Let’s talk serious literature

my current favorite kind, that is. Namely children’s books. LOL

In reading to the girls each night I often think of things I mean to blog about later. And then of course I forget to do so. So tonight, after reading 2 stories, saying our prayers, and tucking three sweet little angels into bed, I raided their library. I have beside me a stack of things I’ve been meaning to mention for some time now. So in no particular order…

-My favorite page from Kevin Henkes Julius, The Baby of the World:
“JULIUS, THE GERM OF THE WORLD. BY ME,”said Lilly. “Once upon a time there was a baby. His name was Julius. Julius was really a germ. Julius was like dust under your bed. If he was a number, he would be zero. If he was a food, he would be a raisin. Zero is nothing. A raisin tastes like dirt. The End,” said Lilly. The story earned her ten minutes in the uncooperative chair.

If you haven’t read this book, please do. It’s really quite funny and not as mean as it sounds – there is a happy ending. For that matter, all of Kevin Henkes books are worthwhile. My personal favorite is another book about Lilly, Lilly and the Purple Plastic Purse. I’d say his books are good for the 2-5 year old range.

-Seasonally appropriate, I love Jerry Seinfeld’s Halloween book! It’s probably designed for slightly older kids – say in the 30+ range. LOL It could be read to little ones (5-10), but honestly they won’t appreciate it like you will. They won’t be able to wax poetic with you about the costumes of yore. Trust me. Buy this book. Pretend it’s for your kids. And then love it up. And if you can find it, definitely buy the coveted collector’s edition which includes a CD of Seinfeld himself reading the book. It’s classic.

So the first time you hear the concept of Halloween when you’re a kid, your brain can’t even process the idea. You’re like, “What is this? What did you say? Someone’s giving out candy? EVERYONE WE KNOW is just GIVING OUT candy?…I’ll wear anything I have to wear. I’ll do anything I have to do to get the candy away from those FOOLS who are so stupidly GIVING IT AWAY!”

-Probably my favorite children’s author ever is Shel Silverstein. And I ask you, is he really a children’s author? Is the man really writing to little kids, or just to the kid in all of us?

Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me –
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

(from Where the Sidewalk Ends)

-And speaking of Mr. Silverstein…as much as I adore his poetry books (the above, plus Falling Up, A Light in the Attic…) I’ve always been troubled by a few of his books. Namely, The Missing Piece and The Giving Tree. I find myself thinking of this often, since as luck would have it, Annie loves both stories. They seem so…metaphorical. So what do you think – are they about marriage? Looking at Shel’s personal life one might well believe that they are. And if that’s true, it makes me sad. So while these stories may be great, once I looked at them in this light I’ve never been able to read them the same way again. And on the nights Annie selects either book, I have to choose another one to follow so we can end the evening on a more positive note. Have you ever felt this, or is this just another example of my insanity?

And in closing, another mini book giveaway. Do you or your child like Junie B. Jones? (I do like the stories, but don’t like that I have to edit them to remove the ‘hates’ and the ‘stupids’) I have a shiny new copy of Junie B. Jones has a Peep in her Pocket that’s just waiting for a lucky reader. If you’d like to enter, just leave me a comment here. Tell me what you think of my over-analyzing children’s authors, or recommend to me another great book or author for little ones. I’d love the inspiration! I will draw a winner at midnight on Thursday, October 16th.

Good luck!