Ten books we've lately loved

1. The Poodle Who Barked at the Wind by Charlotte Zolotow, ill. June Otari
2. The Seashore Book by Charlotte Zolotow, ill. Wendell Minor
3. The Sleepy Book by Charlotte Zolotow, ill.Stefano Vitale
4. The Quiet Mother and the Noisy Little Boy by Charlotte Zolotow, ill. Marc Simont
5. Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow, ill. Maurice Sendak
6. I Like to be Little by Charlotte Zolotow, ill. Eric Blegvad

So, thanks to Zoe, we discovered Charlotte Zolotow. And I love her, especially I Like to be Little, because it reminds me of my childhood aspiration to never grow up, and The Quiet Mother and the Noisy Little Boy, because it reminds me that, even though my life is often quite noisy, I'm glad I did, finally, grow up.

7. Hugless Douglas by David Melling (A young bear wakes from hibernation in desperate need of a hug. I had never heard of this author but hope to read more of him.)

8. The Tub People by Pam Conrad, ill. Richard Egielski (I love books that pretend toys come to life when we aren't looking. We also loved The Rooster's Gift by Pam Conrad, about a rooster who is convinced he is responsible for causing the sun to rise, but who realizes that he is simply heralding the inevitable. Also recommended by Zoe.)

9. On Market Street by Anita and Arnold Lobel (These illustrations are splendid in this ingenious ABC book, and the kids were especially delighted by the cameo appearance of Lobel's Frog and Toad on the Toys page.

10. The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas, ill. Helen Oxenbury (the point-of-view shift is amusing, as is the fact that the Pig is finally transformed by a beautiful house of wildflowers that fills his nose with a lovely scent as he prepares to huff and puff.)

I mentioned in the last post that Harper and I have been reading the Little House series during our reading time. We have just started Farmer Boy, which is the third book. It's such a different experience reading these books as an adult. I am totally over-identifying with Caroline, and have cried several times while reading aloud, much to Harper's bafflement. I just can't imagine how hard it must have been for her. These have been the tear-inducers thus far:

--When Pa has to jump in the swollen river to save the wagon and she has to grab the reins with her husband and their horses about to drown and Laura and Mary and baby Carrie in the back of the wagon (with NO CARSEATS!!!)
--When she leaves her extended family behind in the Big Woods, travels across the country, and knows that she likely won't have any communication with them for a very long, long time.
--When the (possibly savage) Indians come in while Pa is away and she cooks cornbread for them.
--When Pa decides, WITHOUT CONSULTING HER, to leave the house on the prairie that they have labored over for an entire year, just as they have planted their crops...

And I didn't cry over this part, but I certainly felt mighty convicted:

--When she washes their clothes AND IRONS THEM while they are traveling from Wisconsin to Kansas (far, it is very far, we looked at the map) in a covered wagon. AND she cooks. AND bakes. AND washes dishes. For weeks and weeks and weeks. Every single meal. Over a camp fire. And, meanwhile, I whine about unloading the dishwasher. Sheesh.