The Knitting Circle

Ann Hood's, The Knitting Circle, kept me intrigued to the very end. I found myself laughing, but more, crying often. The struggles that these women (and men) face are life's common struggles that many of us have faced. They find solace in each other AND knitting. I thought the whole premise of the story was wonderful - I love the idea of a knitting group that takes your focus off of your problems and onto a project - and yet where people can be together and help each other as well. Makes me want to take up knitting!! My main problem with the novel, and why I'd have a hard time recommending it??? Each of the women, when sharing their story, have sexual scenes - not graphic, but still there. Another issue I have?? One of the women and the man are homosexual - that just doesn't interest me and I'd rather not read about it. SO wish I could wholeheartedly recommend this one, I did enjoy it taken as a whole.

**A better book on knitting as therapy - and a wonderful story (geared to teens - but I loved it!!) is What I Call Life by Jill Wolfson. That one is worth checking out!!

May is Get Caught Reading Month

May is Get Caught Reading Month - How will you celebrate??? I think I will surprise my kids and whenever I catch them reading, of their own accord, during this month ~ I will surprise them with something small - Post your ideas too - I can always use a new idea or two!!

Another Author to Brag About

While at one of my conferences in these past few weeks, I had the opportunity to hear Steven Layne speak. This author, professor, father is not only a dynamic speaker that will bring you to tears in one minute and laughter the next, but he is a fabulous writer as well. I, of course, purchased a couple of his books and we have not put them down since I brought them home. They are wonderful. Let me show you some of my favorites:

This one will touch the Mom's out there.
Adoption families from any country - this one is GREAT!!
Hilarious!!! Pesky siblings, anyway!!
My Favorite!!!!

Burger Boy

A book after my own heart (in case you didn't know - I LOVE McDonald's!!!) it's Burger Boy by Alan Durant , illustrated by Mei Matsuoka. All Becky (oops, I mean Benny!!!) liked to eat was burgers ~ day after day. His mom warns him that if he continues to eat only burgers one day he'll turn into one - AND she was right!! So now he's a burger and animals, people, you name it, want to eat him. His mom saves him, he turns back into a boy and vows NEVER to eat another burger - and he doesn't - all he eats now are vegetables. So his mother warns him again, if you keep eating only vegetables then you may turn into a.......
I can't spoil it - you'll have to read it!!!

Mother Goose Day

Semicolon did a wonderful post on Mother Goose Day - She's so smart - I didn't even know there was such a day!!! (She posts some great titles and links.) But what a great day to celebrate - we need more nursery rhymes in our days ~ they are NOT a thing of the past. Studies have even shown that they help our little ones with reading skills - imagine that!!! So, grab a good nursery rhyme book and share it with your little goose today!!! (or if you want another Mother Goose selection - I did a post awhile back now on a fun find!!)

Forever Lily

I was hoping I had found another great adoption book to read but this, Forever Lily, by Beth Nonte Russell, DID NOT fit the bill - did it have some good parts?? YES - it rang true to me in so many ways, but she keeps interspersing her dreams throughout the story - dreams that are supposed to be symbolic - and then her strong Buddhist undertones - that was very distracting to me as a reader. It seemed every time the author ran into a problem in China she needed to call her Buddhist "guide" - that just didn't sit well with me - and then sometimes the author prayed for help - I could never figure out who she was praying to - and then wondered, sadly, if she even knew!! The story does have a very odd twist as the author is traveling with a friend to China to pick up her friend's daughter, but right away her friend does not feel a bond to this little one so she asks her traveling companion, the author, to take this little one for her. YES, I could understand her feelings of extreme love for this little girl she had never even met before, her feelings of being so "in another world" in China, seeing the extreme delays in her little one and then watching the changes happen so quickly, and wanting to turn around and do it all over again. BUT, I was just so distracted by her always needing a "Buddhist" answer for all of life's problems. For an even better adoption-themed book read this or this.

Lunch with Nancy Carlson

How much more fun can a day be?!?! Eating lunch with Nancy Carlson!?!? Ok, I'll admit - it was in a LARGE group, but it still counts - lunch with Nancy Carlson!!! She is a wonderful speaker - I enjoyed it immensely! Her adoption book is such a treasure - but I have a tendency toward such things!!! Anyway, just had to brag - to this book lover, there isn't much better than seeing/hearing authors!!

The Jade Dragon

What a great book - The Jade Dragon by Carolyn Marsden and Virginia Shin-Mui Loh is ranking right up there in my book. I loved it - it's a wonderful story of two second grade girls - one who is from an American-Chinese family living in the U.S. and another - an adopted Chinese girl. Ginny, the american-chinese, desparately WANTS to be friends with another Chinese girl but Stephanie, the adopted girl, is not proud of her Chinese heritage and only reluctantly pursues the friendship. It is heartwarming as you watch the two girls struggle with friendship issues, but even more than that, I love how both girls come to feel a fondness for their Chinese heritage in different ways. As an adoptive mom, I thought it was eye-opening. I buy my little one Chinese dolls, Chinese books, Chinese music, etc. so that she keeps some of that heritage. But Stephanie, the adopted girl in the story, wants nothing to do with that Chinese heritage - just made me think.......I still won't stop buying those things - I want them to be there if she chooses them, and deep down, I hope she does - that is a part of who she is! I think younger girls will love this - AND maybe adoptive moms too!!

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: The Pox Party

I didn't write this review as soon as I had finished this book as I needed time to process. This is quite the read. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M. T. Anderson is a Young Adult novel that I think could easily have been an adult read except it is the story of a teen. Wow - having just seen the movie, Amazing Grace, I am feeling hit over the head by these "slavery" issues. This was not light reading - very heavy and very hard to read. I just can not fathom all that was done to slaves and then that people justified it as "helping" them or research. The book itself is very difficult reading - the writing is not contemporary, but I can see how it won a National Book Award - it is very powerful. The ending?? Well, it certainly leaves you ready for book #2 - now, it just better come out soon before I forget everything!!

For another blogger that I couldn't agree more with go here.

One more point - I will not be having my twelve year old read this one for some time - it is Young Adult for good reason - it touches more than once on the female slave/slave master relationships that often happened - just a little more than I want my not-yet-teen to encounter, but for an older teen - it is handled appropriately.

Peter Roop in Person

What a fun night - I took my oldest son and we went to a dinner/banquet with the author, Peter Roop. This man is a dynamic speaker and makes his stories come to life. My son left saying he wanted to read every one of Roop's works. I was impressed - one of the better author's I've heard speak. AND it's not everyday that you get to meet a real live author!!!! :) Micah is now in bed reading his new book - that was signed just for him - way to make a kid's night!!

Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Hide!

One of my all-time favorite children's reads is Candace Fleming's Muncha, Muncha, Muncha. So you can imgine my happy dance (ok, maybe you don't want to imagine that!!) when I saw this!!!! It's her latest Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Hide! It's those bunnies again and they are back to torture Mr. McGreely!! This time it's not his garden, but his house and he can't find a way to keep them out BUT be able to get back out himself!! Sheer enjoyment for young and old!!

Max Counts His Chickens

How could you even go wrong with Rosemary Wells???? You can't ~ and she's done it again with Max Counts His Chickens. This another great Max and Ruby story - in this one Max and Ruby are searching for 10 hot-pink marshmallow chicks left by the Easter Bunny. Of course, Ruby seems to find most all of them and Max can't seem to find even one!!! I'm glad they had a 1-800 number to get in touch with the Easter Bunny!!! It's a great one!!

Cracker

I recently finished Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata and what did I do?? I ran right out and bought my own copy!!! My boys are so "into" war novels and this one is truly a "keeper." BUT - I wasn't surprised - I have been a big fan of Kadohata - - - - Even before I got to meet her and talk with her over lunch!!!!! This is a wonderful story of a dog that is sent to Vietnam as an army dog. He and his trainer, Rick - form an incredible bond ~ one that makes that story almost too difficult to finish. But don't let the fear of a sad ending keep you from finishing - it is a wonderful book. It had a lot of army information that my boys will devour and gave great insight into the war - I could tell Kadohata did her research as much of it "rang true" with me from things my own Dad has shared from his experiences. We classify this one as Young Adult in our library because of the war scenes. But I am going to let my son read it now - and he is an early teen. Wonderful, Wonderful book!!!!

The Children's Blizzard

Well - I did it - I FINALLY finished The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin. Now ask me if I liked it???? My answer would be ~ when I wasn't deep in info about weather or political goings-ons - yes, I did like it. BUT - I had to wade through much "technical" info to get to the parts I did enjoy. It was a long read for me - but I trudged through. (Don't be too impressed - I had to help lead a book talk on it!!!) I must say - it was more interesting since I live out here where it all took place. So - it's my big Non-Fiction read for awhile. I would say, if you enjoy history and a good blizzard story - it's very good, just a little too technical for me.

Usborne Nursery Rhyme Treasury

I LOVE this book - I have recently been hit over and over by how important Nursery Rhymes are to learning - and how much we need them back in our curriculum, story hours, etc. SO - when I saw this new book, The Usborne Nursery Rhyme Treasury compiled by Susanna Davidson - I said, "This is wonderful!!!" It has tons of beautifully-illustrated nursery rhymes and even some old ones I had never heard of before!! What a wonderful compilation - thanks Usborne, for a much-needed book!! (And if you want a copy and don't have an Usborne Rep - email me - I have an awesome one!!)

Choosing Books for Kids

I thought this was a helpful article in the Denver Post - see what you think!! It's a tough job to choose GOOD books for our kids - this might help!!

Chickens to the Rescue

John Himmelman's Chickens to the Rescue is WONDERFUL!!! I can see using this, as a librarian, for story hours on chickens and farm animals and as a parent - the read aloud value is hard to beat!! The jist?? Each day of the week the chickens spot a problem and rush to fix it for the farm family. BUT - what happens on Sunday when the chickens are resting??? Too cute - you must read it to find out!! (Great for younger ages - there is not a lot of reading.)

Move Over, Rover!

This is adorable - Move Over, Rover! by Karen Beaumont is a wonderful new picture book. Reminiscent of Jan Brett's The Mitten or The Hat - Rover goes to his doghouse to escape the rain but all of the other animals in his yard have the same idea!! They crowd in until the skunk finds his way in and then the other animals decided they'd better find a new spot!! So endearing and the illustrations by Jane Dyer just top it off!!

Rules

Rules by Cynthia Lord is a Newbery Honor book - and yes, I agree it is worth an award!! A great story about a teenage girl growing up with an autistic brother - you do learn a lot about autistic personalities - hence the "Rules" Catherine creates for her brother just to keep life flowing smoothly. My favorite rule? "No toys in the fish tank." You also see her struggle with a friendship she is developing with a boy she meets when her brother goes to therapy. I appreciated the honesty of Lord ~ she is frank and, I feel, handles the conflicting struggles that a teen faces with great openness and humor. I found a great blog review on the book too - it demands to be read! This blogger's rule?? "When you start this book, read slowly. It will come to an end long before you are ready to say goodbye." SO TRUE!

Lord has a great website too - go and check out how she reacted to the Newbery Honor!

Kid Tea

Here it is - one of the greatest new kids books on baths I've seen!!! Kid Tea by Elizabeth Ficocelli is WONDERFUL!!!! Monday a brother and sister get into mud pies so when they get in the tub and they make "brown kid tea." Tuesday they eat popsicles and in the tub make "purple kid tea." It goes on for each day of the week until Sunday - when they are clean for only ONE DAY BUT....."just you wait until Monday!" I LOVE IT!!!