Book of the Day: Bip in a Book

Bip in a Book
Author:  Marcel Marceau and Bruce Goldstone
Photographer:  Steven Rothfeld
Stewart, Tabori and Chang (2001)


Help!  Bip, aka the famous mime Marcel Marceau,  is stuck in a book.   How will he get out?

Here are the things I like about this book:

1.  It's totally cool.
2.  It's very different from anything else.
3.  Toddlers can read it because it has no words and a very simple story.
4.  The pictures are uncluttered and beautiful.
5.  It's funny and joyous.


Marcel Marceau also has a counting book and an alphabet book.  I can't wait to check them out.  For those that don't know, Marcel was a famous French mime who died in 2007.  He was a Holocaust survivor, but his father died in Auschwitz.   He and his brother joined the French resistance and he used mime to keep children quiet as they were being transported to Switzerland.  Wow, if that isn't an interesting and courageous start to a career.

Here's a video about his career:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iF9K16lCpE&feature=related

The Need For Change: Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak
Harper Collins (1963)


The fifth need of the child (at least according to Zena Sutherland) is the need for change.   Children need rest and play, humor and escape.   Books that offer them fantasy and humor are often a great hit.

I was thinking about this need while in the shower and wondering what book to choose when my eyes alighted on the Wild Things poster that adorns our bathroom wall. " Isn't this the quintessential book about escaping reality?" I thought to myself,   "no wonder it's so popular and iconic".

My mom happens to be a huge Maurice Sendak fan.  She collects first edition books and taught us at a young age to appreciate all that is Sendak.   So good ol' Maurice is near and dear to my heart.  

Maurice Sendak, as the story goes, was discovered while creating window displays for FAO Shwarz.  He spent many years illustrating other authors' books before striking out on his own.  He has also dabbled in television and theater, including designing the sets for the Pacific Northwest Ballet's version of the Nutcracker. 

 Some interesting facts about Sendak:   He loves Mozart, Emily Dickinson, and Herman Melville. He describes himself as having a hard childhood with many family members that died in the Holocaust and a mother that suffered from mental illness.   He never told his parents he was gay which I find rather interesting, especially because his partner was a psychotherapist.    I'm sure his boyfriend had a heck of a time analyzing Maurice.  Finally, some of his books have been censored, including Where the Wild Things Are.  Is that crazy or what!

Here's a great video about the book and Maurice's literary life:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NBGS47M924&feature=fvst

Obama reads Where the Wild Things Are on the White House lawn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNU8vnc8pOM&feature=related

There are many interviews of Maurice Sendak.  He's a very interesting guy, so check them out on you tube, but here's a FANTASTIC one to get you started:
http://www.pbs.org/now/arts/sendak.html

Need to Achieve: Mirette on the High Wire

Mirette on the High Wire
Emily Arnold McCully
The Putnam and Grosset Group (1992)

Our tots are seeking competence and many a book is written with a feisty character that  overcomes some obstacle to achieve a great or small feat.

What better book to describe this theme than Mirette on the High Wire.  Our Mirette is named after this zestful, adventuresome little girl.   Mirette's mom runs a boarding house for performers.  Mirette discovers that Bellini, one of the residents, is a very famous high wire walker who has become fearful of his sport.   Mirette begs him to teach her and after much practice she masters the high wire.  In so doing, she cures Bellini of his fear. 

The two go on to have more adventures in Starring Mirette and Bellini (where Mirette fights for Democracy and rescues Bellini from prison) and Mirette and Bellini Cross Niagra Falls.

Needless to say, we fell in love with Mirette, enough so to name our daughter after her.   The beautiful illustrations earned the author, Emily Arnold McCully, a Caldecott Medal.  

Emily Arnold McCully is a prolific illustrator.  Often I'll pick up a book at the library and there's her name.   She is into stories about brave girls, as she was one herself!

http://emilyarnoldmccully.com/emily-arnold-mccully.html

Mirette is a collector's item doll http://www.dollery.com/html/artists/lawton/law9903.htm and is also a musical (though one that isn't preformed so often). http://www.musicals101.com/mirette05.htm.  Here's a link to the music:  http://www.josef-weinberger.com/musicals/musical/mirette.html  For a future discussion on philosophy (ha ha) with your toddler, look here:  http://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org/wiki/Mirette_on_the_High_Wire

Interestingly, she also wrote books and short stories for adults.  I'll have to check them out.

Book of the Day: Sunshine on My Shoulders

Sunshine on My Shoulders
Adapted and Illustrated by Christopher Canyon
Dawn Publications (2003)

Greetings from the very snowy Pacific Northwest!  Greetings from my new computer after a mysterious crash of my old one!

One of the sweet suprises of being a mom is the new friends I've made along the way.  I love the variety of friends with vastly different backgrounds from mine.  For example, Mirette's teacher just facebooked that she helped to butcher a cow.  Holy Shmogoly, I grew up in suburbia and the closest I've come to butchering is when some friends butchered a goat for me and my travelling companions while travelling in Zimbabwe years ago.  

Another friend Simon is young, friendly, warm and a self-made man--gardening, working the land, raising chickens and pigs.   I thought it was hysterical when he revealed that he LOVES John Denver, so much so that he tattoed his name on his arm.  He told me about these books illustated by Christopher Canyon that his daughter, Omi, adores.   It reminded me that I too love John Denver.   Singing I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane on the last day of camp each year ALWAYS made me weep.  

So I ran to the library to reserve the Christopher Canyon John Denver series of kids books.   I agree with Simon, they are AWESOME.  (though Steve, my music snob hubby, seems to suddenly disappear when we are singing/reading them).  There are three:  Take me Home Country Roads,  Ancient Rhymes: A Dolphin Lullaby, and my favorite Sunshine on my Shoulders. 

Each book comes with a cd.  Chirstopher Canyon is an amazing illustrator and each book is strikingly different.  Country Roads is a busy mosaic of images; Ancient Rhymes is in gorgeous peaceful blues and Sunshine on my Shoulders is pouring forth yellow and other pastel colors.  Plus, the main girl is super endearing.

The real reason I LOVE the Sunshine book is because it is very peaceful.  When Mirette gets in that hyper space before bed, it's been completely calming to her.   She sits on my lap and we sway back and forth, making me feel like we are at a campfire in the woods.   For that reason, I am going to buy the book and the cd as soon as possible.  I think it will become a part of our night time ritual.

Christopher Canyon and his wife Jeanette live in Columbus, Ohio and both illustrate children's books.   They share a great website and seem to enjoy sharing their work with kids:  http://www.jeanetteandchristophercanyon.com/OfficialWebsite/Welcome.html

The song, Sunshine on My Shoulders was written on a cold day as an ode to the beautiful sun hiding somewhere above the clouds.  It also refers to the Vietnam war and that sunshine is waiting for us during the hard times.  

Cozy reading (but only if you like John Denver)!

Book of the Day: Little Yoga

Little Yoga:  A Toddler's First Book of Yoga
Author:  Rebecca Whitford
Illustrator:  Martina Selway
Henry Holt and Company (2005)

After a lot of searching, I found a great yoga book for Mirette.  It's great because it's so simple and easy that she is actually doing the poses  correctly and asks to do it every night.   

Along with this book, I have a few other yoga resources for you.   I really love the idea of teaching yoga to toddlers and kids and have even taken the first classes to learn Yoga Calm (which is more for elementary aged children).   My favorite adult book for teaching yoga is Itsy Bitsy Yoga for toddlers and preschoolers.  Mirette loves the burrito where we wrap her up in the yoga mat, pretend to eat the burrito and then unroll her.  

Itsy Bitsy Yoga:  www.itsybitsyyoga.com
Yoga Calm:  http://www.yogacalm.org/
Jennifer Hess:  a friend from Rochester, New York that teaches yoga to kids and has a fantastic blog
 that is super inspiring.  http://karmaspot.wordpress.com/about/

Another friend Heidi has the sweetest kids yoga studio.  I wish she lived in Seattle (sigh)  http://www.peacefullkids.com/resources.cfm

Need to Belong: Frog and Toad All Year

Frog and Toad All Year
Arnold Lobel
Harper Collins (1976)

The need to belong is a big one!   In fact, I think many adults are still searching for that basic sense of belonging, myself included. I just left Mirette at her co-op preschool and was driving home thinking how I feel safe, secure and well-liked around that group of parents.  I feel like they all know and care about Mirette.  And in the car she said to me,  "I know teacher Emma loves me and I love her."  Wow!   What better feeling is there! 

According to Zena Sutherland, the author of Children and Books 9th Edition ,books about belonging help children to identify their place in the world.   They can range from being a warm and cozy book about friendship to a challenging situation where a character has to search for that sense of belonging.

This winter break, Mirette and I went to see the play Frog and Toad at the Seattle Children's Theater.  It was fantastic and we talk about it all the time now.  Mirette will tell complete strangers that she attended this play.

What better book to show the sense of belonging.  Toad is ornery,  Frog is warm.  Frog never seems to get too annoyed.  He doesn't call his other friends and complain or gossip.  He seems to like Toad just for who he is.    Their love for each other is best exemplified when they each set off to rake the others lawn as an act of kindness and generosity.    How could they feel alone in the world when Frog has Toad and Toad has Frog. 

Arnold Lobel (1933-1987) lived in New York State and was a sickly kid often out of school.  He started drawing as a way to connect with other kids. He met his wife Anita in school who was also a very talented artist.    Frog and Toad are said to be two parts of his personality.  Sadly, he died of cardiac arrest when he was 54. 

A family of readers: Poems of Childhood

  Poems of Childhood
Author: Evgene Field
Illustrtator:  Maxfield Parrish
(no date or publisher on my book--first page seems to be ripped out.  Best guess--1904)

My great grandpa, George Ittleman, came to the new world and settled in Brooklyn with many other Jewish families.  He was in the first graduating class of Columbia Law School.   Seems just a hop, skip, and a jump away, but, at the time, it was a difficult journey to make--from one end of the city to the other.  Upon graduation, George was known in the community as a very learned man. 

His daughter, my maternal grandma, Gladys, became a French teacher and believed strongly in education and the power of reading.

Meanwhile, my maternal Grandpa's family came to the new world and became jewlers (as was common with many Jewish immigrants).   My Grandpa left this family business to become a collector of used and rare books which he then auctioned off.    I am not sure the whole story, but, as told in our family, he went for his passion.   That has stuck with me my whole life.   His passion was books.  He wanted to be surrounded by them.  He worked until the day he died.   I think it's a beautiful story.  

My mom has always been a huge reader.  She studied to become an English teacher (though she had three kids and ended up staying at home to raise us and then becoming a stock broker for my dad's company).  My first distinct memory from childhood is my mom reading a Robert Frost poem to us while we were waiting for swimming lessons to begin.  She explained to me that "many miles to go before I sleep,"   had a double meaning.  I was completely dumbfounded that a poem could say two things at once.   It was such a huge awakening to the power and beauty of poetry even though I was probably too young to fully appreciate Robert Frost.

When my grandpa died, we sold a lot of his collection, but we each took a few things that were interesting or meaningful to us.  One of the most unique things we found were panels from a French version of Lafontaine Fables.

 I also inherited a very old book called  Poems of Childhood.  It smells musty and I sneeze everytime I open it up.  The illustrations are covered with thin tracing paper, giving me the hunch that it's really old, maybe something I could take to Antique Roadshow and make a mint. 

Truth be told, I haven't yet shared this with Mirette.  I think I'll pull it out some special time and think of my grandpa while we are turning the birttle old pages.

Eugene Field (1850-1895) is most known for the poem Wynken, Blynken and Nod.  His father was the lawyer for the defense of the Dread Scott case.   The book that I inherited appears to be published in 1904, but you can buy a new edition of this book at Amazon.


http://www.eugenefieldhouse.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=64

The illustrator Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) lived and worked in New Hampshire.   His illustration credits include  L. Frank Baum's Mother Goose in Prose  and Arabian Nights. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxfield_Parrish

As for Benjamin Rabier (1864-1939), the illustrator of our panels,  he had an illustrious career as well, including coming up with the icon for Laughing Cow Cheese.   I had NO idea.  

http://lambiek.net/artists/r/rabier_benjamin.htm

Book of the Day: Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World

Tibetan Tales for the Top of the World
Naomi C. Rose
Clear Light Publishing (2009)

Back in the pre-kid, pre-husband days, I spent much time working on my self and my inner demons.   I did several mediation workshops with a teacher named Svadesh (still a dear person in my life).   One of these workshops was held in the mountains of British Columbia and it was there that I met the lovely Naomi C. Rose and her husband Robin.  

One thing I loved about this couple was how real and genuine they were.   I went to their house to meditate and did several other workshops with them for several years, but they moved away and our connection faded.   I ended up friending Naomi on facebook and found out that they moved to Santa Fe and that she has written two books for kids.

Right away, I put them on hold in the library and read them both to Mirette.   We are definitely reading way up with these books, but Mirette's attention was held the whole time and she has continued to request them.   They are beautifully told Tibetan tales translated into Tibetan underneath the English writing (which is really cool to look at).  The pictures are gorgeous and there are all kinds-of interesting tid-bits about the Tibetan culture such as vocabulary words, animals that live there, and an introduction by the Dali himself.  

I am so proud of my friend and wish her the best success in bringing joy and learning to children everywhere.

Book of the Day: Fly High Fly Low

Fly High Fly Low
Don Freeman
Puffin Books (1957)

We just returned from our travels to San Francisco where we went to City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco.   I could just feel my beat poet alternative self (that WAS my halloween costume after all) coming forth.   Steve and I had so much fun perusing while Mirette liked dragging the step stool around and spinning on it. 

I couldn't resist buying her one book.   We chose Don Freeman's Fly High Fly Low which is all about two love birds and San Francisco.    This is my second post about Don Freeman and I am hopelessy in love with his books.   His characters are so endearing to me.   The book appears to be pen, ink and colored pencils, making for stunning multi-colored sunsets, fog, and blue skies.