Saturday Review of Books Challenge - Book 1

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
Completed July 27, 2007

During the first glorious week living in their country house, the children dug in the gravel pit in an attempt to reach Australia and discovered a remarkable being - a Psammead, a Sand-fairy, capable of granting wishes - not the usual only three wishes granted by the average genie, but one wish a day! There’s a twist to this wonder, however. Just as King Midas learns, wishes can be anything but wonderful.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip back to a more innocent, slow moving time. Nesbit cleverly weaves lessons into her tale. There are morals here. Be careful what you wish for. That wish just might be granted - literally!

In my book . . . (A great read aloud) If you dig up a “Sammyadd”, pat its furry head and let it go!

‘If you knew how I hate to blow myself out with other people’s wishes, and how frightened I am always that I shall strain a muscle or something. And then to wake up every morning and know you’ve got to do it. You don’t know what it is - you don’t know what it is, you don’t!’ Its voice cracked with emotion, and the last don’t was a squeak.

Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday - July 27, 2007

A nostalgic choice for this week’s poem (nostalgia for my long ago college lit studies) - but also a choice with a tie to my love of the mystery genre-

from T. S. Eliot’s “Macavity: The Mystery Cat”

Macavity’s a Mystery cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw -
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s
despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime - Macavity’s not there!

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare.
And when you reach the scene of crime - Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the
air -
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!

taken from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats

In my book . . . it’s the cat’s meow!

Poetry Friday

One of the traditions in the Kidlit Blogosphere is

POETRY FRIDAY

And this is a tradition that I hope to follow -
beginning with one of my favorite poets - Emily Dickinson.

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toil -
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

from Poems of Emily Dickinson for Children

AND one by Shel Silverstein

POEMSICLE

If you add sicle to your pop,
Would he become a Popsicle?
Would a mop become a mopsicle?
Would a cop become a copsicle?
Would a chop become a chopsicle?
Would a drop become a dropsicle?
Would a hop become a hopsicle?
I guess it is time to stopsicle,
Or is it timesicle to stopsicle?
Heysicle, I can’t stopsicle.
Ohsicle mysicle wellsicle Isicle
Havesicle tosicle talksicle
Likesicle thissicle foreversicle -
Huhsicle?

from A Light In the Attic

In my book . . . there are lights on in their attics!

Tell An Author You Care Day

The Kidlit Blogosphere has declared Monday,July 16th "Tell An Author You Care Day". It is my much needed push to say how much I enjoy the works of Susan Wittig Albert. I am a fanatical mystery lover, and Susan is the fantastic author of well written, intelligent, thought provoking mysteries. I first began reading her China Bayles mystery series with Bloodroot, set in Mississippi, a natural choice. Then I discovered the she and her husband Bill co-wrote the Robin Paige series. These are some of the best researched historical mysteries that I have ever read, and that very exhaustive research contributed to the Alberts ending the series - they were exhausted! Yet these launched Susan’s Beatrix Potter mysteries which are now on my must have list. I eagerly await each year’s addition. On top of everything else, Susan writes a blog that is my first stop each morning when I turn on my computer. And did I mention her recently published Book of Days? And that she is a former college professor of English?

I salute this marvelous, prolific author who prolificacy is only equaled by her talent!

Thank you, Susan Wittig Albert!

Read, Read, Read!

As an elementary school librarian, I challenge students to read, read, read! It is only fitting that in my first post I accept a reading challenge. Sherry at Semicolon posts the Saturday Review of Books each week and has challenged readers of her blog to read six of the titles from that list by December 31, 2007. My choices:

1. Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
2. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
3. An Egg is Quiet and A Seed is Sleepy by Diana Aston
(They're short!)
4. Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman
5. The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman
6. A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schiltz

Alternates:
1. Ben and Me by Robert Lawson
2. Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
3. Song of Roland by Dorothy L. Sayers