Tiny Treasury

I’ve been plowing through my books for review lately and I’ve noticed a trend: a number of them are place-specific, something that I got the feeling that the publishing companies generally avoided. But no, more and more, I’m noticing books about places - well, not necessarily “about” places but those that unabashedly reference a city, state or country by title or content. As a mom who travels, and who wants my children to understand more about the world around us, I love this idea.

So, this week, the focus is going to be on places. Stick around because I’ve got content on cities, countries - and oh yeah, stuff that’s out of this world!

And if you have a suggestion for a book that fits the bill, let me know in the comments below…

USA Today recently featured First Book, an organization which provides books to economically disadvantaged children, as one of 25 charities whose work it will celebrate throughout the year. I am a fan of First Book because I think it’s important to get a book into the hands of every child. Reading opens up worlds of possibilities.

It was interesting, then, to see the following comment posted on the site about First Book:

Books… should be provided for LEGAL CITIZENS OF THE U.S. ONLY.

Several comments after this one referenced that books should also only be provided in English - no Spanish or other languages. These comments clearly reflect a largely anti-Latino sentiment, though the argument is not limited to groups of Latinos or other Spanish speakers. They extend to those who speak Chinese, Russian, Persian and more.

I’m really struck by these comments and the larger picture of what they mean. I am an English speaker. English was, in fact, the only language spoken in my home when I was growing up. This wasn’t a choice - my parents were both English speakers and thus, so was I. I didn’t have exposure to any foreign languages until I was in the tenth grade, when I was offered a choice of French or Spanish in my local high school. I aced French but learned very little, really. My pronunciation was dreadful and when I transferred to another, more elite high school, I was forced to return to French I. In the end, it was a good thing. My French improved dramatically. In college, I went on to learn some Spanish (my pronunciation was similarly awful). But languages did not come easily to me, perhaps because of my lack of early exposure.

My children are not similarly situated. My husband, raised an English speaker, is fluent in German and English. While I speak only English to the children, my husband speaks German and English. My oldest daughter (age 5) has quite a nice vocabulary of German at this point. She has also learned some Spanish, both because of her Pre-K, but also due to a love for Dora the Explorer and Diego. As a result, my children have a mix of English, German and Spanish books at the house. They love all of them.

Children are little sponges. They soak up languages. When you get your first exposure to language, as I did, when you are older, it’s a much more difficult challenge to pick it up.

I guess this is why these comments strike me as odd. While I understand the importance of the English language in this country, why limit a child’s exposure to any language? According to ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools, reading to children in any language helps a child learn to read English. This is a win-win situation, right?

I recently received a copy of The Bilingual Edge: Why, When and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language. While I read through it over the next few days, I’m interested to hear your thoughts about second languages and books. Is is appropriate to have books available in more than one language? And is there something more okay about an English speaker having a German or Spanish book than a German or Spanish speaker having an English book? Tell me what you think!

And if you enjoyed this article, can you digg it?

immigration, First Book, English, Spanish, books, languages

John, Paul, George & Ben, that is.

I saw this book last week in Barnes and Noble and almost bought it. The illustrations were fantastic and the book jacket made me laugh out loud - how often does that happen with a kid’s book?

But I didn’t.

So imagine how ecstatic I was when I found out that my friend Madeline bought it for my daughter, Katie…

It’s so brilliant.

But then what did you expect from Lane Smith, who has illustrated, among other works, James and the Giant Peach and The Stinky Cheese Man? The illustrations are just - gosh. I can’t even explain. The whole book isn’t just drawn beautifully, it’s put together in a stunning manner - from the typeface to the color palette to the drawings. Amazing.

And the text? I’m not sure that the little ones (the jacket says from age 5 on) will get the humor evident from page to page, but that’s why I love it. It works in the same way that Monsters, Inc., or Cars does - there’s humor for the kids and then a more sophisticated humor for the parents. That’s what I love in a kid’s book.

It also has perspective. It is the abbreviated, down to earth stories of John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Ben Franklin and Tom Jefferson. Historical, entertaining, smart, funny. I’m a history major - and I learned something.

The jacket says “This is the story of five little lads before they become five really big Founding Fathers.” But… I thought that only four were mentioned in the title? That’s because the fifth - Tom (as in Jefferson) - was “annoying independent and hardly ever around.”

A truly great book, destined to be a classic. Buy it.

history, John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Lane Smith

In the interest of fair disclosure, I expected to like this book. For the last thirteen years, I have made my home in the great city of Philadelphia. And for a number of those years, I followed a columnist in the Philadelphia Inquirer - that columnist, John Grogan, went on to write a book called Marley and Me, which my husband read and loved. So, when I found out that John Grogan had written a kids’ version of his book about his dog, Marley, I figured that it had to be good. I was right.

The story of Bad Dog, Marley! is simple: family gets dog, dog drives family crazy, family decides to part with dog, family decides that dog is really part of the family. In fact, it’s pretty much a universal story, isn’t it? Not only is Clifford the Big Red Dog playing in the background as I write this (”Clifford always makes a mess”), but my own goofy black labrador was just chased out of the family room after knocking down a Legos statue that had taken quite a bit of time to put together…

You see, dogs, especially big family dogs are absolutely trouble. They will, like Marley, make messes and bark too loudly and chew on things. But, like Marley, my dog is inextricably a part of the family. And while I yell at him from time to time for tromping through my flower beds and drinking out of the toilet, at the end of the day, he is like one of my children. He would do anything for the children.

And so, as I read Bad Dog, Marley! to my children, they pointed at the illustrations (beautifully drawn by Richard Cowdrey). Charlie giggled and Amy solemnly explained what Marley was doing wrong (a lot!). But Amy also found a connection between Marley and Lyle (our dog) which was fun to talk about. She knows that Lyle, not unlike a certain little girl, gets into a lot of trouble even when he doesn’t mean to, but we love him anyway.

Mr. Grogan successfully transitioned an adult book (Marley and Me) into a children’s book (Bad Dog, Marley!) that’s bound to be a classic. The book reminds all of us that nobody is perfect (!) and that love is universal - even for our four-legged family members. I highly recommend picking up a copy for your family today.

John Grogan, Marley and Me, Bad Dog Marley, Richard Cowdry, dogs, children

A reader wants to know, “What is the best selling children’s book of all time?”

Okay, this is a much harder question than I thought it would be. According to Publishers Weekly, the top selling hardback book through the end of 2000 was The Poky Little Puppy.

1. The Poky Little Puppy, Janette Sebring Lowrey (1942)
2. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter (1902)
3. Tootle, Gertrude Crampton (1945)
4. Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1960)
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling (2000)
6. Pat the Bunny, Dorothy Kunhardt (1940)
7. Saggy Baggy Elephant, Kathryn and Byron Jackson (1947)
8. Scuffy the Tugboat, Gertrude Crampton (1955)
9. The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (1957)
10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling (1999)
11. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling (1999)
12. Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein (1974)
13. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss (1960)
14. The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (1964)
15. The Littlest Angel, Charles Tazewell (1946)
16. Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss (1963)
17. Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Dr. Seuss (1990)
18. Dr. Seuss’s ABC, Dr. Seuss (1960)
19. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J. K. Rowling (1998)
20. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (1969)

You can see the rest of the list of hardback best sellers here. (more…)

If you’re the mother of a toddler, this is a question that you hear more than once. At a certain age, it’s about “Why?”

Why is a pretty important question, though. You need to understand the “why?” behind facts. If you don’t ask the right questions - like why - you never get the bigger picture.

That’s why this web site, Just One More Book, is pretty cool. It’s a compilation of podcasts about favorite books and why they’re favorites. Stop by and check it out.

podcasts, children’s books

April is National Poetry Month.

You can celebrate with one of my favorite children’s poets, Shel Silverstein. On Shel’s site, you can play games, download wallpaper or screensavers and send an e-card especially for National Poetry Month. Check it out!

Shel Silverstein, National Poetry Month

I know, you’re totally thinking this is an April Fool’s Day thing because I don’t strike you as the princess type. I wasn’t. But then I had two little princesses of my own and that all changed.

The thing is, I used to be very anti-princess. I think that somewhere in my feminist soul, I thought that princesses were bad role models for girls, that they were simply silly and weak and caught up in their appearances. I was wrong.

There are a lot of good lessons to be learned in fairy tales, from princesses and godmothers and ogres: the triumph of good over evil, the merits of believing in dreams, the importance of friends. There are strong princesses and smart princesses, princesses who are good at taking care of others, princesses who love to read books - pretty much any kind of princess you can imagine - and now in any color (more on that later).

And so, without further ado, and with a wave of my wand, I’m announcing that the theme at Tiny Treasury this month is princesses. And to kick off the princess theme, we’re having a contest! From now until the end of the month, send me pictures of your little princess (or prince) and tell me in 100 words or less why he or she deserves to be Princess (or Prince) for a Day. I’ll post the picture of the winning entry on May 1.

Quick rules:

princess, contest

When I was at Tyler Arboretum a few weeks back, I picked up a copy of Jan & Michael Gertley’s The Family Garden. It was a super buy.

The Gertley’s book is designed for a 32′ x 32′ garden - not exactly an ideal layout for my urban garden. But the book’s projects are nicely divided so that you can choose one or more of the projects if you’re not inclined to do the entire garden.

My favorite project - and on my “to do” list for this summer - is the bean house. The bean house was also the first project that the Gerstleys developed for the book.

The bean house is a simple facade with a door, all scaled for children. The frame of the house is built with PVC piping and string. The sides of the house and the roof are bean plants trailed on the string. As the bean plants grow, the house becomes more enclosed. It has that whole “fort” feel for kids and looks lovely in the garden. I have the feeling that my kids are going to hide in it all summer…

Clearly, the project isn’t meant to be completely put together by children. But there’s lots of input that they can offer in terms of aesthetic and placement in the garden. In this respect, I guess The Family Garden isn’t a “children’s book” but it is the best kind of book for children: the kind that you can read together with your family.

Towards the end of the book is a list of projects specifically for children, including jack o’lanterns (we started ours from seed last week) and gourd birdhouses. There are also a number of recipes based on foods that you can grow in your garden like cupcakes with edible flowers and garden omelets. It’s important that children understand where their food comes from - and think about how smart they’ll feel at restaurants!

Whether you live in the city (like I do now) or in the country (where I grew up), there are plenty of garden projects in this book that can be adapted to fit your yard. Give it a whirl. Your kids will thank you for it.

garden, children

I’m a garden nut. I’ve always loved the idea of digging around in the dirt and making something pretty out of it. Gardening is, in that way, wildly satisfying.

As a kid, my other passion was reading. I was a reader. Morning, afternoon, evening. Under the covers, at the dinner table (despite protestations from Mom), in the living room, on the bus. It was so easy to get carried away by the wonder of words, to be transported to a different time and different place.

I think, perhaps, that the combination of those things is why I loved - no love - Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. It is, simply stated, one of the best children’s books ever.

The book centers around Mary, who after being orphaned (a theme in those Burnett books), is sent to England to live with relatives. Mary finds out about a walled garden, which is kept secret, due to a family tragedy. She is fascinated by the garden and decides to revive it herself. Over time, she recruits the help of others, including Colin, the sickly son of her uncle. As the garden becomes healthy and beautiful again, Mary, Colin and the others at the home find joy and health themselves.

I think we all love stories of redemption - those sad stories that have that moment when everything turns out to have a purpose, to happen for a reason - those stories when somehow you really believe that everything will turn out okay. It’s the stuff that classics like Anne of Green Gables, Charlotte’s Web and The Little Princess are made of.

As a child, I loved this story because, to me, it was filled with good things: flowers, beauty, love and hope. It was such a nice idea, this thought that working at one thing could yield such positive results. It was the ultimate makeover story.

I still love this story, even as an adult. My nanny bought the DVD for my children and I can’t wait to show it to them. I hope that some day that my children will love the book as much as I do. If I had to guess, I would peg my oldest for a fan. She is, even at the age of five, so introspective and thoughtful. She, too, loves to make things pretty and dig in the dirt (though, in contrast to me, she’s more fascinated in the worms than in the plants!).

If you haven’t yet shared it with your children, I’d encourage you to do so. And yeah, while you’re reading it to them, it’s okay if you crack a smile or two, as well.

Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

That’s right, even more Seuss birthday news: You can click here to send a birthday card for the Cat In the Hat (kids can virtually paint on the site, too!). Yep, in addition to this being Dr. Seuss’ actual birthday week, it’s the 50th birthday of one of his most beloved books. For every card received, Random House will donate a book to First Book, a non-profit whose mission is to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. It’s a cool project.

Once you send your card, the site gives you a count of the participants and also ranks your state’s participation. If you send a card, chime in to the comments below with the name of your state and the rank!

(and psst, don’t forget our contest!)

Each week, I’ve been asking my guest author or illustrator what their favorite books were growing up - the answers appear on the Friday Fifteen.

I’m also curious as to what you, my readers, think. What are your favorite books of all time? Post your favorites (then or now) in the comments below through the end of March. I’ll add up all of the responses and post the results in April. For kicks, I’ll compare our list to the NEA list for adults and kids. And best yet, I’ll review the top 20 books throughout the spring.

So, post away. This should be fun!

And to prevent “ballot stuffing” - Harry Potter fans, you know who you are! - please limit your favorites to ten.

top children’s books

Stuck in the car? Not sure what to listen to? Tired of Raffi? Swearing off Laurie Berkner? Getting the willies from the Wiggles? Consider an audio book. Yeah, yeah, I know. They can be expensive. Consider checking out books on CD from your public library or, better yet, download a chapter or two for free from librivox. No need to read that twice, I said free. Gratis. 免費. Gratuitement. 無料で. Gratuitamente. 무료로.

You can check out the children’s library at librivox available for download here, some available as updating podcasts!

(And psst, Mom, Dad, there’s more grown-up fare here.)

One of the things that you learn pretty early on as a parent is that each book that comes into your house has the potential to be the one - you know, the one that you read over and over again. And while I have a list of things that I like to consider when searching for a book, I will confess that “not annoying the parents” has jumped to the top of the list.

That’s why “Philadelphia Chickens” is such a favorite in our house.

I know what you’re thinking… I bought it because of the Philadelphia connection (I live and work in Philly). Well, half true. I bought it initially because it had Philadelphia in the title. And partly because it was Sandra Boynton (and who doesn’t love Sandra Boynton)? But sometimes those gut instincts turn out to be spot on. This one sure was.

The book is a compilation of songs and drawings. The book can be stand-alone but is much more fun when you listen to the accompanying CD. The songs on the CD are performed by such artists as Laura Linney, Eric Stoltz, Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, Scott Bakula, Natasha Richardson, Patti LuPone, the Bacon Brothers (though daughter Amy refers to them jointly as “Kevin Bacon”) and a whole bunch of Boyntons. I even have some of the songs on my iPod, perfect for drives in the car when other kids’ music won’t do.

Not in the mood to listen to the CD? The lyrics in the book do double duty as poems with the kind of illustrations that you’ve grown to know and love with Sandra Boynton. For the musically inclined, the sheet music is printed at the back.

My daughter, Katie, gives it five pages out of five (her highest rating) claiming that the best thing about the book is “the Philadelphia song” (you can hear a snippet here - requires free RealPlayer) With lyrics like, “Poultry in motion is a beautiful thing”, how can you disagree?

Sandra Boynton, Philadelphia Chickens, Bacon Brothers

Running Press Publications announced this week that they have acquired the primary PEANUTS children’s publishing license from United Media, the agency that syndicates and licenses PEANUTS by Charles M. Schulz. The deal will result in a line of a novelty children’s books focusing on the PEANUTS comic strip and popular television specials. The first in line is a 2007 fall release of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

For the complete press release, click here.

Charlie Brown, Peanuts, Charles Schulz