Library Refresh

Our library will only allow 15 books out per card, and all of my children are too young to get a card. This poses somewhat of a problem for us, as we go through so many books in a week. My solution thus far (until I find some time to drag my husband in and get him a card, too) is to do what I call a "refresh" at the library. Several times during our check-out period I will take back the books that we were not as impressed with, or perhaps felt we had exhausted with repetitive readings. I will exchange those out for some new books to whet our appetites for reading once again. I usually include the kids in this process, letting them choose which books go in the "keep" pile, and which go in the "return" pile. Often times for the refresh I will go to the library alone, having the books that I am going to get in place of the returned ones waiting for me on the reserve shelf so that I can just run in and run out.

I made just such a refresh trip last weekend and wanted to update you on our current library reading list. We returned: Let's Make a Joyful Noise: Celebrating Psalm 100, Jamberry, Harold's Purple Crayon Treasury, Where's My Teddy, and The Book of Virtues for Young People. In their place, we are now reading:

• Cinderella: or, The Little Glass Slipper, translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown
• Madeline and the Cats of Rome, by John Bemelmans Marciano
• The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown
• Stone Soup, by Marcia Brown
• We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, by David Catrow

We absolutely cannot get enough of Runaway Bunny, Stone Soup, and Cinderella! More books to add to our Christmas and Birthday lists!!

Runaway Bunny is a pure joy to read aloud, and I have caught Corbin grabbing it to "read" on his own many times already. It is a wonderful story of unconditional motherly love and showcases the creativity of a young mind exploring what it means to be an independent being from the parents they have so closely associated themselves with for the first few developmental years of life. Love it!

Stone Soup is a childhood favorite of mine, and I recall checking it out from the school library on multiple occasions. While longer than some of the other picture books, neither Abby nor Corbin have had any problem paying attention to it and ask many questions throughout the story. Both of them were already in a stage where they love to pretend they are cooking and making food for other people, so this book fits nicely into their current make-believe interests!

Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper has re-awakened my awareness that fairy tales were in existence LONG before Disney gained a monopoly over them! We have decided that we are going to shelve all things Disney and start investing our time in digging up the "original" fairy tales, the old classics as they were intended to be told! I even caught my husband reading Cinderella last night as he was relaxing on the couch! His reaction? "Wow...that was so different than the Disney version! I like this one much better!" Me, too!

However, the other two books I refreshed with left us less than thrilled. Madeline and the Cats of Rome was obviously not an original Madeline book and the story did not engage either the children or myself. I also did not appreciate the the mischevous little girl in the book received no discipline (and could even be seen as being rewarded with a new pet) for her thievery! We the Kids started with a great concept -- introducing young readers to the Preamble of the United States Constitution -- but because the writing was not original (obviously, the Preamble has been around for a little while :), the success or failure of the book hinged entirely upon the artwork. I was not impressed with the illustrations, which looked to me like they came from a silly modern cartoon, and I felt they did little to help a small child's comprehension of the words they accompanied. Oh, well.

There you go! Next time I write, I'd like to share with you the idea of a book journal. Until then, keep reading to those babies at least 30 minutes a day -- it's an investment for a lifetime!