Poetry Friday

Oh! An Alice poem! It makes me think of my last year at New College, writing my thesis chapter on Alice in Wonderland and wondering if I was ruining it for myself forever.

And as in Alice
by Mary Jo Bang

Alice cannot be in the poem, she says, because
She's only a metaphor for childhood
And a poem is a metaphor already
So we'd only have a metaphor

Read the rest here.

I think I had too much stuffing...

Well our Thanksgiving holiday got off to a rocky start. We left for Philly Tuesday night so that we could spend Thanksgiving with Jason and Valeska. About halfway there the car started over heating and we had to turn around praising and coaxing my little Toyota all the way back to DC. But we prevailed in the end! We ended up renting a car and getting to Philly Wednesday afternoon. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving complete with stuffing, pumpkin pie cheesecake, and the best twice baked sweet potatoes ever. Josh played lots of video games and I was seduced by HGTV's House Hunters. Sadly, we had to leave too soon since I had to work on Saturday.

My car is fixed now. (After several hundred dollars and no clear diagnosis!) But I think those Thanksgiving pounds are still with me. Today at story-time a nanny asked me if I was pregnant! This is like the third time this has happened to me! People, it's rude to ask a woman that question unless you are totally sure that she really is pregnant! Who does that? UGH.

I'm off to nures my shattered ego now...um...I mean prepare for the next story-time of the day.

Picture Book(s) of the Week

I have three for this week. First one is Ginger Bear by Mini Grey. It's a book about a cookie, how could I not love it? I mean I've never met a cookie I didn't like. And this cookie literally makes new friends, then joins a cookie circus, before finally finding out that "the life of a cookie is usually short and sweet." But not to worry Ginger Bear finds out that even for a sweet little cookie there is a safe haven!

Next there's Taking a Bath with the Dog and Other Things that Make Me Happy by Scott Menchin. This is really a simple book that takes on the big issue of happiness. Little Sweet Pea surveys her community as to what makes them happy and then comes up with a list of her own. I think what made me like the book so much is how well the illustration seemed to match the simplicity of the text. Plus, it's a good way to get kids (and grown-ups too) to think about own lists.

Finally there's Behind the Museum Door, a collection of poetry celebrating museums. I normally wouldn't have spent that much time looking at this book but I have a friend in museum education and the book made me think of her. So I picked it up and I'm glad I did. Each poem in the collection is accompanied by a bright, kinetic, exhibit illustration. Its a great book to share with a child before (or after) a museum trip.

My favorite poem in the series is Museum Farewell by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. It reminds me of a Girl Scout camp-out we had where we got to spend the night in a museum. It starts...

Lights out.

Doors close

on the cool quiet

of museum spaces;

echoing hallways,

locked cases--

New Favorite Quote

From Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf

"Children who never have a story read to them, who never hear words that rhyme, who never imagine fighting with dragons or marrying a prince, have the odds overwhelmingly against them."

Why didn't I know about this?

Where the Wild Things Are as a ballet! I would totally have gone. Sigh.

Poetry Friday

Yesterday I was explaining to someone at work why I love the 3-5 year old so much. The infants are cute and cuddly sure but I have the most fun with the kids who have a little sadistic streak in them. Okay, maybe sadistic is too strong, is impish better?

Anyway, Hansel and Gretel Duet by Nan Fry is a delicious spin on the tale, with a twist perfect for Halloween. And I think some of impish little story-time kids would like this ending better!

Read the poem HERE.