Hop To It!

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Hop To It!

I draw a square
on top of a square
on top of a square
with chalk.

The stone has fling
my step has spring
I hop and I hop and
I hop.

~ Monica Kulling

This poem brings a smile to my face. :) It reminds me of all the fun I used to have playing hopscotch when I was little.  I recently taught my seven-year-old Ben how to play -- he loves to hop and hop and hop!

2012 Banned Books Week: Picture Books

Image courtesy of the
American Library Association

Today begins the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week. According to Wikipedia, this annual event "not only encourages readers to examine challenged literary works, but also promotes intellectual freedom in libraries, schools, and bookstores."  Last year I shared some of my favorite banned/challenged picture books and books for older children.  I've spent the past few weeks reading (and re-reading) several more books that have been banned or challenged over the years.  I will share some middle grade and young adult novels later this week, but today I will focus on picture books:

The Giving Tree,

written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein, 1964

I wrote about this book, one of my favorites since I was a young girl, in a previous post.  This one has been challenged because some people consider it to be sexist.  I disagree.

***

The Amazing Bone,

written and illustrated by William Steig, 1976

Pearl the pig finds and befriends a talking bone.  When a fox captures her and takes Pearl home for his next meal, the crafty bone helps her to escape.

This book has been banned for "graphic and detailed violence".  At one point in the story, three highway robbers jump out at Pearl, brandishing pistols and daggers, and one of them points a gun at her head.  The fox also sharpens his knife, preparing to have Pearl for dinner.

I have vague memories of reading this story when I was a young girl.  It's a strange tale, true, but not any scarier than most fairy tales in my opinion.  It also contains quite a bit of humor.

***

Crow Boy,

written and illustrated by Taro Yashima, 1955

In his classroom in a small Japanese village, Chibi is an outcast.  He is quiet and shy; the other children tease him and call him names.  After several years of this treatment, a teacher, Mr. Isobe, takes an interest in Chibi and discovers the boy's special talent.  Soon everyone at school learns to appreciate and accept Chibi's differences.

This book has been challenged because it supposedly "denigrates white American culture, promotes racial separation, and discourages assimilation".

I found this to be a touching story, one that encourages kindness and acceptance.  I read it with Ben, my seven-year-old, and it prompted a discussion afterwards about how we should treat others.  He thought the beginning of the book was sad (it is), but he loved the ending, just as I did.

***

Strega Nona,

written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola, 1975

Strega Nona, or "Grandma Witch", mixes up potions and cures for the people in her village.  Then one day Big Anthony discovers that she has a magical cooking pot that can instantly make pasta.  When Strega Nona leaves home to visit a friend, Big Anthony decides to use the pot and boils up some instant trouble instead.

Apparently, this picture book has been challenged in the past because it "contains supernatural content and presents magic as being good".  (To which I respond: It's a fairy tale, people!)

Ben and I both loved this book, the story and the pictures. Big Anthony's troubles left Ben giggling for several minutes after we finished reading it!

***

Uncle Bobby's Wedding,

written and illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen, 2008

Chloe loves to spend time with her Uncle Bobby; he is very special to her.  When Uncle Bobby and Jamie announce that they are getting married, Chloe is worried that her uncle won't have time for her any more.  Luckily, she soon discovers that their marriage only means that she will now have TWO special uncles who adore her.

People have challenged this book for being "specifically designed to normalize gay marriage".

I thought this was a very sweet story.  (So did Ben.)  It focuses on Chloe's relationship with her uncle, not on his same-sex marriage.  In fact, the first time we read through it, Ben didn't even realize that Jamie was male.  I had to point that out to him.  (And once I did, he was completely accepting of it.  As I've mentioned before, we have openly gay loved ones in our lives.  In our house, a book that "normalizes gay marriage" is a good thing.)  

I had talked with Ben earlier about Banned Books Week -- what it means to ban or challenge a book and why I disagree with banning books.  (I also explained that I believe parents have the right to decide if a book is appropriate for their child or not.)  When I told him, after reading it, that people had tried to ban this book, he was flabbergasted!

***

The Story of Little Black Sambo,

written by Helen Bannerman (1899)

and illustrated by Christopher Bing, 2003

A young boy outwits a group of voracious tigers, who end up turning themselves into butter (which Sambo's father collects for the family's pancakes).

This story has been challenged many times over the years since Bannerman wrote it.  Half a century after it was first published, "the word 'sambo' was deemed a racial slur". Additionally, in the original book, the illustrations (also by Bannerman) were seen as "hurtful, stereotypical caricatures".

When I was a little girl, we had a Sambo's restaurant in town.  The walls inside were painted with murals inspired by the story.  I loved going there for pancakes, and loved the fantastical tale, as well.  I had no idea at the time that there was such controversy over the name and the story.  This version of the book, illustrated by Bing, is filled with vivid, beautiful pictures.  The endpapers contain some history behind the story and the controversy.  I think it provides a great opportunity to talk about these things with our kids.

***

In the Night Kitchen,

written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, 1970

Young Mickey falls asleep and dreams that he falls down into "the night kitchen" where bakers, working on some cake for morning, mistake him for milk. (How, I'm not quite sure!) Mickey manages to escape, then helps the bakers by flying up to the Milky Way for a cup of milk.

"Nudity" is the reason cited for this picture book being challenged.  Yes, Mickey (a cartoonish-looking boy) is shown naked in a few of the scenes, facing both forwards and backwards.  He is not drawn in explicit detail.

This was my first time ever reading this book, even though it's almost as old as I am.  I found the story a bit odd, but I can understand why kids -- including Ben -- like it so much. Besides, dreams usually are a bit odd.   I also think all the fuss over the nudity is quite silly.

***

Where's Waldo?,

written and illustrated by Martin Handford, 1987

Waldo travels around the world, encountering crowds of people and objects.  Readers are invited to search for Waldo and the possessions he loses along the way.

The original version of this book was challenged because "in a beach scene, there is a woman who is topless."  The woman in question is less than one inch tall, is lying on her stomach, and seen from one side.  In the version I checked out from the library (a "special edition" from 1997), a bikini top has been added to the woman. 

This book doesn't have much of a story -- it is more of a game.  The very detailed pictures are fun to look through.  Ben was thrilled when I brought it home; he loves this kind of thing!

***

Halloween ABC,

written by Eve Merriam

and illustrated by Lane Smith, 1987

Twenty-six delightfully wicked poems by Merriam combine with Smith's spooktacular illustrations to create a Halloween book worth howling about.

Apparently, some people have challenged this book because they believe it "promotes satanism, murder, and suicide".  I think they read a different book than I did!  (Or, perhaps, they didn't read it at all.)

I do agree that some younger kids (and maybe some older ones) might find this book to be too creepy.  However, our family loves Halloween.  We have a tradition of watching the movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas" every October 31st. Anyone who loves that movie is sure to love this book as well.  I know I do!  I've heard about this book for years, but our library doesn't carry it, so I had never read it.  I finally decided to order it for myself last month, and I'm so glad I did!  It is sure to become a classic at our house. :)

***

What are some of your favorite banned or challenged picture books?  I hope you'll join me this week in re-reading some old favorites or trying a new banned/challenged book... or both!

Enchantment

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

Enchantment

On warm summer nights
the porch becomes our living room
where Mama takes her reading
and Dad and I play games
in the patch of brightness
the lamp scatters on the floor.
From the darkness, others come --
small round bodies
clinging to the screens
which separate us
from the yard beyond.
Drawn to our light,
the June bugs watch our games
and listen to our talk till bedtime
when Mama darkens the porch
and breaks the spell
that holds them close to us.

~ Joanne Ryder

I love the images in this poem -- a family gathered together in a porch at evening time and the June bugs watching them through the screen, enchanted.  Our family doesn't have an enclosed porch, but sometimes in the summer we sit out on our patio, gathered around a fire, roasting marshmallows, talking, and laughing.  June bugs often cling to our screen door under the porch light -- maybe they've been watching and listening to us, too!  What images come to your mind when you think of summer evenings?

Boredom Busters

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

Personally, I could read and write all day long -- and never get bored -- but I know some kids and adults like to take a break from reading and writing once in awhile. :)  If you're looking for something fun to do this summer, maybe when it's raining or it's just too hot to play outside,  I listed several word-related games that our family enjoys on a previous post (here), and thought I'd share a few more of them today:

Scrabble Crossword Cubes Game...

Listed for ages 10 and up, this game can be played as solitaire or competitively, by any number of players.  It doesn't look like Crossword Cubes Game is still manufactured or sold in stores, but I checked, and it can be found for sale online.  (I picked up our well-worn game box at a garage sale one time.)

Consisting of 14 cubes (with a letter on each side), a cup, and a timer, this game is simple -- shake the cubes in the cup, toss, then form words with the letters on top of the cubes before the time is up, across and down, crossword-style.  Each letter used has a score; just add them up to see who wins the round!

Bananagrams...

Two to seven players (ages 7 and up) can play this game.  (There is also a single player version.)  Drawing from 144 letter tiles, players make their own connecting and intersecting words until all the tiles have been used.  Players do not take turns, but play independently and at the same time.  Words can be rearranged as desired.  There are other rules as well (specific times to call out "Split!" or "Peel!", among other things), but this is the basic game, in a nutshell (er... banana peel).

Rory's Story Cubes...

Our family received this game just a few months ago, and I took the photo above the day we got it.  It has since been opened and played many times! :)  For one or more players, this game is listed for ages 8 and above -- but my 6-year-old loves to play it as well.  According to the creators, Rory's Story Cubes consists of "9 cubes, 54 images, 10 million combinations, and unlimited stories."  Just roll the dice, then use the images to inspire a creative story, either told individually or through group effort.  There are no winners or losers in this game, just lots of imagination and fun!

Mad Libs...

Mad Libs are tablets of short stories, with key words replaced by blanks (and a label telling what kind of word should go there: adjective, noun, exclamation, verb, etc.)  There are many different versions available, including Christmas Mad Libs, Vacation Mad Libs, Star Wars Mad Libs, and Sports Mad Libs... just to name a few!

To play a game, one person looks through the tablet, picks a story, then tells the other players what kinds of words are needed for the blanks, writing each one down in its spot. Any number of people can play, of any age (though younger kids may need explanations about the various parts of speech). When the story is completely filled in, the writer reads the story aloud.  Generally, lots and lots of laughter will ensue! :)

My friends and I used to play Mad Libs in elementary school, especially when it was raining or really cold outside and we had recess indoors.  This is also a perfect game for the car -- we take at least one tablet along on all of our family trips!  You can also play online at the website, It's a Mad Libs World!


The creators of Mad Libs also made this:

Mad Libs Card Game...

This card game is for two to six players, ages 8 and up.  Players draw 10 cards, each with a word on it, either a noun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb, or a "wild card".  Players then use their cards and try to create grammatically correct (though probably silly!) sentences.


If you want to play a game, but don't have anyone else around to play with, some of the games above do have solitaire versions.  There are also many books with one-player word games inside them.  I checked these two middle-grade books out from the library, and there was a whole shelf of others besides (as well as word game books for young adult and adult readers):

Word Teasers, 

written by Dympna Hayes and Melanie Lehmann 

and illustrated by Jeff Dickson, Shane Doyle, 

and Jodi Shuster, 1987

This book is filled with a wide variety of games and activities -- words to unscramble, finding the word that doesn't belong in a list of words, secret codes to solve, silly riddles, and tongue twisters.

Too Hot to Hoot:

Funny Palindrome Riddles,

written by Marvin Terban 

and illustrated by Giulio Maestro, 1985

If you are amused by palindromes and other word play, this book is for you!  It is filled with palindrome riddles (starting out easy, but then getting longer and harder), phrases, sentences, and even palindromic numbers.  In one section of the book, Terban also explains the stories behind three famous palindromes.

You may recall that I issued myself a challenge at the beginning of the month, to write at least one new poem each day in June.  I've met my goal so far -- yay!  One of the poems I wrote earlier this week was about playing a board game; I thought it would be appropriate to share it here:

Fun and Games

You say you’re bored?

Let’s play a game!

Entertainment:

Our goal and aim.

Pick one from the

Game closet there –

I like them all

So I don’t care

Which one we play.

Oh, that one’s good!

Lay the board flat,

Please, if you would.

Choose your marker;

I’ll take this one.

You can go first.

Let's have some fun!

Taking turns now,

Spin the spinner.

Move the pieces –

Who’s the winner?

Now all around

The board we’ve been.

Our game’s over –

Let’s play again!

~ Janelle H.

What are your favorite word-related games?  I'm always looking for new games to add to our family's collection, and would love to hear suggestions!

(Psst... if you haven't read about the Big Blue Birthday Contest yet, please check out this post.)

Hoppy Reading!

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am Christian, and the holidays of Christmas and Easter are very important to me.  Because of that, I like to read Christmas and Easter-themed books -- to myself and to my kids.  I write about them here to share with others who also celebrate these holidays and are looking for books about them.  

It is not my wish, however, to exclude any of my readers.  If you have recommendations for good books about Passover, Ostara, or any other spring holidays or traditions that are important to you, please let me know.  I always enjoy checking out new books and learning about other cultures!  And I would be happy to share information about the books here on my blog.

I love Easter.  I love the joy I feel at church on Easter morning -- the beautiful, resounding music, the sea of white Easter lilies at the altar, the smiles on every face, and most of all, the story of the resurrection and God's incredible love for the world.  I also enjoy the secular traditions surrounding Easter -- decorating eggs, putting up bunny and chick decor, finding baskets filled with goodies, cooking a delicious Easter dinner.  

As with other holidays throughout the year, I like to gather books about Easter to read with my kids in the days leading up to it.  Some books we own and read every year, others I pick up at our library.  Here I will share some of the stories I've been reading with my son Benjamin this year.

These first three books are focused mainly on the religious aspect of Easter:

The Story of Easter, written by Patricia A. Pingry and illustrated by Lorraine Wells, 1997... This little board book introduces the difficult concepts of Jesus' death and resurrection in a gentle way, suitable for very young children.

My mother-in-law gave this book to my daughter Emmalie when she was a toddler.  Since then, I have used its simple language to tell the Easter story to each of my kids when they were two, three, and four.  Even at six years old, Ben still enjoys this book, and now can read it on his own.

The Story of the Easter Robin, written by Dandi Daley Mackall and illustrated by Anna Vojtech, 2010... Tressa watches a robin building a nest by the window, and worries about all the things that could go wrong.  Gran tells the girl that she needs to trust the Creator to take care of the robin and her eggs.  Then Gran teaches Tressa an old Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, making oschter-foggel (Easter birds) from blown-out eggs.

While they work, Gran recites the legend (also from the Pennsylvania Dutch) of the robin's red breast.  This story-inside-a-story tells how a small brown robin, present at Jesus' crucifixion, helps remove a thorn from his forehead.

Vojtech's beautiful illustrations drew me to this book.  After reading the words,  Mackall's story about faith, compassion, traditions, and the love between a grandmother and her grandchild touched my heart.

Easter Eggs for Anya: A Ukrainian Celebration of New Life in Christ, written by Virginia Kroll and illustrated by Sally Wern Comport, 2007... In the Ukraine in the early nineteenth century, Christians decorated pysanky eggs to give away on Easter.  With Anya's father away at war, her family is too poor to buy any eggs for Easter.  When the girl discovers an abandoned nest of goose eggs, she dreams of surprising her family by making pysanky eggs for each of them.  However, Anya is in for a surprise of her own!  (While the plot itself may not be religious in nature, Anya prays to God throughout the book.)

In addition to the story, Kroll provides a note about the history of pysanky eggs, gives instructions for making a kid-friendly version of the eggs, and also suggests a game to play using pysanky designs.

I found this to be a sweet, heartwarming story.  Ben thought it was interesting to learn about some customs different from our own, and couldn't wait to try making pysanky designs on his own Easter eggs!

Although I wouldn't call the following a religious book, a section of the story does take place at church and includes a small part of the preacher's sermon:

Miz Fannie Mae's Fine New Easter Hat, written by Melissa Milich and illustrated by Yong Chen, 1997... Tandy and Daddy want Mama to have a fancy new hat for Easter Sunday, and finally they find one that is perfect for her.  Little do they know, however, just how special the hat really is!

This is a longer story than many of the others listed here, but it is well-written and will likely hold the attention of young school-age children.  It provides a glimpse of the past with an unexpected ending.

The rest of these books are secular stories about the Easter Bunny and springtime:

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, written by Du Bose Heyward and illustrated by Marjorie Hack, 1939... In this story, five rabbits are chosen to be Easter Bunnies, and they must be "the five kindest, and swiftest, and wisest bunnies in the whole world."  A young country bunny longs to be chosen, but the other rabbits just laugh at her.  Even when she grows up, and is mother to twenty-one little rabbits, she still dreams of being an Easter Bunny.  When she's finally given the chance, her actions show just how kind and swift and wise... and brave... she is.

I remember my parents reading this story to me when I was a young girl.  I loved the pictures and the tale of the brave, kind, wise mother bunny.  We bought a copy of the book for Emmalie when she was two, and she insisted on hearing it over and over again.  Both of my boys have treasured the story over the years, as well.

Easter Babies: A Springtime Counting Book, written by Joy N. Hulme and illustrated by Dan Andreasen, 2010... Springtime means baby animals, and in this book there are plenty of them for your little one to count!

Though this book is geared more toward toddlers and preschoolers, my Kindergartner and I loved looking at Andreasen's endearing artwork.  And I know that Ben (and my older two) would've enjoyed counting the baby animals on each page if we'd had this book when they were younger.

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick, written by Lucille Colandro and illustrated by Jared Lee, 2009...  A spin on the folk song of the old lady who swallowed a fly, this is a very silly Easter book.  (Ben wanted to know, "How many of these old ladies that eat crazy things are there, anyway?")

Ben and I laughed out loud at every page until we got near the end.  We both had the same reaction there, too -- ewwwww!  I won't give away the ending; I'll just say that it is a bit disturbing!  (But still funny.)

The Great Easter Egg Hunt, written and illustrated by Michael Garland, 2005... Tommy follows rhyming clues to find his Aunt Jeanne.  His trek takes him through an Easter wonderland, filled with a whimsical egg factory, a jellybean machine, huge chocolate bunnies, and much more.  The appeal of this book isn't so much the story, but Garland's bright artwork and the games hidden inside it -- including a maze, a giant egg word search, and over 200 objects to find.

Though Ben appreciated all of the books I've shared here, this was his favorite one.  He LOVES games of any kind, and spent hours poring through this book, searching for all the hidden objects!

Milo the Really Big Bunny, written by Stephen Krensky and illustrated by Melissa Suber, 2006... Milo is big.  Really big.  He wants to help the Easter Bunny, but Milo can't hop quickly or quietly like the other rabbits, and he isn't very good at dying eggs, either.  One windy, rainy Easter morning, though, Milo discovers a way he can be of help.

Ben and I found this Rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer-like story quite entertaining, and Suber's goofy illustrations made us giggle!

The Night Before Easter, written by Natasha Wing and illustrated by Kathy Couri, 1999... A charming, Easter-y spin on the beloved Christmas poem, this book tells of a young child watching the Easter Bunny at work.

As with its Christmas counterpart, this is a fun book to recite.  Ben and I also liked the cartoonish illustrations.

Easter Parade, song lyrics written by Irving Berlin (1933) and illustrated by Lisa McCue, 2003... McCue's cute bunny illustrations accompany Berlin's famous song lyrics about the Easter parade and a girl with a fancy Easter bonnet.  Music for the song is included on the last page of the book.

Ben had never heard this song before and got a kick out of my attempts to sing it for him as we went through the book.  (I did have to stop and explain what a "rotogravure" was before I could continue.)  He also liked how the artwork tells a story of its own.

Who Hid the Easter Eggs?, written and illustrated by Pirkko Vainio, 2010... Harry the squirrel watches a grandmother hiding beautiful eggs for her grandchildren to find.  Later, Harry spies Jack the jackdaw flying off with an egg, and discovers that the bird has taken all of the eggs for his nest.  How will Harry save the Easter egg hunt?

Ben and I especially enjoyed Vainio's illustrations and the satisfying (though predictable) ending.

And Then It's Spring, written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Erin E. Stead, 2012... After a long winter, a boy and his dog have had enough of the color brown and are anxious for some green.  They plant seeds and then must wait and wait and wait.

I love the childlike, poetic language that Fogliano uses -- and her gentle humor, as well. Stead's tender illustrations are a perfect companion to the story.  This book is now on my "to buy" list. :)

In addition to all the fictional stories shown above, Ben and I also enjoyed this nonfiction book:

Easter, written by Nancy I. Sanders, 2003... Filled with colorful photographs, this book explains the Easter holiday in an easy-to-understand and interesting way.  Sanders tells her readers about the origins of Easter, how it evolved over the years, and how it is celebrated around the world today.

Have you read any of the books listed above?  What did you think of them?  What are your favorite Easter or springtime books?  I'd love to hear about them!