State Your Passion

Garrison Keillor Goes to the Fair is justification enough for continuing my subscription to National Geographic. A short version can be found in NG's blog pages; don't stop there - the article is worth your time, the magazine worth your money and the space it requires on your coffee table.

The article is Keillor's best work; of course. (I wonder what it's like to be consistently at your best?) It's so good I'm embarrassed to admit that I once wrote (eloquently, or so I thought at the time) about my favorite state fair.

(For the record, it's the Ohio State Fair, slated for July 29- August 9 this year.)

Now, does anyone have a recipe for deep fried chocolate corn potatoes on a stick?

Moving Beyond ABC: Recommendations for the Pre-K Set

Reading is fun; perhaps most of all when you're reading to a child. Silly voices and fantasy lands and ABCs are the DNA building blocks of all future learning...ah, I can get lost in the grandeur of it all. A few of my long-time favorite and other, more recent picks are listed here for a pre-K, just-about-to-learn-to-read audience. Enjoy-add recommendations of your own-just read!!!!!!!!!!!

A is for Salad by Mike Lester
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
George Upside Down by Meghan McCarthy
ABC3D by Marion Battaille
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin - see fun related activities here and enjoy the superbly sung version here.

Of course the Dr. Seuss books are wondrous and rollicking reads, but in our house they were so well read, to both kids, that I consider them early preschool rather than pre-K/kindergarten books.

Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Arnold Lobel, is a classic I still enjoy, as are several of the other older titles I remember reading (or being read to?) as an young page-turner:


My daughter enjoyed the Bob books series during kindergarten, and I think their simple method can truly help young readers practice basic skills. I bought 'em from Scholastic, 'cus i love the fact that when you buy books through the school program, teachers get credits they can use to buy new books for their classrooms. That said, the Bob books also appear on this
handy list at Amazon.com.

Happy reading out loud!

Read it: Wesley the Owl

Wesley the Owl, Free Press copyright 2008

Stacey O'Brien's story, Wesley the Owl, transcends genre and is remarkable for many reasons, the most important of which is that Wesley the Owl is an incredible story.

Please, read the book. I'm in danger of becoming a real zealot on this subject.

Read it if you love animals, hate animals, or are afraid of animals.
Read it if you love science, hate science, or are completely ignorant of science.
Read it if you love God, don't believe in God, or don't know what you think of God.
Read it, read it, read it.

If you're a writer banging your head against the wall trying to get published, by all means, read it. This is a story that truly was too good to not get published - such tales are few and far between.

I'd like to list everything I learned from the book, but that would be impossible.

Read it, and pass it on... please.

Library Cuts HURT - Let's Try to Help

Dear friends and fellow readers. You know I love libraries. Please consider contacting Governor Strickland and our representatives to urge them to maintain as much funding as possible for our libraries. My letter follows contact information, below.

For More Information http://saveohiolibraries.com

Governor Ted Strickland
Governor's Office
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6108
614-466-3555
http://www.governor.ohio.gov/Assistance/ContacttheGovernor/tabid/150/Default.aspx

Senator Kevin Coughlin
Senate Building
Room #222, Second Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 466-4823
SD27@senate.state.oh.us

Representative Mike Moran
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6111
(614) 466-1177
district42@ohr.state.oh.us

: : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Dear Sen. Coughlin and Rep. Moran:

I am requesting that you reconsider the proposed cuts to library funding in Ohio. I understand drastic budget reductions are required, and cuts hurt no matter where they are made. That said, I suggest that cuts in library hours, services, and staff will have long term, expensive repercussions for Ohio residents of all ages, stages, and socio-economic levels.

At the library, my 5 year old is learning to read, sing, wait his turn, share, and use a computer. My 13 year old is learning about everything that piques her interest right now- with an eye toward high school, college, and job opportunities. My 80 year old mother and 78 year old father visit the library, separately and together, to learn new skills, meet friends, browse the large-print books, and get answers to questions about taxes, medicines, TVs, telephone/internet service, and more. As a writer, I use the libraries (and their staffs, and resources) at least twice a week in the course of my work - and I've visited the library to help find work - as well as simply for relaxation. I've also benefited from the chance to offer input regarding government projects during meetings held, you guessed it, at various libraries.

Libraries are safe, bright, inviting spots that inform and enrich the lives of Ohio's citizens and therefore, support and enhance the quality of life in our entire state.

Please speak up, work hard, and do everything you can to support ALL of our libraries, especially during these difficult times.

Thank you for your consideration and dedication to the people of Ohio.

Ohio Author With a Future

Ohio can be proud of resident Cinda Williams Chima, author of The Warrior Heir, its companion (not sequel) novel, The Wizard Heir, and The Dragon Heir, the final of the three-volume set. More titles are in the works, details at Chima's website.

Chima has, can, and should be compared to Harry Potter creator JK Rowling. Both crafted fantasy worlds about young wizards. Both were relatively unknown until their storytelling talents were delivered to salivating and appreciative readers. Both have made their publishers very happy.

I won't go on, primarily because Chima's tales deserve to be read, period, not just for those readers still pining for another Rowling book to read.

Discover the books for yourself, please; I'm just back from vacation and lack the desire to peck out a fitting review. My rating? The highest I bestow: The Warrior Heir has been granted permanent asylum on my bookshelf.

Reluctant readers (or more accurately, parents of RRs) should know that the book features a host of high school students who are fit and good-looking soccer players - so it should appeal to both male and female readers.

Unfortunately, there's very little romance to lure in my finicky teen reader, so she'll probably wait for the movie. My advice to you: don't!

Highly Versatile Henke

Kevin Henkes' MG Olive's Ocean, a Newbery Honor Book, follows 12-year-old Martha after she learns that one of her classmates - the titular Olive, who died in a bicycle accident - thought Martha was the nicest girl in 6th grade.

The news stuns Martha, because Olive was that girl in 6th grade whom the whole class ignored. Martha gulps down the revelation and digests it over the course of the summer, taking it along on her family's vacation like an invisible friend.

The slice-of-adolescent-life story aimed at 4th-6th grade readers (girls) is a very well written, age-appropriate, somewhat philosophical novel about mortality. Frankly, I think it could use a few more plot points and more conflict, both external and internal. But I'm not a MG expert, and it's hard to find fault with Henkes' work or track record. (They can't all be as good as Lilly!)

Henkes has said (in his website bio) "I like the variety of trying new ways to fill the pages between two covers." And in spite of my silly quibbles, I think he did a fine job filling the pages of Olive's Ocean.

Ah, Vacation

I need a t-shirt that says, "Five days in ARUBA and all I got to read were two books and two magazines." I'm not complaining - they were good books and good magazines. As a good deed, I left the National Geographic mags on the plane to save the next passenger from those hideous Skymall catalogs. (Apologies to the wonderful writers employed by said publication.)

I digress more than usual; let's just say the Aruban sun overheated my brain. More later on the books I read, both fiction, both of which I'd recommend, with caveats - Cinda Williams Chima's YA The Warrior Heir and Kevin Henkes' MG Olive's Ocean.

The vaca wrapped up nicely with a brief but warm chat with my seatmate, another Barbara Kingsolver fan. Ah, I love vacations, those temporary interludes away from most of life's little details.
Te Aworo!*


*Te Aworo means "goodbye" in Papiamento, the language of the people of Aruba.

What Rhymes with Dust Bunnies?

Must runnies? Crust funnies? That's all my sinus-suffering head can produce.

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas is a great picture book, especially for the just-learning-to-read set. At the risk of giving away too much, I'll tell you the cute mob of main characters - Ed, Ned, Ted, and Bob - get it in the end. (Sorry, I couldn't come up with anything that rhymes with vacuum cleaner, either.)

The book's interactive nature reminded me of another of my recent favorite picture books, There Are Cats In This Book. For what it's worth, I discovered them both through the books section of The Plain Dealer. (Yes, you can consider this a plea for readers to follow the reviews in The Plain Dealer, and/or your local paper.)

Lilly's Not Just for Girls!

Gender defender: Lilly's got something to say to kids.

I'll admit it; I usually buy the old children's book advice that girls will read about boys but boys won't read about girls. Kevin Henkes' lovely mouse Lilly is one good reason to ignore that advice. Case in point: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Greenwillow Press (c) 1996. I am embarrassed to admit I never read it to my daughter; I am making up for that omission by reading it MANY times to my son.

In fact, Lilly has become the leading lady in my quest for books about going to kindergarten. The title doesn't convey a fraction of the story; the purse is a mere prop. This is a book about loving school - and then having a terrible day that makes you hate school, hate your teacher, hate yourself... and you parents know what happens next. Child learns something. Has an aha! moment. Learns something important about her/himself. Sorta the whole point of childhood, you know?

Look; I'm babbling. I'm always overjoyed to discover a truly delightful author - and beside myself to open a book that speaks directly to my kid! (Thank you, Mr. Henkes! Thank you!) So, since I'm clearly incapable of a decent, succinct description, here's the summary from the book's title page:

"Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later."

Before kindergarten starts my son needs to learn a little more anger management. Lilly is just the lady for the job - heavens knows mom's lessons have failed!