Let's Bust a Recap : Ramona Quimby

Here's the thing about Beverly Cleary: of all the books I've ever read in my entire life, Beverly Cleary can write a book that's supposed to be from a child's perspective, like it's actually from a real child's perspective. She has the uncanny ability to tap into a child's psyche so well, and it makes actual kids want to read her books. I love children's literature. Truly, it may be my very favorite genre. Children's books make it into my reading rotation every single year. And Beverly Cleary is the absolute queen of writing books about kids, for kids.  

Back in 2021, I started reading Beezus and Ramona with my nieces while they were visiting in the summer. It was just a quick trip and I wasn't quite able to finish the book with them, but of course that didn't stop me from finishing it by myself shortly after they left. Last year, during a week-long slumber party at Uncle Cody and Auntie Hannah's house, I picked up the next Ramona book to read to my niece and nephews. For the purposes of this post, I'll call them Thing One, Thing Two, and Thing Three. During that week, we flew through Ramona the Pest and Ramona the Brave. The kids immediately fell in love with Ramona and when Thing One realized there was actually a book before Ramona the Pest that I hadn't read to them, she checked it out of her school library to read for herself. If that's not a testament to Beverly Cleary's genuine connection with children, I don't know what is. For the rest of 2024, if I showed up at a family gathering without our current Ramona book, I was ordered back home to get it so total anarchy didn't ensue. (It's a good thing we all live in the same neighborhood!) We actually finished Ramona's World, the final book in the Ramona series, on Christmas day. 

There are eight books about Ramona Quimby, from Beezus and Ramona, published in 1955, all the way to Ramona's World, published in 1999. The very first book is from the perspective of Ramona's older sister Beezus who gets very annoyed with Ramona's antics but learns she can always love her little sister—even if she doesn't always like her. The following seven books are all from Ramona's perspective as she goes to kindergarten with her neighbor Howie in Ramona the Pest, up until her fourth grade year in Ramona's World. Ramona finds herself facing all sorts of challenges like bullies at school, teachers she loves and teachers she doesn't like, her dad losing his job, her family expecting a new baby, a family pet dying, making a best friend, and a beloved aunt getting engaged and married. While all these books were written and published before the twenty-first century, the struggles and triumphs, growing up and all the big feelings that go with it, are timeless, and Cleary's books have given children a protagonist they can honestly see themselves in for generations now. Thing One, Thing Two, and Thing Three were all absolutely riveted by Ramona Quimby, and the Ramona books are the only books I've ever read to them where I had the undivided attention of all three whenever I was reading. After we finished reading the entire series, I asked them each to tell me their favorite parts of the books and here's what they said:

Thing One liked when Ramona put the hard-boiled egg on her head (from Ramona Quimby, Age 8) and when she made the tiara out of burrs (from Ramona and Her Father). 

Thing Two liked it when Ramona made an engagement ring out of a worm in Ramona the Pest. (I love that Thing Two's favorite part was one that wasn't depicted in the phenomenal film adaptation starring Joey King as Ramona Quimby. Which we watched twice.)

And Thing Three loved drawing the longest picture (from Ramona and Her Father...and also from our basement because we obviously had to draw our own longest picture), and his other favorite part was when Ramona fell through the ceiling in Ramona's World. 

If my glowing review hasn't already tipped you off to my feelings about it, let me say this loud and clear: the Ramona Quimby books are an absolute treasure and I highly recommend them—specifically to be read aloud to children or for children to read for themselves. As I alluded to above, the movie is also a delight and one of my all-time favorites. Scenes from every single book are lovingly incorporated into it and I cannot get through it without laughing and sobbing—every. single. time. Don't miss out on Ramona Quimby. 

What is your favorite children's book? Seriously, please tell me. I'm always looking for good ones to ward off the cynicism that seems unavoidable in this world. 

Let's Bust a Recap : The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever has been on my radar for years. I missed out on it as a kid, and I've had my eye out for it for quite some time. But when the trailer for a feature film adaptation dropped earlier this year, I went ahead and ordered myself a copy from AbeBooks. I read it the day before my husband took me to see the movie in our cute, one-screen, downtown theater.

And I loved it.

And I went back and watched the movie a second time with my mom, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law. 

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever—book and movie—will, without a doubt, become a part of all my future Christmas traditions. 

This beloved children's novel was written by Barbara Robinson and published in 1972. It features the six awful Herdman siblings who, after showing up to Sunday school for the free snacks, decide to star in the annual Christmas pageant by volunteering for the six main roles: Mary, Joseph, the angel, and the three wise men. None of the other kids dare stand up to them, and the whole hilarious tale is narrated in the first person by Beth Bradley whose mom is directing the pageant for the first time after Mrs. Armstrong—the usual director—falls and breaks her leg. As word spreads that the Herdmans have hijacked the pageant, the whole town expects disaster, but, in a beautiful twist, the Herdmans end up teaching the town the true meaning of Christmas. 

I know I already said I loved it, but you guys: I. Loved. It. This little novel delighted me from beginning to end, and weighing in at a slim 80 pages—including full page illustrations—you can easily read it in one sitting. I genuinely laughed out loud the whole way through until getting to the pageant itself at which point tears were streaming down my face. What an absolute treasure of a book.

And the movie! So much care was taken with this 2024 adaptation. The majority of the screenplay was lifted straight from the book. In my year of reading/watching book-to-movie adaptations: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was another smashing success. I think the book comes off a little funnier and the movie a bit more sentimental but both are absolutely wonderful, and, as I said above, I'll be reading and watching in all my Christmases to come. What a joy! I cannot possibly recommend this little gem enthusiastically enough. Get your hands on a copy and read it immediately. 

Do you have any books or movies you like to watch every year at Christmastime? What are your favorite Christmas traditions?

Let's Bust a Recap : While Mrs. Coverlet Was Away

Well after a six-week hiatus due to unforeseen technical difficulties (read: the old laptop finally bit the dust and we had to spring for a new one), I'm back and ready to catch you up on some books I've finished recently starting with this tattered favorite that I read aloud with my nieces and nephews during April. 

When our girls got here on April 16th, we ran through the shelves and pulled several options down that we were interested in reading. Then we took it to a vote and to my delight, While Mrs. Coverlet Was Away was the unanimous winner. This old copy was one of my mother's childhood books and I read it when I was probably 8 or 9 years old. I remember loving it, so I was ready for a fun read aloud with all my favorite kiddos, and it definitely delivered. 

The premise of this 1958 children's book by Mary Nash centers around three siblings who are suddenly left home alone when their housekeeper is called away for a family emergency while their widowed father is on a business trip to New Zealand. Thirteen year old Malcolm and practical middle-child Molly decide they can manage their six year old brother Theobold (affectionately called "Toad") by themselves, and because Mrs. Coverlet had to leave in such a rush, no other adult knows that the children are home alone. So for the whole summer the siblings are left to their own devices and do quite a fine job of it, even starting a summer business selling a concoction of the Toad's to make some money to send their father to help his business of opening a tin mine along. 

Mix it all together and you're in for a laugh-out-loud good time. My nieces and nephews loved it as much as I did when I was their age, and we all had fun trying to guess what the Toad put in his purple concoction to make it taste so good. I especially enjoyed reading about Malcolm's complicated conscience and how he got around it and talking to my nieces and nephews about whether they thought they could take care of themselves for a whole summer without grownups. The consensus was a resounding "no". 

All in all, While Mrs. Coverlet Was Away is a book I'd recommend to just about anyone. It's silly without being completely ridiculous, and I particularly love this beat up old copy because it was my mom's and she wrote in it when she was little:

I mean, come on! Consider this a call to action to have your children sign their favorite books and then tuck them away for posterity's sake. What a treasure!

Let's Bust a Recap : Roald Dahl

Well, I've decided to post my Roald Dahl recaps in twos, and on today's docket we have Matilda and The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. 

After diving into the weird and wonderful world of Dahl last year with The Twits and The Witches, Matilda was the logical next choice for me having grown up watching the 1996 film adaptation starring Mara Wilson as the brilliant Matilda Wormwood. My best friend Amanda and I used to go around chanting Danny DeVito's condescending little monologue thinking we were hilarious.

Listen, you little wiseacre: I'm smart, you're dumb; I'm big, you're little; I'm right, you're wrong. And there's nothing you can do about it.

One of Roald Dahl's most beloved books, Matilda was published in 1988 and people have been voting it one of the best children's books of all time ever since. Opening his novel by explaining how mothers and fathers always think their own children are wonderful little geniuses despite any evidence to the contrary, Dahl then goes on to tell the story of Matilda Wormwood, a bonafide genius whose awful parents' can't be bothered with her at all. When Matilda starts to school under the atrocious headmistress Miss Trunchbull, she befriends her teacher Miss Honey who is amazed at Matilda's intellectual abilities, and after an extraordinary onset of powers, Matilda uses them to oust Miss Trunchbull.

Dahl had me laughing out loud straight out of the gate with his treatise on ridiculous parents and his thoughts on how he might behave if he were a teacher having to deal with such parents. I was enchanted with Matilda and her love for books, and I found myself cheering on the compassionate librarian Mrs. Phelps. Matilda's tricks on her neglectful and abusive parents were hilarious, and the retribution she finally doles out on Miss Trunchbull is altogether satisfying.  But by the very end of the book, even though Matilda and Miss Honey end up in a happily ever after together, I couldn't help feeling just a little sad for how awful Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood are and how they missed out on such a sweet daughter. Personally, I think the humor plays out a bit better on-screen where they're portrayed by the hilarious Danny DeVito and and Rhea Perlman. 

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me is a mere 73 pages long and tells the sweet story of Billy, who befriends the Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company (which is made up of the Giraffe, the Pelican, and the Monkey) after they buy the queer old wooden house not far from where Billy lives. Billy has always dreamed of one day owning the old house and restoring it to its former glory as a sweet-stop, and after an adventure with the Giraffe and Pelly and Monkey, the Duke of Hampshire, and a jewel thief, he eventually does get to fulfill his secret wish of running the sweet-shop. 

Published in 1985, this one kept me smiling at the antics of the Giraffe and Pelly and Monkey—especially all their clever little sing-songy rhymes. It was worth reading the whole book just for the Monkey's final farewell song to Billy (which I will feature on the blog on Wednesday). And the charming illustrations by Quentin Blake were a delight as usual. 

While The Witches is still holding as my favorite so far, both these books get my stamp of approval, and I'm looking forward to my next visit with Dahl. I think the two books featuring Charlie Bucket will be the next stop on my journey. 

What's your favorite Roald Dahl book?

Let's Bust a Recap : The Thirteenth Pearl

Last week in my recap of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, I mentioned that I cut my proverbial reading teeth on The Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew mysteries. When I was a kid, I couldn't get enough Nancy Drew and my grandmother would collect secondhand copies throughout the year. She had a standing agreement with the owner of our local used bookshop in which he called her any time Nancy Drews came in and she got first dibs before he put them out on the shelves. Whenever a birthday or Christmas came around, I got a new stack of Nancy Drews to read which I promptly devoured.

Now I have a niece who has started to read and guess what books she loves. Nancy Drew mysteries. Any time she comes to my house, she is immediately drawn to the shelf with all the faded yellow spines. When she accompanied me to our new home in NC, the first thing we unpacked were the Nancy Drews and she chose The Thirteenth Pearl which we began reading aloud together. 

She left before we could finish it, but I can't start a book and then just quit so I finished it by myself. 

The Thirteenth Pearl is the last of the original 56 Nancy Drew mystery stories published by Grosset & Dunlap. There have been many iterations since then and now there are literally hundreds of Nancy Drew books including the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew collection which are the ones my niece has been reading on her own. The Thirteenth Pearl was published in 1979 under the familiar pseudonym Carolyn Keene but was actually written by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. As the Nancy Drew books were first being published, there were a few different authors who wrote them, and it was written into their contracts that they would be paid $125 per book and required to give up all rights to the work and maintain confidentiality. In every book, Nancy Drew is an 18 year old high school graduate and amateur detective who solves crime with the help of her two best friends George and Bess and occasionally her hunky college boyfriend Ned. She lives with her widowed father and their housekeeper Hannah Gruen, and she drives around in a blue convertible. She often gets kidnapped or caught up in some kind of danger before she solves the case. 

In The Thirteenth Pearl, Nancy is trying to find a rare and valuable pearl that has been stolen which leads her all the way to Japan tracking an international ring of jewel thieves. The book takes an odd turn when Nancy finds herself in the midst of a creepy pearl-worshiping cult, but she, of course, solves the case and catches the bad guys. 

I was pleasantly surprised in reading this book how well-researched it was, and also by the positive depiction of Japanese people and culture. My grandfather served in WWII, and I grew up with a somewhat negative image of the Japanese. After my brother and sister-in-law lived in Japan, and now that I have a Japanese niece, I became a lot more sensitive about this issue and started intentionally adding Japanese literature to my collection. This book has aged surprisingly well given that it was written and published in the '70s, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with my niece one day. 

Nancy Drew has become a cultural icon and is cited as a formative influence by a number of high powered women including Supreme Court Justices and former First Ladies. This collection will always be special to me because of the gift of love they were from my grandmother, but rereading them as an adult is proving to be a rewarding experience in its own right. Definitely would recommend a Nancy Drew book for your daughter or niece or neighborhood kid or even you if you're looking for something quick to bust you out of a reading slump or to kickstart a reading life that's gone stale. 

What books sparked a love for reading in you?

~a 10 year old Hannah reading The Secret of the Old Clock~

Let's Bust a Recap : Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web is another of those stories with which I was very familiar, but (to my shame) had never actually read for myself. It's also the third children's novel I've read this year that made me genuinely sorry I hadn't read it sooner (the first two being A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt). I grew up with the 1973 animated film adaptation which I loved as a kid. I haven't seen it in years, and I totally forgot it was a musical until I looked it up for this post. I also saw the 2006 live action adaptation a few years ago and immediately bought it because it was so sweet. I finally snagged a copy of the actual book at The Book Shelter a couple years ago, and it sat neglected on my shelf until my niece came over one day with her copy and announced she would be reading it. Naturally, I had to join her.

Charlotte's Web by Elwyn Brooks White was first published in October of 1952. It's won a load of awards including the Newbery and is on pretty much every list of best loved novels you can imagine. It's a teacher favorite and in a 2012 survey of School Library Journal readers, it was voted #1 out of the "Top 100 Chapter Books" of all time. The librarian conducting the survey said it would be impossible for Charlotte's Web not to be #1. E.B. White himself won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1978 for his full body of work and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. However, he was terribly shy and hated publicity and was known to sneak out of his office via his fire escape to avoid visitors which is a fact I just absolutely love about him.

Charlotte's Web is the story of a little pig named Wilbur and his remarkable friend Charlotte A. Cavatica who happens to be a spider. After being born the runt of his litter, Wilbur is rescued by Fern Arable who pleads with her father not to kill the tiny piglet. After five weeks of pampering from Fern, he goes to live on the Zuckerman farm down the road where he befriends Charlotte (and a whole barnyard full of animals) who becomes so fond of him that she promises to save him from becoming the Christmas ham and proceeds to spin words describing Wilbur into her web creating a sensation and finally landing him at the County Fair.

I love this dear story. As Eudora Welty put it: "What the book is about is friendship on earth, affection and protection, adventure and miracle, life and death, trust and treachery, pleasure and pain, and the passing of time. As a piece of work it is just about perfect, and just about magical in the way it is done." I can't describe it any better than that. Its sweetness is only enhanced by the sketches of Garth Williams throughout its pages, and the 2006 adaptation featuring the voice of Julia Roberts as Charlotte is equally delightful. It's a can't miss, and I highly recommend you read it at least once in your life—sooner rather than later.

Have you read Charlotte's Web? What is your favorite book from childhood?

Let's Bust a Recap : My Bedtime Anytime Storybook

My Bedtime Anytime Storybook is a collection of short stories for children written by V. Gilbert Beers that was published in 1992 and gifted to my siblings and me back in 1995. As the self-proclaimed book hoarder collector of the family, I claimed this book for my personal library after we all grew up, and this summer I read the whole thing out loud to the almost-three-year-old that haunts this place. Each day before naptime, we'd visit our colorful friends to supposedly be entertained and learn valuable moral lessons about forgiveness, helpfulness, working together, sharing, pride, etcetera etcetera. 

The stories feature the little adventures and scuffles of six animal friends: McWhiskers the mouse (quite obviously the author's favorite character and the most virtuous of the bunch), Bru the bruin bear (the one who has the most lessons to learn but never seems to actually learn them), Puddles the blue hippo, Tux the penguin, KaWally the koala bear, and PJ the zebra (all of whom are definitely secondary characters to McWhiskers and Bru). While the book is well-intentioned and the stories have the potential to teach good lessons, the moral is often vague and overshadowed by other bad characteristics displayed by the characters in the story. For example, we may be reading a story about Bru and his pridefulness, and in the process of Bru learning how wrong it is to be proud, all the other characters get angry, yell at him, even call him names. While we get the hazy impression that pridefulness is wrong, we never read anything about anger or unkindness or see Bru's friends apologize to him for their own moral missteps. The endings are extremely weak and fail to drive the moral lesson home, and on top of that, the stories are largely forgettable. 

The biggest selling point is definitely the colorful, cartoonish illustrations by Tim O'Connor that draw the eye on every page and is what I remember being attracted to as a child flipping through this book. But that hardly makes up for the poor content of the stories. While this book wasn't terrible and there were a few stories that I liked, overall I'd recommend skipping My Bedtime Anytime Storybook. There is certainly better material out there particularly if you're looking for something to help teach your children Christian values. 

What's your favorite read-aloud storybook?

Casual Fridays

Christmas Eve ~ 2016

Hello there and a happy 2017 to you! I can hardly believe we've made it into another new year, but as my dad always says, I'll be blinking and then getting out all my Christmas decor again. The old saying is true: the days are long, but the years are short. The longer I live, the shorter the years seem to get. Why is that? 

Anyway, enough introspection, if you're new around here: welcome! That's me with my smokin' hot husband. I blog about books. I decided a couple years ago that it was time to stop collecting all the classics with the intention of reading them "someday" and actually dive in and start reading. Blogging has become a fun hobby for me and a great way to catalogue what I've thought about the books I've read and to save some of the more poignant quotes I've come across as I've read them. 

If you're interested in keeping up with this little blog, there's a box over to your right (if you're viewing on your phone, you'll have to scroll all the way down and hit "Web View" in order to see it) where you can enter your e-mail address to have my posts come directly to your Inbox. 

Moving on, let me tell you something: we have had a veritable windfall of books around here lately. And since (as I just mentioned) that's what this blog is all about, I'm about to inundate you with the details of all our new treasures whether you like it or not. 

Look at all the pretty, pretty books. It's like Christmas! No, actually, it just was Christmas. Hence, the windfall. Let's work our way from left to right, shall we? 

First of all, if you'll take a second to recall this post and this post, you'll find that my husband already went above and beyond with the bookish goodness on my birthday. I decided not to include them in this photo because 1) I've already talked about them on the blog and let's not be repetitive, and 2) I don't know if I could have fit them in the picture anyway. 

Ok, so all the way to the left on the bottom of the first little stack we have The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. This book has been on my Life List for some time, and my awesome mommy-in-law got it for me for my birthday. I did not even think twice about putting it on my book list for this year. On top of The Hiding Place, we have 1984 and Animal Farm both by George Orwell sitting next to Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein. We picked up these three books in a funky little used book shop we found while wandering the streets of Key West the weekend after my birthday. Next to Shel, we've got some Dr. Seuss books: The Butter Battle Book and Daisy-Head Mayzie. Cody always gets me Dr. Seuss books for Christmas. He's the best. After Dr. Seuss, there's a Debbie Macomber book called Angels at the Table that my Gramma gave me for Christmas. I read my first Debbie Macomber book a couple weeks ago, and the plot was original and interesting so I'm looking forward to seeing what else she has to offer. The next stack are books that Cody and I got for each other for Christmas: Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck, Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (this one made it on my 2017 book list!), and The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper. I'm definitely looking forward to reading The Deerslayer after I enjoyed The Last of the Mohicans so much. 

For Christmas, my parents gave us each gift cards to Barnes & Noble, and--surprise, surprise--they didn't even last us a week. We hightailed it to a Barnes & Noble and picked up another year's worth of reading material. A gorgeous collectible edition of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, Daniel Deronda and Middlemarch both by George Eliot, and Never Go Back and Personal both by Lee Child. Cody's pretty into the Jack Reacher series right now. To top it off, we ordered a beautiful collector's edition of The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer and a Louisa May Alcott box set of Little Women, Little Men, and Jo's Boys which have not yet arrived. I am extremely disappointed to inform you that neither I nor my husband has been able to find a single copy of Jo's Boys (or Little Men, for that matter) in any bookstore we've been in lately. Which I think is outrageous. But never fear: we have the internet. 

As if all this wasn't way more than enough, I walked into church Wednesday night and there was a table of random odds and ends up for grabs and sitting right on one corner was a stack of four Sisterchicks novels by Robin Jones Gunn. Can you even believe it?! The Sisterchicks series are some of the only books by Robin Jones Gunn that I don't already own and haven't read. I mean, honestly. I don't even know what to do with myself right now. 

Is anyone still with me? Have I gone way overboard? Are you completely blown away that among all these new jewels, only a few made it onto my 2017 book list? I'm pathetic, right? I think it's safe to say that I officially own more books that I haven't read than books I have and ohmygosh I just realized I forgot some. Let's change the subject. 

Link Love

- What Healing Looks Like : Excellent quote from Francis A. Schaeffer.

- Living in a Library : Um, only my dream come true!

- The Grinch, Puppy Dogs, & Thoughts About the Heart : Love these thoughts from Switchfoot's Tim Foreman.

- Punctuality : Yes, yes, yes. Thankful for a dad who not only taught me the importance of being on time, but has always modeled it so well.

- Baby Stella : If there was one of those live feed things on this baby elephant, I would waste waaaaay too much time watching it. So cute!!

And speaking of cute, I can not even handle this adorable photo of my niece. I'll end with this in hopes that you'll forgive me for my endless monologue about all the books.

Have you read any of the books I mentioned? Do you have a collection or hobby that other people get sick of hearing about? This is a safe space. I promise I won't judge. Do the years seem short to you or do they drag?

P.S. Because I just can't help not telling you the books I left out: my dad got me John Adams by David McCullough for my birthday--it's on my book list. We also bought The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald from Barnes & Noble. There. I think that's everything. The end.

Our Great Big Backyard

Last year, my mom gave me Read All About It! by Laura Bush and her daughter Jenna Bush Hager. I absolutely loved that book and the fun illustrations. This year, my mom gave me the Bush ladies' most recent venture in the world of children's books, and what a great follow-up it is!

In Read All About It!, a young boy named Tyrone learns to love reading because of a faithful teacher who is committed to reading aloud in class. In Our Great Big Bakyard, we meet a girl named Jane who is excited to spend her summer vacation watching movies, surfing the web, and playing video games....until her parents reveal that the whole family will be taking a Great American Roadtrip to several of the National Parks around the country. Jane is convinced that her summer is ruined and she'll have the worst time of her life.

At first, Jane does her best to stay connected to her friends through texting and e-mailing and playing games on her iPad, but gradually, she starts to have the time of her life with her little brother camping under the stars, riding a mule down into the Grand Canyon, white-water rafting, exploring Yellowstone National Park, and seeing Old Faithful erupt (among other things). By the end of the trip, she can't even find her iPad and sends her friends a hand-written postcard. *GASP* When the family arrives home, Jane has all her friends over for a backyard camp-out to tell them all about her adventures, and they discover the beauty right at home in their own backyard.

Not only did I love this book because it encourages families to shut off their screens and explore the world around them together, but it also encourages kids to use their imaginations. At the Grand Canyon, Jane and her brother pretend to be acrobats on a tightrope tip-toeing across the Skywalk. When they went rafting down the Colorado River, they were pirates, and in Yellowstone they became park rangers. 

To top it off, in the back of the book the National Parks are listed by state with helpful resources that will direct you to a National Park nearest to where you live. How great is that?! My parents drove us 4 kids all over the country while we were growing up and some of my favorite memories are from visiting National Parks in the grand ole U S of A. 

Definitely grab yourself a copy of this book. I loved it and can't wait to see what's next from Laura Bush and Jenna Bush Hager!

Have you been to any National Parks? Which of the ones you've been to is your favorite and why? Which National Parks are your dream destination? My most recent American Adventure included the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri with my dad. 

Casual Fridays

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and I have discovered the PhotoGrid app. Aren't you lucky?

I have been a busy little worker elf this week decking all our halls and turning our little home sweet home into a Christmas Wonderland. Don't you just love this time of year?

Here are a few of my favorite ornaments. Cody and I like to assemble and decorate our Christmas tree while watching White Christmas, my favorite Christmas movie. We started this tradition our first year of marriage, and it makes getting all the decorations down and dusting them off something to look forward to. Despite all the rockin' around the Christmas tree, I have managed to make a little bit of progress in TR this week. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

And since this is a blog about books, I decided to share a few of my all-time favorite Christmas books with you. Which I also like to decorate with. You can not go wrong with any of these. Starting from the top left:

The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado

The Gift of the Magi adapted by Penelope J. Stokes

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

The Candymaker's Gift by David & Helen Haidle

The Candle in the Window by Grace Johnson

Alabaster's Song by Max Lucado

Anyway, the cards have been mailed, the halls have been decked, the weather is even cooling off a little, and I'm almost done with the shopping already. Time to slow down and remember why we we're celebrating.

"And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 

And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"

Luke 2:7-14 (KJV)

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

What are some of your Christmas traditions? Do you have a favorite Christmas book or song or ornament?

And the Library Keeps Growing...

So on Friday I mentioned that my husband bought me a stack of new books at a super-fun book shop in Brevard, NC. Want to know what I scored? You're in luck 'cause that's what we're talking about today.

First up, two Alexander books by Judith Viorst. Most people are probably familiar with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day in which Alexander talks all about his rotten day and how he should probably just move to Australia. Especially since it recently inspired a major motion picture put out by Disney. (Which I wasn't particularly a fan of, but let's not get into that right now.) But did you know there are several other books about Alexander? In Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, Alexander recounts the mysterious way the dollar his grandparents gave him on Sunday disappears throughout the week. Judith Viorst is hilarious, and I can't get through any of the Alexander books without giggling at some point. I highly recommend adding them to your library. 

Next up is A Kiss Means I Love You by Kathryn Madeline Allen. I had never heard of this book before, but it practically jumped off the shelf and into my hands. I fell in love with it instantly as I turned page after page of beautiful photos of children who all look different from each other and fun, rhyming words that depict how children express their thoughts and feelings. It reminds me of Little Humans by Brandon Stanton which I am also a huge fan of. Definitely a keeper.

I've had my eye out for a good hardback edition of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams for a long time, and I finally found it. It's a classic, and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading it, please go find a copy right now. It's a precious story about how toys can become Real with the transforming power of nursery magic. (Don't worry, it's not mystical or voodoo-y.) I can never read this story without getting a little choked up. I love it dearly.

Finally, we have Morning Song: Poems for New Parents edited by Susan Todd and Carol Purington. With sources ranging from the Bible, Sappho, and traditional songs to Dickinson, Yeats, Frost, and contemporary poets, this lovely collection celebrates the joy and wonder a new child brings to a family. It has thirteen different sections starting with "Beginnings" and ending with "To Arrive Where We Started". I'm a sucker for a good collection of poetry to begin with, and this sweet book captivated me. This would be a perfect gift for any new or expectant parents. 

So there you have it. Does my husband spoil me or what? Have you heard of or read any of these books? 

Feeling Seussy

Hello and a happy Wednesday to you! We haven't talked Dr. Seuss in a while, and since I'm in a major trend of avoidance until my new Christy book arrives, today seemed like a good day to discuss one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books of all time: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.

If you remember way back to our first Seussy post, I mentioned how much I love this book. It may be my very favorite book by Dr. Seuss (with Oh, the Places You'll Go! being a strong contender). In The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, we meet a little boy who was having just another ordinary day....until the king comes into town. The king stops his entire royal procession when he notices that Bartholomew has failed to remove his hat. Or has he? In front of the king and the entire town, Bartholomew removes the hat sitting on his head only to have another hat appear in its place.

In a rage, King Derwin orders that Bartholomew be brought to the palace to have his hat removed. No matter how many hats Bartholomew yanks off his head, more still appear and by the time he reaches the palace, he has taken off more than 100 hats. The king then calls in Sir Snipps (the palace hat expert), three generations of Nadds (the wisest men in all the land), the Yeoman of the Bowmen (to remove the hat with his archery skills), magicians (because this must be Black Magic), and even attempts to have Bartholomew beheaded (fortunately, there's a rule against chopping someone's head off whilst said person is wearing a hat). Try as they might, no one is able to successfully remove Bartholomew Cubbins hat. 

This book is pretty much hilarious and many might say that it has no clear moral message. It's just a fun book for kids. However, there is one subtle theme in this book I'd like to discuss. One character we meet among the pages of The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins is the Grand Duke Wilfred, King Derwin's spoiled brat of a nephew. Throughout the story, the Grand Duke bosses the king around, throws royal temper tantrums, and is generally a disrespectful little twerp. In contrast, Bartholomew, despite his frustrating and frightening situation, remains polite, humble, and obedient to all of the king's commands, even going so far as to march himself down to the executioner to have his head chopped off. Eventually, King Derwin puts a stop to Wilfred's awful behavior with a well-deserved spanking. 

Even though the Grand Duke Wilfred is barely a central character and his part in the story is not the main point of the book, I love the fact that he gets his comeuppance and that Bartholomew Cubbin's good behavior is rewarded in the end. That's a message worth reading to your children.

Proverbs 16:5 says, "Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not be unpunished."

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins is hardly a "Christian" book, but it demonstrates this scriptural truth in a fun and entertaining way. 

And I think that makes it worth reading. 

Read All About It!

If you caught Friday's post (and weren't too wrapped up in my embarrassing story), you may have seen that my mom got me the cutest new book last Sunday. It's called Read All About It! and it was written by Laura Bush and her daughter Jenna Bush Hager. I had not even heard of this book, but my mom actually went to a reading of it by Jenna herself and got a copy signed for me. Thanks, Mom!

You guys, it is the cutest book, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it, especially to all you teachers and parents of young children who might not be too interested in reading yet.

The story is about a young boy named Tyrone who can't be bothered with reading and thinks the library is a total snore zone. But because of his awesome teacher's dedication to reading aloud in the classroom, he comes to love books and decides the library is the place to be.

Not only are the illustrations hilariously adorable, the story itself is so witty and fun. I found myself laughing out loud as I turned the pages and found that the list of classroom rules on the chalkboard was growing with each book that the class read aloud. (For example, after Benjamin Franklin showed up in class while they were reading about him, "Fly Kites on Playground Only" was added to the list.)

Having dedicated teachers who care about their students is so important and this book shows how those teachers can foster a true love for learning in the young minds they get to mold each day. I had so many wonderful teachers growing up, and I am so thankful for all that I learned from them. 

While artfully highlighting how important good teachers are to our society, the book is all about how fun it is to read and how reading can take you on all kinds of adventures where you'll meet loads of new friends. And that's exactly what this little blog is all about! I love reading and hope to encourage others to love it as well. 

As Miss Libro (yes, the teacher's name is Miss Libro. how clever is that?) tells Tyrone in this book, "You never know who you're going to meet in a good book!"

Who was your favorite teacher in school? Who are some of your favorite literary friends?

Feeling Seussy

Today I want to talk a little about And to Think That I saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss. This book was published in 1937 and was the first children's book Dr. Seuss ever had published. 

And I love it.

It's a story of a little boy named Marco who is in possession of an outrageous imagination. The story starts out with the lines:

"When I leave home to walk to school, Dad always says to me, 'Marco, keep your eyelids up and see what you can see.'"

But when all Marco sees on his way to school is a plain horse and an old wagon, he quickly dreams up an entire parade complete with police escort and an airplane showering down confetti over the whole spectacle. 

Did you know that Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss's real name) was rejected by at least 20 different publishers before Vanguard Press agreed to publish And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street? Apparently, one of the biggest criticisms of the book by potential publishers was that it lacked a clear moral message. Geisel has been quoted as saying to his wife in response to this criticism, "What's wrong with kids having fun reading without being preached at?"

And that's what I love about this book. It's just fun for the sake of being fun, and it encourages kids to use their imaginations which I happen to believe is very important.

Are you a daydreamer?  What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book?

Feeling Seussy

We're pretty big into Dr. Seuss around here, so don't be surprised if every now and then, you stumble onto a Seussy post. 

One of our more recent acquisitions is Bartholomew and the Oobleck. This was one of my Christmas presents from Cody. (How many times do I gotta say it? The man gets me.) One of my all time favorite Dr. Seuss books is The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. Bartholomew and the Oobleck is about the same little boy in the same Kingdom of Didd with the same crazy King Derwin.

In this adventure, King Derwin nearly ruins his kingdom because he gets bored with the same four things that always come down from the sky (rain, sunshine, fog, and snow), and he orders his royal magicians to make something new come down (against the better judgment and advice of Bartholomew Cubbins). 

This is a fantastic story about contentment and the magic of saying the simple words "I'm sorry." I would highly recommend it.

My favorite line from the book is, "'You may be a mighty king,' he said. 'But you're sitting in oobleck up to your chin. And so is everyone else in your land. And if you won't even say you're sorry, you're no sort of a king at all!'" 

We all have times when something is all our fault and we need to apologize. Instead of trying to think up some elaborate, elegant excuse or exquisitely worded explanation, sometimes a simple "I'm sorry" is the best thing we can say. Besides, if you won't even say you're sorry, you're no sort of a person at all.

Do you have a favorite Dr. Seuss book?

Valentines for A Book-Lover

So for Valentines Day, my honey took me to Books-A-Million and let me pick out a couple new books. He gets me. And after he found this awesome book/DVD/timeline for me of all the presidents of the United States right up to Barak Obama (I'm a lover of history, don't judge), I happened upon this book called Little Humans by Brandon Stanton.

Before we go any further, can I just reminisce a moment? I miss Book Traders. If you are reading this and have no idea what I'm talking about, well, first of all, I'm glad you're reading my blog. Book Traders was a local used book store that I went to all during my growing-up years. Probably almost half of the books I own I found browsing through the shelves at Book Traders. My hubby and I have spent many an afternoon searching for and discovering literary treasures there. And now it's gone. Sometimes when I go into some of these huge chain bookstores with their FroYo shops and their aisles of glossy new titles and games and puzzles and movies, I get a little overwhelmed and at times even frustrated trying to find a book. *sigh* C'est la vie...

Back to my sweet new books.

First, this book on our nation's presidents. Love, love, loving it. There is a short biographical section on each president which includes a timeline of his presidency that highlights the major events that happened during his term(s). There is also a small section on every single first lady.  Included with the book is a 65-minute DVD about the presidents, a decorative copy of the Declaration of Independence, and a long timeline beginning with George Washington and ending with Barak Obama that notes major world events.  It's awesome. If we ever homeschool, it's going on the wall. Heck, if we never homeschool, it's going on the wall. I love all of it.  And it came in this sweet box.  I mean, shut the front door!  I hope you will all still be friends with me now that you know how I geek out over the small things.

And next, Little Humans. It's my new favorite book, y'all. Written by the creator of the popular blog Humans of New York, it's a children's book featuring stunning photos of real live children.  It's the most adorable thing I've seen in a while, and I was nearly in tears in the bookstore when I got to the end of the book.  It. Is. The. Sweetest. Thing.  Do yourself a favor and go buy a copy right now.  I don't care if you don't have kids, this would make a great coffee table book, and besides, C.S. Lewis said once, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." Before I go off on a tangent about reading children's books, I'll end this post.

What is your favorite kid book?  What was your favorite subject in school? Any other history nerds out there reading this?