Thanksgiving for Toddlers (copy)

It is Turkey Time!

Have you thought about books to prepare your toddlers for the event? As they sit around the kiddie table being teased by the older kids, they may lack the understanding of the event. Why all the food? Why am I stuck here at this table and not with mom and dad? What is this red stuff in a perfect circle on my plate? Why does grandpa rush to his easy chair and sleep through football? Why are all the women in the kitchen and the men in the den?

I pulled some children’s books to share with you in hopes that some time will be spent in preparation for the event. This is the Turkey by Abby Levine and illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye explains the day through rhyme.

The book opens with, “This is the turkey to shout about! And Max is the one who picked it out.” Max, our main character, is old enough now to comprehend Thanksgiving for the first time. He is a lucky little boy. He and the rest of the younger members are allowed to sit at the grown up table. There they all join hands and bless with, “This is the thanks for all that’s good: home and family and friends and food.”

In The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi, a family comparison is made by our little unnamed narrator and her friend Abigail Archer.

Speaking of Abigail’s home our friend says, “Their turkey is plump and golden. Their napkins are made of lace. Their table is lit with candles. They all hold hands for grace.” She then says about her own family, “Our smoke alarm is wailing. Our turkey, burnt as toast. Dad spills the gravy down his shirt—a less-than-perfect host.”

Percy Isaac Gifford has all the rules little ones need to make it through their first Thanksgiving. In Thanksgiving Rules by Laurie Friedman and illustrated by Teresa Murfin, we find Percy very helpful. He says, “The first thing you should know: moms like to set a mood. They like to control everything from your clothing to the food.”

I leave you with a picture book that begs you to grab the kids and cozy into a soft chair. Saving Grace: A Prayer of Thanksgiving written by Virginia Kroll and illustrated by Timothy Ladwig, tells the story of pioneer prayer. The author claims that mealtime blessings originated in North America with the early settlers. That is a nice thought.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving for Toddlers (copy)

http://maggiereads.blogspot.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-for-toddlers-copy.html

Grief Books (copy)

I consider my grandmother’s act heroic; unfortunately, I remain stoic. A week ago a doctor told Granny Smith that her heart was irreparable even though her pacemaker could go another 10 years. He continued with his realistic diagnosis, “Get your house in order.” Her house being quite orderly she took matters into her own hands and stopped eating. Saturday I kissed her goodbye and Sunday she passed.

Grief is something everyone experiences. Sometimes it is like mine, puzzling. Other times it is bone aching where life loses all color. What type of books does one read when the world means nothing? Obviously, we turn to the Bible in times of need, but what else is out there?

I suggest two books by notable authors. The first book I recommend is A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis. His world lost color the day his wife died of cancer. Lewis went from a guy who felt he knew it all to someone who had no answers. His search is with God and with his own reactions such as his paragraph on depression.

“And no one ever told me about the laziness of grief. Except at my job—where the machine seems to run on much as usual—I loathe the slightest effort. Not only writing but even reading a letter is too much. Even shaving. What does it matter now whether my cheek is rough or smooth? They say an unhappy man wants distraction—something to take him out of himself. Only as a dog-tired man wants an extra blanket on a cold night; he’d rather lie there shivering than get up and find one. It’s easy to see why the lonely become untidy, finally, dirty and disgusting.”

Second book I suggest is Joan Didion's A Year of Magical Thinking. A book that grabs grief by the neck, strangles it, and then tries to discern why. Her year of madness began when husband died suddenly of a heart attack. A devoted spouse that edited her writing, finished her sentences, completed her in every way was gone overnight. She believed, even after a year had past that he would magically appear.

Why would I suggest two great writers for the recently bereaved? Both write to understand. Both share their daily thoughts however inappropriate they may feel them to be. Their words help because they are honest and insightful.

Grief Books (copy)

http://maggiereads.blogspot.com/2010/11/grief-books-copy.html

The Man who Loved Books too Much (copy)

I have my pilfering little hands on a great book this week. One I do not want to share with anyone or take back to the library. I am talking about The Man who Loved Books too much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett.

The book opens with two anathemas. An anathema is a curse placed on someone who does someone else wrong. In the case of books, it is a curse on anyone who steals said book. The book in question is a medieval manuscript from a monastery in Barcelona, Spain.

The anathema reads, “For him that stealeth, or borroweth and returneth not, this book from its owner…let him be struck with palsy, & all his members blasted….Let bookworms gnaw his entrails in token of the Worm that dieth not, & when at last he goeth to his final punishment, let the flames of Hell consume him forever.”

The true story within is as fascinating as this opening. John Charles Gilkey has a passion for stealing books. From 1999 to 2003, he stole over $100,000 worth of rare books from dealers. Not to read, mind you, but for the pure pleasure of owning them. The book calls him a bibliokleptomaniac for he does not seek profit from his ill-gotten gains.

For every odd character there is an equally odd nemesis, and Gilkey’s counterpoint is Ken Sanders. A rare book dealer, Sanders turned amateur detective after volunteering to be security chair for the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America. He spent three years of his life chasing the elusive Gilkey contributing to his incarceration. His friends nicknamed him the “Book Cop” or “Bibliodick.”

Bartlett mentions she entered a form of “research rapture” while gathering materials for this book. Along with sleuthing facts from paper sources, she also relied heavily on face-to-face interviews. She spent numerous hours with Gilkey (when not incarcerated) and Sanders touring their respective bookcases.

A quick note on Gilkey’s progress: As of August 2010, Gilkey can be found in Miami-Dade County where extradited on a fugitive warrant. It looks like he went to visit relatives in another state. Ha!

It was during Bartlett’s research that she also noticed book theft occurring on a regular basis in the press. Prompting her to write, “…for all its history, it is still a modern story.”

The Man who Loved Books too Much (copy)

http://maggiereads.blogspot.com/2010/11/man-who-loved-books-too-much-copy.html