Poetry Friday: Laura Shovan and Michael Rothenberg's *Welcome to Monsterville*

Welcome to Monsterville, by Laura Shovan, with illustrations by Michael Rothenberg is a sweet, sometimes silly, moving, always charming collection of art and poetry that brings a variety of monstrous (in the best of ways) emotions to life. 

The story behind this book is immensely touching. The seeds for the book were planted in early 2020, as Laura first mentions here. How did the book grow? Check out this post, "When I Cry," which is an explanation of the book's growth, a tribute to a beloved friend, and a farewell to that same dear friend who passed away much too soon (and before his collaboration with Laura was published.) 

In the Author's Note, Laura tells us more about the spirit of the monsters that Michael drew and Laura brought even more fully to life through poetry: 

We didn't know then, in January 2020, that the dark shadow of Covid-19 pandemic was about to overtake us. Michael and I sat talking at a wooden picnic table outside Wakulla Springs State Park. Decades ago, the classic monster movie Creature from the Black Lagoon filmed scenes in the springs' pristine water. But we had our own shadows and monsters to deal with. Michael had recently lost his only son, Cosmos, to addiction. My own college-aged son was clawing his way out of a years-long depression. 

Michael began doing art therapy and one day sent Laura the first of many monsters: 

Laura's response, a poem called "Neighbor," is playful and inviting, but also hints at the depth of what's to come in this collection: 

...when it moved in, I wasn't sure 

how this strange being, round and tall, 

would squeeze in through a door so small. 

Emotions are like that — surprising us when they move in, sometimes feeling strange and too big for the space we think they should occupy. That's the beautiful and subtle theme that's woven through this work. 

Hunger is an "Eleven-eyed monster/banging on my door." A monster has a birthday ("They laughed and hugged each friend/and said, 'I never knew you cared.'") A "strange new breed of rooster" finds a way to break free, and a root monster "hums a sweet song/during long lonely hours/of purple-blue moonlight/and dancing with flowers." 

One of my favorite poems from the book is "Green Cave," in which the speaker, wrestling with anger, seeks refuge in the comforting cave of a forsythia bush. The speaker is joined by a "monstrous bird" with blue feet:

The monster sang about being so angry
that it feels like a million arrows are prickling your skin.

Its wings beat to the song's rhythm like a soft, calm breath.

Ever since then, when I'm so mad I can't stay inside,
I go to the green cave and listen for the monster's song.

Michael's perfectly paired drawing: 

I love that both this drawing and the poem present anger as something that we can spend time with, even cozy up to — it's a necessary emotion that demands acknowledgment and company. If we don't spend time with the songs of anger (and anger's cousins — grief, sadness, bewilderment), we'll never move forward. The monster's song, the safety of the green cave, the "rhythm like a soft, calm breath" ... we need them all. 

Welcome to Monsterville is a book for children and a book for everyone. We've all felt the monsters, been the monsters, run from the monsters, and befriended the monsters. This book is a beautiful hat-tip to our human complexity. 

An educator's guide can be downloaded at Laura's website and you can buy this delightful creation wherever you love to buy your favorite delightful creations. 

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Speaking of delightful, the Poetry Friday round-up this week is being hosted by the lovely and gracious Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise. She's not only welcoming us for Poetry Friday, but she's also hosting her annual Clunker Exchange. Details are in this post. 

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Next week, Irene Latham has invited everyone to a "Moon in June" themed roundup. She's creating educator resources for her upcoming book, The Museum on the Moon. 

Irene says, "You're invited to share a favorite moon poem (yours or someone else's), a moon story, a moon memory, a moon dream...or whatever your moon-heart desires!" 

More details are here. 

Poetry Friday: Portrait of the Son: A Tale of Love

Today I'm sharing a new book that perhaps isn't poetry in the strictest sense but is without a doubt poetic in every sense. 

Portrait of the Son: A Tale of Love by Josephine Nobisso, illustrated by Ted Schluenderfritz, is the newest in Nobisso's "Theological Virtues Trilogy, which also includes The Weight of a Mass and Take It to the Queen. I've collected these books over the years and have loved them for their combination of thoughtful, lyrical prose and stunning artwork. 

                                 

Portrait of the Son, published just last month, is an allegory about a wealthy man with a lovingly curated and valuable art collection. He shares cherished art with his beloved only son, who later leaves to serve as a soldier in a great and terrible war. What happens to the son, a rough portrait of him, the art collection, and a poor old man who seeks refuge in the mansion moved me to tears (as Joi's books usually do.) Schluenderfritz's artwork is exquisite. 

Portrait of the Son is another keeper and I was beyond delighted to add it to our collection. 

Find out more about Josephine Nobisso here, and visit Ted Schluenderfritz's website, 5 Sparrows, for more about his work. 

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Cathy has the Poetry Friday roundup at Merely Day by Day. 

The Theatrical Days of Summer

Ah, the theatah.

There's been a fair amount of it around here this summer. And we're good with that.

In June, Ramona and I were both involved with the local youth theater summer camp. I had the fun and privilege of adapting a beautiful picture book, The Rough-Face Girl, into a play. Do you know this book? (How did I not know this book before this summer? I mentioned it to Anne-with-an-e, my librarian, who replied, "Oh, yeah, Mom, that's a great book. You can find it in 398.2, Folklore and Fairy Tales.")

I fell in love with the story and the illustrations, and had a marvelous time crafting this lovely story into a play. 

Ramona was in another of the four short plays produced that week. She had a busy, exhausting, exhilarating whirlwind of participating in all aspects of play production. Theater camp has the kids rotate through everything: acting workshops, sets, costumes, lighting, and it all culminates in two performances at the end of the week. I just love the people who run our youth theater camps -- they are talented, dedicated, creative, and so full of heart. What a gift. 

Ramona will have another chance to be involved in a couple of weeks, with the junior camp (for 5-9 year olds). She'll be in a leadership role this time, helping out with the costuming workshops. 

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This week, she enjoyed a quick, two-day, "Short Film" camp sponsored by the library and the community college. The kids produced two short films, complete with fun, Stranger Things-ian special effects. It was fun to hear Ramona's behind-the-scenes stories, which included the fact that the door that mysteriously slammed shut was powered by my daughter, lying on the floor, kicking hard. The magic of movie-making. 

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In other theater news ... our current musical obsession? Hadestown. 

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Speaking of obsessions, our final encounter with theater this week came on Wednesday when tickets for Hamilton went on sale in our area. My daughters joined me as we parked in the virtual waiting room to buy tickets online and even though Betsy was 2,789th in line (to buy for our family) and I was 6,149th in line (to buy for my mom) we managed (in under 90 minutes) to score six orchestra level seats. (We were willing to Wait for It.) So, our whole family will finally be seeing Hamilton, along with my 84-year-old mom, who has never before been interested in hip-hop, but is extremely excited to spend some time with Alexander. (So are we. I mean, I may or may not have mentioned Hamilton a few times in the past couple of years....) 

Poetry Friday: Last Minute Effort

Last Minute Effort 

Karen Edmisten 

Life is busy,
(as you know.)
So this week something
had to go.

Poetry Friday?
(Yikes! No post!)
I'll send you elsewhere,
to the host.

Simple solution.
(Brilliant, I know.)
Laura's the best.
Go, now. Go!

~~~~~

The always delightful Laura Purdie Salas is hosting the roundup this week at Writing the World for Kids.

Be sure to congratulate Laura on her new book, Snowman-Cold=Puddle: Spring Equations! And, if you feel so inclined, take up her challenge to write an Equation Poem.

Here's mine:

Busy week + Poetry Friday = Last Minute Inspiration 

Poetry Friday: Things to Do by Elaine Magliaro and Catia Chien

Just look at that cover. 

Isn't it delightful? 

Now, open the book. 

(What? You don't have it? Go get it now! 

In the meantime, you can take a peek inside 

by visiting this post on Elaine's blog.) 

~~~~~

In Things to Do, Elaine Magliaro (the poet) and Catia Chien (the artist) have created a thing of beauty. The poems are whimsical, the illustrations are both simple and rich, and the combination makes for a thoroughly satisfying read-aloud experience.

Today I'm sharing one of my favorites from Things to Do, along with its gorgeous illustration:

Things to do if you are the Moon
by Elaine Magliaro

Live in the sky.
     Be bold...
         OR
     be shy.

Wax and wane 
     in your starry terrain.

Be a circle of light,
just a sliver of white,
         or hide in the shadows
         and vanish from sight.

Look like a pearl
          when you're brim-full
           and bright.

Hang in the darkness.

             Dazzle the night.

~~~~~

Things to Do was published by Chronicle Books in February. After reading about it on Jama's Alphabet Soup (how I love Jama and her Alphabet Soup!) I put it on my "must get" list. Then I was lucky enough to win the drawing Jama held. Huzzah! 

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Irene Latham has the Poetry Friday round up this week at Live Your Poem.

And be sure to visit Jama Rattigan's 2017 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup for a list of all the poetic goodness going around the blogosphere. 

Poetry Friday: The Bard, My Girls, and Me

I bet you can guess what our weekend plans include. It's terrible as poetry, but, hey, it's all I could muster this morning. Looking forward to some real poetry soon, when we see the play. And there's plenty of real poetry all over the blogosphere, too. Check out the Poetry Friday round up, hosted this week by Michelle Barnes at Today's Little Ditty. 

The Bard, My Girls, and Me 

My offspring and I,
oh, how happy we’ll be
when one of the Bard’s
creations we see.

We’ll chuckle and nod
at mistaken I.D.,
a bit of midsummer-y,
dream revelry.

A cast full of friends
whom we don’t often see
will round out the night
of this anti-ennui.

Come, Hermia! Come, Helena!
Come, good, young Lysander.
Through fairy-lit woods
we’ll see thee meander.

And on the way home,
I foresee happy chatter,
for Shakespeare’s the thing
to make all hearts the gladder.

~~~~~

Oh, happy coincidence! Jama is also talking about Shakespeare today. She's hosting a giveaway of a book I'm suddenly coveting, Will's Words: How Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk, by Jane Sutcliffe, with illustrations by John Shelley.

Updated to note: Tabatha Yeatts is being true to herself by featuring the Bard as well! Visit her at The Opposite of Indifference. 

~~~~~

Illustration: Public domain image, from Lamb's All Shakespeare's Tales, found at Karen's Whimsy. 

I Love Frank Fraser's Art!

So, awhile back I heard from Frank Fraser, a writer and artist and all-around creative dynamo with an impressive list of credits who has now gotten into the business of writing and illustrating children's books -- books that are all about God (because we know that books about God are much more lucrative than working for Disney, as Frank used to.) So, call me a sucker and a cheerleader for the underdog who has left the corporate world behind, or just call me a good judge of art for children. Whatever you call me, I can tell you this: when I first looked took a peek at The Bible Amigos: Five Loaves, Two Fish, and One Big Hat and The Bible Amigos: Jonah and the Bear on Amazon, I emailed Frank and said:

I have just been looking at your Amazon page, and I'm kind of in love with those illustrations!

and I added that

...my only concern is that you will add to my daughter's desire to acquire a pet hedgehog. 

I mean, look at these:

Look at how cute these guys are! They make me so happy! 

Frank sent a couple of books for us to look at and, yes, the three Bible amigos have indeed ramped up Ramona's desire to campaign for a pet hedgehog. (It's not going to happen, Ramona, unless someone else starts getting up with the dog when she wants to go out at 4 a.m. Until then, no further pet negotiations. And, there's the little problem that Frank pointed out in his response, that there are pesky postal regulations about hedgehogs....) 

These books are sweet and adorable, the stories are based on Scripture and virtues, and I am sold. I love them. 

(Frank and his wife, Terri, also have an Etsy page full of stuff, including more of Frank's art for children. My girls and I are fighting over who gets to keep the print above.) 

Revolutionary Women, Picture Books, and Bad Impressions

Because Ramona and I will never be too old for picture books, and because we are all about the Revolutionary war this year, we recently read these:

Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything  by Maira Kalman.

Thumbs up from Ramona for the pursuit of everything in this one: the illustrations, the humor, the tidbits of information about the ever-fascinating Thomas Jefferson.

(Quick heads up: if you have very young children, please be aware that the book briefly addresses his relationship with Sally Hemmings.)

Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies 

This one covered some interesting ground and notable women, but the writing wasn't highly engaging. Does include a nice timeline, though, of the women, and the reading was good reinforcement for some women we'd previously read about in the following magazine:

Ramona loved this issue. I can't recommend Kids Discover highly enough. Good stuff for unschoolish learners.

Finally, we left the Revolution and took flight with these two:

Amelia And Eleanor Go For A Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan, with illustrations by Brian Selznick.

A fun read. As I was doing voices for it, my Eleanor impression suddenly sounded a little funny.

"Why does Eleanor Roosevelt sound like Julia Child, Mom?" Ramona asked, puzzled.

I stopped and frowned.

"I don't know," I said. "Let's find out what she really sounded like."

(Thank you Google -- love you for stuff like this. We listened to Amelia Earhart, too.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Now it's time to visit the library again. 

Ramona and I Can't Get Enough of Julia Child Picture Books

 

First it was Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life of Julia Child, by Jessie Hartland. 

And here's the latest one we enjoyed together:

Minette's Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat was an absolute delight. For lovers of Julia Child, cooking, cats, and Julia Trivia. Recommended.

I have often said that no one is ever too old for picture books, and I am willing to bet a lifetime supply of coffee on the fact that I will be reading them (i.e., reveling in the art that is the excellent picture book) until I die.

Happy reading!

How to Raise Readers (Or Convince Yourself That's What You Did)

1. Buy that Jemima Puddleduck board book when your first child is just a couple of months old. Convince yourself that your brilliant baby actually indicated to you (yes, right there in Barnes and Noble! She did!) that she would love to own that book.

2. Read Jemima Puddleduck daily. Sigh over the illustrations. Snuggle your baby.

3. Read My Name is Big Bird (and all the other -- many, many, many -- My Name is... books) over and over and over again. Because you love your child, because you love the way she is smitten with Big Bird, and because you love reading. But mostly because you love your child. Resist the urge to say something inappropriate and sarcastic when she asks for this book nineteen times in a row before lights out.

(Don't sigh over the illustrations as you did with Jemima Puddleduck. But do sigh over the delicious cuddle-and-read time. It's sighable, and it goes too fast.) 

4. Cynthia Rylant, Jim Arnosky, Barbara Cooney, Allen Say, Josephine Nobisso, Tomie  de Paola, Barbara Helen Berger, Robert McCloskey, picture books about saints, Laura Numeroff,  poetry everywhere, Eric Carle, Mike Venezia....

Stacked in the living room. Strewn in the bedrooms. Piled in the kitchen. Rummaged through at the book store....

Ramona, at the bookstore when she was four years old.

5. Read aloud at breakfast. Read aloud at lunch. Talk about books at dinner.

6. Don't worry about when your child starts reading. An early reader will not necessarily become a better reader than a "late" bloomer. What's important is to keep the love of books alive, whether that happens through independent reading, read alouds, audio books,  or, even better, an ongoing combination of all those things.

7. Frances Hodgson Burnett, Louisa May Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Melissa Wiley, Beverly Cleary, C.S. Lewis, Maud Hart Lovelace, L.M. Montgomery, E.B. White, Eleanor Estes, Edward Eager, J.K. Rowling, American Girl books, Jean Craighead George, Peg Kehret, Rick Riordan, Brian Jacques, Hilda van Stockum, Jean Fritz, Jeanne Birdsall, Andrew Clements ....

  

8.  Go to the library. Make it a regular habit. Show your children how to use everything: the card catalog, the helpfulness of the librarians, the amazing fun of the self-checkout, the way the stacks are so perfectly constructed and suited to plopping down on the floor to peruse a book together until you ultimately decide, "Yes! Let's check this one out, too!" Teach them to bring their backpacks with them. You'll never check out just one.

9. Don't be the mom in the library who can be overheard saying things such as, "No! Put that back! You read that one last week -- get something new!" or, "Stop it! That one's too easy for you! Get something more challenging, why don'tcha?" Please don't say these things. There's nothing wrong with rereading a book, whether it's a classic or brain candy. Can you ever gaze too many times on a Caravaggio? Have you sworn off popcorn since you already enjoyed it once? Do you ever say, "Stop it! You've looked at that priceless painting before! Move on!" or, "Isn't that popcorn too easy to eat? Why don't you tackle something with some culinary layers?" Nope. Don't do it.

10. Remember this very important rule: no one is ever too old for picture books. Picture books are an art form. The best of them are beautiful and complex while appearing to be simple and simply inviting. Cultivate consumption of them. It's a great habit to acquire.

11. Jane Austen, Harper Lee, Madeleine L'Engle, Ray Bradbury, Flannery O'Connor, Suzanne Collins, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, poetry everywhere, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Willa Cather, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Shakespeare. Stack them, strew them, pile them, rummage through them. Read them, share them, talk about them.

12. Don't turn books into idols, but do teach your children that books -- the written word, human communication, hearts and souls and minds poured out and preserved on paper -- are vital. They are our story, our history, our future. Books help us sift through who we are, why we are, what we are, and where we want to go.

13. If you do all these things, you will quite possibly raise readers. We did these things, and we have three daughters who love books.

On the other hand, it's quite possible that all the things we did had nothing to do with raising readers. It might just be in the genes. Atticus and I may have ink in our veins, so it's conceivable that no matter what we did, even if we'd spent their lives saying things like, "Put that book down and come watch Gilligan's Island!", they would have wound up loving books. I know people who love books who haven't necessarily raised "readers." It happens, no matter how much some people strew and read and stack.

The truth is, we can't predict what our children will become or mold them into what we want them to be. They are unique souls; they aren't here to be grand reflections of what book lovers we are, or of anything that we are. But, that's another blog post.

Even if we can't guarantee that book-loving steps will lead to book-loving people, one thing we can be certain of is this: Jemima Puddleduck, generally speaking, leads to good things.

Summer Reading

The other day I asked about summer reading lists, and said I'd be back soon with mine. Here's  bit of what I hope to read this summer (although when I'm writing a book, I don't always get a lot of pleasure reading done, and my actual To-Be-Read stack is ridiculously large.)


On my list:

Shirt of Flame by Heather King
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker
Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos
Quiet, The Power of Introverts In a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Atticus plans to read*:

Watergate, by Thomas Mallon
The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien by Oscar Hijuelos
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
The Book of J by Harold Bloom and David Rosenberg
Nothing Like the Sun (a reread by Anthony Burgess)
Henry Adams and the Making of America by Garry Wills
A Godly Hero, The Life of William Jennings Bryan, by Michael Kazin
The Memoirs of General Grant, by the guy buried in Grant's tomb
And whatever intriguing British police procedurals cross his path (along the lines of the Resnick novels by John Harvey)

This morning I'll be on Relevant Radio at 8 a.m. central time, talking books and summer reading. Some of my recommendations will come from our all-time favorite reads:

Picture Books:

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Only Opal by Barbara Cooney
Jim Arnosky's books
Josephine Nobisso's The Weight of a Mass, Take It To The Queen and Francis Woke Up Early
All things Magic School Bus
Most things Tomie de Paola
All things Mr. Putter and Tabby by Cynthia Rylant
How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman and Allen Say
Tea With Milk by Allen Say
How To Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman

For Ramona's age (9-12)**:

Frindle by Andrew Clements
All things Andrew Clements
All things Encyclopedia Brown by Donald Sobol
All things Little House
All things Betsy-Tacy
All things Hilda van Stockum
All things E.B. White
All things Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

And, I'll be back later with favorites for teens!

*Atticus says: "Some of these contain material that some might find offensive, so beware."

** Varying levels of maturity -- be sure to check them out for yourself before handing them to your child, especially a very sensitive child.

A Beautiful New Book From Josephine Nobisso

I've mentioned Josephine Nobisso a number of times, starting here (wherein I talk about The Weight of a Mass -- if you haven't read that one, go buy a copy right now for every child you know who will be receiving First Holy Communion this spring), and then here, when I reviewed Take It to the Queen. I mentioned her again here, and here you'll see that Josephine was kind enough to endorse my book, Through the Year With Mary (in which I included a couple of quotes from Take It to the Queen.)

Now, Gingerbread House Publishing has a new offering: Francis Woke Up Early: 

Every bit as beautiful as Josephine's previous works (of which I'm a huge fan), this jewel is illustrated by Maureen Hyde, an American painter who also lives and works in Italy. 

The story is gentle and lovely, and the paintings immediately transported us to gorgeous Assisi. This book is a bit of a respite, an escape from the noisy world -- an imaginative immersion into beauty, love, and saintly goodness. 

Highly recommended.

I didn't know Tomie dePaola had a blog!

Today, for St. Scholastica's feast day,  I'll read The Holy Twins to Ramona. It was written by Kathleen Norris and illustrated by Tomie dePaola, and I was just nosing around the internet for the best link to the book.

At Tomie dePaola's website I found a link to his blog.  Fun!

Ramona Learns Something New

Last night Ramona and I were reading Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert. When we got to K, Ramona said, "Oh! I always thought a kumquat was a type of monkey! Apparently, it's a fruit or vegetable."  

You just never know what you'll learn when you're a reader. 

Ramona Loves: A Quietly Lovely Book by Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry's Whitefoot: A Story from the Center of the World is a little bit of profundity disguised as a picture book.

It appears that it was originally published in Orion Magazine and it contains gems like this:

She lived at the center of the world. This is one of the things every mouse knows. Wherever she was, she was at the center of the world. That one lives at the center of the world is the world’s profoundest thought. So firmly was this thought set in Whitefoot’s mind that she did not need to think it. Like humans, she lived in the little world of what she knew, for there was no other world for her to live in. But she lived at the center of her world always, and of this she had no doubt.

Oooh, this begs discussion, doesn't it?

Or you can skip discussion altogether as I did with Ramona on a recent cool, rainy day. We simply curled up on the couch under a quilt and shared in the life and adventures of Whitefoot for awhile, as she was carried away by flood waters and did her best to survive, one moment at a time:

At the center of the world, on the silted and soiled floor of the woods, among the shadows of the moony night, she went about her still-unfinished task of staying alive.

Poetry Friday: Lurving Jon Sciezka

I lurve Jon Sciezka

Have lurved him since we found the highly lurvable Math Curse.

Lurve him enough to follow his Twitter feed in spite of the fact that it offers zero updates. That's wishful lurving, or wishful tweeting, or perhaps wishful stalking.

Anyway.

I want you to go read the poem he contributed -- 200 Typing Monkeys Almost Make It -- to Gregory's Thirty Poets in Thirty Days.

No sense in my trying to dig up new treasures when they're swirling all around you this month.

Go. Read. Becky has the round-up.

They've been reading ....

Hello, Red Fox by Eric Carle is a delight! How did we miss this one?

Atticus and Ramona brought it home from the library the other day and Ramona has been enchanted by it. She loved the optical illusions and asked in amazement, "How does he do that?" I told her that it's actually God's intricate planning that does it, but Eric Carle was nice enough to put together a book about it that includes a short explanation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's color theory.

If you haven't shared this one with your kids, head straight to the library. You're in for a treat.

Anne-with-an-e and Betsy have been enjoying Andrew Clements, of Frindlefame. Frindle is a perfectly executed book about a smart kid, a smart adult and I'm-not-saying-another-word, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it. Read it. Laugh and cry. And say things like, "I want to write a book like that."

What Anne and Betsy have been enjoying lately are some of his young adult novels: Things Not Seen and Things Hoped For. I have yet to read these myself, but the girls loved them. They're in my stack. My stack is currently very, very tall. It teeters. Wish me reading time.

Ramona's latest reads

Ramona loves to go on a hunt at the library.

She plops down at the library computer and types in a favorite word: Zoo. Penguins. Puppies. Kittens. (Detecting a theme? Yes, the "Mommy" search phase appears to be on hiatus.)

In her latest library hunt, we discovered a writer we've never read. A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann is a real delight. It's a sweetly simple story, but the illustrations are what really captivated me. They, too, are simple, but gorgeous.

I wouldn't have known it, if not for the notes on the jacket, but they are monotype prints. And they are so vivid, so lovely and so enchanting ~~

And now, I'm off to Google a bit more about monotype prints (and file the info away for my next planning frenzy, which will inevitably hit sometime this summer) and to jot down "Eric Rohmann" in my library notebook.

A Picture Perfect Childhood: book review

Cay Gibson's new book, A Picture Perfect Childhood is a picture perfect resource.

Let's get one thing straight: I love picture books.

Awhile back, I had an afternoon to myself. I was at a bookstore, and a friend had instructions to hunt me down in the stacks, and from there we had plans for lunch. When he found me in the children's section, he said, "I thought this was supposed to be time for you!"

I was non-plussed. What on earth would make him think that wandering through a garden of picture books wasn't for me?

Cay Gibson understands.

And, in A Picture Perfect Childhood, she has put together delectably long lists of books for all ages. Picture books? Yes. But picture books are for all ages.

Alicia Van Hecke's terrific and detailed review over at Love2Learn will fill you in on the many kinds of lists available in this book.

This isn't necessarily a book to be "read" although Cay's warm encouragement will surely convince you to spend more time with your children and books. Rather, it's a resource to be both skimmed and scoured, highlighted, dog-eared, carried to the library and kept by the computer, right next to the "Add to shopping cart" button.

Disclaimer: I was privy to a sneak-peek of this book a few months back, and was able to offer a bit of proofreading, etc. Cay was kind to mention me in her acknowledgements, but I have no stake in the book. I admire the labor of love that is Picture Perfect Childhood. The amount of work and dedication it takes to put together comprehensive booklists, such as this one, and Maureen Wittmann's For the Love of Literature is staggering to me, and I thank the women who do this incredible work for all of us.

Another Book Giveaway

Don't miss
Cay's Bookwalk this week
for a chance to win one of her books.