Day 227: Not Your Typical Dragon

My son is still in a huge dragon phase, so naturally, I set out to see if I could find any good stories about his favorite creatures.  I came across this one while searching on Amazon, and was happy to be able to request it through our inter-library loan service.  Now that we've read it (many times), I think it should have a place in every library, everywhere!  What a cute story!

Crispin Blaze comes from a long line of fire-breathing dragons.  When he turns 7, he'll breathe fire, too!  Crispin can't wait to make his family proud.  "The little dragon imagined all the forests he would burn down.  He dreamed of all the castles he would destroy.  He also considered boiling water to make tea, but he didn't tell his father that."  When his birthday arrives, he takes a deep breath and prepares to light his candles, but all that comes out is whipped cream!  His father is shocked.  His mother worries what the neighbors will think (though his sister is excited to have whipped cream on the cake.)  Crispin's father rushes him to the doctor, but when he attempts to breathe fire again, Band-aids come out, instead!  He takes medicine, hoping it will help turn him into a real dragon, but when he attends his first fire-breathing practice at school, he breathes marshmallows, not fire!  Poor Crispin just doesn't fit in.  Worried that he'll disappoint his family and convinced he's not a real dragon, he decides to run away.   In a sweet and silly turn of events, Crispin and his family learn that his gifts are something to be celebrated, not ashamed of, and that the things that make us unique are the most special of all.

Not Your Typical Dragon is silly, sweet, and fun to read, with a simply fabulous message.  Be proud of who you are, embrace what makes you different, and appreciate the unique gifts that people have to share with the world.  After all, the world would be a pretty boring place if we were all the same!  My kids just can't get enough of this wonderful story, and I'm sure yours will love it, too.

Day 194: The Dot

We're on a big Peter Reynolds kick in our house lately... and loving it!  This is partly due to my son's sudden love of drawing, but also because Reynolds' books are simply fabulous and worthy of reading again and again.  My first encounter with his illustrations was in Someday, written by Alison McGhee, a beautiful book that makes me cry every time I read it.  I discovered The Dot and Ish last year, and they, too, were love at first read.  I've written before about how Ish inspired my son to be more confident about creating his own art, and have been incredibly thankful to have found these books ever since.  A few weeks ago, though, things really clicked and it was as though my son suddenly flipped his artistic switch to "on."  I honestly never thought I'd see the day when he'd want to sit and draw for hours, but now he does.  It's so wonderful to watch.  I got Ish and the Dot out of the library again last week to help keep inspiring his creativity, and was shocked when I realized I hadn't written about the Dot yet!  So without further ado, here's my take on this amazing picture book:

Sitting in her art class, Vashti is convinced she is not an artist.  Frustrated by her blank piece of paper, she isn't afraid to tell her teacher as much: "I just CAN'T draw!"  Smiling sweetly, her teacher gives the perfect, encouraging response:  "Just make a mark and see where it takes you."  Annoyed, Vashti grabs a marker and jabs at her paper, leaving only a dot.  "There!"  Much to her surprise, her teacher asks her to sign it, and Vashti returns to art class the following week to find her dot framed on the wall.  Little does Vashti know how much that one little dot would change her perspective and encourage her to express herself in ways she never thought possible.  

Inspiring and heart-warming, the Dot is an absolutely wonderful story with an even lovelier message.  I just love Reynolds' illustrations, as I do in all of his books, and it's as though I can feel Vashti's creative energy flowing into her work on each page.  I just adore Reynolds' watercolor and pen and ink style and the charming, sweet life it breathes into his illustrations.  He is definitely among our favorite authors and illustrators.

We've all had times in our lives where we're convinced we absolutely can't do something and don't even want to try. The Dot is an empowering, beautiful story that will inspire readers of all ages to believe in themselves, try new things, and see just what they can become if they simply take the chance.   We all have something special to share with the world; we just need to have the courage to make our mark and see where it takes us.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." 

~ Lao Tzu

Day 174: Not All Princesses Dress in Pink

I was never a girly girl.  I never owned a doll or wore dresses, and I certainly never pretended I was a princess.  I was much happier wearing my Gonzo football sweatshirt and running around playing outside.  I did have a Cabbage Patch Kid and played with My Little Ponies, but that's about as girly as I got.  I'm not sure I ever even owned anything pink, unless you count my neon pink attire of the 80s.  I eventually grew out of my tom-boy phase, but I still can't be bothered to wear make up and am more comfortable in sweats than a dress.  I now own plenty of skirts and like wearing the color pink, and love buying adorable little outfits for my daughter.  She loves pink and purple, and can it really be true that I have a daughter who loves to play with dolls?  She has dresses that she loves to wear in the summer, and every time she puts one on, she says, "I'm a princess!"  Sometimes she even gives a little twirl.  It's very cute. We've never watched the classic princess movies so I don't know if she really knows what the traditional princess looks like, but she knows that my husband calls her his little princess, so I think that's where she got it from.

But don't let her pink-wearing, doll-playing, occasional dress-twirling fool you.  My little girl loves playing with dinosaurs, cars and trucks, digging in the mud, and getting dirty.  And boy is she tough!  A lot of this has to do with having (and idolizing) an older brother, but part of me also thinks she is a little like I was in that way.  I love many of Jane Yolen's books, so when I heard about this one, I knew I had to check it out.  It sounded just like the kind of book my kids would love!  We brought it home from the library the other day and it was an instant hit.  "Not all princesses dress in pink.  Some play in bright red socks that stink, blue team jerseys that don't quite fit, accessorized with a baseball mitt, and a sparkly crown!"  I loved the message of the book the minute I read the title, and think it is an important one for all girls (and boys) to hear.  Princesses come in all shapes and sizes and have a variety of interests and talents.  They can build things with tools, splash in mud puddles, climb trees, or play sports, all while being powerful, strong, and beautiful.  Some of them might wear their sparkly crowns all the while, but others won't.  Either way, it doesn't matter.  Our daughters can grow up to be anything they want to be, and I hope that's a message that they will always take to heart.

Day 155: Ish

I love drawing and doing any kind of art.  My daughter does, too.  She'll sit and color for ages, or at least  until I take her crayons away because she is trying to eat them.  My son, on the other hand, has never cared much for coloring.  He'll do it for a few minutes if the materials are out and available, but usually after a few scribbles he's off and running to the next thing.  I've long suspected that part of his reluctance to draw comes from a sort of perfectionism, though I don't know whether or not that is really the case.  He's a stickler for details, and if his picture isn't going to look just like he wants it to (which would be virtually impossible), he doesn't even want to try.  He does like painting -- especially rocks outside -- so I just keep making art accessible and encouraging him to try it out with us.  I was thrilled to find this fabulous book a few weeks ago and honestly think he enjoys drawing more now that we've read it several times.  The other day, for example, we made our own animal ABCs book and he excitedly drew a picture for each animal he had chosen.  All 26 of them.  In one sitting!  I was beyond amazed.  Several times, when part of his drawing didn't look the way he wanted to, he'd say something like, "Well, it might not look just like a frog, but it's frog-ish!"  And then he'd happily continue scribbling and drawing.  It was awesome.  He's made similar "ish" comments while drawing on other occasions, too, and I love that this book seems to have encouraged him to take chances and not worry so much about whether his work looks "right."  I just want him to have fun and enjoy the process along the way.  It's funny, too, because no matter how many times I have encouraged him to draw without worrying about it looking perfect, the message never really seemed to stick until we read this book.  Here's a little taste of what Ish all about:

Ramon loves to draw more than anything in the whole world.  Anytime, anything, anywhere.  One day, as he is drawing a vase of flowers, his older brother walks up behind him and laughs, "What is THAT?"  With those three words, Ramon's whole attitude towards his art changes.  He keeps trying to make his art look "right," but it never does.  After months of frustration and countless crumpled papers, Ramon gives up.  Fortunately for Ramon, his younger sister sees things differently.  When he sees his vase drawing and other castaways proudly displayed on the wall of her room, Ramon begins to realize that perhaps art doesn't have to be perfect to be just right.  It might not look like a vase, but it is "vase-ish," and that, it turns out, is good enough.

Children needn't be reluctant artists or perfectionists to enjoy this book, though I especially recommend it if your child is like mine.  This would be a great book to share in classrooms, too.  More than anything, I just love the way Ish encourages children to let their ideas flow freely and appreciate the individuality of their work.  Thank you, Peter Reynolds, for inspiring us to "live ishfully ever after."

Day 154: One

I love it when friends and fellow readers recommend a fabulous book to me, and when it comes to One, I have to give a big thank you and shout out to Marlene Chiasson, who suggested I check out this story a few weeks ago.  Marlene, I'm so glad you told me about this amazing story!  One is incredibly powerful and clever, and the parent and teacher in me highly recommend this book to parents and children of all ages.  The brilliance of this book lies in its message and the creative way in which it is delivered.  Using colors as metaphors for personalities, Author Kathryn Otoshi tells an all-too-common tale of bullying in a  clever and unique way.

"Blue was a quiet color... Every once in a while he wished he could be more sunny like Yellow.  Or bright like Green.  More regal like Purple. Or outgoing like Orange.  But overall, he liked being blue... except when he was with Red."  Red is a hot head; an unmistakeable bully who gets bigger each time he puts down others and goes unchallenged.  The other colors are always too scared of Red to stick up for themselves and each other... until One comes along.  He is funny, self-confident, and not afraid to stand up to Red and simply say, "No."  Drawing off One's confidence, the other colors join in -- "Me TWO!" says Yellow.  "Me THREE!" proclaims Green -- ultimately standing up to Red and showing us how "everyone counts."  Like so many others who have read this story, I love its anti-bullying message of tolerance and diversity, and most of all, its important reminder that sometimes "it just takes one" to make a difference.

Like many great books, I think One resonates with children of different ages in different ways.  My daughter, not yet two, simply likes pointing to the different colors and numbers as we read aloud.  My son, even at age 4, knows that there are certain kids out there who are simply not nice, and I'm sure that this book feels even more relevant to elementary aged children.  Unfortunately, our children will inevitably encounter bullies throughout their lives; hopefully not as victims, but most certainly as bystanders.  Part of our job as parents and educators is to help them learn how to deal with bullies and feel confident enough to be the One who can stand up and say, "No."

Day 111: Chrysanthemum

Choosing what to name our children was always an exciting and important decision.  Both times I was pregnant, we found out what we were having -- the first time a boy, the second a girl -- and I loved knowing so that, among other reasons, I could start calling the baby by name.  My husband and I were very much on the same page when it came to selecting names, fortunately, both preferring classic names to trendy or unique ones.  Both of our children have very traditional English names:  Will and Emma.  I'll admit that as teachers, two other factors crossed our minds during our name selection process:  when our children's teachers looked at their class rosters someday, they would be able to pronounce their names properly and know whether they were looking for a boy or a girl.  Silly, perhaps, but true.  We also hoped that our children would love their names, since to us, they were as perfect as our little ones themselves.  Chrysanthemum's parents felt much the same way.  "Her name must be everything she is," said her mother.  "Her name must be absolutely perfect," said her father.  And it was."  Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum.  Kevin Henkes has created another masterpiece is this adorable and clever story.  Chrysanthemum loved every thing about her name -- the way it sounded when her mother woke her up or her father called her for dinner, the way it looked when she saw it written in ink on an envelope, in icing on her birthday cake, and when she wrote it herself with her fat orange crayon -- until she started school.  Other students laughed when the teacher read her name during roll call, and girls teased her:  "It's so long... It scarcely fits on your name tag... You're named after a flower!"  Each day after school, Chrysanthemum returns home feeling a bit sad and wilted, and each evening her parents manage to cheer her up.  Still, Chrysanthemum can't help but wish she had a different name... that is, until she meets the ever-so-fabulous music teacher, Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle.  Like so many of Henkes' books, this story is wonderful on many levels.  He is a master of addressing issues that are common among preschoolers and elementary aged children (in this case, teasing and wanting to fit in), while at the same time teaching children more appropriate ways to behave and treat one another.  In this case, he celebrates the beauty of being yourself and not only appreciating differences in one another, but celebrating them.  I also LOVE his illustrations and the way in which he portrays the unconditional love of his characters' parents.  There are so many clever little details in his drawings that are not to be missed:  the hilarious face on the very pregnant Mrs. Twinkle's dress, the map of Wisconsin and its cheese on the bulletin board, and especially the books Chrysanthemum's father can be seen reading throughout the story -- The Inner Mouse Vol. 1: Childhood Anxiety and A Rose by any Other Name... Understanding Identity.  We highly recommend this book to any young reader, particularly one whose name is different or who might be teased by her peers.  If you love Kevin Henkes as much as we do, you won't be disappointed. 

Day 25: I Like Myself

My friend Mellie recommended this book to me and I'm so glad she did!  I had to take it out on inter-library loan as only a small handful of libraries in our system have it, so it might be a bit hard to come by.  This is one book, though, that every library should have in its collection.  It's clever, silly, and has an absolutely fabulous message: love yourself for who you are, no matter what.  It is a self-proclaimed sassy "ode to self-esteem," and it delivers a message that I truly hope my kids will always take to heart.  The middle school teacher in me especially loves this book.   It celebrates the uniqueness in all of us and encourages our little ones to always be themselves and love the skin they're in.  One of my favorite lines is "No matter if they stop and stare, no person ever anywhere can make me feel that what they see is all there really is to me."   The illustrations are entertaining and it's just an all around feel-good book to read.  May all of our children grow up to be as happy and carefree as the little girl in the story!