What We're Reading Wednesday

A link-up at Housewife Spice.

First, the obvious: it's not Wednesay.

Second: I've been even busier than usual this week and so have been away from the blog, friends' blogs, and other joyful responsibilities (and not-so-joyful ones).

Anyway, as you can see, there hasn't been much time for reading.  Finishing up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has been fun and satisfying (the final reflection on that to come; in the meantime, Masha and Jenna give their thoughts, likes, and criticisms).

I checked out The Year and Our Children from my parish library on the recommendation of Hevel, and he was right--its a very good resource.  Not sentimentally craftsy or text-book boring, but somewhere in the happy middle.  I like it a lot, and will probably be checking it our periodically with each new season.

The Tickle Tree was a bargain book I purchased at the grocery store, and was essentially the third book in a buy-three-for-ten deal.  The rhyming is always nice for small children and reading aloud; I like dream-like tone and illustrations, but from the cover I was expecting it to go in a different direction . . . more about a Faerie just underneath the visible world, with pixies and queer beasts hiding beneath leaves and behind trunks . . . but it dissolved into more of a nonsense rhyme, like "The Jabberwocky" on steroids.  :p

Picture Book Spotlight

I found this delightful book at my local library.  Mama Says: A Book of Love for Mothers and Sons sold me right away when I saw it was illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon.  But opening it up affirmed my decision to bring it home to share with my little one.

Each two-page spread depicts a mother-son pair from various cultures, with poetry in both English and their mother tongue.  The creators took special pains to obtain accurate translations.

You can see the Japanese to the right of the original English.

Touching lessons from mother to child resonate with timeless wisdom:

Mama says
Be good
Mama says
Be kind
Mama says
The Rain will come
But still the sun will shine

And

Mama says
Have faith
Mama says
Believe
Mama says
To trust in God
And let God take the lead

I have to encourage mamas, especially mamas of sons, to consider adding this beautifully illustrated book to their collections.

Remember: our children are immortals.  Strive to raise saints!

Book Review

Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech

Ms. Creech is the award-winning author of Walk Two Moons, a book I read first when I was twelve years old (just a year younger than the free-spirited yet insecure, tree-loving protagonist, Sal Hiddle) and many times since then.

The Story

Love That Dog is a book about the joy of learning and writing poetry, aimed at grammar school readers, and I have been using it with my youngest pupil to introduce her to poetry, similar to how the character of Ms. Stretchberry introduces poetry to Jack's class.  The story is written in a pleasing and easy-to-follow format, in the form of a diary which chronicles the main character's encounter with poetry throughout the school year.

At first, Jack thinks that writing poems is just for girls, but imitation of his favorite poets and experimenting with words help him find his voice.

Sometimes
when you are trying
not to think about something
it keeps popping back in your head
you can't help it
you think about it
and
think about it
and
think about it
until your brain
feels like
a squashed pea.

With the positive encouragement of Ms. Stretchberry (which takes place "off-stage," so as not to interrupt Jack's narrative), his confidence in his ability to express himself in the written word grows, and he eventually is able to open up about experiences in his own life and find growth and healing.

The Point

As a (bad) poet and lover of literature, it is inspiring and profoundly moving for me to witness a young person encounter the beauty of poetry.  In Love That Dog, this happens on two levels: with Jack in the story and with the person with which you are studying it.  Readers get the second-hand wisdom of Ms. Stretchberry, and the poems she uses are included in the back of the book for context, so that Love That Dog actually becomes a teaching tool in itself.

If that isn't enough, there are free teaching guides that can be easily accessed online.  Everything you need for an interest-piquing and heartwarming introduction to poetry.

I had the pleasure of receiving a letter from Sharon Creech after writing her when I was twenty years old.  What a surprise to find a response from her in mailbox!  I still have that letter.

If it isn't immediately obvious from her stories, my personal experience proves that Ms. Creech is an interactive author who enjoys reaching out to readers.  A great activity for you and your children to do after finishing this book is to follow Jack's example in writing Walter Dean Meyers and write and mail her a little letter or poem.  And who knows--like Jack, you may get an answer back!

You can follow her blog, Words We Say, to keep abreast of her activities and publications.