York. Though Sara has been spoiled and is used to a lavish lifestyle, she is a kind and generous soul. Miss Minchin, the headmistress, is jealous and disapproving of Sara and her wealth, but keeps the peace in order to maintain friendly relations with (the deep pockets of) her father. When it is learned that Captain Crewe has died, Sara is stripped of her belongings and is forced to live in the attic and become a servant. She is abused and mocked. However, Sara still maintains her kindness, generosity, imagination, and spirit to show that it is what's in the heart that makes one a "little princess."

5. The Harry Potter series

The greatest story ever told! :)

I cannot say enough wonderful things about these books. The magic and wizardry are captivating for kids and adults, alike. But it is the themes of courage, friendship, determination, good, loyalty, and understanding that put these over the top. I hope all of my kids read and treasure these books as much as my husband and I have.



Have you read any of these classics with your kids, or do you have any to add to our "must-read" list?

Wayside School

Today, I'd like to venture away from picture books a bit and discuss a great early-grade chapter book.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School was written by Louis Sachar, award-winning author of Holes and the Marvin Redpost series. Wayside School was supposed to be built one story high and have 30 classrooms. But the builder made a mistake and built the school 30 stories high with one classroom per level! (He said he was very sorry.)

The book details the strange happenings of the teachers and students on the 30th floor. Mrs. Gorf, who turns her students into apples, is soon replaced by Mrs. Jewls, who thinks her students are so cute they can't possibly be children and must be monkeys. And the students are even sillier than the teachers: There's Joe, who cannot count in the correct order and yet gets the right answer each time; Bebe, who can draw over 300 pictures in an hour; and of course Sammy -- the new kid in class -- who wears layers of raincoats and is very smelly.

I started reading this to William this week, and just as Abby had been when I read it to her, he was completely enthralled and giggly and kept asking for "just one more chapter." It is a great bridge from picture books to chapter books in that the action and stories are so compelling and hilarious for kids, they don't miss the illustrations on each page. The chapters in the book are quick and filled with ridiculousness, as well as timeless experiences from grade school and childhood.

First published in 1978, there have been three editions of this original book, as well as two sequels: Wayside School is Falling Down and Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger. Check them out for your kiddos soon, and you may find yourself enjoying them just as much.

Happy reading!

~Jen

Warm Things

"Sara -- who was only doing what she unconsciously liked better than anything else,

Nature having made her for a giver -- had not the least idea what she meant to poor Becky,

and how wonderful a benefactor she seemed. If Nature has made you for a giver, your

hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands

are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that -- warm things,

kind things, sweet things -- help and comfort and laughter -- and sometimes gay, kind

laughter is the best help of all."

 

-- from The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

 

 

Abby and I are reading The Little Princess together, and these words from chapter six just grabbed me. They are so lovely and so true.

 

Happy Sunday!

Babybug

When I was pregnant with my firstborn, my cousin Stacy gifted me a subscription to Babybug magazine. Have you heard of it?

Babybug is an award-winning magazine for babies and toddlers six months to three years old. Each issue is filled with stories, rhymes, photos and beautiful artwork that appeal to a very young child.



source

With words and pictures from a variety of authors and artists, the concepts are simple and relatable, and perfect for reading aloud by a parent or other caregiver.

Some of our favorite rhymes and knee-bouncers have come from the pages of Babybug, making story time an engaging and interactive experience.

I love our Babybugs. I saved all of Abby's and read them to William and now Vivian. Vivian now gets a subscription of her own, and we squeal when we open the mailbox and there is a new, happy, colorful issue waiting for us. A subscription for these books also makes a unique gift for a baby shower, birthday, or holiday.

Cricket Media, the publisher of Babybug, offers a variety of literary magazines for children of all ages. I encourage you to check them out!


 

I was not in any way paid for this blog post -- I just treasure these products and what they've meant to our family. I hope you will treasure them, too!

A Family Favorite

Continuing the conversation of delightfully absurd stories that we began yesterday, I'd like to highlight one of our family's favorite picture books: Stop That Pickle (author: Peter Armour; Illustrator: Andrew Shachat; published by HMH Books for Young Readers 1993).

My sister gifted me this book years ago, before I even had kids, because the notion of an ornery, runaway pickle was too ridiculous not to share. :) Basically, when Ms. Elmira Deeds visits the deli and orders a pickle -- the last pickle in the jar -- it does NOT want to be eaten. It runs out of the deli and is chased by a cast of other edible characters who all aim to -- you guessed it -- stop that pickle!

When my nephew Brad was a little boy, he'd beeline for the bookshelf in our guest room when he'd come over and would always select Stop That Pickle to read while he stayed. Warmed my heart. Over the years, Abby and William (and some day Vivian) have loved my husband's rendition of this story with a variety of ridiculous voices, and they join in the repeat of "Stop that pickle!" on each page. This can get very loud. :)

I wonder if the author knew he was writing an interactive book? :) Add this to the list of books that instill a delight in the experience of reading in young kids. (We adults sure love reading this with them, too.)