Can we read? No. 32
Good morning! I hope this issue finds you well. I am having the best week — I got vaccinated yesterday, I found the bathrobe of my dreams at a thrift store on the way home, my 1st grader understands graphs and data without any kind of painful or tearful effort (on her part or mine), the grass went from beaten-down brown to chameleon green in the past two days. We listened to Socks by Beverly Cleary on audio while driving a bunch this past weekend and it’s ten times more hilarious than I remember as a kid — my husband and I were both laughing out loud. Nothing is perfect, ever, and we’ve been struggling in more ways than one lately, but I don’t take any of these little things — which are, in the spirit of Annie Dillard, absolutely big things — for granted. In fact the past few days I’ve found myself in the practice of active gratitude — saying multiple times a day, I’m grateful, I’m grateful, thank you. That’s the thing I’ve learned, over and over: the more gratitude I express for what I have, the more things I have for which to be grateful. It’s a simple magic, but mighty — a constant benediction if only I am willing to receive it, and I am.
Whatever’s going on with you yesterday, today, tomorrow, I hope that there are at least a few little things you can see with clear eyes, and that in the looking you receive what you most need 🔍
Thank you for being here with me.
Margaret’s Unicorn by Briony May Smith (2020)
I knew we were going to like this book the minute we opened to the title page and saw a tiny unicorn lying in a bramble of berries, sun-dappled in a way I’ve never seen captured in an illustration before (see below) — my 4yo was not alone in gasping with delight. This is the quiet tale of a girl who, upon moving into a new house, goes for a walk on her first day in the new place and comes across what can only be described as a fog of unicorns “leaping into the air” over a nearby mountain, “swept up by the wind.” They fly by immediately before realizing they’ve left something behind: a small silvery baby unicorn. Margaret enlists the help of her grandmother, who knows about these things from her own childhood, in caring for the baby — together they procure what unicorns eat (fresh flowers) and drink (water that has been touched by moonlight), and slowly, girl and magical creature bond. Still: “When a unicorn is your friend, you wish spring would stay far away,” but spring comes, as it always does, and one day the herd of unicorns is back, and it’s time to say goodbye. Smith’s mixed media illustrations beautifully complement this gentle, tender story — full of friendship and care, yes, but also the subtler (and more difficult) message of learning to let go of a life that once was for the life we have now, which is, of course, always also becoming a life that once was at the same time.
Peeny Butter Fudge by Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison, illustrated by Joe Cepeda (2009)
When my children go to my mother’s house (every Friday, all day and often overnight, because pandemic times), I envision them up to all sorts of hijinks (my mom and her BFF were the ones who taught me to play pool, in a bar that had a tree growing in the middle of it, at approximately 8yo, so these suspicions are not baseless), after which they sit in tiny recliners beneath a volcano of sugar and binge-watch Disney+. So when we first read this title I laughed out loud because I recognized the narrative: a mother leaves a careful schedule on the refrigerator door, to be followed when grandma comes over to babysit. What actually happens is, of course, that story I tell myself — in other words, all the wild, rule-breaking fun, mischief, and play that grandparents are made for. They nap and read and drive fast through the town, they make-believe and dance and puzzle, they cook “peeny butter fudge” quick before Mom gets home, they laugh and laugh and love.
It’s so clear here: the love is more important — far more important — than a mother’s rules, and this book is this wish for all children (may they receive it.) I may never truly know what my kids get up to at Little Grammie’s house, and it’s better that way, because like the kids in this story, mine are loved, loved, loved.
P.S. The tiny recliners are real.
De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children, selected, arranged, and translated by José-Luis Orozco, illustrated by Eliza Kleven (1994)
I don’t know about your general mental health in the place where you live round about the end of March, but here in my neck of Wisconsin, most people feel pretty low (especially if it has recently snowed), or we’re ping-ponging between spring joy and the reality of continued gray days, and we need to manufacture if not literal sunshine then at least a facsimile of what it feels like to be in some sunshine. I swear this relates to De Colores (and Orozco’s work in general): which is to say, this is a book full of songs and music that is bright, warm, and completely sunny. Unless you know these songs already (unlikely unless you speak Spanish) you’ll need the accompanying music, which you can find streaming on Spotify or streaming/cds on Amazon (check your local library for the cds as well). In addition to being cheerful and fun to listen to, they’re the perfect introduction to Spanish (so, double points for being educational). I can’t cook chicken without singing “Los Pollitos” (which is a little sick considering the song is about a mother hen who takes care of her little chicks, not eats them, but there it is). Really, get your hands on any Orozco books, which are full of Kleven’s signature detail, as dense and joyful as, well, sunshine.
(If you enjoy this one, check out Orozco’s follow-up, Diez Deditos and Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America. Start with this if you have babies, toddlers, or preschoolers as the finger plays are more suited to that age group.)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (2009)
Grace Lin is that rare creature in the world of children’s books: it’s hard to say which is better, her writing or her illustrations, but it doesn’t truly matter because they’re both fantastic. What I love most about Lin is her imagination, which is on full display in her picture books like A Big Mooncake for Little Star, A Big Bed for Little Snow, and especially her Where the Mountain Meets the Moon trilogy.* This rollicking adventure story begins in the valley of Fruitless Mountain, where a girl named Minli lives with her family. Their life is difficult, and though they find some relief in old folktales — namely one about Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon — it’s not enough, and one day Minli decides to set out to find this Old Man and change her family’s fortune. What happens on her quest is a wild tale of magic, friendship, bravery, and smarts — told as stories within the story for a unique twist on narrative — that I truly believe will leave any child above the age of four on the edge of their seats (teens and adults included; I tore through this book when I first read it myself). Lin’s full-color illustrations are infrequent (which I like, because it allows one to build this world and this story in one’s mind) but as impeccably done as ever. This is a read-alone for older elementary kids or a read-aloud for younger ones, but I’m confident in saying that whomever picks it up should set aside several days of plans because nothing else will get done until this excellent book is finished.
*The next two books are When the Sea Turned to Silver and Starry River of the Sky
Lin is also an advocate for diversity — her excellent TEDx Talk, “The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child's Bookshelf” talks about her own experience with books as an Asian-American child and why the titles that are not on your child's bookshelf are just as important as those that are. Her website is also chock-full of a variety of different resources connected to her books — you can listen to her read chapter 12 of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon there.
Pets in a Jar: Collecting and Caring for Small Wild Animals by Seymour Simon, illustrated by Betty Fraser (1975)
It’s almost embarrassing how surprised I am sometimes at the information to be found in old books, as if age has anything to do with usefulness, level of interest, or wisdom. In my defense, science books don’t usually hold up over time — as we learn more, we learn more, right? But there are many old books that are as fresh as they day they were published, and Pets in a Jar is one of those embarrassingly surprising ones. Maybe it’s because March is never truly, completely spring where I live, but it is always the time when I get the itch to procure small, low-energy pets (it takes all my energy just to keep my people and a lot of houseplants alive). This year I’m scratching this itch with an ant farm; a few years ago it was polliwogs I waded knee-deep into the pond down the street to gather myself, thanks to this book. I’ve never regretted this weird inclination nor the effort it does take to attend to these tiny, fascinating creatures — never mind what my children learn and get out of it themselves, which is the interest and preoccupation that only children, encountering something for the first time, can have. If you’re at all intrigued by adopting, say, a pond snail, a waterbug, toads, an earthworm, a praying mantis, butterfly or moth, I highly recommend this title. Not only does it cover how to capture these beings yourself as well as how to take good, responsible care of them, it also — this is my favorite part — explains when, where, and how to release them safely back into the wild when it is time for them to move on (in my opinion, after no more than a month or two). If pets in a jar aren’t your thing, obviously skip this one but if you’re at all curious, having a tiny companion nearby while you are (as yet) working and learning and living from home might be just the thing to see you through until real, full-blown spring.
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I might have to find a copy of "Pets In A Jar" and yes to finding so much good, basic info in old books xo