Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

I had no idea what I was getting into when I started book one of Pullman's "Dark Materials". I'm glad I didn't know, or I might not have picked them up. As I sit anxiously awaiting the magic hour when I can go pick up the third book from the library, I thought I'd jot down my thoughts.

Philip Pullman is a master of fantasy. While I struggled initially with the language in book one, book two clarified many things for me. In book one I had no idea what half of the places were - countries I had never heard of. I thought perhaps if I looked in an old atlas I would find some of the names listed as original region names, but I wasn't sure. Nonetheless, I fell head over heels into the story and didn't "return to Williamsburg" for a few days. Then I was swept away by the second book. I have never been so torn as to whose side to root for. On the one hand, the hero and heroine are obvious choices, but are they really trying to help destroy God? As a strong believer in God, I can't cheer for them! Yet, the church can be so wicked and evil and they continue to be in the book - how can I possibly root for them? My hope for book three is that the church and God are teased apart and that the heroes defeat the church, but that God is preserved and a new establishment with less man-power and corruption is begun. I realize this is supposed to be "dark" and it surely is, but a little light at the end, is that too much to hope for?
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Thursday, May 10, 2007

Lincoln A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

I was so impressed by this book! As a child I loved biographies and read The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin three times (pretty nerdy, I know). But as an adult, I find biographies harder to get into and far less interesting. This book made me realize the problem. I love biographies written for children. They are full of interesting facts and easy to read. I don't have to work too hard to make the connections to what I know and I still come away with a better understanding of the person I was reading about. The adult versions are full of wonderful complex language and connections, and in the little time I have to read before I fall asleep, I don't have the energy to make those connections. I end up frustrated and anything but relaxed.

Lincoln A Photobiography is an easy read full of interesting facts about Lincoln before and while he was president. I knew he came from a poor family and was largely self-educated, but not much else. His story is so interesting! I also never thought about how long he was president before the Civil War broke out. In all my childhood imaginings of the Missouri Compromise and Kansas-Nebraska Act, he was president. Of course, this was not so.

For anyone interested in history, young or old, this is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it!
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Piggy Monday A Tale About Manners written and illustrated by Suzanne Bloom

Suzanne Bloom is fabulous. My preschoolers are big fans of her Is This the Bus For Us, Gus?. My family just got Piggy Monday A Tale About Manners and we love it! When I first looked at the cover, I thought it would scare my chidlren, 4 and 6. That they would be afraid of turning into pigs themselves. Quite the contrary. The book begins with a class of children who are teasing, being rude, talking in class, etc. As their behavior deteriorates throughout the day, they begin growing pig snouts, hooves, and tails, until they are all little pigs. The Pig Lady comes to the rescue and reminds them of their manners. As they begin to use manners, their pig parts disappear and they become polite young children. By the end, they are all complementing each other, reminding each other of the proper way to say things and do things, and saying please and thank you. The illustrations are fabulous inspiring fits of laughter from my children as the students tear apart the classroom and acquire one pig part at a time. The story is in verse which always attracts the attention of young listeners and the dedication, "to that sparkling class who inspired this tale" was a great topic of conversation afterwards - "Did this really happen?" "Are there really kids who don't have any manners?" "Kids can't turn into pigs!" A few days after reading this book my children were arguing over some precious toy they both desperately needed at the same time and I looked in the doorway and said, "I see a pig tail ... and an ear!" My children stopped arguing immediately and started looking at each other for their pig parts. They rolled in a fit of laughter and actually apologized to each other without being told to!!!! It was terrific! Later that night my husband forgot to say please and my son was quick to say, "Be careful Daddy, you're going to get a pig tail." Humor is such a great way to remind children to make good choices, rather than getting angry or frustrated. The kids catch each other and because of the fabulous imagery from the illustrations, they can't help but laugh at the thought. I'm so glad I did not judge this book by its cover.