East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck has been a favorite author of mine since I read Of Mice and Men in high school. Since moving to California it has been a treat to read more of his books and to connect the landscapes he writes about with an area that we are gradually becoming familiar with. I have been reading East of Eden off and on over the last two months and finished it earlier today. In East of Eden, Steinbeck delves deeply into the concepts of good and evil. Good and evil appear to be relatively clearly defined initially in the book but as the story develops it becomes more and more clear that those boundaries are fuzzy; characters conceived of in one way early on change markedly over the course of the novel. Throughout I really enjoyed the writing but was put off initially by some of the characters who felt a bit two dimensional. Steinbeck's approach is very deliberate throughout though and the apparent clarity early on sets the stage for what follows. I realize I sound a bit like a literary critic here but am simply trying to give the gist without giving anything away. Definitely recommended.

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran

This story is very reminiscent of our daughter Lena's school. The kids invent a special place called Roxaboxen, complete with ice cream shops and traffic cops, where they spend their days at play. Lena says she likes how they make so many houses.

The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments by Arnold Lobel

"Long ago there were no colors in the world at all." So begins Arnold Lobel's story about a wizard who invents colors. A really sweet book.

Mr. Mead and his Garden by John Vernon Lord

Mr. Mead loves to garden but is constantly struggling with slugs and snails. His solution is to throw them over his garden wall until his neighbors begin to complain about the mountains of invertebrates. With the help of a crow Mr. Mead comes up with a solution to lure his unwanted companions to a new home. Great illustrations and story.

Lobster Moths by Diane Redfield Massie

This is a really really cute children's book about a scientist who studies lobster moths and his cat who likes to eat them. The two friends go through a metamorphosis that leads them into a host of troubles. The illustrations are great and the story really fun. Can't wait to look for more at the library by Diane Massie!

Where water comes together with other water by Raymond Carver

This last weekend we spent a fantastic day along Pescadero Creek in the Santa Cruz mountains. Our time along the water reminded me of a favorite poem of mine by Raymond Carver and when we came back I dug it up. It is copied below, in part to remind me to track down the collection next time we're at the library or bookstore.

where water comes together with other water
by raymond carver

I love creeks and the music they make.
And rills, in glades and meadows, before
they have a chance to become creeks.
I may even love them best of all
for their secrecy. I almost forgot
to say something about the source!
Can anything be more wonderful than a spring?
But the big streams have my heart too.
And the places streams flow into rivers.
The open mouths of rivers where they join the sea.
The places where water comes together
with other water. Those places stand out
in my mind like holy places.
But these coastal rivers!
I love them the way some men love horses
or glamorous women. I have a thing
for this cold swift water.
Just looking at it makes my blood run
and my skin tingle. I could sit
and watch these rivers for hours.
Not one of them like any other.
I'm 45 years old today.
Would anyone believe it if I said
I was once 35?
My heart empty and sere at 35!
Five more years had to pass
before it began to flow again.
I'll take all the time I please this afternoon
before leaving my place alongside this river.
It pleases me, loving rivers.
Loving them all the way back
to their source.
Loving everything that increases me.

Singing Shijimi Clams by Naomi Kojima

Vanessa, Leon & Izze just sent this great book to us. I was sold before even opening the cover - c'mon it's about clams for crying out loud! It turned out to a be a really cute book about an aging witch and her cat who attempt to make miso soup with clams but are dissuaded by the sound of the peaceful snoring of the clams. When the clams finally awake they are quite upset to not to be at home, and so the gang works all together to raise money to get them back safe and sound.

SurLaLune Fairy Tales

A great website on all things fairy tale-related (including illustrations, annotated versions, etc.): http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/.

Thanks Mom for passing along this link!

Festus & Mercury

A few months ago at the library we stumbled upon the book "Ruckus in the garden" by Sven Nordqvist and were immediately captivated. The story of a funny man and his equally funny talking cat who attempt repeatedly to grow a garden of vegetables and meatballs while plagued by a variety of animal hazards was hilarious and the illustrations equally fantastic.

Since then we've read a number of books by this Swedish author and have loved all of them (particularly "When Findus was little and disappeared" pictured on the left). Admittedly our relationship is at times strained: Lena loves them so much that it is not uncommon for her to ask for the same book each night at bedtime for days on end. They are really wonderful though and highly recommended.

One small warning: in the first book that we read the man's name was translated as "Festus" and the cat as "Mercury". In translations of other books the man has gone by "Pettson" and the cat by "Findus". In our house it has been slightly hard to give up our dear friends Festus and Mercury and so Morgan and I have become adept at translating Pettson and Findus into their alternative names (quite a feat when very sleepy, but Lena keeps us on task). Here are several of the ones we've read and recommend (unfortunately openlibrary doesn't have covers for many of them so you'll have to take our word on the great illustrations):

Ruckus in the garden
Festus and Mercury attempt to plant a garden of vegetables and meatballs respectively but face one set back after another.

When Findus was little and disappeared
Festus tells his cat the story of how they came to live together and how when Mercury was small he was lost and scared by a badger.

The fox hunt
We've only gotten this one out from the library once but it is fantastic. Festus and Mercury attempt to outfox a fox (and end up outfoxing a fox hunter as well).

Pancakes for Findus
On Mercury's birthday the tradition is to always make pancakes (Lena's favorite breakfast!) yet a couple hurdles arise which result in some outlandish behavior that raises the eyebrows of the neighbors.

Wanda Ga'g

Here's an author that Paul grew up with that I don't remember at all from my childhood. Wanda Ga'g is among the illustrators credited with "reinventing" the modern picture book. Her art is like nothing I've ever seen in a children's book. The full-page spreads hold even young children rapt despite being printed entirely in black and white. The stories are all wonderfully strange (compared to the standard picture book) and make good use of repetition and rhyming.

She is most famous for Millions of Cats, a story about a man who goes out to find a cat but has trouble choosing. So, he brings home "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats."

But I think my favorite is Gone is Gone (or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to Do Housework). It's an old Bohemian story that she remembered hearing as a girl. Not finding it in Brothers Grimm, she decided to write it down the way she remembered it complete with some vernacular. It's a familiar theme but the way she tells it is so sweet and so funny. Poor Fritzl blunders around exclaiming "Na, na! What's gone is gone" after every chore ends in ruin. And wise Liesi wraps it all up (after Fritzl cries uncle) by declaring, "Well then, if that's how it is, we surely can live in peace and happiness for ever and ever."

For illustrations, I think I like Snippy and Snappy the best. You can actually see the whole thing (in a pretty chopped up format) at Project Gutenberg. The illustrations match the text so beautifully.

Why evolution is true by Jerry Coyne

Jerry Coyne's 2009 book "Why evolution is true" is an engaging presentation of the abundant evidence for evolution drawn from a diversity of fields that include genetics, paleontology, biogeography, developmental biology, etc. etc. The book is chock full of great examples and is really nicely written.

Wise Child and Juniper

If you are looking for a great young adult read, I highly recommend Monica Furlong's books Wise Child and Juniper (there is apparently a sequel called Colman that I have not read). I fell in love with these books 20 years ago at age 10, and am still a huge fan today, having just re-read them on a whim last month. These books follow Wise Child and her guardian Juniper and are set in Cornwall in the Dark Ages. In Wise Child, Juniper becomes guardian to Wise Child after her grandmother passes away (her father is off at sea and her mother has abandoned her). Juniper is the healer, midwife, and witch of a small village. Under Juniper's mentorship, Wise Child learns all about herbs, healing, astronomy, reading, and magic. The acceptance of witchcraft by the village is challenged, however, as Maeve (Wise Child's real mother... a dark sorcerer) returns. The book culminates in a trial of Juniper for witchcraft. The book is beautifully written and an intriguing description of historical healing techniques and ways of life. While it is not quite a coming of age story, it is definitely a tale of self realization and follows wonderful female heroines. Juniper, while written after Wise Child, is a prequel and follows Juniper at a younger age as she trains to be a Doran. While my personal favorite is the book Wise Child, Juniper too offers a compelling story, beautiful writing, and an inspiring heroine.

The Pink Refrigerator by Tim Egan

Dodsworth the mouse is living a rather uninspired life, running his junk shop and watching some shows on the tube, when he stumbles upon a magical pink refrigerator in the junkyard that engages him in a variety of life-changing adventures. A really cool book. Tim Egan has written some other favorites of ours (e.g., Roasted Peanuts and Serious Farm).

Amos & Boris by William Steig

Amos & Boris is another all time favorite of mine. It is the story of a mouse (Amos) and a whale (Boris) who meet under unfortunate circumstances and become dear and supportive friends. I love William Steig's writing, both for his choice of words and story lines and his commitment to tackling issues like mortality, loneliness, and aspiration. Here is one succulent excerpt: "One night, in a phosphorescent sea, he marveled at the sight of some whales spouting luminous water; and later, lying on the deck of his boat gazing at the immense, starry sky, the tiny mouse, Amos, a little speck of a living thing in the vast living universe, felt thoroughly akin to it all." Highly recommended!

Elisa Klevin

We have enjoyed Elisa Klevin's artwork in many books but it was just recently that we discovered that the books she has written herself are truly extraordinary. They are filled with characters who live art and you get the sense that it must have been a pretty interesting time growing up with Elisa's family. Must-have books for a family that is trying to foster craftiness.

The Puddle Pail is a story about Ernst, a crocodile whose brother encourages him to begin collecting things (stones, feathers, bottle caps...the brother is truly compulsive!) Ernst is every bit as interested in the world around him but he doesn't want to lock it up, he delights in watching things change and interact. He finally decides to collect puddles but he quietly refuses to do it "the right way". An astounding story about a beautiful dreamer. Lena has been asking to read it again and again and I've been happy to oblige.

The Apple Doll is the story of another dreamer who spends her time playing alone in her apple tree until it's time to start school. Lizzie picks the best apple and makes it into a crude doll to take to school with her but the kids tease her and the doll begins to go soft. One of the noteworthy things about this book is that Lizzie's family is very supportive of her - even her older sister who suggests that she could plant her aging doll and let it grow into a new apple tree. Together they think of a way to save Lizzie's doll and she is able to share it with her classmates and begin to make friends.

One last book that we've read but she has many others which I know we'll be keeping our eyes out for. I think we jumped into this one mid-stream as I see now that there are other Paper Princess books, but it didn't matter. The paper princess is a paper doll lovingly created and treasured by a girl who is now growing up. She puts her on the dresser for safe keeping but the paper princess does not want to be shelved. The Paper Princess Finds Her Way is the story of her journey to find a new home.

The Island of the Skog by Steven Kellogg

A group of mice set sail in search of a peaceful island but are unsure what to do when they read in the atlas that the island they find is populated by one skog (no one knows what a skog is). Bring it a present or fire the cannons?

I might need to start a new tag called 'mythical creatures'. This is definitely one of Lena's favorite genres. I think she really likes to be surprised by a story. And she loves stories that are a little bit scary but have funny endings. We took this book to school to read after nap and she got very animated telling the other kids about the skog but she didn't spill the beans about the surprise ending! All the kids loved it. Parents will appreciate the Utopian premise of the story and the sarcastic comments that go along with it: "here we can all *feel* like kings, and that's the most important part of being king, as everyone knows."

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon

Sara Varon's wordless graphic novel about the experiences of two friends (a dog and robot) has been a mainstay for our family for over a year. This story is so rich and full of humor, beauty and melancholy. It is one of only a few books we have that doesn't have words and it is the only one in that vein that we reread frequently. While not written specifically with children in mind (I don't think it was, at least), it has definitely been a hit with our 2.5 year old daughter as well as us. We have checked out one of Sara Varon's other books (Chicken and cat) and that was also great.

Ladybug Girl by David Somar and Jacky Davis

Ladybug Girl is all about a little girl and her adventures. "Feeling as BIG as the whole outdoors, Lulu stretches out her arms and flies down the hill with her wings bobbing behind her" - has got to be one of my favorite lines! Very sweet and beautifully written. I know we are going to enjoy the rest of the series...

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

My husband reminded me that we LOVE this book too. I had completely forgotten about this book. It is all about a girl who doesn't think she can draw. Her teacher asks her to just start with a "dot" and see where it takes her.

The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke and Kerstin Meyer

The book, The Princess Knight was an interesting find. It is a book about a girl who fights against the traditional "classic" princess role that her father wants to play and shows her family that she can make decisions for herself.

Friendship Valley by Wolo Von Trutzschler

In future posts, I promise I will contribute recommendations about books that feature strong female human characters.But I would be remiss in not mentioning this book - all about a group of animals (male & female) who come together as a family to thrive and flourish after a terrible fire destroys all of their homes. The lead character, Dorinda the squirrel is the one who saves them all and brings them together.

Odd Velvet by Mary E. Whitcomb

Odd Velvet by Mary E. Whitcomb was an unexpected find. We have read another book, illustrated by the same artist - Tara Calahan King which is still one of my daughter's favorite books. Odd Velvet is about a girl who doesn't quite fit in because she simply does things differently than her classmates. By the end of the book, her classmates realize that doing things differently is a good thing.

Open Library

You may have noticed that we've been linking to Open Library from our book reviews. Open Library is a project of the Open Archives Initiative that seeks to create one web page for every book ever published. Why? You can get so much more from Amazon, right? Sort-of. But you can't locate the book in a local library (WorldCat) and you can't support independent bookstores or fund public libraries in Bolivia (biblio.com).

We're also using Open Library to import book covers:
http://openlibrary.org/dev/docs/api/covers

Check it out!

Love Soup by Anna Thomas

We promised this blog wouldn't be just kids books. So, here's a cookbook that has been in constant rotation at our house lately. The recipes in this book are downright extraordinary. I thought I had found the ultimate soup book when I got Deborah Madison's soup book. I still credit her for teaching me how to cook wild rice but her soups mostly rely on tons of dairy and/or flour to get thick and rich. But Anna Thomas is a wizard, pure and simple. At first you'll groan about how she asks you to season and saute ingredients separately (it's not unusual to use two skillets in addition to the soup pot). But what this does is let you stew some of the ingredients to thick soupiness while sealing flavor into each tasty morsel of the ingredients that have been sauteed on the side and added at the end. And there will actually be combinations you haven't thought of before (squash and red lentil, pickle soup with mushrooms!)

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

illustrated by John Schoenherr
This book falls into the genre of ambiguously gendered main characters - something I approve of heartily. I was once so disappointed by a book whose main character I was certain was a girl only to be shown the face on the last page and discover it was a boy!

This is a beautiful story about a child who walks quietly into the woods with her father to try to call an owl. This is something her older brothers have told her about and she knows there are things she has to do which will be hard but she's very excited to finally be able to participate in this right of passage. The illustrations perfectly capture the atmosphere of a snowy moonlit night and there are animals hidden in the shadows on most of the pages.

Katy and the big snow by Virginia Lee Burton

Virginia Lee Burton's illustrations are totally captivating for kids - I think it's something about their organic roundness. Adults will love their charming vintage feel. Lena loves this book and also The Little House by the same author. One of the coolest things about this book is that the city is laid out in a two-page map spread early in the story and then as it progresses, you move in and out exploring the city at different scales and cardinal directions. A great introduction to thinking about the world from a map perspective.

Pancakes for supper! by Anne Isaacs

illustrated by Mark Teague
Toby gets lost in the forest and barters with all the wild animals to secure her escape. The story is highly implausible but don't let that deter you! All the animals speak in deliciously wicked rhymes:

"Girl for dinner! Crunchy! Good!
Roasted on a stack of wood-
Or should I stew her? Yes, I should!
Crunchy fingers! Crunchy feet!
Dipped in honey-very sweet!"

When Agnes caws by Candace Fleming

illustrated by Giselle Potter
This is a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek tale about a young girl who can call any bird. She is sent to the peaks of the Himalayas in search of the rare pink footed duck and pursued by a villain who wants the bird for himself (stuffed, of course). The book is filled with ridiculously silly bird calls and I at least have a lot of fun hamming them up.

Elena's serenade by Campbell Geeslin

illustrated by Ana Juan
Ana Juan is one of our most favorite illustrators (and a terrific author as well) - the kind that makes wonderful art but also seems to consistently team up with terrific authors. This is a beautiful plucky girl story in the magical realism tradition. Little Elena runs away from home and travels to Monterrey where she hopes to learn to blow glass like her father. Along the way she discovers she has a special talent.

Clever Beatrice and the best little pony by Margaret Willey

illustrated by Heather M. Solomon
This is the story of a young girl determined to figure out who is riding her pony at night and put a stop to it. She enlists the help of the village baker who suggests it is probably a lutin - a tiny little man known for making mischief. The baker, having no ideas of his own for how to help Beatrice, "puts his big brain to work" on the problem while Beatrice quietly plants one idea after another in his head. Don't worry, we're all in on this joke, and in the end Beatrice takes matters into her own hands. The illustrations are rich and alive with detail. The mischievous lutin who sews sleeves closed and turns pots and pans upside down is irresistible to the young child.

I feel somewhat sheepish having this be the first book in my "books about girls" list. There is no doubting that it has made a HUGE impression on my daughter Lena. But, it is the lutin (not Beatrice) that has taken on a life of his own (we've named him Pierre). Not a day goes by without a request for a lutin story. Pierre comes to Lena's house and plays with her toys; Pierre goes to the cactus garden and sits on a cactus; Pierre makes cookies out of sand, mustard and flower petals...the possibilities are endless!

Picture books about girls

One of the original motivations for starting this blog was an evening spent surfing the Web looking for picture books for girls. I found anti-princess lists, feminist lists, anarchist lists - all noble causes. But, I was looking to address something more elemental: when you really stop and take stock, most picture books are about boys.

There are a lot of values I hope to instill in my daughter. That girls and boys are equally worth knowing and talking about is high on that list. Beyond that, girls shouldn't have to be princess-perfect or super hero-powerful, boyfriend-shunning or anarchist to be the main character. I just want good books that portray girls as the central character warts and all - just like the best books about boys. I saw comments on the aforementioned lists that sons didn't like the books that were "for girls". Hopefully the books listed here will be just as compelling for boys as "Where the Wild Things Are" is for my daughter.

I'll get a start on some of our favorites now, but this will be a running list: books about girls

Welcome

Recently we discovered that the town where we live (Palo Alto, CA) has a library devoted to children's books and now every couple weeks we bike there and load up on 30 or more that we bring home and devour over the days and nights with our daughter, Lena. Many of the books are good, some are spectacular, and some are a bit unbearable. Some come recommended from friends, others are one's we remember from childhood, some have enticing titles or covers, and others are simply grabbed en route to the check-out.

These recent reading excursions were the original inspiration for this blog. Beyond this, however, was a desire to share books of all kinds with our friends and family. We love to learn what others are reading and to explore people's bookshelves while on our travels. In our house we have a bookshelf with rows devoted to our favorites - those books we love to send out in the world with friends, welcome back, and send out again. Our hope is that this blog will be a bit like those shelves, where we can all share with each other those books that grab us.

Given the number of books we read with Lena, our posts will be skewed towards kids books, though not entirely. This is a forum for people to share books of all kinds - poetry books, cookbooks, novels, novelas, nonfiction, fiction, picture books, graphic novels, zines, field guides, etc. - whatever grabs you is fair game. That's what we want and we hope you'll jump in.