A Gaggle of Book Reviews

I have spent the past few days reading Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, edited by Jennifer O’Connell. I will likely spend the next several weeks recommending it to everyone I meet. In fact, I brought it to a homeschool coop meeting yesterday to make sure I didn’t forget to recommend it! If you want to give a present to a female friend or to yourself, I would recommend I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron (reviewed with some beach reads) and Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume – the two books encircle the life of a girl, teen, then woman.

This is a book that will speak to anyone who grew up as a girl in the USA in the time since Judy Blume became a published author. There are essays by a wide range of women writers, all discussing the impact of Judy Blume’s work on their lives. I am sure that each person will have essays that speak directly to them, and essays that are less personal. However, all of the essays are thoughtful and well-written. I was amazed at how moved I was while reading the essays – I flew back in time to my childhood, laughed at some of the memories and cried at others. I felt myself nodding over and over as I completely identified with what I was reading.

Judy Blume made a huge impact on me in so many ways. I loved how normal I felt after reading her books. I wasn’t the only one with parents who got divorced (It’s Not the End of the World). I wasn’t the only one who got teased or felt shy (Blubber). I wasn’t the only one who had an annoying little brother (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing). I wasn’t the only one who had a friend move away (Iggie’s House). I wasn’t the only one worrying about puberty (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret). I wasn’t the only one who (gasp!) thought about sex! (Forever) Reading Judy Blume’s work made me feel far more normal than I did at school, and it may very well have taught me more than all the Talented And Gifted classes!

The essays are written by a great variety of wonderful Young Adult and Adult novelists, and the book serves as a wonderful jumping-off point for more reading. Take note of the authors whose essays speak to you, then go buy one of their books (or get it from the library). FYI, though, they misspell the name of one author – her name is Kristin Harmel, not Kristin Karmel, and the misspelling made it harder to find her books! After reading this book, my Amazon cart is full, and I may very well have exceeded the maximum allowable InterLibraryLoan requests! I think I’m not the only one doing this, however, as two of the books available in our library were marked “checked in” Monday morning, but when I came to the library in the afternoon, they had been checked out!

If your life was affected by Judy Blume’s work, run out and grab this book. If you somehow managed to grow up without the influence of Judy Blume, run out and get Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, and then buy all of Judy Blume’s books! Don’t forget to share the books with your children! My girls especially love all the stories about Fudge in Four Fudge Books by Judy Blume!

These are 4 lovely ABC books that entertained all three children (3, 6, 8 ), and the designated reader. That’s a bit of a challenge, as certain older children think that ABC books are babyish. One of these books has now been read 4 nights in succession. That’s a big kudo to any book, but an ABC book that all 3 kids clamber to read? That’s cool.

First, a classic. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t love Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert? This is a well loved story that has amused children and adults since 1989 – the storyline and illustrations are so vivid and enthusiastic, I think it will be loved for many more years. If you haven’t had a chance to read this one, the lowercase letters climb up the coconut tree – “chicka chicka boom boom, will there be enough room?” The coconut tree becomes too heavy with all 26 letters up there, and they fall down, getting hurt and tangled as their (uppercase letter) parents come to help them. “Next from the pileup skinned-knee D and stubbed-toe E and patched-up F. Then comes G all out of breath.” Of course, at the end of the story, “A is out of bed” daring the other letters to go back up the coconut tree! The rhythm of the writing and the bright colors make a perennial favorite.

A different twist on the ABC book is B Is for Bulldozer: A Construction ABC by June Sobel, illustrated by Melissa Iwai. The story greets you “Do you see the Asphalt for paving the road, or the big shiny Bulldozer pushing a load?” The story continues with the construction of something as children watch on the sides of the illustrations, waiting to see what is built – “The welders won’t Quit till the metal is bent, and the new safety Rails are placed in cement.” Finally, “Now Visitors enter – it’s opening day!” You have watched the construction crew build “Wonderland” – a new amusement park, all while having letters stand out from the words, yet telling a story. My kids (3, 6, 8 ) and I were all just as excited as the children in the book to see the go “Z oom!!!” down the newly built rollercoaster!

We were so amused to see the title of AlphaOops!: The Day Z Went First, by Alethea Kontis, illustrated by Bob Kolar. The book begins with the traditional “A is for app-”, but Z is tired of being last, so he insists on going first. Things become more chaotic when P, N, and M complain that they are always stuck in the middle, even if they start with Z. So the letters just jump with what words they are associated with, as the little character at the bottom of the page fills in the ABC chart so you know which letters have spoken. The little “discussions” between the letters are hilarious. This was a really funny read, and we all laughed quite a bit.

Our favorite ABC book, though is now SuperHero ABC by Bob McLeod. We all love superheroes here, and in this book there is a superhero for each letter! It is illustrated like a comic book, with fun asides about each superhero. We love everyone, from: “Astro-man is Always Alert for An Alien Attack” to “The Firefly Fights Felons in the Forest” and “Jumping Jack Just Jails Jaywalkers”. Each letter is also shown at the corner of the page in capitol and lower case, so there is the alphabet reinforcement, but the book is also just fun on its own. As a warning, there are some rather icky superheroes: emetophobes should really avoid the letter V.

Overall, these are four really fun ABC books that are fun stories rather than the traditional “A is for Apple, B is for balloon” type books. These books were fun for all three kids (3, 6, 8 ) and several readers. They were also fun for the kids to look through on their own, enjoying the images.

I received On Becoming Fearless: …in Love, Work, and Life, by Ariana Huffington from her publishing company.. I really enjoyed reading it in short bursts – I kept it in my car to read while waiting for appointments, activities, etc. It’s a great read for right before you need to stick up for yourself (like at the dr’s office!). While it is inspiring, and an interesting read, I don’t think I’m quite the right audience – I already felt comfortable with the lessons she was trying to teach – I think I had OK parents and friends!

If you are currently in a situation that is uncomfortable, I do recommend On Becoming Fearless to help you feel fearless and comfortable in your own skin, and ready to stick up for yourself. All of the stories are inspiring, and each story resonated with me on some level. It is definitely worth reading – and Ariana is truly inspiring.

This book was received from the author for review.
Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant, by Christopher Grey is a wonderful novel written for the Young Adult market, but equally engrossing for adults. There are so many amazing Young Adult novels out there now – adults should not be overlooking the genre!

I have a hard time classifying this as fiction, as Grey researched the character of the servant Giacomo and based the events on notes in da Vinci’s notebooks. I guess it can go in the fiction section, but it should also be cross-referenced to the non-fiction section as well.

In this beautifully written novel, Grey explores the life of Leonardo da Vinci as seen through the eyes of his servant, Giacomo. Giacomo’s first person narrative focuses on the years in which DaVinci is due to paint the Last Supper. Da Vinci rescues Giacomo as a youngster from a mob who believes he is a thief. Giacomo remembers nothing of his prior life, and grows into a teenager as DaVinci’s servant, along with his cook.

Giacomo plays with the other local servants, but what he wants is to be apprenticed to DaVinci. Giacomo learns to draw in secret, and then tries to help da Vinci with the Last Supper so he can finish it before the Duke of Milan brings in another artist (like that upstart Michaelangelo!) tofinish the work.

I am incredibly saddened that I put off reading this book for a bit. I thought it would be one of those dull, dragging historical books. Now I’m recommending it to everyone – the characters simply leap off the page – you can almost imagine them walking around you. Leonardo’s Shadow doesn’t romanticize the unsavory parts of life in the 1400s – it has an incredibly realistic feel to it. The book also adds the bonus of showing us all sides of da Vinci – not just his impressive artwork. DaVinci has a temper, he is vain, and he is not perfect, even though his art is.

If you have an interest in Italy in the 1400s or in DaVinci, or simply wish to try out the amazing books that are now available in the Young Adult genre, I highly recommend reading Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant. A huge thumbs up, and major gratitude to author Christopher Grey for bringing it to my attention!

With young children in the house (our girls are 3, 6, and 8 ), we try to keep them away from the news. They are also sensitive and rather easily scared. However, sometimes you just can’t shield them from everything. We have friends in the military, friends whose dads are overseas, and a grandfather in the news business.

My girls are also fascinated with the American Girl dolls and books, and we are currently studying the American Revolution with our small homeschooling group. We had listened to the book on tape version of The Night Flyers (American Girl History Mysteries), and had briefly discussed other past wars and the current conflict. So, when the local librarian put out a display of war-themed books to honor Pearl Harbor Day, I picked up a few. We choose to focus on the homefront for now, as the front lines are too disturbing for the children in our house.

We introduced the subject with the book The War, by Anais Vaugelade. This is the story about a prince, two countries at war, and an attempt to end a long-standing war (”The war had lasted for so long that no one could remember why it had begun”). The title war is imaginary (it is between the reds and the blues, no real countries), but characters do die, so it is not treating the topic too lightly. This is overall a book that focuses on trying to get people together rather than continue a war, and the prince who doesn’t want to fight ends up as the hero. While this is not an easy subject to discuss, this book does an admirable job of assisting with the conversation. It definitely brought up several conversations here. The death in the book is sad but accidental, and it did not lead to nightmares, even with my very sensitive children.

Not long after listening to The Night Flyers, we read The Letter Home, by Timothy Decker is a simply illustrated book about a letter home from a father in WWI to his son. The boy waits for the letter, and the father (a WWI medic) writes home with postcard-sized sketches of his experience. The words are rather vague about the experience. You can either think of this as an invitation to explain more about WWI, a happy situation where you can sketch out as much as you feel comfortable about the messiness of war, or you can wait until your children are older and more able to understand the details of WWI that are danced around in the book. We chose the first two options, but can understand the third choice as well. It would be helpful to have some concept of WWI – but that can be detailed or simply an explanation of different technology. The idea of pigeon messengers instead of cell phones and email was a wonderful discussion in our house!

The next two books on the topic of war focus on the homefront of World War II – the first is more upsetting, the second more vague and heartwarming. I would suggest reading them in that order, as I’m not comfortable ending a reading session with an upsetting book.

We have friends whose grandmother was in one of the Interment Camps for Japanese Americans during WWII, and the book Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki and illustrated by Dom Lee is one of the few books I have seen on the subject. It isn’t a comfortable topic, but my children are very alert to discrimination, and were fascinated with this book. The book starts by explaining that the Camps weren’t like home or like overnight camp, but does so without going into sensational details. The narrator of Baseball Saved Us is a young boy who describes the situation – no one has a job or anything to do, so people are arguing. The boy’s father decides to build a baseball field, and others within the camp come together to work with him, as the man in the guardhouse watches. The narrator practices hard, and hits a home run, but it isn’t a pat ending. He goes back home from the Camp after the War, and he is still teased, but he manages to recreate some friendships through baseball.

Baseball Saved Us is a beautifully illustrated book about a disturbing topic. My daughters found it fascinating, and it is a book that would be of interest to boys and girls – especially any child who likes baseball! However, the subject matter is not an easy one, and while this is of great interest to adults, you need to be aware of how your children will react to the racism and teasing in the book. My kids were more worried about the boy being teased than anything else, but other children may take home a different message.

A much gentler discussion of the homefront during World War II is in Coming On Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis. In the book, the mother leaves her daughter with the grandmother to earn money. Their discussion brings up the racism of the time: “They’re hiring colored women in Chicago since all the men are off fighting in the war.” Ada Ruth (the young girl) writes letters to her mother as she waits with her grandmother and a kitten who has adopted them. She is disappointed each time the postman walks past their house without a letter from her mother, but her grandmother keeps her busy, and time passes. Finally the postman comes with a letter: “Money falling from it when Grandma steams it open and the first line – Tell Ada Ruth I’ll be coming on home soon“, and the joy in the face of the grandmother and Ada Ruth is enough to bring tears to your eyes.

All of these books will inspire conversation. Some of them will require explanations (ie: we don’t call people with dark skin colored now), and all are beautifully illustrated with words that spring to life. In our house, all of the children were interested in the books, but on different levels. The preschooler really just liked the pretty pictures. The eight year old was fascinated with the history, and the six year old picked up some from each level. Parts of the books were emotionally hard for me as the adult reader, but all were worth reading.

My daughters and I just finished a homeschool coop where we focused on the American Revolution. That sparked their interest in other historical times, and we have fed into with the American Girl historical novels and mysteries. In keeping with our “3 picture books and 1-2 chapters” bedtime routine, I’ve found some lovely historical chapter books. We had listened to Addy: An American Girl/Boxed Set (American Girls Collection) as an audiobook, and the girls have now become fascinated with the Civil War as well. We aren’t officially studying the Civil War, but we have found 3 lovely quilt books that describe 3 different ways quilts helped people during the Civil War. I’m interested in delving into more quilt history, myself after reading these!

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson was a Reading Rainbow book, and one can easily see why. The illustrations are beautiful, and the text flows clearly. This is based on a true story (something that is well appreciated in our house!), and describes a young slave who is taken from her home to a new plantation. She has a hard time in the fields, and she is rescued by another slave who brings her inside to sew with her. Once Sweet Clara is inside the house, she learns about escaping to freedom – and the perils of not knowing the way and getting caught. She starts collecting scraps, and she creates a quilt which acts as a map. The quilt shows the way from their plantation to the Ohio River, which will carry them up to Canada and freedom. This is a beautiful story, with the perfect mix of sad and sweet appropriate for a story about slavery.

Deborah Hopkinson also wrote Under the Quilt of Night, which has illustrations by James E. Ransome. This is another story of slaves and freedom, but rather than using the quilt as a map, these quilts help the slaves find the safe houses in the Underground Railroad. The story tells of a family escaping, from the point of view of a young girl. They are told to look for quilts that have been set out to dry – quilts are usually designed with red in the center of the pattern, but if the home is part of the Underground Railroad, the quilt will have black in the center. We were amazed – both by the wonder of the text and the beauty of the illustrations, but also by that new knowledge. We all went searching around our home for the myriad of quilts made for us, and it was true! They all had red or reddish centers if they had that type of pattern. Wow. Very cool book and information!

After reading about slaves escaping to freedom, I wanted to read a book about the white families involved in the Civil War. I didn’t want to read a book that glorified the war, just a simple book about how it affected regular people. I found that book in The Promise Quilt by Candice F. Ransome, Illustrations by Ellen Beier. When the war calls her father away from their farm in Virginia, Addie, her brother, and her mother try to make do – the soldiers take their food and damage their land, but they just wait and hope for father to return. The illustrations and text do an amazing job of showing the sadness in the little girl, but in a way that makes the listeners feel drawn into the story, not overwhelmed. There is one picture that stays in my mind – Addie is looking out the window into the rain, with the soldiers walking through their farm reflected in the glass.

Addie’s father dies in the war, and a woman in Pennsylvania sends them a letter and his red flannel shirt, which Addie wears to keep warm, and help her remember him. When it is time for school to start, they cannot because the soldiers burned down the building. Addie and her mother work together with the woman in Pennsylvania to arrange to raffle a quilt made by Addie’s mother to pay for schoolbooks and other supplies. This book shows the courage of the people in the rural areas whose land was trampled by solders in Grey and Blue, and the good that can happen when people from the North and South work together. Like in Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, the quilt Addie’s mother makes (called “Lee’s Surrender”) is a real quilt pattern. There are also a few pages at the end of the book which explain more about the Civil War and the setting of the book.

I highly recommend all 3 books. My 3 daughters (9, 7, 3 1/2) enjoyed all three as well, so they translate well to different ages. I will be going back to the library to get these books when we officially study the civil war, too!

You’ll want to check out our new quilt book review, plus homeschooling lesson ideas, too!

We loved these two books about cafes and food. Food plays a huge part in our life because we have celiac disease (we can’t eat wheat, rye, oats, & barley). I do all of our cooking, and we all enjoy reading about other people who aren’t exactly like everyone else. You might also want to check out our review of a book about a child with celiac disease.

The Peanut-free Cafe, by Gloria Koster, illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler is a beautiful book. We love Maryann Cocca-Leffler’s illustrations, and have enjoyed her book, Clams All Year, every summer. The Peanut-free Cafe is a story about a boy named Simon who loves peanut butter, as do all of his friends at the Nutley school, until a new friend comes to school who is allergic to peanut butter, and explains his EpiPen (a shot disguised in a pen-like form to help if an allergic person has a severe allergy attack) and explains that he needs to eat at a table that has no peanut butter.

The first day, Grant has a peanut-free table, he sits alone. But then his new friends come up with the idea of creating a “Peanut-Free Cafe” with snacks, arts & crafts, & entertainment. Even though Simon helped come up with the idea, and he really likes Grant, he thinks he can’t give up eating peanut butter sandwiches, even to go to the cafe. Simon is a picky eater, and will only eat 4 foods – for lunch, he always has peanut butter.

After watching his friends enjoy the Peanut Free Cafe for several days, Simon loses his appetite and asks his mother for something else. She gives him chili, as she hasn’t been able to get to the supermarket. There’s a happy ending – Simon is with his friends at the table, and Grant is happy and safe with the new Peanut-Free Cafe!

The Peanut-free Cafe is a great book for kids with allergies – it’s always wonderful to see your own differences accepted in a book! It’s also a great book for kids who are going to school or camp or other activities with children who have food allergies – it helps them and their parents understand the importance of respecting allergies.

Matilda’s Humdinger by Lynn Downey and illustrated by Tim Bowers is also about a cafe with a difference, but this time it’s a Diner,not a school. Matilda is a waitress with other things on her mind, and she doesn’t always serve everyone correctly or follow all any of the rules of waitressing, but while she’s waiting tables and working at the diner, her brain is cooking up stories.

When Matilda has finished cooking up a story, she enraptures the whole diner, and business booms as the residents come in droves to hear the story. Unfortunately, the Health Inspector comes, too, and tells Matilda she needs to follow the health code. When she’s scrubbing and concentrating on her work, she can’t cook up stories, and the customers miss the old Matilda.

The stories build up in Matilda, though, so when the Health Inspector comes back, Matilda pictures him as a sheriff, and the Diner owner (Burt) hurries her off into the back room. “Before she knew it, she’d finished a whole chapter of a Western called Gone with the Blazes. She just had to hear how it sounded, so she started reading it out loud.” Meanwhile, back in the diner, two masked men start holding up the Diner, and the Health Inspector is hiding under the table as the masked men point guns at the customers and Burt. Just then, when the Diner becomes silent, they hear a voice from the back room saying, “This is Sheriff Smuckley! Put yer hands up — we’ve got you surrounded!”, and Burt tackles them. Matilda hears the scuffle and comes from the back to help out.

After Matilda and Burt saved his life, the Health Inspector is willing to tear up their citations, AND give them an entertainment license as long as Matilda finishes the story! It’s a sweet ending to a sweet (without being cloying) book. The illustrations of the different animal characters – the Health Inspector as an alligator is perfect! – are wonderful, and show perfect expressions.

All three of my girls enjoyed these two books, and I would recommend them for girls and boys ages 3-9, they are both engaging stories with fun pictures and plots.