Spooning

Spoon

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

When I saw the cover of Spoon I quickly realized I was in for a treat. Amy Krouse Rosenthal is the author of an adorable book called Little Pea that I love. I knew I had no choice but to stop right where I was (straightening the shelves of children's picture books) and see what kind of adventures this cute little guy would be getting into.

Summary
Spoon is a young utensil with a lovely family. However, he's begun feeling down when he thinks of the things his friends get to do that he cannot. Knife gets to cut and spread, Fork spears all manner of foods, and Chopsticks are "cool and exotic." Little does Spoon know, his friends are just as envious of his duties! He's not sharp or dangerous; he gets to measure ingredients; and he is independent and can do things by himself. As she tucks him into bed, Spoon's mom reminds him of the fabulous things he can do, such as dive into a bowl of ice cream, or relax in a mug of hot tea. Spoon realizes he really is a lucky utensil!

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Totally! Spoon was adorable. From the family portrait (members include a set of measuring spoons, a ladle, a strainer, and an ice cream scoop) to the images of Spoon's utensil friends taking part in the various activities they do best, the whole book was a treat. The illustrations were simple yet imaginative, and I found myself recalling my own use of each of the utensils as I read about their adventures. A great treat for all ages!

Summer Reading

When I was in elementary school, I participated in a summer reading program at a bookstore in my neighborhood. While I don’t remember actually signing up or logging my reading time, what does stand out in my memory is getting a call that I had won a prize in the drawing for people who had completed a certain amount of reading time. I can still remember walking into the store one afternoon and telling a person at the counter who I was, and watching as she reached down to a shelf and then handed me a boxed set of books. I had won a whole series! I was so flabbergasted to be given such a treasure, and I went home and immediately became engrossed in the Bunnicula books, which I would read on several other occasions, and still remember fondly to this day.

My library’s summer reading program is officially in motion, and I think it’s a great activity for kids to get involved in. Yes, the lure of prizes is probably a motivating factor for some, but I think that the simple practice of reading daily can create a great long-term habit for many. When I did the summer reading program, I was already a reader. I didn’t need incentives to make me pick up a book. But because I participated and was fortunate enough to win something, I was given even more motivation to read. And I even discovered a set of books that I might not have found on my own. Talk about a great prize.

There's probably a summer reading program near you. Go sign up! I promise that on those languid, hot summer days (especially for those of us in Texas), there is sometimes no better way to beat the heat than to lay under a fan with a cold drink and a good book.

In a Jam

The Giant Jam Sandwich
Story and pictures by John Vernon Lord
with verses by Janet Burroway

Don't be put off by the slightly out-of-date illustrations in The Giant Jam Sandwich. This book (published in 1972) was a treat to read, especially upon my second reading, out loud, to a group of storytime attendees seeking a break from the summer heat at the library.

Summary
Summer has arrived in the town of Itching Down, and with it, four million wasps. The townspeople, having been quickly terrorized by the bugs, decide that the best way to get rid of them would be to catch them in their favorite sticky treat: strawberry jam. So they set about making a giant jam sandwich that will trap the wasps. The whole town pitches in, making bread dough, baking the loaf, spreading it with butter and jam, and laying it out for the pesky wasps.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
This silly rhyming book is definitely worth it! The lilting, rhyming verse is fun without being too goofy, and the story itself is adorable. A lesson could easily be tied in regarding the power of teamwork and helping one another out. I would recommend it for youngsters up to age 8.

A visit with some creepy button-eyed people

Coraline

by Neil Gaiman

I’m guessing I’m not alone in stating that I first heard of Coraline when the movie of the same name came out. However, the film is actually based on a book of the same title, written by the wonderful Neil Gaiman, who I met last fall when I read The Graveyard Book.

Summary

Coraline isn’t quite satisfied with her life. She has just moved into a new apartment with her mom and dad, and neither of them seem to have any time for her. They make her eat yucky foods, and when she wants to do anything, they give her boring games to play, such as counting all the windows in the apartment. While dutifully attempting to have some fun with this particular task, Coraline discovers a door in the living room that has a brick wall behind it. “They probably boarded it up when the house was divided,” her mother explains. However, Coraline soon discovers that the wall isn’t always behind the door, and one night, following the mice that belong to one of her crazy neighbors, she enters the door and walks down a long hallway that takes her into ... her own home. Only this home is much better. Her “other” mother and father are there, and, aside from their somewhat creepy button eyes, they are fantastic! They pay attention to Coraline’s stories, they cook her favorite foods, and generally want to do anything to make her happy.

After a few more nighttime visits to her “other” home, Coraline wants to stay forever. But as we all know, nothing is ever perfect, and Coraline soon discovers that having a perfect life with her “other” parents isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and she may even be in danger if she can’t get back to her real home soon.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Yes, but be sure to leave a light on once you do go to bed! Coraline creeped me out, but in a good way. Gaiman has created a wonderfully imaginative world that any child will be able to relate to on some level. Who hasn’t felt ignored by his or her parents before, or wished that every meal could feature favorite foods and endless attention from mom and dad? The descriptions of Coraline’s adventures had my imagination working overtime, and I found myself anxiously turning pages to find out what would happen to the “other” mother and whether her disturbing wish to keep Coraline forever would come true.

Who should read this book?

My library shelves Coraline with the children’s fiction titles (under 12-years-old), but I would recommend it for any readers age 10 and up. Younger ones will delight in the spooky goings-on, while older ones will enjoy the twists and turns of imagination present on every page.

Not a Book Review

No book review at this moment. Don’t worry, I have some in the works, I just can’t seem to find the words for them yet. Or rather, I can’t pare down the words I have. Anyhow, they’ll be along shortly ... in the meantime, I thought I'd share some other thoughts with you.

As I was walking into the library today I had a random memory from childhood. I’m always surprised and pleased at the things that trigger these remembrances. Today it was a sidewalk grate. You know, one of those big ones that you can’t see to the bottom of, and sometimes you can hear air rushing around inside of. There are a few of these along one side of the building, and in that second when my foot was in the air above the grate, about to take me across, I wondered if a rush of air would meet me once I was standing over it (I was wearing a dress, and one has to be mindful of these things you know). There was no air, but this thought catapulted me back a good 18 years at least, when I would visit my dad for a week or two at a time in the middle of summer. On Sundays we usually went church, and ours had these skinny little air conditioning vents along the walls next to the pews. I remember just how it felt to walk over these vents after coming inside from the sweltering Texas heat. A rush of cold air on bare legs, the flutter of a dress or skirt against my knees as we walked through the hushed sanctuary looking for my grandma, aunt and uncle. Refrigerated air was so exotic to me in those days because my full-time home with mom had a swamp cooler ... much more efficient for the desert air, but not nearly as satisfying as the chilled air that the Texans produced.

All that from a random air vent/grate in the sidewalk. I hadn’t thought about that in years. I think that being around kids and children’s books has helped opened up the memory bank, although I often find myself stumbling on memories from childhood. Many of them are triggered by sensory things. Smells, tastes and sounds have a particularly strong hold on my the thoughts of past years, and I always love what gets dredged up without warning.