Decisions, Decisions

During the week leading up to Valentine's Day, I read a picture book to my class each day while they eat their mid-morning snack. With one day to go, I have 4 books left and time for one tomorrow. So I brought them home and read them again, and thought I'd write a bit about each one to help me make up my mind.

The Ballad of Valentine, by Allison Jackson, can be sung to the tune of "My Darling Clementine." A man writes letter after letter to his sweetheart, Valentine, and none of them ever arrive. He chronicles the different delivery methods he selects and the ways in which they go haywire. All the while, we see Valentine going about her daily chores, including baking a pie, which she then carries to his home to present to him. Mars and Venus at their best :)

The Best Thing About Valentines, by Eleanor Hudson, is for younger readers. The rhyming text is perfect for letting the little ones finish the sentence with the second rhyming word. An adorable bear makes and delivers valentines, capturing exactly how most children feel about this special day.

I enjoy P.K. Hallinan's work and managed to pick up most of his holiday-themed books at a wonderful children's book shop in Ashland, Oregon years ago. Heartprints is his Valentine's Day offering, but the definition of heartprints on the cover leaves no doubt that this is no ordinary Valentine's Day book.

"the impression left behind by a deliberate act of kindness"

The final book on my list is Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane deGroat. This is another in her series of books about Gilbert and his friends. These characters tackle problems that kids face in their families, with their friends, and at school. This one finds Gilbert unable to write something nice on two of the valentines he is making for his classmates, so he writes a mean poem to both of them and signs their names. Of course, everyone finds out and Gilbert has to deal with being ostracized and figure out how to make things right.

Hmmm, I might have to make time for two books.

Update: I could NOT make up my mind, so I did what every 21st century digiphile does and put it on Facebook. Everyone who responded chose Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink. We read it this morning and I must say, my friends have great decision-making skills - the kids loved it and it gave us an opportunity to have a rich discussion about choices, consequences, and looking for the best in people.

I'll save Heartprints for one of our Morning Meetings in the near future. I can't pass up that opportunity!

Mr. Goat's Valentine

I read this story to my class today while they were eating their mid-morning snack. Big mistake. Don't read this book to anyone who is eating ;)

Mr. Goat realizes it is Valentine's Day and scoots off to gather gifts for his first love. So far, so good. But Mr. Goat has different sensibilities than your average human and he purchases...well, never mind, I don't want to spoil the story...or your appetite.

As a mother, I love the ending. It will tug at any mother's heartstrings and we all hope our sons are as thoughtful as Mr. Goat when they are grown and busy with all that life brings their way.

Eve Bunting, who will be 90 this year, often writes about weighty topics - riots, homelessness, the Holocaust, changing families, Japanese exclusion, even serial murder. Given her expert touch with these topics, one might not expect her to have such a well-developed funny bone, but she does, and even though my students were groaning at Mr. Goat's choices, they laughed and enjoyed every bit of the story.

One of my personal favorites is her book How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story. Our team reads it to our 4th graders at Thanksgiving time each year. I have a hard time keeping my tears at bay.

Illustrator Kevin Zimmer has matched Bunting's tone with his clear, bright, completely engaging illustrations. He creates a lovable Mr. Goat in a bright, friendly world.

Mr. Goat's Valentine is a great addition to the Valentine's Day selection of books available for children. Your local library is sure to have a copy.

* I love watching interviews with our beloved children's authors - here is one with Eve Bunting - her Irish brogue is delightful.

Love From the Very Hungry Caterpillar

What a gem! Of course, it's Eric Carle, so gem status is guaranteed, but still.

His trademark collage illustrations once again bring to life reader favorite - the very hungry caterpillar - in the 2015 picture book, Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

This tiny book is short and sweet, telling the reader why s/he is loved. Everyone likes to hear that they make the stars sparkle and the sun shine brighter for someone, right? Little ones will enjoy pointing out our friend the caterpillar on each page. This is a wonderful snuggle up book to read with your child or grandchild (another Grandma's Book of the Month Club pick!) and it's brief enough that the littlest of the littles will sit still for it :)

One of the items on my bucket list is visiting The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. I was looking for more information about the museum on his website and blog, when I found this:

Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit

This traveling exhibition is co-organized by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

• Spring 2018: Discovery Cube, LA, Los Angeles, CA
• Summer 2018: Family Museum, Bettendorf, IA
• Fall 2018: Mississippi Children’s Museum, Jackson, MS
• Summer 2019: Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito, CA

I'm sad that the exhibition won't be in Seattle, but California is doable! To tide you over till you can visit the museum, here are some video links Eric Carle fans will enjoy:

Here's a cute Q&A interview with him from 2007.

On the 40th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, he gave this interview.

Here he is reading aloud The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Catching Kisses

Me + this book = love at first sight!

Let me explain: 9 months ago, I became a grandma for the very first time and that girl is the light of my life.

She lives over 2,000 miles away and I only get to see her every few months, so I am grateful for technology. I send her little videos of me telling her that Grandma loves her, we FaceTime, and thanks to Amazon Prime, I started Grandma's Book of the Month Club and she gets a couple new books every month, which she promptly either chews or "reads," depending on her current mood.

Last night, her thoughtful mama sent me a little video of sweet, 9 months old Miss B waving and blowing a kiss. Oh, my heart!

So when I picked this book up at my community library this morning, I instantly connected with the idea of blown kisses traveling around the world to reach whomever they are meant for, and I could picture that sweet little kiss from my granddaughter flying over the miles, weaving around mountains, through cities, and across the Puget Sound to me.

Sound silly? Well, then, this isn't the book for you. But if you believe in the power of love, if you yearn for loved ones who aren't nearby, this book will touch your heart.

Maria Van Lieshout uses a sparse color pallet via Adobe Illustrator and all of the people appear in silhouette. Her chosen technique is crisp, clean, and keeps the focus squarely on the author's message. I enjoyed seeing Seattle, San Francisco, New York City, and you and your little ones will surely recognize many of the locations as you move through the book.

Author Amy Gibson has captured a simple, powerful idea - that love knows no bounds - and turned it into a heartwarming picture books for ALL ages. Some of my favorite phrases:
"Kisses are powerful. No wall can hold them back. No fence can keep them out." "Like thumbprints and snowflakes, no two are the same." "Everyday, everywhere, kisses are flying. They're invisible, but real as the wind in your face." Pardon me while, I wipe away a tear and blow a kiss to my darling little grandgirl.

Catching Kisses is a great book to read with someone you love for Valentine's Day, but I know I'll be reading it more often than once a year (and guess what's going in Miss B's next GBOTMC package?)!