Bugs and Bunnies

First Foray into Digidrawing

2012-01-01T16:17:00.001-05:00

I'm teaching myself how to use the digital drawing tablet Santa left under my tree this year. Two days and a fair amount of hair-pulling-out later, along with a maddening program crash that cost me three-fourths of a near-finished design and forced a do-over, here's what I have to show for it (besides a new-found, life-saving, and near-constant habit of hitting command+s):

Book Review: Fish, by Gregory Mone

2011-11-04T15:14:00.003-04:00

   Uncle Gerry glared, one hand still holding the top of the purse. "This is important."
     "Yes, of course."
     "No," Uncle Gerry said, pausing. "This is very important."
     "I understand," Fish said.
     "You will deliver this to the Mary, a passenger ship docked in the harbor, bound for America. You will deliver it, specifically, to a certain Reginald Swift, who will be sailing on that ship."
   "Yes."
   "He is an uncommonly small man with uncommonly large eyeglasses. Aged about thirty years, a good few less than your father and myself. He is expecting you."

Overview: Maurice "Fish" Reidy is eleven years old when Shamrock dies. Without their horse, the family can't afford to feed itself, let alone farm their land. Someone has to go into the city to work and send money home. Since Fish is the worst at farming, it's agreed he should be the one to go.

His father arranges for Fish to work for his uncle as a courier. When Fish is entrusted with a mysterious package of coins, he's robbed before he can make the delivery. He tracks down the thief amongst a bunch of pirates, aboard their ship, the Scurvy Mistress. Determined to get that package back and to its rightful recipient, Fish sneaks aboard and joins the pirate crew. He soon learns the coins are more than what they seem, and some of the crew are not as loyal as they'd have their captain believe.

As the Scurvy Mistress sets sail, Fish finds himself on an adventure he never saw coming, with friends he never imagined making. It's a journey that promises to change his life - and that of his family - forever.

For Teachers and Librarians:
Fish has all the action and excitement your reluctant readers are drawn to. It has all the complex twists and turns your stronger readers crave. And? It has pirates. And treasure. And mystery. And did I mention pirates?

So beyond being a great story your students will not be able to put down, how can you use this book in your classrooms? Under the umbrella of a full Pirate Unit, there is a treasure chest full of activities and mini-units you can choose from. Create an activity to compare and contrast the life of a farmer with the life of a pirate, or a sailor, or both. That will nicely set up a research activity on the life of a pirate: superstitions of pirates, swimming abilities (or not), ship's politics, the running of a pirate ship (jobs aboard ship, procedures followed), pirate's code, pirate-speak, etc. Present a mini-unit on types of ships used by pirates, and their pursuers: sloop, galleon, caravel, frigate, man-o-war, merchant, schooner, brigantine.

Sneak in some more history by having your students research real pirates from history. Let them work in groups and creatively present their findings. Your kids will have great fun with a mapping mini-unit: land maps, treasure maps, sea maps. (You can probably sneak in a literary map, or a character map here, too.) How about a code activity: creating them, then seeing if their classmates can crack them? And just for fun, try a pirate name activity. Have your kids create a chart of the pirate characters from the book, and why they have those names. Then let them create their own pirate names, with explanations, to use for an entire Pirate Day in the classroom.

This is by no means the bottom of that treasure chest. What gems can you come up with?

For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers:
Fish is a book your kiddos will love to read. And so will you. It has pirates! It has treasure! It has action! It has intrigue! Scurvy pirates with odd names and even odder reasons for those names! It is an adventure from start to finish, and along the way, your kids will learn a little bit about ships, and pirate life, and family, and friendship, and loyalty, and being true to yourself. Read it aloud together, or each of you read it on your own, or a little of both. You'll be glad you did.

For the Kids:
Fish is a book about a boy from a farming family. Though Fish is no good with dirt, it turns out he's pretty good with water. When the family horse dies, Fish is sent to the city to earn money to send home. He becomes a courier, delivering important packages for his Uncle Gerry. One day, he's given a package of mysterious coins to deliver, but they're stolen from him. Fish tracks the thief to a pirate ship. That package must get to the right recipient, so Fish does the only thing he can think of to get it back - he sneaks aboard and joins the pirate crew. But how can a boy who, as author Gregory Mone says, "loves to swim and hates to fight," survive on a pirate ship?

For Everyone Else:
Fish is fast-paced and action-packed. It has humor, and fact, and a great story. Plus? It has pirates. What more could you ask for?

Wrapping Up:
Fish is not your average pirate tale. Find. Read. Enjoy.

Title: Fish
Author: Gregory Mone
Cover Artist: Jake Parker
Pages: 246
Reading Level: 8 and up
Publisher and Date: Scholastic, Inc., January 2011
Edition: First Scholastic paperback printing
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $4.99
ISBN: 978-0-545-33335-1

Author Spotlight: Gregory Mone

2011-11-04T13:43:00.002-04:00

Before he started writing for kids, Gregory Mone wrote for adults. And before that, he worked as a paralegal in Ireland. And before that, he did a bit of banking work. And before all of that, he was history major at Harvard University, graduating in 1998.

Now, Gregory Mone is a novelist for both kids and adults, a magazine writer, a science journalist, and a speaker. He has written two novels for adults, as well as many magazine articles on a wide variety of topics, including: artificial intelligence, robots, physics, biology, Irish mythology, and cartoons.

His first novel for kids, Fish, was published by Scholastic Press in 2010. His second, Dangerous Waters: An Adventure on the Titanic, is scheduled for release in March, 2012, from Roaring Brook.

Born on Long Island, New York, into "an Irish-American family of swimmers and storytellers," Gregory Mone now lives in Massachusetts with his wife, two daughters, and one son.

Sources:
Gregory Mone blog: About page
Fish: About the Author - Official site for the book, Fish, by Gregory Mone
In Print: Fish by Greg Mone is a great catch, by CK Wolfson

National Grouch Day is October 15th

2011-10-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

Ebenezer Scrooge (from A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens).

Carl Fredrickson (from the Disney-Pixar movie UP).

Grumpy (from the fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarves).

Miss Gulch (from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum).

Yosemite Sam (from Warner Brothers cartoons).

Statler and Waldorf (from the Muppets).

The Grinch (from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss).

What do all of these family-friendly, fictional folks have in common?

Why, they're grouches, of course. You know: churls, cranks, crosspatches, grumps, soreheads, sourpusses, crabs. And let's not forget my personal favorite:

Curmudgeons.

If you have more than a little bit in common with these literary and cinematic grouches, then today is your day. Celebrate your grouchiness...or not. (After all, jollification in any form is in direct conflict with the typical Grouchy Nature). And if you're more of a Ray o' Sunshine kind of peep, today is the perfect day to try on some cranky pants for size.

Either way, you've got to start National Grouch Day off somehow. And who better to start you off, than that grouch of all grouches: Oscar the Grouch?

Book Review: Love, Ruby Lavender, by Deborah Wiles

2011-10-07T08:05:00.007-04:00

June 8

Dear Miss Eula,
Well, you are gone. I hope you are happy. I am not.
For your information, Melba Jane is still here. I am working on a disappearing potion to make her vanish.

Overview:
Ruby Lavender is not your average chicken thief. For starters, she's only nine years old. Plus, she wasn't stealing those chickens as much as liberating them from a future lying cooked and crispy on someone's dinner plate. Ruby is looking forward to a summer of caring for her chickens, and spending lots of time with her partner in chicken thievery: getaway driver Miss Eula.

But Ruby's plans quickly unravel when Miss Eula decides to up and leave Halleluia, Mississippi for a while. She's going to Hawaii to visit her new baby granddaughter. She won't be gone forever, but she doesn't know when she'll be back, either. Up until now, Ruby has been Miss Eula's only grandchild, and Ruby is jealous. Plus, how will Ruby care for the chickens and their newly laid eggs, without Miss Eula's help? How will she deal with the torment that is Melba Jane, without Miss Eula to talk her through it? How will she get through helping out at her grumpy Aunt Mattie's general store, without Miss Eula to smooth things over? And who will leave Ruby letters in their secret mailbox, with Miss Eula gone?

As it turns out, that secret mailbox isn't the only way to exchange letters with Miss Eula. And Ruby finds herself spending a summer she never saw coming, and likely will never forget.

For Teachers and Librarians:
Besides being a story that will find a place in your students' hearts, Love, Ruby Lavender has a whole mess of ways for you to use it in your classroom. Use it as part of a letter-writing unit, as a connection with the letters Ruby and Miss Eula write back and forth. Have a fun side-unit on chickens: their behavior, care and feeding, and learning how a chicken gets from egg to chick.

It's a great book to use in conjunction with a map unit, as the book includes a map of Ruby's little town. Have your students create maps of their own neighborhoods, or your school's neighborhood. Connect with social studies and examine maps of Mississippi, and Hawaii. Is Halleluia a real town in Mississippi? Mark it! If not, research what town the author based Halleluia on, and mark that instead. Mark the town where the new grandbaby lives in Hawaii. Conduct mini units on each state.

How about connections with transportation? Car, walk, plane, bus and bike are all mentioned in the book. A unit on travel would be fun: trying new foods, visiting new places, learning new cultures or ways of life. Or perhaps a unit on jobs: small business owner, anthropologist, newspaper columnist, egg ranch, or farming. Even retirement: what is it? How does it work?

Guidance counselors can use this book too: lots of material here to help students work through conflict resolution issues, dealing with grief, working through bumps in the road of friendship, examining the many relationships we have with others (friends, neighbors, coworkers, family).

So much material here. How will you use it?

For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers:
Love, Ruby Lavender is a book that will touch your heart, as well as the hearts of your kids. You could each read it alone, or read it together. You'll be glad you did. And did you know? This particular edition has nice little extra: a Reading Group Guide in the back, geared especially to grandmothers and granddaughters.

This book touches on a host of real-life issues that your kids (and you) may be dealing with, in a gentle, loving way: death of a loved one and figuring out how to understand and live with that grief, conflicts with friends and kids at school, jealousy over new babies in the family, conflicts with family members and learning how to live peacefully among them, and even living in a one-parent household and the positives and negatives they may feel about that. But perhaps most importantly, Love, Ruby Lavender is about love, and forgiveness, and friendship, and family. Don't let this one pass you or your kids by.

For the Kids:
Ruby Lavender is a nine-year-old chicken thief. And who is her getaway driver? Her own grandmother, Miss Eula! They saved three chickens from ending up on someone's dinner table, and now one of them has laid three eggs. Ruby can't wait to spend her summer with Miss Eula, caring for those eggs, and the chicks that will hatch from them. But one day, Miss Eula tells Ruby she's going away for a while. All the way to Hawaii. Worse, she'll be visiting her brand-new baby granddaughter. (Up until now, Ruby was Miss Eula's only grandchild.)

Here in Halleluia, there's that torment of a girl, Melba Jane to deal with. And Ruby's cranky aunt, Miss Mattie. How will she manage the chickens, and Melba Jane, and Miss Mattie, all by herself this summer? Who will answer the notes Ruby leaves in their secret mailbox? With Miss Eula gone, Ruby is expecting the summer to be awful. But then her new teacher, Mr. Ishee, moves into town. And he's brought his nine-year-old niece, who dresses like she's ready to head into the jungle. And soon, things start to get a lot more interesting...

For Everyone Else:
Love, Ruby Lavender is a book that will find a place in your heart, curl up, and never leave. Adults will find themselves remembering what it was like to be nine and learning about the world as they moved through it. Kids will find themselves relieved to see that a lot of the things they have to deal with, others do, too, and that somehow it all works out, eventually.

Wrapping Up:
Love, Ruby Lavender is destined to be a classic. Buy it. Borrow it. But - good garden of peas! - make sure you read it. You'll be glad you did.

Title: Love, Ruby Lavender
Author: Deborah Wiles
Cover Illustration: Marla Frazee
Pages: 212
Reading Level: Ages 8-12
Publisher and Date: Gulliver Books (Harcourt, Inc.) 2002
Edition: First Gulliver Books paperback edition, 2002
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $5.95
ISBN-10: 0-15-202314-3
ISBN-13: 0-15-205478-2pb

Author Spotlight: Deborah Wiles

2011-10-07T08:00:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, a writer's path to publication takes many twists and turns. Deborah Wiles has held a variety of jobs. Some of those jobs sound very writerly, like freelance writer, and journalist. Some sound a little writerly, but in a different way, like her days as an oral history gatherer, and a teacher. Some don't sound very writerly at all, but could give an observant person a ton of ideas for stories or characters, like she may have collected during her school bus driver days, or her time as a burger queen. She was even an underwear salesperson once. And, now, in the most recent part of her winding path, Deborah Wiles has become an award winning children's author.

Her first title came out in 2001: the picture book Freedom Summer. She followed that with the middle grade novel, Love, Ruby Lavender, which came out the same year. Ms. Wiles has gone on to publish a total of 6 books so far: two picture books, and four novels.

Mrs. Wiles also took time for education. She learned more about writing as she worked toward her MFA in Writing from Vermont College, which she earned in 2003. She also took what she learned and shared it with others: She taught the course Writing Techniques for Teachers at Towson University, and she has taught MFA programs at Vermont College, and at Lesley University.

She says of writing:

"Writing a story is like sending a slender thread out into the world, looking for connection. Are you out there? Who are you? Where are you? I don't know who will catch on to that thread, but I have learned to trust that someone will, even if I never know who (and mostly I don't)."

Deborah (Edwards) Wiles was born on May 7, 1953, in Mobile, Alabama. She is the eldest of three children born to her parents, Marie and T.P. Her dad was in the Air Force, so the family moved a lot, but spent their summers where her dad grew up, in Loudin, Mississippi.

Ms Wiles has four grown children. She now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, "in a small brick house painted purple, chartreuse and red," with her husband, jazz musician Jim Pearce. When not writing, she spends her time avoiding Atlanta traffic, climbing Stone Mountain, and visiting friends.

Sources:
Deborah Wiles official site
Deborah Wiles (Wikipedia)
Team Countdown - An Interview with Deborah Wiles and David Levithan
Deborah Wiles Author Study (Scholastic)
Interview with Deborah Wiles, author of The Aurora County All-Stars

Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series 2011 - Installment #7

2011-09-30T08:00:00.007-04:00

At last, we come to the last Friday in September. Which is also (sadly) the last day of the Second Annual Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series. Click the link in the previous sentence if you need to get up to speed. Then come back here and join in the final (for this year) frivolity.

The added twist for this year, instead of the inaugural year's general hodge-podge of wonderfully weird books, is Variations on the Overall Weirdo Theme. So far, we've frolicked through:

Installment #4: Stinky in Name, Title, or Deed
Installment #5: The Anthropomorphic
Installment #6: Magic

Today's Variation reminds us that there's a little bit of weird just about anywhere you look. Even in places you'd think would be nothing but "normal" (whatever that means). So, without further ado, I present to you Installment #7:

Characters Who Just Might Remind You of Someone You Know

Arthur, For the Very First Time, by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrations by Lloyd Bloom

Ten-year-old Arthur's summer isn't starting out so well. His parents are arguing. And a new baby is coming. And nobody seems to be listening to him. But then one day, his parents take him to stay with Great-Uncle Wrisby and Great-Aunt Elda for the summer. When hard-of-hearing Uncle Wrisby grabs Arthur's hand and yells, "What would you like to talk about?" summer starts looking much more interesting.

Arthur meets Pauline - a chicken who loves French, and Bernadette - a pig who loves to be sung to. Aunt Elda introduces him to a mockingbird with no name, and Uncle Wrisby takes him to bargain with a trader named Yoyo Pratt. He finds new friends in Moira - a scrappy little girl who calls him "Mouse," and her grandfather - a veterinarian whom everyone calls "Moreover." As he spends his summer days and nights with this motley group, Arthur begins to see life in new and unexpected ways.

Another Whole Nother Story, As told by (The Incomparable) Dr. Cuthbert Soup

Mr. Ethan Cheeseman and his three smart, polite, and relatively odor-free children are back in another adventure - with all-new names, of course. Now that they've got the LVR working (the supposedly secret, yet relentlessly sought-after time machine introduced in A Whole Nother Story), the family is all set to travel back in time to just before their beloved wife and mother Olivia Cheeseman meets her unfortunate end at the hands of those seeking to "acquire" the LVR.

But all does not go according to plan. First, they wind up not in the relatively recent past, as they'd planned, but way back in 1668. Worse, their crash landing has damaged the LVR, and unless they can find the proper parts to repair it, the family has no way to return to their own time in the 21st century. As if that weren't trouble enough, the family finds themselves facing suspicion of witchcraft, battling pirates, and navigating a haunted castle. Add to that their tangle with a dangerous nemesis from their present whom they believed they'd seen the last of, and things don't look good.

Despite these odds, the likeable Cheesemans are not without friends, meeting several helpful souls along the way. But is it enough to help them get out of the distant past, and into the nearer past, so they can save their beloved Olivia Cheeseman, and get back to their own time?

Fish, by Gregory Mone

Maurice "Fish" Reidy is eleven years old when the family horse dies. Without Shamrock, the family can't afford to feed itself, let alone farm their land. Someone has to go into the city to work and send money home. Since Fish is the worst at farming, it's agreed he should be the one to go.

His father arranges for Fish to work for his uncle as a courier. One day, Fish is entrusted with a mysterious package of coins to deliver. But before he can make that delivery, he is robbed. Fish tracks down the thief, who has delivered the package to pirates aboard their ship, the Scurvy Mistress. Determined to get that package back and to its rightful recipient, Fish decides to sneak aboard and join the pirate crew. He soon learns the coins are more than what they seem - possibly the keys to a wondrous treasure, if only the suspected code can be cracked.

As the Scurvy Mistress sets sail, Fish finds himself on an adventure he never saw coming, with friends he never imagined making. It's a journey that promises to change his life - and that of his family - forever.

Franny B. Kranny, There's a Bird in Your Hair! by Harriet Lerner and Susan Goldhor, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Franny B. Kranny's long, frizzy hair gives her a lot of grief. It's always getting tangled, or caught on things. It even makes the girl who sits with her on the bus, sneeze. But Franny loves her hair. She loves the way it boings back out after she flattens it. And she loves the way it makes a little cave for her to pretend to hide in when she brushes it forward.

One day, Franny's mother says she and her sister must go to get their hair done for their big family reunion. Bertha is pleased. Franny is not. She says she doesn't want anyone touching her hair. But the next day she finds herself grumpily sitting in the hairdresser's chair, where he piles her hair up on top of her head. The hairdresser loves it. And her mother loves it. But Franny begins thinking of ways to undo it.

Then something very unusual happens to her hair on the walk home from the beauty parlor. Her family thinks she should undo it. But Franny decides to keep it that way all through the reunion. Everyone at the reunion loves her hair, and when they get home, her family thinks she should keep it that way. But - and you saw this coming, didn't you? Franny has other ideas.

The Napping House, by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood

It's a rainy day, perfect for an afternoon snooze. And in this house, everyone is doing just that. A snoring Granny is napping in the coziest spot in the house. But she isn't alone for long. One by one, the other nappers in the house drowsily find their way to Granny's bed: a dreaming child, a dozing dog, a snoozing cat, and a slumbering mouse. Finally, everyone in the house is happily napping in a big pile with Granny in her cozy bed. Everyone, that is, except for one wakeful flea. And pretty soon, no one is napping at all.

Love, Ruby Lavender, by Deborah Wiles

Ruby Lavender is not your average chicken thief. For starters, she's only nine years old. Plus, she wasn't stealing those chickens as much as liberating them from a future lying cooked and crispy on someone's dinner plate. Ruby is looking forward to a summer of caring for her chickens, and spending lots of time with her partner in chicken thievery: getaway driver Miss Eula.

But Ruby's plans quickly unravel when Miss Eula decides to up and leave Halleluia, Mississippi for a while. She's going to Hawaii to visit her new baby granddaughter. She won't be gone forever, but she doesn't know when she'll be back, either. Up until now, Ruby has been Miss Eula's only grandchild, and Ruby is jealous. Plus, how will Ruby care for the chickens and their newly laid eggs, without Miss Eula's help? How will she deal with the torment that is Melba Jane, without Miss Eula to talk her through it? How will she get through helping out at her grumpy Aunt Mattie's general store, without Miss Eula to smooth things over? And who will leave Ruby letters in their secret mailbox, with Miss Eula gone?

As it turns out, that secret mailbox isn't the only way to exchange letters with Miss Eula. And Ruby finds herself spending a summer she never saw coming, and likely will never forget.

* * *

So, here we are at the end of the Second Annual Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series. If you haven't read any of the books that were featured this month, I hope you do. And if you have read them, even just a few of them, I hope you had as much fun reading these books as I did.

Drop me a comment or shoot me an email if you have any suggestions for inclusion in next year's Bugs and Bunnies Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series.

And now, I will leave you with this snippet from the very first BNBWWoLS post:

Remember Merriam-Webster's definition of weirdo? "A person who is extraordinarily strange or eccentric." There is a wide range of Weird in this world. Some of us are more so than others. We Weirdos may be different, but always remember: we are extraordinarily so.

Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series 2011 - Installment #6

2011-09-23T08:00:00.063-04:00

Is it Friday already? Well, then it must be time for Installment #6 of the Second Annual Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series.

Whether you're new to Bugs and Bunnies, or simply new to BnBWWoLS, and you're wondering what all the fuss is about, click the "Wonderful Weirdos" link up there at the beginning of this post. Once you're all caught up, come on back here to continue the fun.

* * *

New for 2011 is the addition of Variations on the Overall Weirdo Theme. Installment #4 centered on Stinky in Name, Title or Deed. Installment #5 introduced us to The Anthropomorphic.

And today, in Installment #6, our Variation on the Overall Weirdo Theme is:

Magic

Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm, by Jerdine Nolen, illustrated by Mark Buehner

Told by another farmer's daughter, this is the tale of Harvey Potter - a farmer who grows balloons. Folks in town don't know how he does it. And when old Wheezle Mayfield calls in the Government to check it out, they don't know how he does it, either. But there's no denying that Harvey Potter is growing 100%, genuine, pop-when-you-poke-'em-with-a-pin balloons.

Itching to know how Harvey Potter grows those balloons of his, the girl decides to befriend him. She spends lots of time with him, and though Harvey Potter is pleasant enough, he never tells her his secret. All she knows for sure is, he only goes out to his fields at night. So one night, she climbs a sycamore tree, and she watches him head on out to his fields, carrying nothing more than the conjure stick he always has with him. And that night, the girl sees something that will change her life forever.

Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon, by Sally M. Keehn

It's October 2, 1872. Magpie Gabbard has just turned thirteen years old. And she is bound and determined to leave her home atop Gabbard Mountain, find her brother Milo, and give him back the foot he sorely needs, so he can get to High Jerusalem.

Magpie's quest is not without its difficulties: Big Mama is bound and determined not to see another of her underage children go off-mountain, never to return. There's also those pernicious Sizemores down in Squabble Town to think about, and the dreaded Cob Hollow Goblins to avoid. And then there's the fact that Milo is living inside a hollowed-out sycamore somewhere in faraway Pergatory, Kentucky. Plus, Milo's got a deadline: he has to get to High Jerusalem by October 16th.

Help comes to Magpie from some most unusual sources: the moon, Granny Goforth and her prophesying kettle, a talking head floating in a well, and a boar called Wild Bill, to name just a few. But, is all this enough to help Magpie find Milo? And can she get to him in time?

Hey, Al, by Arthur Yorinks, illustrated by Richard Egielski

Al is a nice, quiet man who shares his run-down, one-room apartment with his dog, Eddie. Al and Eddie are always working, and life is a struggle. One day, Eddie complains that he wants a house, and an actual yard to run around in. This makes Al angry, and he accuses Eddie of always wanting something more.

When Al is shaving one morning, a very large bird pokes its head through the bathroom window. He offers Al a trip to a wonderful place where life is very good. Al doesn't know what to think about this. But Eddie insists that they go. The next day, the bird returns, taking Al and Eddie to an island paradise in the sky. Al and Eddie love this new island life, and start to forget their old life. Until one morning, when they wake up to an unexpected side effect of living in this too-good-to-be-true place. And suddenly, they see their old, discarded life in a much different light.

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, by Jonathan Auxier

Peter Nimble is an orphan. And he's blind. And he's the greatest thief who ever lived. This is his story: He's been living on the streets of the town where he was found, ever since he was an infant. When Peter is five years old, he catches the eye of the nefarious Mr. Seamus, who trains Peter in all aspects of theft, then forces him to steal all night, and sleep during the day in a damp, locked cellar. It is a miserable life; one from which Peter has no hope of escape.

Until one day, when Peter is ten years old; he steals a mysterious, locked box from a stranger who comes to town. In the box, Peter finds three pairs of magical eyes. When he tries the first pair, he is whisked away to a hidden island, where he is presented with a special quest: to travel to an unknown world and rescue what is known as the Vanished Kingdom. With the help of the three pairs of Fantastic Eyes, and a rather unusual knight, Peter accepts the quest, and they set out on what quickly becomes the adventure of a lifetime.

Tuesday, by David Wiesner

It is a Tuesday night, around 8 o'clock. A turtle lifts his head from the fallen log he's resting on. All looks fine, but the turtle seems to sense that something is not quite right. And then, the frogs appear. Lots and lots of frogs, perched joyously on their lily pads.

The events that follow on that unusual Tuesday night are ones that those who experienced them are unlikely to forget. Those who didn't will find the left-behind evidence hard to explain. Until the next Tuesday night...

The Wee Free Men: A Tiffany Aching Adventure, by Terry Pratchett

A river monster nearly snatches away Tiffany Aching's little brother, Wentworth. She foils the monster's efforts just in time, with a well-aimed swing of her trusty skillet. Later, Wentworth goes missing, and Tiffany learns he's been stolen by the Queen of Fairies. Even though Wentworth is a nuisance to her, Tiffany is desperate to get him back. But she can't do it alone.

Help comes in the form of a peculiar woman named Miss Perspicacia Tick, and a rowdy, mischievous, and fierce group of tiny blue creatures - the fearsome Nac Mac Feegle. Tiffany will need every bit of that help, because the Queen of Fairies has no intention of releasing Wentworth. Ever.

* * *

See? I told you this week would be magical. Please come back next Friday, September 30, 2011, for the final installment of the Second Annual Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series.

Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series 2011 - Installment #5

2011-09-16T08:00:00.006-04:00

Welcome to the Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series, Installment #5. Need some explanation? Click on the link in the first sentence to catch up. Then come on back here.

New to the BnBWWoLS in this, the second year of its existence, is Variations on the Overall Weirdo Theme. September 2nd's wonderful weirdness (Installment #4) was focused on Stinky in Name, Title, or Deed.

* * *

This week will focus on The Anthropomorphic. You know: characters that are not people, yet behave just like us. They walk on two legs. They talk. They even wear clothes - though sometimes they just wear shirts and skip the pants. (Why is that, anyway?)

But enough babbling from me. Let's get to the books, shall we?

Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes

On the day she is born, the tiny mouse's parents think she's absolutely perfect, which is why they give her an absolutely perfect name: Chrysanthemum. Once Chrysanthemum grows "old enough to appreciate it," she loves her name: how it looks and how it sounds. It's absolutely perfect - just like her. But when her very first day of school has come and gone, Chrysanthemum comes home with a very different perception. Will she ever again think her name is absolutely perfect?

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, by Kevin Henkes

Lilly is, in a word, exuberant. She loves school and everything in it - including her teacher Mr. Slinger. "Wow," said Lilly. That was just about all she could say. "Wow." She loves Mr. Slinger so much, she pretends to be him at home, making her baby brother Julius be the student. She loves him so much, she wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

One day, Lilly comes to school "especially happy," eager to show off her new purple plastic purse, her movie star sunglasses, and her jingly quarters. But she chooses the wrong times to try to share, and Mr. Slinger has to take action. So Lilly goes to the Lightbulb Lab and she thinks. First, she gets sad. Then, Lilly gets angry. Then, Lilly gets furious. And then, she makes something that shows exactly how she feels about Mr. Slinger. And that's when things begin to get very...interesting.

Chick 'n' Pug, by Jennifer Sattler

Chick is an adventure-seeker, fueled by what he reads in his Adventures of Wonder Pug comic book. Trouble is, the chicken coop is sorely lacking excitement. So, Chick goes looking for it elsewhere. Pretty soon, he comes across "a real, live Wonder Pug." Though this Pug seems a bit low in the energy department, Chick believes him to be every inch a Wonder Pug.

Chick tries and tries to get some adventures started, but all Pug really wants to do is sleep. Then, when an intruder is foisted upon the snoozing Pug's territory, Chick sees the chance to create some heroic excitement of his own.

Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Tacky is an odd bird. He is not quiet and polite, like the other penguins. He doesn't march in an orderly fashion, like the other penguins. And he is not a graceful diver, like the other penguins. Tacky causes the other penguins much chagrin.

Until one day, when some penguin hunters come to the iceberg. They want to sell the birds "and get rich, rich, RICH!" They think finding and catching the penguins will be easy.

But they haven't met Tacky.

The Three Pigs, by David Wiesner

Most folks know the story of The Three Little Pigs. It usually starts with "Once upon a time." It always has three pigs. And a wolf. And lots of huffing and puffing. But in this story, things don't exactly go according to plan. It all starts when the wolf blows one little piggy clear out of the story. And suddenly, the pigs have the upper hand...

The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale (A Benefit for the Starbright Foundation), by various celebrities and artists

Hans Christian Andersen's classic cautionary tale about telling it like it is, is retold. But this time, lots of behind-the-scenes stuff is revealed. Narrated by an enterprising moth, the reader learns previously untold tidbits from such unlikely characters as The Spinning Wheel, The Imperial Mirror, and The Emperor's Underwear, as well as from some of the more familiar characters: The Imperial Dresser, The Honest Boy, and of course The Emperor himself.

In fact, there are brief personal accounts from more than 20 different characters - not all of which are people, leaving the reader with a much fuller understanding of the famous goings-on that led to an emperor parading about in nothing more than a crown and a birthday suit.

Illustrated by a host of well-known children's illustrators and artists, the book also comes with an audio CD of the story, written and performed by various celebrities.

* * *

And that, as they say, is that. Come back next week for the 6th Installment of the Second Annual Bugs and Bunnies Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series. It's shaping up to be quite a magical list...

Wonderful Weirdos Day 2011

2011-09-09T08:00:00.008-04:00

Today, on the actual Wonderful Weirdos Day: a brief break from the Wonderful Weirdos of Literature series. Rest assured, more books full of Wonderful Weirdos will continue next Friday. Just not today.

Why?

Because back in August, I came across this video from 2008, by Matt Harding, via a Wonderful Weirdos Day online article by Jamie Rhein all about travel weirdos. The video I found there touched my heart. I don't even know why. I just know it did. And it's too good not to share. (Parents - you will see the word "Hell" in the title, and at the end credits, but rest assured, it is not used in the video. It's just the name of Matt's website. Totally safe to let your kids watch.) This video is about five minutes long, and something you just have to see. Be patient. Watch the whole thing. In fact, expand it to full screen. Trust me:

Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series 2011 - Installment #4

2011-09-02T08:00:00.006-04:00

You saw "Installment #4" in the title up there and thought you missed something, didn't you? Well, you didn't. At least not for this year.

See, today is the first Friday in September. Which means it is the first day of the Second Annual Bugs and Bunnies Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series. But, this is Installment #4, because Installments 1, 2 and 3 were posted last year, during the First Annual Bugs and Bunnies Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series.

The brief explanation for why I do this, and why it happens in September, is:

For one thing, Wonderful Weirdos Day is celebrated this month. For another thing, September is Roald Dahl Month (most likely because his birthday is in September). And for yet another thing, September finds kids back in school, perhaps searching for some fun books to choose for their book reports or projects or what-have-you. And plus? I just wanted to.

For a full explanation of what the Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series is all about, click the link in this sentence. Then come on back, and we'll get right to Installment #4.

All set? Ok, then.

Here we go:

BnBWWoLS 2011 will have a bit of a different twist: themes! Or more precisely, variations on the Overall Weirdo Theme. This week's variation:

Stinky in Name, Title, or Deed

Stink: Solar System Superhero, by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Stink Moody is incensed. He just found out that Pluto, his second-favorite planet (after Saturn), is not only NOT a planet anymore, it didn't even get to keep its name - it just has a six-digit number, instead. And Stink isn't the only one who's cheesed off about this. So is the new kid, Skunk.

But "Rotten Riley Rottenberger," AKA "Miss Know-It-All," is rather pleased at this new development, and she takes every opportunity to rub it in their faces. The rivalry intensifies, until finally Mrs. Dempster proposes that the class create their own panel of scientists, hold a debate, and let the class vote to decide Pluto's fate. Stink and Skunk, and Riley, and their supporters, dive right in: making signs, t-shirts, chants - anything to help win votes. All to decide once and for all: Is Pluto a planet? Or not?

Three Rotten Eggs, by Gregory Maguire, illustrated by Elaine Clayton

In the very small town of Hamlet, Vermont, there are strange goings-on. A mysterious stranger's motorcycle is hit by lightning while it's parked behind Clumpett's General Store. The motorcycle has a briefcase strapped to it. Inside that briefcase are genetically altered chicken eggs, only three of which survive the lightning strike. Then Thud Tweed stomps his way into town, telling a different outrageous story every time someone asks about him, his family, or his past. His very wealthy and very aloof mother, Mildred Tweed, is equally puzzling - fully expecting her boy Thud to be kicked out of school, and ready with a blank check for what she is certain are the inevitable damages to come.

While the town is busy sifting through all this puzzling stuff, Trooper Crawdad is trying to puzzle out a couple of mysteries of his own: who is this fellow who's all fired up about a briefcase he reports has been stolen, and how could chicken eggs - as the fellow claims - possibly be a matter of national security?

The Dirty Cowboy, by Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Adam Rex

Ah, the life of a cowboy: roundin' up cattle, cookin' up some vittles, singin' songs around the campfire, with only his trusty steed and loyal dog for company. Yessir, life sure is perfect for a cowboy...until he gets it in his head that he oughta prob'ly have hisself a bath. The cowboy in this story sets out to do just that. Just gettin' to the river takes some doin,' but he gets there alright, and charges his dog with guardin' his duds. An' then he heads to the river, nearly-new bar of lye soap in hand, an' he gets good and clean. But, once he fixes t' go git his duds back? Well, that's when things get interestin.'

Walter the Farting Dog, by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray, illustrated by Audrey Colman

Betty and Billy bring Walter the dog, smelling none too sweet, home from the pound. The family begins to get an inkling of why nobody wanted Walter when tell-tale bubbles appear in the bath water, and Walter emerges from his bath smelling no better than before he got in.

Betty and Billy are OK with Walter's constant gaseous emissions...but Daddy is not. He demands a trip to the vet, who prescribes a change in diet. But no matter what they try, Walter remains helplessly flatulent. So Daddy demands Walter's return to the pound. Tomorrow.

Walter doesn't want to go back to the pound, so he resolves never to fart again. That night, as he lay on the sofa, a pair of burglars break in. Walter wants to stop them from stealing his new family's things, but he can't move for fear of releasing all the gas he's been struggling to hold in.

What's a gassy dog to do?

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

Don't let the fairy tale premise fool you. These retellings are as snarky and sarcastic as the title suggests. The stories are narrated by Jack, from Up the Hill, who is not your average fairy tale narrator. He's prickly. He insults the fairy tale talent. He installs pages upside down…on purpose. In Jack's abrasive storytelling style, the sweet Gingerbread Man becomes the smelly Stinky Cheese Man; Little Red's Riding Hood is swapped for a pair of Running Shorts; and The Little Red Hen - who keeps asking when it's time for her story - is brusquely dismissed each time she tries. In all, twelve different stories are collected and retold here. And not one is spared Jack's acerbic tongue, to bitingly (questionably?) funny effect.

Good Families Don't, by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Alan Daniel

Carmen heads up to her room for the night, only to be confronted by a big purple, green and yellow fart. She dashes downstairs to alert Mommy and Daddy. Good families like theirs don't have farts, they tell her. But they go up to check it out anyway, and that's when the fart jumps on them. She calls the police, and when they arrive, they go upstairs to check it out. But, they tell her, good Canadians do not have farts. And then the fart jumps on them, too. Carmen decides the only way to save herself now is to run away. But just as she gets out of the house, she trips on something. Something that may be just what she needs to save all of them from that big purple, green and yellow fart.

* * *

Well, I had fun. Did you? What are your favorite "stinky" kids' books? Drop me a comment and tell me all about it.

Come on back each Friday this month, for more Wonderful Weirdos of Literature.

Book Review: Arthur, For the Very First Time, by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrations by Lloyd Bloom

2011-08-25T16:17:00.000-04:00

     "Come, come," yelled Uncle Wrisby. "We'll have something to eat. Then we'll talk about the world and its workings." He took hold of Arthur's hand. "What would you like to talk about?"
   Arthur stared at Uncle Wrisby. Here was someone who wanted to talk about things! With him!
     Arthur opened his journal. "Moles!" he cried happily. "Let's talk about moles!"
     His pencil poised, the summer began.

Overview:
Ten-year-old Arthur's summer isn't starting out so well. His parents are arguing. And a new baby is coming. And nobody seems to be listening to him. But then one day, his parents take him to stay with Great-Uncle Wrisby and Great-Aunt Elda for the summer. When hard-of-hearing Uncle Wrisby grabs Arthur's hand and yells, "What would you like to talk about?" summer starts looking much more interesting.

Arthur meets Pauline - a chicken who loves French, and Bernadette - a pig who loves to be sung to. Aunt Elda introduces him to a mockingbird with no name, and Uncle Wrisby takes him to bargain with a trader named Yoyo Pratt. He finds new friends in Moira - a scrappy little girl who calls him "Mouse," and her grandfather - a veterinarian whom everyone calls "Moreover." As he spends his summer days and nights with this motley group, Arthur begins to see life in new and unexpected ways.

For Teachers and Librarians:
Arthur, For the Very First Time is a quiet book with a host of off-the-wall characters that work together to bring close-to-the-vest Arthur out of his self-imposed shell. But don't let this story's quietness lull you into thinking it's not powerful. As Arthur meets each of these characters, he's faced with decisions and situations he's never seen before, forcing him to look at things from a point of view other than his own, and letting him discover there are whole other new and exciting sides of himself that he never knew existed.

Arthur learns to be brave enough to try new things, and to trust in himself and his ability to do what must be done. Moira who trusts only herself, learns that she can trust other people, too. Uncle Wrisby tends to keep some parts of life at a distance, to save his heart from possible hurt, while Aunt Elda prefers to embrace life closely, even if it means her heart may be broken. Each character in this book has their own ways of looking at life, and their own flaws that they're forced to examine. And each of them comes away from their trials with a new understanding of themselves and others. Students of all stripes will find connections with this story, and so will you.

For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers:
Arthur, For the Very First Time is one of those books that, after you've finished reading it, you just sit and hug it to your chest. It is a story about family, and friends, and love, and heartbreak, and trust, and strength, and finding yourself. It's a story about discovering who you really are, and pushing your boundaries, and being there for others even when you're not sure you're able to. It is a story that will make your kids laugh out loud sometimes, and sit quietly and think sometimes, and smile sometimes, and maybe even cry a little bit. Let them read it on their own, or better yet, find a comfy spot to sit and read it together. You'll be glad you did. And so will they.

For the Kids:
Arthur, For the Very First Time is about Arthur, whose summer isn't going too well: his parents are arguing, and there's a new baby on the way. (His parents think he doesn't know about the baby, but he does, and he is not pleased about it.) So life is a bit itchy at home. Then one day, his parents take him to spend the summer with his Great-Aunt Elda and Great-Uncle Wrisby, on their farm. And finally, summer gets a lot more interesting.

He meets their chicken who loves being spoken to in French, and their pig who loves being sung to. He meets Moira, who insists on calling him "Mouse," and Moira's grandfather, who everyone calls "Moreover." It's a story about what it takes to be a good friend. It's a story about letting yourself try new things. It's a story about learning to trust yourself. And it's a story about letting yourself trust the people you care about the most. Sometimes it's very funny, and sometimes it's a little sad, and sometimes it will make you think a lot. And isn't that the best kind of story?

For Everyone Else:
Arthur, For the Very First Time is at times funny, at times sad, and many times deeply touching. Perhaps you will see some of yourself in one of the characters. Or many of the characters. It is a story of love, and trust, friendship, and family, and pushing your own boundaries, and learning about yourself. Whether you're 7 or 70, this is a book you will never forget.

Wrapping Up:
Arthur, For the Very First Time is well worth your time. Perfect for curling up and reading on a rainy day. Or a sunny day. Or any day, really. What are you waiting for?

Title: Arthur, For the Very First Time
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrator: Lloyd Bloom
Pages: 117
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Publisher and Date: First Harper Trophy Edition, 1989
Edition: Hardcover, library copy
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $5.99
ISBN-10: 0-06-024045-8
ISBN-13: 978-0060240479
ISBN: 0-06-024047-4 (lib. binding)

Author Spotlight: Patricia MacLachlan

2011-08-25T16:16:00.000-04:00


Photo Credit: John MacLachlan

Patricia MacLachlan's parents were teachers who encouraged her to read when she was a child. Her mother told her "read a book and find out who you are." And read, she did. A lot. She also had a vivid and active imagination. But, she did not write stories then. "I was afraid," she says, "of putting my own feelings and thoughts on a page for everyone to read."

It wasn't until she was 35 years old that she began writing - something she realized she'd always wanted to do. Yet even then, writing still felt scary for her. She began with a picture book: The Sick Day (1979). Then she wrote her first novel: Arthur, For the Very First Time (1980). And she continued to write. Since then, she has written more than 20 novels and picture books for children, some of them co-written with her daughter Emily. She has also written a series of journal articles on adoption and foster mothers, teleplays of some of her books, and short fiction pieces in anthologies. She says of her work,

"Each time I write a new piece, whether a novel, a picture book, a speech or anything really, it has so much to do with what I’m going through personally or a problem I’m trying to work out."

After graduating from the University of Connecticut in 1962, Mrs. MacLachlan taught English for 16 years. She has also been a social worker, a lecturer, and a creative writing workshop teacher for both children and adults. She was a board member of the Children's Aid Family Service Agency from 1970-1980, and currently serves on the board of the National Children's Book and Literary Alliance. She has been a visiting lecturer at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts since 1986.

Born March 3, 1938, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Patricia (Pritzkau) MacLachlan was raised in Minnesota. She is an only child. She married John MacLachlan in 1962, and they have three grown children. She now lives in Williamsburg, Massachusetts with her husband, and two border terriers - Charlie and Emmett.

Sources:
Patricia MacLachlan - Simon & Schuster
Authors and Illustrators - Patricia MacLachlan - HarperCollins Children's
Series Books: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan - Author Information, KidsReads.com
Patricia MacLachlan (1938-) Biography - Personal, Address, Career, Honors Awards, Writings, Adaptations, Sidelights
Q&A With Patricia MacLachlan, by Ingrid Roper, for Publisher's Weekly
About Patricia MacLachlan - Scholastic.com

Book Review: Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon, by Sally M. Keehn

2011-08-19T08:05:00.000-04:00

"There ain't nothing like grit. Grit gives you the wherewithall to keep on doing what you're doing, even though it's hard, and it seems impossible and you feel like giving up."

Overview:
It's October 2, 1872. Magpie Gabbard has just turned thirteen years old. And she is bound and determined to leave her home atop Gabbard Mountain, find her brother Milo, and give him back the foot he sorely needs, so he can get to High Jerusalem.

Magpie's quest is not without its difficulties: Big Mama is bound and determined not to see another of her underage children go off-mountain, never to return. There's also those pernicious Sizemores down in Squabble Town to think about, and the dreaded Cob Hollow Goblins to avoid. And then there's the fact that Milo is living inside a hollowed-out sycamore somewhere in faraway Pergatory, Kentucky. Plus, Milo's got a deadline: he has to get to High Jerusalem by October 16th.

Help comes to Magpie from some most unusual sources: the moon, Granny Goforth and her prophesying kettle, a talking head floating in a well, and a boar called Wild Bill, to name just a few. But, is all this enough to help Magpie find Milo? And can she get to him in time?

For Teachers and Librarians:
Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon has a little bit of everything. In the genre department, it's part American tall tale, part fairy tale, with a wee bit of time travel thrown in. It is a great companion to a unit on the Appalachian regions of the United States, shining a bit of light on mannerisms, speech patterns, and a peek in general into the ways of 19th century Appalachian life. Or, use it as a springboard for a side study of the famous Hatfield and McCoy feud, or other famous family feuds. Break out a lesson on the interesting vocabulary words used in the book, both real (such as pernicious) and made-up (such as cussedness). Perhaps you'd like to delve into a mini unit on Eastern Kentucky, or Tennessee, or both. There's even a bit of an overseas connection in this story (the Gabbards originally came to the US from England), which leads nicely into having your students research their roots. How did their own families find their way to America? There are so many ways to branch out with this book. Which will you choose to share with your students?

For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers:
Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon is, when it comes right down to it, a story about the bonds of family. And the Gabbard family, like most, is not without its warts: misunderstandings amongst family members, a long-running feud with the Sizemore family down-mountain, and a love for each other that's so strong...it sometimes tends to smother. But Magpie and her family find a way to work through it all and come out stronger by the end. It's a story that will have you looking a bit askance at the disembodied talking head, chuckling at sibling pranks gone awry, and nodding in a wee bit of understanding at Big Mama's drastic yet done-out-of-fierce-love measures to secure safety for her children. It will have your kids enthralled with Magpie's attempts to ride a wild boar, and nodding in understanding at Magpie's conflicting feelings about her brother Randall, and impressed with her determination to do what's right for her family - even though she's fairly certain they'll balk. Don't be surprised if your kids start peppering you with family history questions and suddenly itch to check out the branches of the ol' family tree.

For the Kids:
Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon has magical birthday sparkles, a time-traveling wild boar, and a talking head that floats in a well. It has a prophesying kettle, a girl full of cussedness, and the moon herself - come to Earth. There's a family feud that goes back ages, wily Goblins ready to snatch the unwitting away, honey that'll whiten your teeth, and Green Water from a pond that'll cure whatever ails ya if ya drink it. It also has a sister who'll do whatever it takes to get her brother to where he needs to go - even when it involves those pernicious Sizemores - because she loves him that much. (Yes, really. And I bet you'd do the same, if push came to shove.) Don't believe me? Go find the book. Read it. You'll see.

Wrapping Up:
Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon is full of the most surprising things. Supernatural things, and down-to-earth things, and heartstring-tugging things. And ain't that a story worth reading?

Title: Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon
Author: Sally M. Keehn
Jacket Art: Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
Pages: 208
Reading Level: Grades 5-8
Publisher and Date: Philomel Books, March 1, 2007
Edition: Library copy, 1st Edition, hardcover
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $16.99
ISBN-10: 0-399-2434-0-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-399-24340-0

Author Spotlight: Sally M. Keehn

2011-08-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit: Sally M. Keehn official site

Sally M. Keehn grew up the only girl among three "loud and boisterous" brothers, one of whom is her twin. Due to her father's Naval officer status, by the time she was eleven years old, Mrs. Keehn had lived in England, California, Rhode Island, Virginia and Maryland. When her father retired from the service, the family moved to her grandfather's farm near Annapolis, MD.

She earned her B.A. in English from Hood College in 1969, then went to work for the American Red Cross in their S.R.A.O. program (Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas) in South Korea, working with the American troops stationed there, as well as doing volunteer work in the Korean community.

Following this, Mrs. Keehn made the decision to become a Young Adult Librarian, and prepared by attended Drexel School Of Library Science from 1971-72. It was during this time that she met David Keehn, whom she married in 1972. She then served as Young Adult Librarian (1972-75) and part-time reference librarian (1975-79) in Severna Park, Maryland.

In 1979, her husband's work as an attorney brought them to Pennsylvania, where she found work as a part-time and volunteer reference librarian at Parkland Community Library (1980-91). She also was a part-time tour guide for the Lehigh County Historical Society (1985-86).

Mrs. Keehn began her freelance writing career in 1981. By 1982, her first book, Hexcursions: Daytripping in and Around Pennsylvania's Dutch Country (co-written with her husband) was published. It was while researching for Hexcursions that she came across part of a story that inspired her first book for young people: I Am Regina (1991). From there, she has gone on to publish five other titles for young readers, the most recent being Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Mooon (2007). Mrs. Keehn says that her novels are often "...inspired by a historical event or story. However, as the main character develops, the story changes and the plot evolves."

Born on August 11, 1947, in London, England (where her father was stationed at the time), Sally M. Keehn now lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters.

Sources:
More About Sally - author official site
More About Sally: The Work - author official site
Follow-Up Interview with Author Sally Keehn, by Debbi Michiko Florence
Keehn, Sally M. (Miller) - bio prepared by Erin Russell, Fall 2005
Sally M. Keehn - Answers.com
Sally M. Keehn - Scholastic.com
About Sally M. Keehn - Penguingroup.com

Don't Put Away That Sandshovel!

2011-08-17T16:24:00.000-04:00

Summer may be winding down, but that doesn't mean you have to abandon playing in the sand. There are still quite a few sand sculpture festivals and competitions yet to be held, both family-friendly and professional:

Sandcastle and Sculpture Day - Held annually on the third Saturday in August, on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The 2011 competition is this Saturday, August 20th, so if you're hoping to enter, you'd better hop to. The application deadline is Friday, August 19th.

Sand Sculpture Contest - Held annually at Point Reyes National Seashore, California. They'll be holding their 30th annual contest on September 4, 2011.
North American Sandsculpting Championship - Held as part of Virginia Beach, Virginia's annual Neptune Festival, and spanning several days. This year's celebrations - the 38th annual - are from September 28-October 9, 2011.
Sand Castle Days - Held on South Padre Island, Texas. This year's festivities - the 24th annual - run from October 19-23, 2011.
The American Sandsculpting Championship Festival - Fort Meyers Beach, Florida's 25th annual competition is set for November 2-6, 2011.

Itching to get building, but not sure how to prepare? No worries. I dug around and found some basic sand sculpture building tips to get you started, courtesy of Sandscapes.com and KarmaKrew.org. These tips are helpful for sand sculptors ranging from tall to small, and everywhere in between:

First, gather your supplies.

You don't have to go out and get any special gear. Just poke around in your kitchen, garage, anywhere there's miscellaneous stuff, and see what you've got that you could use. First and foremost, you'll need big water buckets - some of those giant 5 gallon plastic paint buckets work well, if you have a few empties hanging 'round the garage. And you'll need shovels - long handled ones with short scoops are ideal - and the more, the better. After that, use your imagination: pastry knife, old paintbrushes, spoons, butter knives, toothpicks, water spray bottles, rakes, ice cream scoopers, drinking straws, funnels...really, anything that looks like it might be even a little bit useful. You should also have a drawing or photo of what you'll be building, so you have a reference to work from.

Next, find your spot.
Pick a spot on the beach. Scoop up a golfball-sized wad of wet sand into your hand and form it in a ball. If that sand ball can roll around on your flat palm without breaking apart, you've found your building spot. You also want to pick a spot close to the water - 'cause you'll need lots of water - but not so close that your masterpiece will get washed away by the next big wave. Check for the high water mark, and use that as a guide for where you want to park your project.

Then, prepare your sand.

You'll need very wet sand. Very wet sand. Did I mention VERY WET sand? Dig a hole close to the water, but not too close (see above suggestion), scooping out that VERY WET sand from the hole and piling it onto the flattened out spot where you've decided to build. If digging a big hole doesn't get you down to the water table for that drippy wet sand, or if you can't get enough sand that way, haul water up from the ocean/lake/body of water with your buckets and dump it on the sand.

As you pile up the VERY WET sand, form it into a rough approximation of the shape of the thing you're sculpting. (It could be a castle, sure. But, it could also be a mermaid, or a giant spider, or a dragon, or even a life-size sculpture of Chuck Norris. Be creative!) Anyway, pile that sand up, gently jiggling each plop you add to the pile, so that it settles into the sand beneath and it all bonds together - do not pat, punch, stomp the sand. Gently jiggle. Jiggle. Jiggle. Keep plopping and jiggling until your pile looks big enough for what you're planning to carve it into.

Finally, get sculpting.
Carve out the details, and turn that sculpture idea into reality. Here's where you get to use all those odds-and-ends you gathered back in the first step. And don't forget those most wondrous of sculpting tools that you always have on you - your own hands and fingers.

Keep referring back to your drawing/photo/reference to keep yourself on track as you sculpt the sand. Always start at the top and work your way down, and keep the sand wet (remember that water spray bottle?). And remember: patience. Carve out a little at a time, not in big chunks, and you'll have more control, making your sculpture look just the way you imagined it would. And if something goes wrong, just adapt and go with it. You may find that what you thought was a big mistake takes your work of art into a totally unexpected, yet fantastic direction. And don't forget to take a picture when you're done. Your sandy sculpture won't last forever, but at least your memory of it can.

* * *

Now, go have fun!

Of Parts and Purpose

2011-08-05T23:11:00.000-04:00

"You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too."

   - Hugo Cabret (character)
         The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
    p. 378

Book Review: Three Rotten Eggs, by Gregory Maguire, Illustrated by Elaine Clayton

2011-07-29T08:05:00.269-04:00

     "Thud grabbed the hen under his arm. The hen clucked and struggled. 'Tough it out, Doozy,' said Thud, and slammed his way across the boards into the store.
   'Well, lookee-see,' said Bucky Clumpett. 'It's the smilingest boy in town trying to squeeze all the air out of a pair of chicken lungs. I know this is Vermont, son, but you can't bring a chicken into this store. Not good practice when we're trying to sell food to the public.'
     'I need your help,' said Thud in a voice that sounded as if he wasn't asking for help but demanding it."

Overview:
In the very small town of Hamlet, Vermont, there are strange goings-on. A mysterious stranger's motorcycle is hit by lightning while it's parked behind Clumpett's General Store. The motorcycle has a briefcase strapped to it. Inside that briefcase are genetically altered chicken eggs, only three of which survive the lightning strike. Then Thud Tweed stomps his way into town, telling a different outrageous story every time someone asks about him, his family, or his past. His very wealthy and very aloof mother, Mildred Tweed, is equally puzzling - fully expecting her boy Thud to be kicked out of school, and ready with a blank check for what she is certain are the inevitable damages to come.

While the town is busy sifting through all this puzzling stuff, Trooper Crawdad is trying to puzzle out a couple of mysteries of his own: who is this fellow who's all fired up about a briefcase he reports has been stolen, and how could chicken eggs - as the fellow claims - possibly be a matter of national security?

For Teachers and Librarians:
Three Rotten Eggs has so many possibilities in your classroom, you won't know where to start. In the broadest sense, it is a story about the importance of being trustworthy, the politics of groups, asserting your individuality - whether you're part of a group or not, and that age-old question: nature, or nurture (once a "bad kid," always a "bad kid")?

In the detailed sense, there's not enough space to list all you can do with this book, but here are a few ideas to try:

Chickens Unit (care, feeding, life cycle, types)
Mini-unit on small towns and small-town life in the state of Vermont
Trust/truth (What is it? How does the presence or absence of trust/truth affect people and relationships? Is it easy to be truthful? Once a liar, always a liar? Or can people change? What about cheating? And how do good intentions factor into this?)
A Mystery/Secrets Unit (Everybody's trying to find out something in this book. And several people are harboring secrets. Who are these folks, and what are each of them trying to figure out/hide? Why?)
Theme: Change (Eggs to chickens, "bad egg" to good, wary to trusting, winter to spring, exclusive to inclusive)
Genetic experimentation (pros, cons, ethical implications)

For Parents, Grandparents, and Caregivers:
Three Rotten Eggs has a lot to like, and a lot for you and your kids to think and talk about. But the serious topics of trustworthiness, being part of a group - or not, "bad kids" - or not, and even genetic experimentation are presented in a safe, non-threatening, sometimes touching, sometimes funny, but always straightforward way. It may help your kids see difficult kids they know in a new light. It may help them work out difficult choices they are facing in their own lives. It will definitely make them - and you - laugh. A lot. And probably? By the end, they'll find they've learned an awful lot about chickens, too.

For the Kids:
Three Rotten Eggs, part of the Hamlet Chronicles series, is full of questions. Questions that need answers. Like, why did that motorcycle guy have a briefcase full of eggs strapped to the back of his bike? What's so special about those eggs that a state trooper keeps coming around asking about them? What kind of chickens are gonna hatch out of those eggs? Why does new kid Thud Tweed tell so many outrageous lies about himself and his parents? What's the deal with Thud's mysterious mom, Mildred Tweed? And, are Miss Earth and Mayor Grass dating, or not?

If finding out answers to those questions isn't enough, check these things out: you'll learn more than you ever expected to know about chickens, the streets in town have names like Squished Toad Road, and there are characters with names like Theckla Mustard. Best of all, it's a book that will make you laugh out loud. A lot. Really. Really really.

For Everyone Else:
Though Three Rotten Eggs is a book written for the 9-12 year-old set, it is one of those wonderful titles that will make both kids and adults laugh out loud. And despite yourself, no matter what your age, the story will make you do a lot of thinking, in-between all the giggles and guffaws.

Wrapping Up:
Three Rotten Eggs is not to be missed. And if you like it so much that it leaves you wanting more, you're in luck - it's part of a series of seven books: the Hamlet Chronicles series.

Title: Three Rotten Eggs
Author: Gregory Maguire
Illustrator: Elaine Clayton
Pages: 192
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Publisher and Date: Clarion Books, March 18, 2002
Edition: Hardcover, library copy
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $16.00
ISBN-10: 0-168-09655-8
ISBN-13: 978-0618096558

Author Spotlight: Author Gregory Maguire, Illustrator Elaine Clayton

2011-07-29T08:00:00.003-04:00

Gregory Maguire: Author

Gregory Maguire grew up with a great affinity for books, most notably fairy tales and fantasy fiction. Add to that his experiences throughout childhood living with his journalist father and poet stepmother, and it makes perfect sense that the young Maguire would someday become a writer.

Two years after receiving a B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany, his first book for children was published: The Lightning Time (1978). From there, he went on to write several other books for children, and stayed active as author, teacher, and advocate in the area of children's literature. He taught for eight years at Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature, and is founder and co-director of Children's Literature New England, Incorporated - a non-profit educational charity established in 1987, which "focuses attention on the significance of literature in the lives of children."

Mr. Maguire earned his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University (1990). In 1995, his first novel for adults was published: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, and from there he has gone on to write several others, as well as more children's titles.

Born on June 9, 1954, Gregory Maguire has lived in Dublin, Ireland, and London, England. He now makes his home in Concord, Massachusetts, with his family.

Sources:
Gregory Maguire: About Gregory (author official site)
An Interview with Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire (Wikipedia)
Gregory Maguire (GoodReads)
Gregory Maguire: Biography
Meet the Writers: Gregory Maguire

* * *

Elaine Clayton: Illustrator

Elaine Clayton comes from a large family, and she says that while growing up in such an environment:

"I...learned the importance of lively conversation and storytelling. As I grew up, my private world was one involving characters I drew, whole families of people with stories I made up."

This childhood immersion into story and art seems a solid foundation for the artistic paths she has followed as an adult: fine artist, and children's book author and illustrator.

Ms Clayton earned a BFA in 1984 from Atlanta College of Art, and went on to receive her MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1996. She has taught elementary school in Atlanta and Boston, and has worked as a community organizer in Cesar Chavez camps for Spanish and Indian migrants.

Her first children's book, Pup in School, was published in 1993, while she taught at the Atrium School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since then, she has gone on to write and/or illustrate many other books for children, including those for which she may be best known: her illustrations in Gregory Maguire's Hamlet Chronicles series for middle grade readers. Her work has also appeared in such publications as the New York Times. In addition to her illustration work, Elaine Clayton accepts commissions for various fine arts projects, including murals, portraits, studio and landscape painting.

Born in the Texas Panhandle in 1961, Elaine Clayton has lived in Texas, Kansas, and Georgia. She now lives in New England with her husband and two sons.

Sources:
Elaine Clayton: About the Artist (official site)
Elaine Clayton (Answers.com)
Elaine Clayton (1961-) Biography - Personal, Address, Career, Writings, Work in Progress, Sidelights (jrank.org)
Elaine Clayton (Jacketflap.com)

More Book Meddling...Sort Of

2011-07-11T12:48:00.007-04:00

Today is July 11th, which means it's Bowdler's Day. You know: Dr. Thomas Bowdler, the 19th century English dude who infamously changed the words in books - most notably the words of Shakespeare. Wait...you've never heard of him? No worries. Click on that red link above and read all about him.

While you're there, you'll also read about a man named Reverend James Granger: the 18th century English dude who infamously put extra stuff into books. When you've finished reading, come back here.

...All done then? Right. So, it was while researching Rev. Granger that I came across this quote:

"There is one member of the Fraternity of Book Collectors who has of late years rather fallen in the estimation of his brother Bibliophiles. This knight of the shears and paste jar...is known in bookman's parlance as the Grangerite. The title never has been understood to indicate exalted bibliophilic rank, and now, alas! the individual who bears it appears to be upon point of losing all honorary distinction whatever in the little world of the book collector."

- W.L. Andrews, from Of the Extra-Illustration of Books
Source: With Deft Knife and Paste: The Extra-Illustrated Books of John M. Wing, by Jill Gage

(Well. Tell us how you really feel, Mr. Andrews.)

Anyhow, when I read that quote, what stuck in my brain and refused to leave was the phrase "knight of the shears and paste jar." Seeing as this little phrase seemed determined to take up such stubborn residence in my head, I decided to get out my art supplies and breathe a little life into it:

Perhaps if I go a bit further and fashion Sir Cutandpaste his very own noble steed, he'll finally decamp from my brain and ride off into the sunset, searching for books to Grangerize.

Or, maybe he's come to like living in my head, and intends to hang out a while longer, steed or no steed, cutting and pasting new stuff into the other thoughts living in there.

I'm cool with either.

Book Review: Black Duck, by Janet Taylor Lisle

2011-07-08T12:05:00.000-04:00

   "I suppose you're here to find out about the old days, Mr. Hart says. His voice is raspy-sounding, as if he doesn't use it much.
     I am.
   Must be the liquor Prohibition back in the 1920's you're interested in, rumrunners and hijackers, fast boats and dark nights.
     Yes, sir!
   I wasn't in it.
     You weren't? David frowns. I heard you were.
   I wasn't.
   Well.
     I guess that's that, Mr. Hart says. Sorry to disappoint you.
   Did you know anyone who was? David asks.
     I might've. Mr. Hart's glasses glint again.
   Could you talk about them?
   No.
   That was the end of their first meeting."

Overview:
David Peterson wants to be a reporter, so he contacts his local newspaper about a job. The editor won't hire him. But, if David can bring him a good story, the paper will print it. Which is how soon-to-be-freshman David finds himself sitting in 80-something Ruben Hart's parlor, hoping to learn straight from the source about the infamous goings-on that supposedly flourished for a time in their little Rhode Island town way back when. The rumored former Prohibition-era rumrunner denies being part of it.

Undaunted, David keeps going back to try again. It isn't until their third meeting that Ruben Hart finally relents. He tells David about his boyhood adventures with his best friend, Jeddy McKenzie, starting in the spring of 1929, when they were 14, and found a dead body - wearing an evening suit - washed up on Coulter's Beach. Over several visits that summer, Mr. Hart tells David the rest of the story: about him and Jeddy, and how they find themselves pulled deeper and deeper into the world of Prohibition, and rumrunners, and the legendary rumrunning boat, the Black Duck.

For Teachers and Librarians:
Your students will find themselves fully immersed in Black Duck before they realize what's happened. And you can find a ton of ways to integrate Black Duck into your curriculum. For starters, you can craft a history unit with this book as its anchor: Prohibition, the rumrunning vessel Black Duck, rumrunners, life in the late 1920's in the United States and the impact Prohibition had upon it, and Rhode Island history.

The book is interspersed with several news articles about the tragedy that befell the Black Duck, as well as present-day conversations between young David and the elderly Mr. Hart. David's pursuit of a story about the Black Duck, to be able to submit to the newspaper, is a nice springboard into a career unit focusing on journalism: deciding on a topic for an article, gathering facts, research methods, interviews and how to get them, finding sources, breaking into the business, etc.

Or, how about a couple of mini-units? A brief geography mini-unit on Rhode Island's coastal areas such as Narragansett Bay, and their significance in the state's history, would be interesting. Or, a fun side-lesson on the way people spoke in the 1920's, and how those words and phrases are used (or not) and what they mean, then vs now, such as: fellow, folks, hot shot, come along, having a grand time, hoof it, high roller, looking for a fix. Or, have your students research famous mobsters and their mobs mentioned in the book: Lucky Luciano and the New York City mob, Al Capone and the Chicago mob, and the Boston mob. Or, craft a mini-unit on crime and law enforcement as related to Prohibition: racketeering gangs, bootlegging, mobsters, Rum Row, law enforcement and corruption within its ranks, payoffs, bribes, protection money, smugglers...

Well. Perhaps that last one would be more of a full unit, rather than a mini one. But you get the idea. Black Duck is the total package: a story your students won't want to put down, and a treasure trove of teaching material for you.

For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers:
You know how it seems to go: kids just don't understand their elders, and elders just can't figure out these kids today. But for those who take the time to learn about each other, the perceived great divide between the two isn't quite the chasm it was once believed to be. In Black Duck, teenage David Peterson and octogenarian Ruben Hart don't immediately hit it off. David tells a bit of a white lie to get a conversation started with Mr. Hart. Mr. Hart can tell something isn't quite square, and is wary of opening up.

But instead of ranting and giving up when he's initially rebuffed, David takes the time to prove he really is interested in Mr. Hart and his part in local history. And instead of blocking out David completely, Mr. Hart leaves the door open a crack, enough to notice the teen's sincerity, even if he took a bit of a slippery beginning to get there. Though the main story is about Prohibition, the infamous rumrunning boat Black Duck, and Mr. Hart's part in each, this is also the story of two people from different generations getting to know each other, and discovering that despite their ages, they have a lot in common. The reader is left with the impression that this is the beginning of an unlikely, yet lasting, friendship.

For the Teens:
Late 1920's. Small town. Prohibition. Rumrunners. Fast boats. A dead body. Secrets. Mystery. The mob. Kidnapping. That's just some of the exciting stuff you'll read about in Black Duck. And in amongst all that excitement, you'll also read about friendship, and family, and how two people of very different ages who grew up in very different times discover that they're not so different as they imagined. It's one of those books that will still be on your mind long after you've finished it. And aren't those the best kind?

For Everyone Else:
Black Duck has a little bit of everything: mystery, history, action, adventure, excitement, and lots and lots of things to make you think, and wonder, and perhaps examine life from different angles than you might be used to.

Wrapping Up:
Black Duck, by Janet Taylor Lisle. Get it. Read it. You won't be disappointed.


Title: Black Duck
Author: Janet Taylor Lisle
Cover art and design by: Tony Sahara
Pages: 256
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher and Date: Puffin Books, September 6, 2007
Edition: Sleuth Edition (paperback)
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $6.99
ISBN-10: 0142409022
ISBN-13: 978-0142409022

Author Spotlight: Janet Taylor Lisle

2011-07-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

You might say that Janet Taylor Lisle has writing in her blood: her father wrote stories as a young man, she has been a writer since childhood, and her daughter writes. Ms Lisle has built upon this seemingly natural inclination to write, and has worked hard to become the writer she is today.

Ms Lisle's writing career began with a degree in English Literature from Smith College in 1969. She spent the next two years in Atlanta, Georgia, working for VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). Her time with VISTA inspired her try her hand at journalism, so she enrolled in the appropriate coursework at Georgia State University. She then worked as a journalist for the next 10 years, before moving to New Jersey in 1981 with her husband and young daughter.

Her foray into writing for children was sparked during a writing workshop she took after that move, where she was introduced to children's book editor Richard Jackson. Jackson accepted her first book, The Dancing Cats of Applesap, in 1983. It was published in 1984, and Jackson has worked with her ever since.

Says Jackson:

"Janet Taylor Lisle is drawn to the mystery of things, to the ambiguity of life that books for children often gloss over...her interest is in what's hidden. As well as why."

Janet Taylor Lisle was born in Englewood, New Jersey, on February 13, 1947. The oldest - and only girl - of five kids, she grew up in rural Rhode Island and in Connecticut, and spent her summers in Rhode Island. She now lives on the seacoast of Rhode Island with her two cats, Kayla and Roosevelt, and her husband, Richard.

Sources:
Birthday Bios: Janet Taylor Lisle (Children's Literature Network)
Janet Taylor Lisle (Biography.jrank.org)
Janet Taylor Lisle (Penguin.com)
Janet Taylor Lisle (New England Independent Booksellers Association)
Janet Taylor Lisle - Author Page (official site)
An Interview With Janet Taylor Lisle - With Booksellers Baker and Taylor (via official site)
The truth is never easy to define in this novelist's provocative and surprising stories - Riverbank Review Author Profile 2002 (via official site)

Book Meddlers. Or, Folks Who Fiddle With Books

2011-07-07T19:01:00.003-04:00

Bowdler's Day occurs annually on the 11th of July - the anniversary of the birthdate of one Dr. Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), an Englishman who became famous for his expurgation of Shakespeare.

In other words, he changed the words. And then he published them.

Image from: Amazon.com

Why would someone meddle with such classic literature? To bring the works of Shakespeare more in line with what was generally deemed appropriate reading/listening material for women and children in the 19th century. He called his first edition The Family Shakespeare (1807), and in 1818 published The Family Shakespeare, in Ten Volumes. And he didn't stop with rewording the Bard. He also published what came to be known as "bowdlerized" versions of the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and even the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.

Thomas Bowdler was, in general, criticized and ridiculed for meddling with the classics. However, his edited editions made it possible for Shakespeare's works to be appropriate enough for 19th century women, children, and families to enjoy them, and affordable enough for the 19th century middle class to buy them.

Yet, whether he be literary demon or protector of decency, surely we can forgive the good doctor some of his zeal. One could argue that his actions were a natural extension of his own childhood: When Dr. Bowdler was young, his father would nightly read Shakespeare aloud to the family. When he came to a word or passage he deemed unsuitable for women or children, he would either: a) not read it aloud, or b) alter it on the spot. And who among us, in the 21st century, hasn't committed similar extemporaneous omissions or edits, in order to (at least for the time being) shield the littlest ears among us from fare deemed not-yet-suitable for their tender ages?

* * *

Well. Every yin has its yang, does it not? And so this discussion of book meddling would not be complete without consideration of the Reverend James Granger (1723-1776) - Dr. Bowdler's countryman, yet literary polar opposite. Reverend Granger didn't take things out of books. He pasted extra stuff in: words, lithographs, portraits, engravings, letters, maps - anything that even remotely related to the text, the author, the illustrator, or the illustrations.

From Google Books

In fact, he didn't stop at stuffing other authors' books with additional, post-publication information: in 1769, he published the Biographical History of England from Egbert the Great to the Revolution. His book was noted for its intentionally blank pages, left there for the reader to fill with portraits and other illustrations and information complementary to the text. And yes, revised editions came later.

The practice came to be known as "grangerizing," (1769) or "extra-illustration" (1878), and became quite a popular hobby. A grangerizing enthusiast was known as a "Grangerite," or, as W.L. Andrews describes such an individual in Of the Extra-Illustration of Books, a "knight of the shears and paste jar." (Though intended to be derisive, "knight of the shears and paste jar" does sound quite poetic, doesn't it?)

Grangerites didn't limit their literary additions to the Rev. Granger's title. The practice spread to other books of biography and history throughout most of the 19th century. Some of this extra information was purchased expressly for this purpose, then cut and pasted into their Granger, as the Reverend's book became known. And sometimes, people cut information directly out of other published books, then pasted those items into a different book, Granger or otherwise.

As one might imagine, not everyone was so enamored with the practice. John Hill Burton in The Book Hunter, for example, viewed the hobby as "a sort of literary Attila, or Genghis Khan, who spreads terror and ruin around him." But others, such as Daniel Treadmill in A Plea for Bibliomania, had a far more complimentary opinion: "There are no general rules, no formulas, no beaten paths in this department of art - taste and genius are its only guides."

When we in the 21st century read about grangerizing, does the practice sound vaguely familiar? If so, Philip Kennicott (writing for The Washington Post) has an explanation: he asserts in his article on extra-illustration that grangerizing is in fact a direct precursor to our modern scrapbooking, except for that pesky mucking-up-someone-else's-book bit.

* * *

So. Whether one bowdlerizes or grangerizes, one thing is certain: Each practice is an exercise in readers taking a story and making it their own - one way or another. Many have argued vociferously (and still do) for or against each practice. And each practice has its own virtues and vices, its own shades and nuances of bibliophilia, as its practitioners see it.

When Bowdler's Day comes about on July 11th, spend some time reading about what others (my sources) have said about bowdlerizing and grangerizing:

Goatview Farm: The Saint Report
Thomas Bowdler (Wikipedia)
Shakespeare's Editors: Thomas Bowdler
Bowdler, Dr. Thomas (jrank.org)
The Granger Collection: About Us
With Deft Knife and Paste: The Extra-Illustrated books of John M. Wing
Library of Congress: 'Voices from Afghanistan'; Folger: 'Extending the Book' (The Washington Post - Philip Kennicott

Then come back and tell me, what say you?

A Day to Honor to Our Favorite Plastic Spud

2011-04-28T08:05:00.011-04:00

Raise your hand if you, or your children, or your grandchildren, have ever owned - or played with - one of these, in some form or other:

Did you raise your hand? You know you did, and so did I, and so did a whole boatload of other folks. In fact, millions of kids - and former kids - have had a blast playing with this most versatile toy.

And on May 1st, we all have the perfect excuse to play again, because that's the anniversary of the the day, back in 1952, when Mr. Potato Head was first released for sale. The original toy was quite different from the one sold today:

Photo Credit: National Institute of Health "About Faces" Exhibit

Invented by George Lerner, who eventually sold his idea to Hasbro, Inc., Mr. Potato Head cost 98 cents when he made his debut. The set came with 28 pieces, including: eyes, ears, noses, hands, feet, mouths, hats, eyeglasses, felt facial hair, and a tobacco smoking pipe. It had everything an imaginative kid would need to create all manner of silly potato heads, save one thing: the potato. Kids had to convince Mom and Dad to hand over a real spud to be able to play with the toy. It wasn't until 1964 that the iconic plastic potato was included in Mr. Potato Head sets.

From those humble beginnings, Mr. Potato Head has thrived, becoming a toy with significant staying power, and quite an interesting history:

On April 30, 1952, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy ever to be advertised on television, and was marketed directly to children (also a first).

In 1985, Mr. Potato Head received four write-in votes in the Boise, Idaho mayoral election.

Mr. Potato Head gave up his tobacco pipe, to none other than C. Everett Koop, during the 1987 Great American Smokeout.

For his 40th birthday, Mr. Potato Head decided he would no longer be a "couch potato," for which he received a special award from the President's Council for Physical Fitness, in a ceremony on the White House Lawn.

Photo Credit: FanPop.com

Mr. Potato Head even took a star turn: first in the blockbuster animated movie Toy Story, then in Toy Story 2, and then in Toy Story 3.

In 2000, Mr. Potato Head was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame, along with four other childhood staples: Slinky, the jump rope, jacks, and the bicycle. That made him one of only 46 toys to ever be so honored, so far.

For his 50th birthday, Rhode Island (home state of Hasbro, Inc.) issued the Mr. Potato Head commemorative license plate. As if that weren't enough birthday excitement for a toy that hit the half-century mark, Mr. Potato Head was also given his very own AARP card.

I will leave you now with Chez Wheedleton's own personal Mr. Potato Head connection:

Our two Mr. Potato Head sets - one per kid. Between the four of us, we've all had great fun together with these full-of-character spuds. They've been well-used, and have traveled to far-flung places (though not so far-flung as Spud: The World's Most-Traveled Potato Head), and we've lost a piece or two here and there.

Yet despite our slightly depleted pile of parts, we've still got more than enough to keep us creating for a long while to come.

And that, perhaps, is the secret to Mr. Potato Head's success.

Sources:
10 Things You May Not Know About Mr. Potato Head
Mr. Potato Head - Wikipedia
Mr. Potato Head History - IdeaFinder.com
Mr. Potato Head - About.com
History of Mr. Potato Head - Woodstock Candy

Celebratory Multitasking at Its Finest (Or at Least, at Its Funnest)

2011-04-25T12:52:00.001-04:00

I'm combining my celebration of a couple of Little-Known Holidays today. First, today is World Penguin Day, celebrated on April 25th because it occurs during the time of the flightless birds' annual northern migration. Second, today is also National Crayola Day, celebrated on April 25th because...well, I'm not sure why. Maybe for the love of this colorful, versatile drawing implement? Let's go with that, since I found no explanations for this particular holiday, just a couple of entries on a couple of calendars.

Some of you may argue that the Crayola part of this little celebration is late, and you may be right: I also found a Crayola Crayon Day listed for March 31st. And this one I did find an explanation for: it's celebrated to mark the first time, in 1903, that Binney & Smith offered its crayons for sale to the public. Neither holiday, however, appears on the official Crayola website. So which one is officially right? Or is it neither? Who knows? All I can say is, unofficially, Bugs and Bunnies is celebrating National Crayola Day today. Because it works for me. Here's why:

Get it? It's National Penguin Day, and it's National Crayola Day, so...I drew a crayon-loving penguin (note the totally-not-seen-in-the-wild t-shirt), and then I colored it with crayons!

Oh, yes. ~~I'm~~ We're the Celebratory Multitasking Queen.

And We are very amused.

Well, Duh. Isn't It Obvious?

2011-04-21T18:38:00.002-04:00

The kids and I are sitting in a pizza shop for lunch, when Lovely Girl looks up and sees a story on television about Donald Trump's flirtation with a run for President in 2012. "Seriously?" she says. "Why would he run? And who would vote for Donald Trump? He does, like, reality shows and stuff."

I give her my best guess: "Why run? Because he has the money to do so. And because he thinks he can do a better job than anyone else." As for who would vote for him, I say I don't know who would, but I know I wouldn't.

Then Handsome Boy says, "So, who do you want to be President next time?"

Fair question, and not one I can rattle off without some thought. Finally I say, "I don't have a particular person in mind. But I know I want a President who wants to do a good job, and who can do a good job, and who cares for our country, and who will do the right things to make our country better for all of us."

Handsome Boy is quiet for a minute. "I know who it could be," he says, his face brightening. "Chuck Norris! He could do a good job. We should vote for him for President."

Lovely Girl perks up. "Yeah! Plus, nobody would dare cross Chuck Norris."

"And," Handsome Boy says, "he'd always do the right thing, because that's what Chuck Norris does."

He may have a point.

Chuck, are you listening?

That's Not Very Ladylike

2011-03-24T10:16:00.002-04:00

Mother Nature has blessed us with some very mild weather lately. Mild enough that I figured the last of the winter gusts were probably behind us. Mild enough that I finally consented - to Handsome Boy's ultimate joy - to his wearing shorts to school last Friday. And mild enough that I decided it was finally time to get out the patio furniture.

So, three days ago, Handsome Boy helped me haul a bistro table and 4 tall chairs from their storage spot under the back deck, all the way around to their Spring-and-Summer spot: the small gravel patio at the front of the house. It was sunny, and fairly warm, and only a tiny bit breezy. And we sat in those chairs on what was the second official day of Spring and enjoyed the loveliness of the day for a bit.

Two days ago, it got a bit nippy, but still fairly nice. Par for the course for Spring, right? But it was such a busy day, there wasn't any time to hang out on the patio and enjoy it.

Yesterday, we had sleet. And thunderstorms. With hail. I was beginning to rethink the wisdom of setting out that furniture, which the storms had rendered unenjoyable even though we had plenty of time to use it.

But Handsome Boy and I were determined to have some springtime fun. So, we built a fort on the living room floor. We stuffed it with cushions and covered it with blankets and hauled in stuffed animals and a cheery lamp and climbed inside and played Go Fish and ate cookies and had a fabulous time, smug in our cleverness at outsmarting Mother Nature...

Today, we woke up to big, fat, white snowflakes falling steadily - and mockingly - from the sky. Plus? My Christmas cactus - which should not be blooming in springtime - is blooming.

Now, it could be that the meteorological roller coaster of the last several days is just the usual fickleness of Spring. Or it could be that Mother Nature takes way too much joy in messing with us.

Either way, I say: Bring it on.

We have a blanket fort.

And cookies.

Book Review: Stink: Solar System Superhero, by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

2011-03-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

   "You know that thing you taught me? Well, guess what? My very excellent mother DID NOT Serve Nine Pizzas."
   "What did she serve?"
   "Nothing. Zero. Zip. T.I.N.P. There. Is. No. Pizza."

Overview:
Stink Moody is incensed. He just found out that Pluto, his second-favorite planet (after Saturn), is not only NOT a planet anymore, it didn't even get to keep its name - it just has a six-digit number, instead. And Stink isn't the only one who's cheesed off about this. So is the new kid, Skunk.

But "Rotten Riley Rottenberger," AKA "Miss Know-It-All," is rather pleased at this new development, and she takes every opportunity to rub it in their faces. The rivalry intensifies, until finally Mrs. Dempster proposes that the class create their own panel of scientists, hold a debate, and let the class vote to decide Pluto's fate. Stink and Skunk, and Riley, and their supporters, dive right in: making signs, t-shirts, chants - anything to help win votes. All to decide once and for all: Is Pluto a planet? Or not?

For Teachers and Librarians:
Stink: Solar System Superhero is a great book to introduce to your students in March, since it connects nicely to the real-world holiday which showcases the same controversy raging in Stink's classroom: Pluto is a Planet Day, celebrated every March 13th. Besides being fun to read, this is a book you can use to supplement your curriculum in a variety of ways:

Science: Introduce the solar system with the book's "Mnemonic Comics" pages, which briefly showcase each planet. Then have your students research the planets further, and make their own solar system comic book with the new information they find. Pluto's status depends on the definition of planet, and dwarf planet; have your students research to find out what those definitions are, and who decided those criteria. Explore with them: what else orbits our sun besides planets (asteroids, space junk, etc.)? Then let them present the information they find via scientific panel format. Make it feel more real by having them wear white lab coats, if you can round some up!
Social Studies/Political Science: This book is a great springboard for a basic unit on democracy, focusing on the campaigning and voting aspects. Riley crossed out references to Pluto in textbooks; Stink put a bumper sticker on a car without the owner's permission. Discuss campaign strategies (buttons, signs, stickers, rallies, speeches, ads, etc.) and how to use them appropriately, then have kids act out ways Riley and Stink could have garnered support more responsibly. Present a lesson on how a debate works. Then let them hold their own class debate on Pluto's status, vote, and discuss the outcome.
Social: Stink, Skunk, and Riley formed groups of kids who felt as they did. Brainstorm ways that clubs or groups bond (songs, chants, shirts, official greetings, meetings, parties, outings, etc.). Create planet fan clubs, let your students join their favorite, and charge each club with creating three different ways to bond together, from the brainstorm list. Then let each group present their club to the class. A mini-lesson on friendship works well with this book, too: what can you do when you and a friend disagree, yet still want to remain friends?
Language Arts: Stink's team makes up a play about Pluto. Present a unit on plays and what goes into creating and performing one: the script and its parts, actors, crew, costumes, make-up, props, advertising, ticket sales, etc. Then create a class play about Pluto's plight, integrating what they've learned and presenting both sides of the argument. Let them present it to their peers, or to parents, or both.

For Parents, Grandparents, and Caregivers:
Stink: Solar System Superhero is a book your kids will have a blast reading. It's funny, but it's also full of interesting facts about not just Pluto, but all of the planets. It may help them figure out how to handle situations where they and their friends don't see eye to eye. It gives them a glimpse into how a lot of things work in the real world, as Stink and his classmates have a debate, present a play, and campaign for their beliefs. Mixed into the story are comic illustrations that will hold the attention of your more reluctant readers, and add to the fun for your more voracious ones. It's a perfect package of equal parts fun and education, with each part so well-blended, your kiddos will remember this book - and what they learned from it - for quite some time.

For the Kids:
Stink: Solar System Superhero finds Stink Moody very upset. When he got his planets test back from Mrs. Dempster, he found out Pluto - his second-favorite planet - isn't a planet anymore! New kid Skunk isn't happy about this either. But Riley Rottenberger thinks it's just fine, and agrees that Pluto is not a planet. She even wears a t-shirt with big fat letters saying, "PLUTO IS DEAD." When the boys and Riley and their friends get into a big argument about who's right, their teacher suggests they have a class debate to settle the matter. But who wins? Is Pluto still "Pluto?" Or just "Number 134340?"

Wrapping Up:
Stink: Solar System Superhero is a book full of fun, and planets, and lots and lots to think about. What's more perfect than a book that makes you laugh, and helps you learn something, too?

Note: To find out more about author Megan McDonald, click here: Author Spotlight: Megan McDonald.

To read my review of another Megan McDonald title, click here: Book Review: Stink and the Great Guinea Pig Express, by Megan McDonald.

Title: Stink: Solar System Superhero
Author: Megan McDonald
Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
Pages: 128
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Publisher and Date: Scholastic Inc, by arrangement with Candlewick Press, February 2011
Edition: Paperback, First Scholastic printing
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $4.99
ISBN: 978-0-545-29862-9

March 10th is International Day of Awesomeness

2011-03-10T15:27:00.003-05:00

Hey, there! Guess who? If you guessed I'm Kim...well, you're wrong! It is I, Eclipse Firebright - daughter of Kimberly, Leader of the Warriors - back again and guest posting here on Bugs and Bunnies.

It is fitting that I'm writing this post today, for two reasons. First, because it is International Day of Awesomeness. Second, because I am, of course, awesome.

International Day of Awesomeness is celebrated on March 10th, in part, because March 10th is the birthday of the awesome king of roundhouse kicks,

CHUCK NORRIS!

And to celebrate, I've compiled a list of some of Chez Wheedleton's favorite Chuck Norris facts:

When Chuck Norris does push-ups, he doesn't push himself up, he pushes the earth down.
When the Boogeyman goes to bed at night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
Brett Favre can throw a football over 60 yards. Chuck Norris can throw Brett Favre twice that far.
Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas.
Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.
Google won't search for Chuck Norris, because it knows that you don't find Chuck Norris. He finds you.
There once was a street called Chuck Norris. The name was changed, because no one crosses Chuck Norris.
Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy. It's a Chucktatorship.

And finally, on this International Day of Awesomeness, I'll leave you with this:

Chuck Norris' calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd. Nobody fools Chuck Norris.

So...I Guess I Just Get to Pick the One I Like Best?

2011-03-09T19:06:00.000-05:00

Today is Wednesday, in the first full week of March. Which makes it part of Celebrate Your Name Week. And the Wednesday of Celebrate Your Name Week is designated as Learn What Your Name Means Day.

So.

I did a web search: What does the name Kimberly mean? Because that's my full first name. (Usually, though, people just call me Kim. Except for my grandmas, and my aunts and uncles, and my brother and his family, and my husband. They all call me Kimmy. Probably more than you wanted to know, but there it is.)

So, anyway. Kimberly. I looked up the meaning, and this is what I found:

From the wood of the royal forest
From the royal fortress meadow
Meadow of the royal fort
Ruler
Cyneburg's field
Leader of the warriors

That's quite a variety of meanings, isn't it? Since there are so many, I guess I'll just pick the one I like the best.

So, from now on - or at least for today - you may refer to me as:

Kimberly...Leader of the Warriors

It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

What does your name mean?

Book Review: Things Not Seen, by Andrew Clements

2011-03-04T08:05:00.005-05:00

   "It's after the shower. That's when it happens. It's when I turn on the bathroom light and wipe the fog off the mirror to comb my hair. It's what I see in the mirror. It's what I don't see.
   I look a second time, and then rub at the mirror again.
   I'm not there.
   That's what I'm saying.
   I'm. Not. There."

Overview:
Bobby Phillips is a normal 15 year-old-boy, with a normal life. Until one morning. He takes his shower in the dark, like normal. He turns on the bathroom light when he's done, like normal. He wipes the steam from the mirror and looks in, like normal. But no one is looking back. Which is definitely not like normal. He's invisible. And he has no idea how it happened, or how to get back to normal. When he tells his parents, they all realize this can't get out until they can find a way to fix it. He can't tell his friends. He can't go to school. And unless they can figure this out, he can't have a life. But then one day, he meets Alicia at the library. And even though she's blind, and he's invisible, he begins to think that Alicia is the only one who can really see him.

For Teachers and Librarians:
Invisibility, and its opposite, comes in many forms. Your teen students may identify with Bobby, and with Alicia, in a variety of ways. And teachers, librarians, and guidance counselors will find many ways to incorporate Things Not Seen into the curriculum:

Emotional: Bobby feels invisible to his parents, even before he actually is invisible. He feels like they put work before him, and don't notice who he is or what he wants. Alicia feels all-too-visible to her parents, whom she feels are smothering her because of her blindness, and not giving her room to be who she wants to be. How do they each find ways to make their presence and wishes felt? What are the consequences or positives of those actions? Bobby unexpectedly has to fend for himself for a few days, without his parents. Discuss: how did he feel during this time? What mistakes did he make? What did he learn? What did he do well? Has something similar happened to your students? How did they work through it?
Social: Bobby and Alicia form a friendship at first based on only partial honesty. How does Alicia react when she learns the truth about Bobby? How does Bobby feel about not letting her know at first about his invisibility? How does he feel after she knows? What stresses do Bobby and Alicia's friendship go through when one of them finds a solution to their individual dilemma, but the other does not?
Career Study: Bobby loves the library, and finds solace there. He has a great love of classic literature, thanks to his mom's influence: she's a literature professor at the University of Chicago. Mr. Phillips is a physicist. Mr. VanDorn is a scientist. Mrs. VanDorn was former public relations worker, then became a writer and consultant. What careers are your students considering, and why? Do their parents' jobs influence their lives? How?
Literature and reading: Have your students list the titles Bobby mentions liking or reading, and then find them in the library. Discuss: what makes a book a classic? How do these old classics compare to modern classics, and to popular literature? What books do your students consider classics? What books have had a profound effect on them, and in what ways?
Disability: Both Alicia and Bobby have had sudden physical changes that drastically altered the life they used to know. How has Alicia's blindness affected her life? Her career ambitions? The way she perceives other people? What event from the book makes her feel that maybe her life is not as limited as she believed her blindness made it to be? Bobby is facing the possibility of a lifetime of invisibility. How does this affect his hopes for his future? The way he perceives other people? The way he thinks and feels about himself?
Writing/Critical thinking: Discuss the pro's and con's of actual invisibility, both as Bobby sees it, and as your students would see it. How does Bobby think invisibility will affect his future? How would your students feel in his place? Compare/contrast the pro's and con's of whether or not Bobby should reveal his invisibility. Perhaps a creative writing assignment: what would they do if they could be invisible for a day? A week? A month? A year?
Here is a great link to Language Arts and Social Studies lesson plans, with an invisibility theme: Things Not Seen Lesson Plan (from Scholastic.com)

For Parents, Grandparents, and Caregivers:
Things Not Seen is a book for you to read, as well as your teen. It is very much about the relationship Bobby and Alicia have with their parents, as well as how they each navigate the twists and turns of their respective lives, often thinking they are going it alone. This book gives adults a very realistic peek at what goes on inside a teen's head, and how important it is to them that their parents see them, and get them. But it also gives teens a view into how very much their parents love them and want to be there for them - even if they don't always know how to do that. The important theme here is, we all have to talk to each other, and listen to each other, so we can really see each other and help each other. And besides all that? It's a great story, with some interesting twists you don't see coming. It is by turns funny, and touching, and wrenching, and, well...you just gotta read it.

For the Teens:
So. Things Not Seen. It's a pretty cool story. I mean, invisibility? Seriously? Sounds like it would be a blast, right? Well, when it happens suddenly and without explanation to Bobby Phillips, the only thing he feels is scared. And then worried. Sure, he felt like his parents didn't even see him half the time, but now they really can't see him. And neither can anybody else. When he goes downstairs and tells his parents, they're scared and worried, too. As Bobby and his parents work through how to figure this all out, they realize they can't let this get out. Bobby can't go to school. He can't let anyone see him - or see that they can't see him. And as far as he can figure, he has no future. Then one day, he bundles up in head-to-toe clothes and heads to the library, where he literally bumps into Alicia. He finds out she's blind. As their friendship builds, for the first time in quite some time, he's starting to believe he's finally found someone who sees him. Could she be the one who can finally help him figure this out? And fix it?

For Everyone Else:
Things Not Seen is a book that teens through adults will enjoy reading, and really get into. You find yourself feeling like it is completely plausible that a kid could turn invisible, and that there is a logical explanation for all of this. But is it fixable, or is Bobby looking at a lifetime of not being seen? There's only one way to find out.

Wrapping Up:
Things Not Seen. It has invisibility. It has suspense. It has a wee bit of danger. It has a lot to think about. And it has some very funny moments - like when Bobby flits through the library naked and invisible. At worst, it will make you think twice before you sit down on those chairs at the library research tables. But at best, it will make you go out and find this book, and get reading.

Title: Things Not Seen
Author: Andrew Clements
Pages: 176
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher and Date: Philomel, 2002
Edition: First (Library hardcover copy)
Language: English
Published in: United States
Price: $16.99
ISBN-10: 0-399-23626-0
ISBN-13: 978-0399236266

Author Spotlight: Andrew Clements

2011-03-04T08:00:00.004-05:00

If you were to ask Andrew Clements why he became a writer, he may possibly respond the same way he did in an article for Scholastic.com:

"I didn't wake up one morning when I was in fourth or fifth grade and say, 'I know! I know! I'm going to be a writer!' That never happened to me. I think the reason I'm a writer is because first, I was a reader. I loved to read."

That love of reading isn't the only reason he became a writer, but it seems to be one of the most important ones.

Mr. Clements was a literature major at Northwestern University, where he also did a bit of songwriting and poetry writing on his own time. A professor at a nearby college saw his writing, and she asked him to teach creative writing at a series of summer high school workshops which she'd organized. It was during this experience that he found he liked teaching, and so he completed a Master of Arts degree in teaching from National Louis University.

Beginning in 1972, Andrew Clements taught in public schools north of Chicago, Illinois: two years of fourth grade, three years of eighth grade English, and two years of high school English. After that, he and his wife and 2 1/2 year old son moved to New York City, so he could pursue a singer-songwriter career, which lasted about a year and a half.

From there, he found a job working for a small publisher who specialized in how-to books. Then, he took a position helping a college friend launch a new company which imported children's books from Europe - translating and adapting them for the North American market. This new venture was first called Alphabet Press, and later became Picture Book Studio. Mr. Clements worked there as a sales manager, and an editorial director, and also wrote picture book texts.

Andrew Clements' first published work was A Country Christmas Treasury, about which he says,

"I'd built a number of the projects featured in the book, and I was listed as one of the 'craftspeople' on the acknowledgements page, in tiny, tiny type."

His first picture book was Big Al, published in 1987.

Then, in 1990, when he was doing an author visit at a school, he got the idea for a story about a kid who makes up a new word. That story became his first novel, Frindle, published in 1996. Frindle became Andrew Clements' most popular book, and he credits this title as being the one that ultimately led to his career as a full-time writer. Since then, he has written many novels and books for various age levels, from grades K-12.

Born in Camden, New Jersey, on May 7, 1949, Andrew Clements now lives in Westborough, Massachusetts, with his wife Rebecca. They have four grown children.

Below is a video of Mr. Clements talking about how he got started in writing, and about how Frindle came to be:

Sources:
Andrew Clements Official Site: Bio
Andrew Clements - Wikipedia.org
Andrew Clements biography - Scholastic.com
Gale Biographies of Children's Authors: Andrew Clements - Answers.com

You Mean I Get to Read, and Celebrate Silliness, and Have Cake...All on the Same Day?

2011-03-02T12:57:00.009-05:00

Today is the perfect day to grab a book, find a comfy spot to sit, and get reading. Why? Because March 2nd is Read Across America Day. And though the day falls (purposely) on the birth of that master of rhymes and silliness, Theodor S. Geisel - better known as Dr. Seuss - the celebration is not limited to the kiddos among us. Everyone is invited, whether you're tall, or small, or somewhere in-between.

Just finding out about this now? No worries. Celebration of Read Across America Day offers the ultimate in flexibility:

For the Minimalist - Those who don't like a lot of fuss when they celebrate will love observing Read Across America Day. All you have to do is read. Anywhere. Anytime. And whatever book or magazine or poetry or other reading material you'd like. And if you have a kiddo to read to, or read with - all the better.

For the Middle-of-the-Roader - Those who like a just a little pizazz in their celebratory behavior will find Read Across America Day fits them as well. Wear one of those tall, red-and-white Cat in the Hat hats while you're reading, and while you're out and about today. Or, if your taste in headgear is slightly more subdued, you could go with something like my chapeau of choice:

For the Ultimate Partier - Those who like a whole lotta stuff goin' on when they celebrate - you know who you are: game and activity lovers, glitter fiends, streamer folks, balloon aficionados, crayon-and-marker wielders, poster painters, etc. - visit any of the following sites for some great ideas for celebrating Read Across America Day (especially if the partiers you're planning for are kids, or if you're a teacher):

Seussville's Read Across America Page. Here you'll find printable pages for the kids filled with activities and guides for cool stuff to do, links to other activity ideas, and a link to a list of places having Read Across America Day events.
NEA's Read Across America page. This is the National Education Association's web page dedicated to Read Across America Day. The NEA sponsors this celebration, now in its 14th year. Here you will find a link to Seussville, as well as links to a parenting magazine and other places with celebration ideas.
ReadWriteThink.org. This website is tailored to teachers, with lesson plans and activities to try in the classroom, but parents and others who work with the little guys will find some interesting ideas here that could be easily adapted to work at home.

So, Happy Read Across America Day! And Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss! Now go out there, whether you're 5 or 105, grab a book, and get reading. And if you manage to score some birthday cake in the process, please send some to me?

(Hat optional...but highly recommended.)

Life With a Small Boy

2011-02-17T11:30:00.007-05:00

Handsome Boy is one big ball of energy. He makes life here at Chez Wheedleton a lot of fun. With just the smallest of gestures, or words, or both, he can send us all into fits and giggles, whether he means to or not.

Example #1: The kiddos and I were riding along in the truck, on our way home from piano lessons. We were still about fifteen minutes out, when Lovely Girl asks would I please stop hitting the bumps, because she really needs to, ahem, Use the Facilities. I do my best, but around here, winding roads and bumps go hand-in-hand, and I still hit quite a few. Lovely Girl mock complains, so I start shouting out things like, "Waterfall! Puddles! Rainstorm!" It makes her giggle, and takes her mind off of her little problem.

And then we hear water sloshing. Actual water.

Lovely Girl: That isn't funny!
Me (confused): It's not me!

Then we hear giggles coming from the backseat. I look in my rearview mirror to see Handsome Boy - wearing a huge, wicked grin - vigorously shaking his water bottle.

Example #2: Handsome Boy loves words. Specifically, he loves the sound of words. He shouts them out over and over just for the sheer joy of it. Sometimes, he makes them up, complete with definition. Like this one, which he coined this past summer:

B'haircut: what a mostly bald guy gets when he needs a haircut.

And sometimes, he modifies existing words to suit his own particular purposes. Like what he said while digging through the candy bag from when we got "Boo'd" in mid-October:

CA-CHING! In candy form!

Example #3: And then there are Handsome Boy's Wonderings: free-range thoughts he hardly ever keeps to himself, preferring instead to share them with whomever happens to be within listening range.

Like this one:

Sometimes people are wrong, and sometimes people barf.

Or this one:

If a person was barfing, and then they saw a spider, could they scream while they were barfing?

Example #4: Handsome Boy's worldview is distinctly family-centered, so he is practically beside himself when Chez Wheedleton does things together as a family unit, whether it's as exotic as going on vacation, or as relaxing as just hanging out in the family room to watch a movie. If Chez Wheedleton had a family business, I do believe the boy would be thrilled beyond belief.

Perhaps that's why he told me one day that Grandma (my mother, who is distinctly unamused with our all-too-gleeful and quite frequent descent into potty humor) should join the Family Business.

Me: The Family Business?

Handsome Boy: You know. Burping and farting. The Family Business!

- - -

Yep. Life with a small boy...Our Small Boy. We wouldn't be the same without it. And we wouldn't trade it for the world.

History Repeats Itself, But the Kids are None the Wiser

2011-02-16T11:06:00.005-05:00

So. Lovely Girl comes home from school the other day, talking a blue streak before the front door even closes behind her. It's a whole stream-of-consciousness thing, starting with homeroom and moving through the entire rest of her day. In fact, she doesn't appear to be breathing in between sentences.

She stomps toward the kitchen, shedding her backpack, lunchbag, and coat as she makes her way down the hall, ranting the whole time. The longer she rants, the faster she talks. The faster she talks, the more I begin to think that I am quite possibly witnessing a very impressive stint of circular breathing.

I am secretly impressed by this spectacle.

When she finally does takes a breath, it is only to launch into a much louder and more exasperated diatribe, during which I catch the word "boys," and then this:

Lovely Girl: I mean, they have their own language!"
Me: Who does?
Lovely Girl: This group of boys at school.
Me: Oh. Their own language?
Lovely Girl: Yeah. [rolling her eyes] They made it up. They say things like, "Ex-squeeze me."
Me (snickering): Um, no. They didn't.
Lovely Girl: Um, yes. They did.
Me: I mean, no, they didn't make that up. That's from Wayne's World. Back in the 90's.
Lovely Girl (cringing): What?

I opened my laptop and pulled up YouTube, and found the Wayne's World Aerosmith episode (classic!), and a few other clips. I watched Lovely Girl as she watched the clips. Her face was equal parts horrified (that her friends were totally copying stuff from her parents' generation...and liked it) and entertained ('cause, you know, Wayne's World is funny).

- - -

So, that was fun, but I figured that was the end of that. Until a day or so later. I'm driving Lovely Girl to school in the morning, when she goes into another rant. About boys. Again. But this time, there's no stream-of-consciousness, no circular breathing, no stomping. Just confusion:

Lovely Girl: They wear these things.
Me: Things?
Lovely Girl: Well, they're not shorts. More like swim trunks.
Me: Swim trunks? In January?
Lovely Girl: Well, yeah. They have these crazy designs and stuff, and they come to, like, their knees, so I guess they're not technically shorts.
Me (in my head): Oh, no.
Me (out loud): JAMS??
Lovely Girl: Jams?
Me (laughing): JAMS! Those are from the 80's, kiddo. And before that, they wore them in the 60's.

Lovely Girl doesn't answer. But a wee bit of horrification begins to creep across her face. Again.

- - -

So. History repeats itself. Sometimes several generations over. I can respect that. But when the new generation claims invention of something a past generation already came up with, well, all I can say is:

"Ex-squeeze me? A baking powder?"

Book Review: The Dirty Cowboy, by Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Adam Rex

2011-01-28T08:05:00.002-05:00

"Now, one morning - and no one knows for sure what drives a man to it - this cowboy decided to clean himself up. Regular bathers would've said the signs had been plenty clear: the cowboy's hair housed thirty-two fleas and a small gray spider.
On three recent occasions he'd discovered a tumbleweed in his chaps. A flurry of flies flocked round his body buzzing so persistently that he experienced a distinct loss of hearing in his left ear. And the cowboy's stench stuck to passersby like mud splashed up from a wagon wheel."

Overview:
Ah, the life of a cowboy: roundin' up cattle, cookin' up some vittles, singin' songs around the campfire, with only his trusty steed and loyal dog for company. Yessir, life sure is perfect for a cowboy...until he gets it in his head that he oughta prob'ly have hisself a bath. The cowboy in this story sets out to do just that. Just gettin' to the river takes some doin,' but he gets there alright, and charges his dog with guardin' his duds. An' then he heads to the river, nearly-new bar of lye soap in hand, an' he gets good and clean. But, once he fixes t' go git his duds back? Well, that's when things get interestin.'

For Teachers and Librarians:
First of all, The Dirty Cowboy is a laugh-out-loud, fun book to read aloud. Your students will delight in the antics of the cowboy and his dog, and giggle at the illustrations that add even more to the fun.

But how else can you work this into your curriculum? You can easily link this to a unit on the Old West, or the life of a cowboy, or a humorous take on the importance of good hygiene. How about a discussion on friendship - how well do they know their friends? If their friend always used apple-scented shampoo, then one day switched to banana-scented shampoo, would they be able to figure out what was different? That could lend itself well to a mini-unit on senses - the dog's nose told him that guy wasn't his cowboy, but his eyes told him it was, and he didn't know which to trust. Has this sensory confusion ever happened to your students? Have them discuss. How about a writing exercise: use the dog's confusion at recognizing his cowboy as a model, and have the kids come up with their own scenario, using any two senses, as long as the info conflicts enough to make one character confused about the other.

You can slip some map skills in there, too. The cowboy follows a map to get to the river, complete with time frames for each part of the journey. Have your charges, individually or in groups, pretend they are cowboys and cowgirls, and create a map to get them from their campsite to a destination of their choosing (the local town, perhaps, or a watering hole, or a wayward steer, etc).

And I don't want to forget to mention: The Dirty Cowboy is a tall tale. Have your students identify the parts of the story that make it so. Then maybe create a whole-class tall tale, with everyone joining in with ideas, and let kids illustrate their favorite parts, and assemble it all into a classroom book. Possibilities are endless, but unfortunately my space is not. What other ideas do you have?

For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers:
Your kiddos will have so much fun with The Dirty Cowboy, whether they read it themselves, or you read it to them. If you've got a reluctant bather, this may be just the gentle nudge they need to get themselves to the tub with a smidge less complaint. Besides the obvious issue of the ordeal of getting clean when one only takes a single yearly bath, it's also about friendship, and loyalty, and how sometimes what you know about a friend doesn't always match what you see, and it's not always easy to figure out what to do when that happens. And if you don't get it right, a simple apology for a misunderstanding goes a long way. But perhaps most important of all, The Dirty Cowboy is a really funny story, with fantastic pictures that add even more to the tale, and will have you and your kiddos chuckling about it long after you've closed the book.

For the Kids:
If you like cowboys, and the Old West, and funny stories, then this is the book for you. And if you don't like any of that, then this is still the book for you. Why? Because The Dirty Cowboy isn't your usual cowboy story. Well, I take that back. It starts out that way, with the rounding up of cattle, and sitting by the campfire, and singing songs, and stuff like that. But then, the cowboy decides it's time to take a bath. (You would, too, if you had doodlebugs living in your eyebrows.)

But for the cowboy, taking a bath is not as easy as hopping in the tub. (Silly! Cowboys don't have bathtubs. Heck, they don't even have bathrooms.) First he has to saddle up his horse, then ride all day to get to the river. And then, he has to get his dog to guard his clothes. After that, he can finally soap up in the river and get clean. And after that, all he has to do is get dressed again. And that's when all the trouble starts. What trouble? Better find the book so you can find out - you won't want to miss this!

Wrapping Up:
The Dirty Cowboy is a delightful story: part tall tale, part cautionary tale, part cowboy yarn, and all-around fun to read. Make sure you give yourself time to enjoy the illustrations. They're part and parcel of the story, and both words and pictures will have you laughing out loud. This is a book that you'll want to return to time and time again.

Title: The Dirty Cowboy
Author: Amy Timberlake
Illustrator: Adam Rex
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Publisher and Date: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003
Edition: 1st
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $16.95
ISBN-10: 0-374-31791-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-374-31791-1

Author Spotlight: Author Amy Timberlake, and Author + Illustrator Adam Rex

2011-01-28T08:00:00.151-05:00

Author:
Amy Timberlake comes from a storytelling family who put just as much importance on listening to a tale, as they did to telling it:

"On my dad's side of the family," she says, "there was a respect for letting a person tell a story in their own style (and, by the way, style and elaboration were appreciated). You did not interrupt, even if a person spoke for a good 20 minutes."

It was one particular tale which her grandfather used to tell, which came from a true story her great-grandfather used to tell, which he supposedly told to a New Mexico newspaper, that gave her the spark for what eventually became her first picture book. The original story (or something close to it) takes up one short paragraph. But Amy Timberlake took that story and fleshed it out some, and wrestled with it some, and between her and illustrator Adam Rex, they stretched that short tale into a tall one: The Dirty Cowboy, (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003).

Since then, Ms Timberlake has gone on to write a middle grade novel, That Girl Lucy Moon (Hyperion, 2006), and has a third title in the works with Knopf, tentatively titled Pigeon-Shot, with a possible release date of 2012.

Ms Timberlake is a member of the Illinois chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She has taught writing at the Visual Arts Center in Richmond, VA, and at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she also received a M.A. in English/Creative Writing. She has been a book reviewer and columnist, a book event coordinator, the Public Information Officer at the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and a children's bookseller. She has also worked for the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Amy Timberlake grew up in Hudson, Wisconsin, and now lives with her husband in Chicago, Illinois.

* * *

Author/Illustrator:
Growing up in Phoenix, Arizona, Adam Rex saw his older brother as "the smart one," and his younger sister as "the cute one," but he saw himself as "the one who could draw." So, he took a lot of art classes, hoping to improve his drawing skills. Then, when he was 11, he began painting. From there, he went on later to receive a BFA from the University of Arizona.

He used his talents to produce illustrations for fantasy role-playing games, and then broke into illustrating children's books. He is well known in children's illustrating circles for creating sculptures to use as models for his illustrations. The Dirty Cowboy (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003), written by Amy Timberlake, is his first picture book. When asked about his switch to children's book illustration, Adam Rex responded:

"I've always had a love of inventing stories, so I think it was natural I should gravitate toward kids' books, where words and pictures often share the stage equally. That or comics, which I also love."

Since then, Mr. Rex has illustrated a variety of picture books, some of which he also wrote. In 2007, he wrote and illustrated his first middle grade novel: The True Meaning of Smekday (Hyperion). His next novel, Fat Vampire (a young adult title), came out in July 2010.

Adam Rex lives with his wife, Marie, in Tucson, Arizona, where he "draws, paints, writes, spends too much time on the internet, and listens to public radio."

* * *

Sources:
Amy Timberlake Official Site - Bio
Amy Timberlake - Children's Literature Network
Amy Timberlake Biography - jrank.org
Insights From Illinois Authors - article excerpt
Help! The Writing Process of The Dirty Cowboy: From Family Story to Published Book

Adam Rex Official Site - Bio
Interview with King of the Monster Illustrators Adam Rex - GeekDad from Wired.com
Letter to Myself: Adam Rex - Anna Staniszewski website
Adam Rex Interview - BSC Kids
Local Author Profile: Adam Rex - PhiladelphiaStories.com

A Day to Share a Kind Word, or a Helpful Deed, or Both

2011-01-26T10:53:00.001-05:00

Did you wake up today with the irresistible urge to encourage someone? Share some kindness? Help someone out? Do some good? Well, today is the perfect day for it, because January 26th is:

Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement

No, I am not making this up. Ralph C. Morrison did. Well, he and a group of dedicated Voluntoads.

Yes, you read that right: Voluntoads.

Perhaps a bit of backstory is in order.

First, just what is Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement?

Simply put, it is a day to make a heartfelt connection with others, to share "a kind word with your fellow man."

And woman!

(Sorry. I had to add that last bit. It's the Penn Stater in me. Click here to see a YouTube vid of a performance of The Nittany Lion song. You'll hear what I'm talking about shortly after the :50 second mark.)

So. Heartfelt connection? Share a kind word? Got it. But, how did THDoE come about?

It all started with an old schoolhouse, an elderly lady, and a storyteller. The schoolhouse, built in 1834, sat at the end of Knox Street, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A lass by the name of Eunice was a student at that school, way back when. Then, many years later, Eunice was profiled in the local paper, and mentioned her old school.

At the time the article was published, Eunice was once again a student, this time taking a community college class taught by one Ralph C. Morrison. Mr. Morrison read the article about Eunice. And when he came to the bit about Eunice's girlhood school, he fell in love with the name:

Toad Hollow Country School

The Power of Words

So smitten was Mr. Morrison with those words, that he began using two of them in his other gig besides teaching: storytelling. He invented several yarns about the soon legendary Toad Hollow. And when audiences, equally smitten with the place, asked its whereabouts, all he would say was that it could only be found "in your heart."

Legend Becomes Reality

Toad Hollow continued to exist solely in folks' hearts, through Mr. Morrison's tales. Until one day, when Kalamazoo County officials offered him land from a seldom-used park, to be used for his storytelling. He accepted. Then he formed a non-profit, all-volunteer society to operate the park, in 1992. Together, he and the volunteers built an 1800's pioneer homestead and town, and refurbished the old grist mill that was already there.

Toad Hollow, finally a reality, hosted all sorts of events, including Renaissance Fairs, Civil War reenactments, etc. At one time, Toad Hollow's all-volunteer staff numbered over one hundred. They referred to themselves as "Voluntoads," and ran classes on blacksmithing, quilting, and soap and candle making. Then three years later, the county reclaimed the property. All but the grist mill was donated by Toad Hollow to other historic organizations and museums. The site is now known as Scotts Mill Park.

But, that was not the end of the beloved Toad Hollow. The Voluntoads picked up where they had left off in the town, only now they did so off-campus. They started seven schools, with storytelling, writing, barbecuing, and early American arts and trades among the offerings, which they kept running until 2003.

That all sounds awesome. But, you still haven't said how the actual day came to be.

No, I didn't. 'Cause every good story always has an equally awesome backstory, doesn't it? At least this one does. But we're done with the backstory, so let's get back to the original question in question:

How did THDoE come about?

The long and short of it is, Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement sprang from the Voluntoads' labor of love in sharing what they knew with others, first in Toad Hollow, and then in the later classes they offered. They believed that proclaiming Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement would motivate folks to act similarly - share what they know, help where they can - not only on January 26th, but every other day, too.

And they didn't stop there. They also created Toad Hollow Day of Thank You (June 20th), and Toad Hollow Week of Encouragement (mid-March). But those are other stories for another time.

Join in the fun

So, how will you share what you know with others today? How about coming over and sharing your snow shoveling skills with me and my fluffy, snow-covered driveway?

No?

Oh, well. It was worth a shot.

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you find a way to connect with others on this very snowy (for my corner of the world, at least) Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement.

Source:

What is Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement? eHow article by Clara Miles

The Sweet Smell of...Well...Sweets

2011-01-23T18:49:00.001-05:00

It was a Baking Weekend here at Chez Wheedleton. Why? I dunno. I guess temps of 10 degrees Fahrenheit tend to make a body want to not go outside, for anything. Ever. Or at least until the mercury creeps up to something resembling acceptable. (Which should be tomorrow.) But whatever the reason, I really could care less why a weekend is deemed a Baking Weekend, as long as the end result is that I get to eat something sweet.

So anyway, back to the baking. It started on Saturday, when my husband C whipped up a batch of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, just for me. Well, not really. See, he thought he was making a nice surprise for the whole family. But, he still hasn't figured out that Lovely Girl and Handsome Boy would rather clean the bathrooms with their toothbrushes than eat anything with raisins in it. And my stomach refuses to let me correct this little misconception, because I love oatmeal raisin cookies, and I hate to share them. So, he baked away, and brought down a plate of six warm oatmeal raisin cookies to me as the kids and I watched Saturday late morning cartoons.

When I came upstairs twenty minutes later, with an empty plate, he said, "Did you eat all of those? Or did you share?"

I smiled and set down the plate. "Let's just say I should probably have a very light lunch, to make up for what I just horked dow- I mean, ate."

Right about then, Lovely Girl came up. "Did Mommy share any of those cookies with you?" C asked her.

Lovely Girl looked at him like he had a third arm growing out of his forehead. "Umm, no. Nobody I know likes raisins, Daddy. Ewww."

Then Handsome Boy appeared at the top of the steps. "How about you? You don't like raisins, either?" C said.

Handsome Boy was a bit more polite. "Umm, no, Daddy. I really don't like raisins."

All I did was smile. "More for me!" I crowed.

Fast forward to dinnertime, still Saturday. Lovely Girl, perhaps miffed that she missed out on the earlier Cookie Opportunity, asked if she could make her Famous Chocolate Chip Scones. (They're famous because she says they are, and because she makes them every chance she gets, ever since she learned the recipe at school earlier this year.) So anyway, she asked, and I responded with a delighted "Yes!" Because one can never have too many sweets available in the household, especially when one can get someone else to make them.

So, we had Lovely Girl's Famous Chocolate Chip Scones for dessert. Though I was limited to only one, it was still fabulous.

And then came today. Sunday. Which also happens to be National Pie Day. So, we did what any other dessert-overloaded household would do - Lovely Girl, Handsome Boy and I made a pie. Apple Crumb Pie, to be precise - a favorite here at Chez Wheedleton. (Yes, favorite for all of us. I couldn't bring myself to be selfish two days in a row.)

See how it's not been sliced yet? Yeah. That's because I've been told I have to wait until after dinner.

So, here I sit. I can't wait for dinner to be over. And it hasn't even started yet. And I don't even know what we're having. But I'm sure C will figure out something.

I'm too busy admiring our pie.

The Appreciation of Dragons: One Kid's Journey

2011-01-16T16:06:00.003-05:00

And not just any kid, mind you. Today, Bugs and Bunnies readers, you are in for a treat. Guest blogging today - in honor of Appreciate a Dragon Day - is Chez Wheedleton's very own Lovely Girl:

How I Appreciate Dragons

By: Lovely Girl

I may be my family's resident dragon fanatic, but I wasn't always that way. I first started a couple of years ago. My math and science teacher loved dragons, so one day I drew her one. I didn't realize until later that I forgot the wings! But once I did, I thought to myself: I can do better that THAT! So, I started drawing some more.

Eventually, I realized the best way to draw dragons is to see one in person. Unfortunately, there are no live dragons where we live. So I did the next best thing, finding pictures of dragons, and reading about dragons. I started to read more and more and more dragon books: How to Train Your Dragon, Dragon Rider, Eragon, Dragonology...the list goes on and on.

I guess all that drawing and reading rubbed off on me, because I had the idea for some dragon stories of my own. So, I wrote them, and illustrated them, and all of that led up to the biggest dragon story yet! (It has 56 chapters!)

In other words, I don't just appreciate dragons. I live and breathe them. I may sound like a giant nerd, but yeah, it's the truth. Over the years, my stories and drawings have gone from better to great, to totally AWESOME! I've combined my drawings and stories, and have started making dragon comics. (Granted, I'm only done three pages, but still!)

I also make pipe cleaner dragons, which were super popular last year. I brought one to school one day, and when kids at school saw them, so many people asked me to make them one that the list was almost three pages long! And all I'd meant to do was give my friends one! I have three for myself: my first one - the big green one in the back row - is Earthstar, who stars in a few of my stories; and the two little green ones are Redburn and Splashlight. The red and yellow ones are the ones I made for my mom:

So, learn a lesson from my story, and get out there and Appreciate a Dragon!

And now, Lovely Girl is out.

Peace!

January 16th is Appreciate a Dragon Day!

2011-01-15T15:27:00.008-05:00

Dragons. One little word that conjures up a variety of things to a variety of people. Some of us believe they exist, and some don't. But whether you're in the Heck-Yeah-They-Exist camp, or the Whatta-Buncha-Hooey camp, I think we can all agree that there's a ton of stuff to be found on these creatures - real or not.

References to dragons can be found in myth, in legend, in literature, in song, in art, in films, in toys, and even in video games. They are depicted in various forms: cute, hideous, good, evil, smart, stupid, helpful, stubborn, frightening, harmless, winged, wingless, ancient, contemporary, and everything in between. And oh, the things they can (and can't) do: Some can fly and others can't. Some can talk, and some can breathe fire, and some can do both, and some can do neither, and some can even converse with each other - and with people - telepathically. They have reared their controversial heads in cultures stretching from East to West, and North to South.

Yet whether revered, or feared, or merely tolerated, dragons have captured the hearts and imaginations of people all over the world. So much so, in fact, that dragons have their own official holiday:

Appreciate a Dragon Day

Observed every year on January 16th, Appreciate a Dragon Day is the brainchild of children's author Donita K. Paul, who created the holiday as part of the celebration of the release of her middle grade novel, DragonSpell, in 2004. Since that initial celebration, Appreciate a Dragon Day ( or AADD, for short) has continued, with everyone from kids to adults to public libraries joining in the fun.

Wondering how you can join in the festivities? Here are a few ideas from AADD's creator:

Make dragon puppets, and then put on a puppet show for family, friends, and/or neighbors.
Create drawings, sculptures, stories, poems, or some other creative endeavor featuring dragons.
Grab your camera, and your stuffed dragon (you do have one, don't you?), and get creative: take photos of your dragon in funny places - eating at a restaurant, reading a book, waiting at a bus stop, etc.

Here are a few more from Julie Darleen Durr's AADD article:

Design and create dragon jewelry.
Make up and play dragon games.
Create a dragon song, or a rap - or both.
Go outside and build a snow dragon.

And here are a few from me:

If you don't have snow, and you're at the beach (you lucky, lucky soul), then how about building a sand dragon?
Make and decorate dragon sugar cookies.
Watch movies with dragons in them. (Pete's Dragon comes to mind, or Mulan, or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Or How to Train Your Dragon.)
Check out your local public library. Are they doing anything to celebrate? And while you're there...
Read some dragon books. We here at Chez Wheedleton have a fair collection of them, if you need some ideas to get you started:

However you choose to celebrate, we here at Chez Wheedleton wish you luck in finding a fun way to appreciate a dragon tomorrow. We certainly appreciate ours*:

*(His name is Smurf. He's very sweet. And he hardly ever singes the carpet.)

Sources:

Appreciate a Dragon Day - Donita K. Paul
Appreciate a Dragon Day - Furries Online
Celebrate Appreciate a Dragon Day - Associated Content (Julie Darleen Durr)

LICKSPITTLE! Or: The Joy of Reading Stuff That's Very Random in Nature

2011-01-11T13:04:00.001-05:00

So. I'm sitting with Lovely Girl this morning - she with her Rice Krispies and her hot chocolate, reading a book; me with my coffee, reading the Twitter feed on my phone.

She's reading Things Not Seen, by Andrew Clements - a story about a kid who comes out of the shower one morning to find he has become invisible.

I'm reading...well...tweets. About nothing in particular.

Yet while my morning reading material is Very Random in Nature, it does contain something quite interesting: A Very Awesome Word. It is so awesome, in fact, that I know merely reading it to myself will not do this Very Awesome Word justice. So, I shout it out loud:

"LICKSPITTLE!"

Lovely Girl doesn't even flinch. (She's quite accustomed to my random outbursts.) She just calmly looks up from her book. "Lickspittle?"

I explain that it is part of a "List of the Day" tweet by online dictionary wordnik, which I follow on Twitter (as any self-respecting Word Nerd should).

Then I shout it out loud again:

"LICKSPITTLE!"

and giggle to myself as I add it to my "Words I Like" list, which I keep with me at all times (as any self-respecting Word Nerd would).

Then I look up at Lovely Girl. "Let's look it up!" She may not share my enthusiasm, but she doesn't protest at being included, either, so when I find a few definitions via Google, I read them out loud - though I do refrain from shouting:

from Merriam-Webster.com: a fawning subordinate
from Wikipedia (which redirects from "lickspittle" to "sycophancy"): obsequious flattery; servility
from my computer's dictionary: a person who behaves obsequiously to those in power
from Wictionary: a fawning toady; a base sycophant; (by extension) the practice of giving empty flattery for personal gain

"So," Lovely Girl breaks in, reaching for her mug:

"A suck-up."

And just like that, she's cut off my rambling definitional glee with a synonym and a definition, both neatly rolled into one easily understood word. Her English teacher would be proud.

All I know is, suck-up is just as much fun to say as lickspittle.

And yes, it's going on The List.

A Logical Assumption...Depending on Who's Doing the Assuming

2011-01-06T17:43:00.002-05:00

Handsome Boy has been bugging me for quite a few weeks with one simple request: Can I wear shorts to school?

No, this is not a really old post from June. The thermometer here at Chez Wheedleton has stubbornly camped out in the twenty to thirty degrees Fahrenheit range for the better part of 5 weeks, give or take. But some boy in his class keeps wearing shorts to school, so now my Boy wants to do the same.

Each time the Shorts Request is submitted, I remind him of that temperature range, and the fact that it's winter, and the fact that shorts are not standard winter attire. Then I give him a firm but polite no. (OK, so maybe sometimes it's more like, Have you been outside lately? Of course not! But the gist of it is, he always gets a definite - if occasionally exasperated - no each time he asks.)

Does he ever vary the delivery of his question? Does he offer any persuasive arguments as to why his request should be granted? Does he even acknowledge that no one in their right minds would willingly choose to expose their bare legs to the frigid temps we've endured lately, not to mention the unmerciful winds that delight in freezing us further? No, No, and Not even a little bit. All he says, each and every time, is: Can I wear shorts to school?

Yep. I love that Boy dearly, but it's not a great stretch to say that logic is not in his arsenal of Persuasive Tactics. Or at least, it hasn't been until recently:

He bopped in the door after school the other day, flung his backpack in a chair, dropped his coat on the kitchen floor, and fixed me with a very smug expression. Our ensuing conversation went thusly:

Handsome Boy: Today, I saw that the temperature outside was thirty-eight degrees, which is the exact temperature of our refrigerator. So that means I can wear shorts.

Me: Impressed that he's altered his method of request. Also momentarily caught off guard, trying to figure out his logic. I regard him silently as I consider my response.

Handsome Boy: Takes this silence for a possible chink in the Mom Armor. He leans forward on his toes and clasps his hands together tightly as his eyes grow big. The beginnings of a hoping-for-victory grin are pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Me: (Trying to hide my own smile): You know, it's cold in there. Would you wear shorts if you lived in the refrigerator?

Handsome Boy: Yes!

(Of course he would. At least he's consistent.)

Me: That, Small Son, is why you have a mother. Sorry, Dude. No shorts.

- - -

So. Handsome Boy's first attempt at Persuasive Logic. Flawed? You bet. But the basic structure is there, I'll give him that. Someday, he'll get pretty good at this logic thing.

But until then, I'll savor these days of clasped hands, big eyes, hopeful grins, and simple requests.

A Very Different Approach

2011-01-01T19:38:00.000-05:00

If this doesn't convince you to wear your seatbelt, I don't know what will:

Have a happy - and safe - New Year.

Measuring Time...By Feet

2010-11-09T09:48:00.002-05:00

Here at Chez Wheedleton, we park our shoes by the front door as soon as we come in. It's a habit we've always had. So shoes are always hanging out there: big shoes and little shoes belonging to grown-up feet and little-kid feet. But one day this summer, the line-up caught my eye.

Here's what I saw:

And here's what pulled at my heart when I saw it:

One pair of those shoes belongs to Handsome Boy, and one pair belongs to Lovely Girl. The rest are mine.

But you can't really tell whose are whose.

It Shall Be Held on the First Blue Moon After the 42nd Shooting Star, But No Earlier Than Right After Ethel Gets Her Yearly Haircut...

2010-11-01T10:46:00.060-04:00

Election Day is almost upon us here in the United States. This year, it's to be held tomorrow, Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

How do I know when Election Day is? Well, you would think I know this because of the four-hundred-thirty-two-thousand-three-hundred-seventeen (mostly negative) pieces of campaign ads that jam my mailbox.

Or the four-hundred-thirty-two-thousand-three-hundred-seventeen TV ads (mostly negative) that bombard me from my TV screen.

Or even the four-hundred-thirty-two-thousand-three-hundred-seventeen robo calls that hog my phone line. (Full Disclosure: I can't say the phone calls are negative, because I hang up as soon as I know it's a robo call.)

But, none of those things are why I know tomorrow is Election Day.

I know tomorrow is Election Day because it is so noted in our country's laws: 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November.

Whaaaat?

One may wonder (and legitimately so) why on Earth the crafters of the Constitution and its many additions/amendments/laws/etc came up with such a convoluted way of assigning the date for holding national elections. Wouldn't a simple, static month/date designation suffice? Well, yes, if this weren't Government. But it is. So it won't.

Despite the notion that "It's the Government, Stupid," I needed a better explanation, so I went digging (as you regular readers knew I would), and here's what I found:

Why November?

National elections are widely believed to be held in November because back when the United States was a mainly agrarian society, this was the month when harvest was over, and so more folks would be free to get out and vote. Another reason was that holding elections in November, rather than later in winter, meant better weather for travel.

While these things probably had a lot to do with it, there is a more legislative reason. The United States Constitution stipulates only that the Electoral College (electors of the US President and Vice President in their respective states) should be chosen on the same day nationwide. It does not say that this has to be a particular date. So, in 1792, a law was passed mandating that presidential elections be held anytime in the 34 day period before the 1st Wednesday in December, which is the designated day for the Electoral College to meet and cast their votes. And that 34 day period, of course, places Election Day roughly in November.

Why 34 days before? So there was enough time to count the votes before a new congressional session began. Why the 1st Wednesday in December? No idea. That's another post for another time.

Does your head hurt yet? Keep reading. And have your headache med of choice handy.

Now, this 34 Days Before thing seemed fine and dandy, except that people began to realize that states which voted later in that 34 day period could be influenced by the candidates who won and lost in states which voted earlier. And this problem continued to grow as communication methods improved. Which brings us to:

Why Tuesday?

This one has a practical explanation, and a convoluted one. Of course.

The practical explanation is: people used to have to travel quite far in order to vote. Traveling by horse was the conveyance of choice (and necessity) in the mid-1800's. So, people needed time to travel. Then there were those who did not want to travel on religious rest days such as Sunday. So having an election on a Tuesday meant travel days of Monday and Wednesday, with a day in between to rest your horses, and no religious rest days involved.

The convoluted explanation is: to eliminate the influence problem of the 34 day window, Congress came up with a bill in 1844 to designate one single Election Day for all states, on the 1st Tuesday in November, in years divisible by 4.

Why divisible by four? Again, no idea. (Although personally, I think it's all a super-secret plot cooked up by headache medicine makers in order to send us running for the pharmacy shelves, thereby shooting their profits through the roof. Maybe.) Anyway, keep reading, 'cause we're not done yet. I haven't gotten to the part where the bill became a law. But not before it was tweaked.

Did you remember a glass of water to wash down that headache medicine?

OK. So Why the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday?

This one is also a two-parter.

Firstly, it's part of that whole reluctance-to-travel explanation: November 1st was and is a Catholic holy day (All Saints Day). Also, shopkeepers did their books for the preceding month on the first of the month, and would be reluctant to disrupt business to go vote. So if the 1st Tuesday fell on November 1st, or on the 1st business day of November, a significant number of citizens would opt not to vote.

Secondly, it's part of that whole "It's the Government, Stupid" thing. See, some smart soul (or someone with entirely too much time on his hands) discovered that the bill as it stood would render some years as having more than the prescribed 34 days from the 1st Tuesday in November through the 1st Wednesday in December, as set out in the 1792 law. And so, between the traveling issues and the business issues and the previous law, the obvious solution was to amend the bill to "1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November," which was voted into law in 1845.

But, wait. This isn't a presidential election.

No, it's not. But it is a National Election Day. It's just that, this time, we're electing congressmen and such. See, there is later legislation about the election of members of the House of Representatives (1872)*, and then after that about the election of Senators (1914). And somewhere in all of this legislation, it was noted that these elections would be held every two years, in even-numbered years. But further than that (for instance, why we're voting for governors tomorrow, along with the congressmen) I cannot say. Yet.

Besides, I'm all out of ibuprofin.

- - -

*One source told me 1872, and one told me 1875. I haven't been able to find which is correct through my online research, but if you can point me in the right direction, please let me know via email or comments. All sources I used are below.

Sources:

Why We Vote on Tuesday...and other election fun facts

The History of Election Day

Election Day (United States) - Wikipedia

Why Are Federal Elections Held the First Tuesday in November

United States Senate official site

Election Day Facts - Internetfamilyfun.com

Election Day - Calendar-updates.com

Innocence Lost?

2010-10-27T12:26:00.025-04:00

October 31st is...Carve a Pumpkin Day. (What? You thought I'd say "Halloween?" Well, yeah, but that goes without saying, doesn't it?)

So, October 31st is Carve a Pumpkin Day. Here at Chez Wheedleton, we usually carve our pumpkins a week or so before. This is not a usual year, however, because we have yet to carve our pumpkins for 2010. And today, as I perused a giant cardboard bin full of large, bright orange pumpkins just screaming to be carved, I thought back to Wheedleton Pumpkins Past.

Pre-children, my husband C and I carved pumpkins every year for Halloween: silly faces, mostly. (OK, I carved. He watched and lamented his lack of pumpkin-carving prowess. But he did at least pull out the guts.) Post-children, we still did silly-faced Jack-o-Lanterns, but per the kiddos' requests, came to add a slew of Disney character carvings to our artistic repertoire.

When they were old enough to wield a pencil with some authority, our Small Offspring would enthusiastically wave their masterpiece drawings inches from my face, then scrutinize my work very closely to be sure their design's integrity remained intact: black cats with arched backs, happy ghosties, Halloween-y words and phrases, and whatever else caught their fancies.

As those Small Offspring grew, the design requests got more intricate - like the kind where you carve both the front and the back, so that when you put the candle or light inside the pumpkin, the light shines out through the front picture, plus a design is illuminated on the wall behind the pumpkin through the back carving. Very cool. But even with an increased Coolness Factor, they were still the silly, friendly Jack-o-Lanterns of yore.

And then came last year. When pumpkin carving night came, Handsome Boy pulled out his paper with his design ideas, which were more-or-less friendly-Halloween themed. Lovely Girl had other ideas. She had jabbered on about them for weeks, and furthermore insisted that 2009 was the year she would carve solo. But when Handsome Boy saw her design, and saw that I was allowing it, he was beyond thrilled, and asked if she would share.

She said yes.

So 2009 found Chez Wheedleton with just one pumpkin on display. But what a display:

Barfolamew (the Barfkin) was awesome: a total hit with Trick-or-Treaters from tiny to tall.

But oh, I miss those little, smudgy drawings, clenched in tiny, hopeful fists...

Those Wily Librarians

2010-10-13T08:11:00.007-04:00

Lovely Girl came racing up the sidewalk after school the other day, just bursting to tell me about...her library book. (Yep. Her library book. We here at Chez Wheedleton are Unapologetic Book Fiends.)

Specifically, she was bursting to tell me about choosing her library book: See, she was perusing the shelves, just meandering, until a book, any book at all, caught her eye.

And then, she saw it.

Was it a title she'd been eagerly looking for?

Not this time.

Was it the fantastic illustration on the cover?

Nope.

Was it the shiny gold lettering on the spine?

Sort of.

This is the title as she saw it that day, sitting innocently on her school library bookshelf:

Lovely Girl snatched that book up without even cracking it open. She couldn't get to the check out desk fast enough. In fact, she didn't even notice that the book is by an author she loves until she got home and pulled it out of her backpack to show it to me.

Sticker placement coincidence?

Fellow potty humor enthusiast?

Or a very clever librarian?

We may never know.

- - -

The full title of the book pictured above is The Telling Pool, by David Clement-Davies. The Third Crusade? Arthurian legend? Ancient magical pool? Enchantment? A boy who must defeat an evil sorceress and save his father? Awesome!

I called dibs after she's done reading it.

(Oh, who am I kidding? I see a bookstore visit in my very near future...)