What I'm Reading Now

Last Saturday, I let you know that I would be reading Packing for Mars and The Things They Carried. I often have both an adult book and a children's/YA book on my night-table at the same time. I like it when they touch on the same, similar or, at least, consistent, themes. The 2 books I'm currently reading do not seem to fit the bill. In fact, if I was to recommend a mix of similarly-themed adult and children's/YA books on the subjects covered by these books,  I would recommend Brian Floca's Moonshot (great book about the flight of Apollo 11) as the younger reader companion to Packing for Mars and Karl Marlantes' Matterhorn (a brilliant and chillingly authentic account of the Vietnam War) as the adult companion to The Things They Carried. Part of what I love about reading, though, is the challenge of making connections between what you're reading and what you're living, what you've lived or what you've read. It's not so difficult to find the connection between Packing for Mars and The Things They Carried - maybe that's because books are often really about something more or different from that which they purport to be about. Packing for Mars is fascinating because it's about so much more than packing for Mars - some of the passages have made me think about the recent incredible story of the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 69 days. And The Things They Carried is ultimately not about what soldiers carried in their hands, heads and hearts during the Vietnam War. Both books offer insight into what makes us tick as human beings - how we cope, how we survive. Storytelling plays a vital role.
Far be it from me to be a spoiler - read the books yourselves and draw your own conclusions.

Having mentioned the miners, though, allow me the indulgence of wishing the best of luck in tomorrow's NYC marathon to Chilean miner Edison Pena as well as to my wonderful husband Jeff, a hero in our home - we are eager to cheer him on and look forward to celebrating his accomplishment tomorrow night!

The vast appeal of graphic novels

I happened upon a website yesterday that separated book recommendations by presumed interests and abilities. The part that caught my attention was the part that started, "For Reluctant Readers" and then proceeded to list and display cover images for a number of graphic novels only. Hmmmmmm... Graphic novels are difficult for some people to categorize but this categorization just struck me as all wrong. Graphic novels are not just for reluctant readers (seriously, millions of Wimpy Kid books have been sold and they are loved by an amazing cross-section of the reading universe) and reluctant readers are too amorphous a population to limit in this way.

How about A Story Before Bed?

There is an amazing website called A Story Before Bed where you can select a picture book, record yourself reading it and then email it to a child in your life. When the child presses "start", a video of you appears on the screen, "inside" the "book" and you read the book aloud to the child who is able to watch your facial expressions and enjoy the full experience. The child even gets to turn the pages. Miraculously, your voice is synched to the pages so if your child recipient tries to get cute and mess with the system, they can't! I don't know how the technology works but if the child jumps ahead three pages in the book, so do you, the reader. Think about it - grandparents can read bedtime stories to their children and soldiers can read books to their children while they're overseas. The site is fun, incredibly user-friendly and, really, brilliant. It doesn't take long but it enables people to create memories that will last forever. The child can play the book over and over and over again. The selection of books available is impressive and getting bigger all the time.

Just think - your niece and nephew in Canada can have a timeless video of you reading Can I Bring My Pterodactyl to School, Ms. Johnson? .

Try it - it's an inexpensive way to bond with the little ones in your life
(even those who sleep in the room right next to yours!) 

Sometimes Explosions are Really Just Fireworks

I started three different blog posts tonight and, quite honestly, wasn't inspired by any of them. Then my daughter walked into the room and the fireworks started. No, not that kind - not the kind you usually experience with a tween or teen. She sat down and said, "Mom, you have to see this!". I couldn't tell from her expression if it was something she thought I'd like or hate so I braced myself. She cued up her laptop and there on the screen was a music video for Katy Perry 's new song Firework. Wow! No need to keep you in suspense - it's powerful, in a positive way.

No book recommendation today - just a song and a music video - and a chance for a moment of coolness in the eyes of your kids (generally so hard to come by). The video has only been circulating for a few days so there's even a slight chance that your kids haven't seen it yet. And even if they have, it's well worth watching together.

To each of my own kids, I just want to say "Baby, you're a firework" and I love you very, very much!

Your Vote Counts... in more ways than you might think

When we study history in school, it's hard to ignore the fact that the right to vote was not always an absolute. At one time, people seemed to think that the right to vote was worth dying for. Isn't it strange (and sad) then that since 1974, in non-Presidential election years, fewer than 40% of the voting population exercises the right to vote? We encourage our kids to speak up in class, to speak up when something is wrong, and to be active participants in their communities. Yet when Election day rolls around, most of us seem pretty comfortable resorting to "do as I say, not as I do". We opt not to speak up. It just doesn't seem right to expect more from our children than we do from ourselves. As Seth Godin says,

Voting is free. It's fairly fast. It doesn't make you responsible for the outcome, but it sure has an impact on what we have to live with going forward. The only thing that would make it better is free snacks.

Actually, it seems to me that one year, when we were standing in line, we did get free snacks. In any event, voting is our right and it's our responsibility - not just because voting is the easiest way to make a difference but because if we can't be bothered to vote, what message are we sending to our children? Just as our children learn about the American Dream in school, they need to learn about American Responsibility at home. This is an opportunity that, as parents, I think we don't want to miss. Consider adding Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out to your home library this election year - it's, quite simply, an exquisite book that features contributions from all your favorite children's book authors and illustrators (over a hundred of them). It's inspiring and a great way to learn together as a family.

Speaking of libraries, in addition to voting for senators and governors this year, there are several propositions on the ballot that would have a major impact on public libraries. It's important to know what the issues are. VOTE!

Today is a beautiful day!

It's a beautiful Sunday here in New York City. I met up with my dear friend Lesley early this morning for our weekly walk around the reservoir in Central Park. We walk, chat, watch the sun come up and the water glisten and by the time we start walking home, we sometimes feel energized enough to take on yet another day of life and another day of parenting. We've been doing this for a while and one of us always notes the beauty of the scene and how lucky we are to live where we do (this is usually juxtaposed against a running rant on the expense of living in NYC, the crazy school admission processes and systems, and the challenge of raising kids - anywhere). It's important to take the time to appreciate what we have and where we are in life. For me, the Central Park reservoir is a reservoir of strength and balance. Kids today are much more environmentally conscious that our generation ever was and many are involved in environmental causes but, to load on the cliches, it's important not to lose the forest for the trees; it's important to remind our kids to take time and smell the roses too. We all have our stress and chaos so it's important that we each find our reservoir. Slow down and enjoy your surroundings, even for just a few minutes today.

To enhance your enjoyment of a beautiful autumn day, I hope you'll consider reading Peter Brown's wonderful and beautiful book, The Curious Garden with a child in your life. If your older child who wants to spook things up a bit this Halloween while staying true to the gardening theme, consider The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen.

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

What am I reading now?

This and subsequent Saturday blog posts will be dedicated to letting you know what I'm reading now and, where applicable, why.