Snow?!?!!

It really happened.  The meteorologists forecast it, and we got it.  Snow in October.  It’s the first time, they say, that the white stuff stuck on the ground in the Big Apple in October since they started keeping records back in 1870.

I’m not really surprised.  This has been quite a year for weather events, especially if you include the late-December blizzard of 2010.  Then came the back-to-back snowstorms in January that resulted in an extended stay in Atlanta visiting our grandchildren–flying there the night before and returning home a day later.  (We did not complain about spending extra time with the family!)

Once spring finally came, it was beautiful and even more welcome than usual.  (Of course, with our daughter being engaged and getting married, even if it had stormed into summer, the sun would have been shining.)  Feeling the warmth and then the incredible heat of summer, we began to forget about the power of storms.

But then came Irene.  This monster hurricane was not content to wreak havoc on coastal areas in the tropics and southern climates.  Communities as far north and as far inland as Vermont and the Adirondack Mountains in New York felt the tempest’s fury.  After the water receded, people throughout the eastern United States began to hope for a respite.  Which many of us had, until today.

I usually find the first snowfall beautiful, a bit of softness taking the edge off the starkness of the bare trees.  However, most trees are in full leaf, and many leaves have not yet begun changing color.  It seems incongruous.

But then again, maybe it’s not.  We have been the recipients of many a spring snowfall, dusting flower-laden trees with a layer of the white stuff–and it was lovely.  This even more unusual event also has its own beauty, a beauty which lies in its rarity.  The weather will warm up again before winter really comes for its annual sojourn.  So for the few brief hours that the world is coated in white, let’s pause and enjoy something that the area has not seen in at least 140 years.

Be sure to visit http://BookAndAGarden.com throughout November.  In honor of Picture Book Month, reviews of outstanding picture books will be featured.

Picture Book Month

November has many days to commemorate, and now has one more.  It all began when librarian Dianne de Las Casas read a New York Times article entitled “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children,” and was so incensed–as were many others–that she decided to combat such erroneous thinking.

Her efforts have borne fruit in the creation of Picture Book Month.  With the assistance of fellow bibliophiles, Dianne has set up a website devoted to this special literary form and including articles by “Picture Book Champions.”  Check it out at  http://picturebookmonth.com/.

Anyone who has ever read to a child knows the timeless value of picture books.  When our children were small, evening story time was a special occasion.  The little ones enthusiastically prepared for bed so they would not be late for the 7:30 start.  A favorite book (the children’s or mine?) included an exclamation by a mommy to her helpful children, “I really love you!”  Reading this line always prompted a hug to the kids sitting around me.

As the children grew up and married, there were no longer story times in our house–until the grandkids began arriving.  I have been elated to discover that this new generation is also fond of anything in print.  Whether in their home or ours, the grandchildren are often seen with a book open in front of them.    When a two-and-a-half-year-old wants to hear Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney, and says “cry” when the main character sheds tears because his mommy has left, you know the book has made an impression. Picture books have made all of our childhoods richer. Especially in this fast-paced world, children–and the child in all of us–need to be able to delve into the timeless treasures that picture books are.

Timeless Books

As promised, I’m returning to one of my favorite pastimes–talking about and recommending fantabulous books for kids of all ages (even the grown-up variety).  Here are a few perennial favorites that I’m sure you will enjoy as much as we in Libraryland do.

What happens when two friends enthusiastically divide various delectable treats into halves, thirds, and fourths?  You get a delicious–and entertaining–introduction to fractions!  When the kids joyfully eat what they have divided–with a little help from a ravenous dog–the fun multiplies.  Kid-friendly recipes round out this winner.  Ages 4-8

Sunny Meerkat is growing tired of life with his family in the Kalahari Desert, and feels he needs a change.  So he packs his suitcase and sets off to visit various meerkat relatives (all members of the mongoose family).  In a series of postcards home, which the reader can flip open, Sunny describes his experiences.  Adorable illustrations add to this humorous (and–yes–informational) tale by a master.  Ages 5-8

Raphael is a haughty prince who believes no one can match his beauty, intelligence, and wealth.  In fact, he has all he desires, except one thing: for his beloved father, before he died, decreed that Raphael would not be king until he found a wife who was his equal in every way.  When the beautiful and wise Rosamund appears at the palace (sent by a mysterious talking wolf) the proud prince believes he has found her.  However, Rosamund proves that she has more than he, and that Raphael must become worthy of her.  Stunning illustrations accompany this incredible tale.  Magnificent.  Ages 8-11

Jay Berry Lee is a happy 14-year-old living on his parents’ homestead when he makes an unexpected discovery: some monkeys have taken up residence at the creek bottoms.  When he learns that they have escaped from a traveling circus, and there is a reward for catching them, Jay Berry enlists the help of his reluctant grandfather to capture the critters.  This funny, warm story is vintage Wilson Rawls.  A great read-aloud for all ages.  Ages 11 up

13-year-old twins Dallas and Florida have been through a string of horrendous foster homes, and are not convinced that they will ever find a perfect one.  So, when they are informed that they are being sent to live with an elderly couple, the teens are understandably suspicious.  However, the Moreys are not like anyone Dallas and Florida have experienced.  Another blockbuster from the magical pen of Sharon Creech.  Ages 9-13

April is 16 and wants what many girls do: to enjoy life as an American teen and be able to plan her own future.  Her problem: a very traditional Chinese grandmother, who has very different ideas about a woman’s role and place.  What’s a girl to do to maintain a relationship with the grandmother she loves and live her life as well?  A humorous, sensitive story.  Ages 12 up

A love of books, of holding a book, turning its pages, looking at its pictures, and living its fascinating stories goes hand-in-hand with a love of learning.
Laura Bush

Lessons from the Marigolds Revisited

Readers of this blog may remember the account of our late-planted marigolds.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, I won’t bore you with the details but give a brief summary.

Late in July, our flowerless front yard–in this state because various (happy) events precluded taking the time for gardening endeavors–prompted me to take action.  So, armed with spade, marigold seeds saved from a previous year’s blooms, and watering can, my visiting three-year-old grandson and I began a little garden.  Before the little fellow returned home, he was rewarded with the appearance of tiny plants.

These baby marigolds literally weathered a number of storms, including the infamous Hurricane Irene.  After each one, I was certain that something so dainty it could not stand up to overzealous watering could not survive a lengthy downpour, but survive they did.  Even a persistent dandelion that took up residence in their midst was overshadowed by the no-nonsense marigolds.

As the days turned into weeks, the leafy red-stemmed plants grew into a veritable forest.  My husband and I watched for the first sign of what we had been anticipating since early August: buds that would mean flowers.  After we began to wonder if these marigolds would ever bloom, lo and behold–a lone bud appeared.  Within two weeks, the plants were dotted with the future blossoms.

Except for one.  We were unaware of the budless state of this particular individual until it was unintentionally damaged by an enthusiastic grass-cutter.  When it became apparent that the plant would not survive, I decided to encourage it to grow new roots and possibly begin a new life as a house plant.  (The calendar did not offer any hope that it could be replanted outside much before wintry weather set in.)  This marigold proved that it has not lost any of the stamina of its younger self: it has not only perked up, but has grown–and produced a bud!  Tiny roots are beginning to become visible, offering us hope that all our efforts have not been in vain.  And the marigold itself seems to like its new environment: when I took it out on the back porch one morning, it responded by drooping and looking quite forlorn.  Once I returned our new resident indoors, it thanked me my unfurling its leaves and standing tall once again.

Our first marigold

If a plant, which has no freedom of choice or will power, can make a move from one location to another, very different, one, and thrive, we human beings are surely capable of doing the same.  We can choose to flourish wherever we dwell.  If home is where the heart is, then home is where our heart tells us is a good place to be.

For fellow bibliophiles: I shall return to talking about our favorite topic, namely, books, in future posts.  In the meantime, check out my site: http://bookandagarden.com for reviews of great books to read and share with the young people in your life.

Meditations from the Sukkah

 

When the rest of the population (in northern climes, anyway) is gradually moving indoors as the weather cools, a different phenomenon is occurring in many communities the world over.  Recently, in Jewish neighborhoods everywhere, the sounds of hammering and sawing became a familiar accompaniment to people toting branches, bamboo, and other greenery through the streets.  All this activity reached a crescendo this past Wednesday.  For on this day, the temporary structure–known as a sukkah–where Jews eat their meals throughout the joyous holiday of Sukkot had to be completed.

And completed they were.  Topped with the roof of above-mentioned branches, the sukkot were ready for use, some resplendent with decorations provided by the younger members of each family.  As day moved towards evening, a feeling of anticipation began to build.  After the solemnity of the holy days just passed, now was the time to really celebrate.  When night fell, even the sporadic drizzle that fell from the skies in the New York metropolitan area could not dampen the enthusiasm of the celebrants.  The tiniest tots, too, felt the excitement.  Even mundane tasks such as setting the table became infused with joy.  At the moment when all was ready for the festive meal to begin, family and guests eagerly took their places.  This proved to be no ordinary dinner.  Individuals who ate together every day of the year sensed something different, something elevated, about this meal–and about all the ones that would follow.  Perhaps it was because of the utter difference in routine.  Perhaps it was the novelty of the experience.

Or perhaps it is something more: we leave the comfort of our warm (and dry) dining rooms to eat in a relatively flimsy structure that does not even keep out the wind!  The experience is as strong a reminder as any that we rely on a Higher Being for protection from all that life sends our way, and the strength to withstand and grow from what befalls us.  And, even after we return to our homes and our normal routines, this loving care does not end.  Isn’t that enough of a reason to rejoice?

First Grade Geniuses

I was prepared.  The first grade class visiting the library was going to learn something amazing and new today.  After introducing the little ones to the mind-boggling topic, I would read them a story related to it.  Surely children of such tender years would not have learned about this phenomenon.  After all, the school year is only beginning.  With the confidence of one about to introduce heretofore unknown information to an eager audience, I began to speak about a diminutive creature–the Monarch butterfly–that migrates from parts of the United States and Canada to Mexico every fall and, if that were not remarkable enough, flies back in the spring.

In my enthusiasm, I did not take into consideration the fact that we live in the electronic age.  As soon as I began speaking, not a few little tykes informed me that they knew about this already–thanks to nature programs on television, DVDs, and the like.

Fortunately, their familiarity with the subject did not lessen their interest in the phenomenal book I planned to read: Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope.  If anything, it enhanced it.  Every time the caterpillar repeated her refrain of “Gotta go to…” the listeners enthusiastically jumped in with a loud “Mexico!”  Everyone was fascinated by illustrator Sue Riddle’s depictions of the tiny butterfly against the backdrop of the scenery she passes on her journey.  Their knowledge of the subject freed them to appreciate the details–the loneliness, the dangers, the exhaustion the little heroine experiences when she reaches her destination.  So, far from the first graders’ already knowing about what I had planned to introduce to them resulting in my plan falling flat, it made it blossom.  And this librarian learned something from the experience.

October Is Birthday Month

When we think of October, many things come to mind.  Fall.  Brightly colored leaves.  Cooler temperatures.  Football season.  Homecoming games.  (I read a news story about a newly crowned high school Homecoming Queen who, being a member of her school’s football team, scored the winning field goal for her team.)  The World Series.  Columbus Day.  Yom Kippur.  Succos.  (Some years, this one included.)

You may have your own additional reasons for finding this colorful month special.  For me, it is birthdays.  One of our children (our youngest) and two of our grandchildren entered the world in October, and the icing on the (birthday) cake is that a grandson shares a birthday with our son.  Very special. 

Speaking of birthdays, some great children’s and young adult authors were born in October.  To mention a few:

Julie Andrews Edwards, October 1

This star of stage and screen has been penning picture books and children’s novels for some forty years.  Several of her popular titles include the fantasy The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, Little Bo and its two sequels, and the recent sparkly picture books, A Very Fairy Princess and The Very Fairy Princess Takes the Stage.

Joseph Bruchac, October 16

Versatile is a word that aptly describes the Abenaki storyteller.  His repertoire includes the delightful-with-a-message picture book Turtle’s Race with Beaver, The Arrow Over the Door, a middle-grade historical novel, and the thrillingly spooky Whisper in the Dark and The Dark Pond.  Interesting how libraries and librarians make cameo appearances in more than one of his novels.

Dan Gutman, October 19

While many of this author’s books have a sports theme, some of his best have nothing to do with things athletic: The Kid Who Ran for President and its sequel, The Kid Who Became President, two funny but thought-provoking novels that have been election-year hits since the original’s 1996 publication; and Race for the Sky: the Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore, a fictional journal written by a real-life teen who witnessed the Wright brothers’ first flight.

Steven Kellogg, October 26

This incomparable author and illustrator has put his pen–and pencil and brush–to many classic and recent picture books.  Yankee Doodle receives a fresh look accompanied by Kellogg’s illustrations, and The Pied Piper’s Magic, a new, almost unrecognizable, version of the original tale, is a delight.  And the younger set will love the Clorinda books (written by Robert Kinerk).

“Librarians have always been among the most thoughtful and helpful people.  They are teachers without a classroom.  No libraries, no progress.”–Willard Scott

October is–