MotherReader

This morning our hamster escaped, my cat is in trouble with the law, I deeply needed Second Breakfast at 10:30 a.m. and it was Oreos. What a perfect time to write about the Second Annual Kidlitosphere Conference.

I started my day at 5:00 a.m. on Friday, September 25th, to make my 7:20 flight to Portland. Summing up that day, I almost missed my connection, dozed and read through a long flight, had lunch, stole a roll from the hotel’s buffet, and took a nap. For all intents and purposes (anyone else ever thought that phrase was “for all intensive purposes”?) my conference experience started at 5:00 p.m. in the hotel lobby when Sara Zarr saved me from my aimless wandering by saying hello.

After I congratulated her on her awesomeness, we chatted about travel and wondered how we’d know our people when they arrived. We shouldn’t have worried, as Laini’s legendary pink hair showed us the way to the bloggers and authors gathering by the bar. Conference organizer Jone was there as well, and our group begin to pull in the attendees by some sort of literary force.

In this pre-downtown excursion, I met Maureen from Confessions of a Bibliovore, Anastasia Suen, and author Alma Alexander. It wasn’t long before the dynamic duo of Jackie Parker and Colleen Mondor hit the scene and actually recognized me from my rarely posted photos. We hit it off immediately, and kindred spirit feeling was quickly confirmed on the ride to Powell’s City of Books where we discussed Portland, politics, and Dr. Horrible.

Powell’s was overwhelming, but it was fun seeing my peeps all around. We left as a group to get dinner only to find a bit of a wait. I used my time wisely, meeting Lee Wind and Suzanne Young. But when I saw that Bridget Zinn, Adrienne, Farida, Betsy, and Mark Blevis were already there and up for a table, the opportunist — the very hungry opportunist — in me latched on to that group without another thought.

Betsy Bird entertained us with stories as Mark and I munched down our elk burgers. (High in protein, low on fat!) I heard about Adrienne and Farida’s Fabulous Day in Portland. A possible Newbery contender was revealed, while Bridget talked about the recent book she Did Not Like. (I totally stole this picture from Laini.)

After a failed attempt to visit Voodoo Donut, it was back to the hotel and a drink with Jen Robinson, Gregory K. (and brother), Jackie, Colleen, Suzanne, and my New Best Friend Lee. (I mean, everybody’s new best friend. The most likable guy ever.) It’s very possible more people were involved as I have no evidence either way, and the lack of sleep was getting to my brain.

Now, conference day. Panel discussion on bridging books and blogs. Blah, blah, blah.¹ Hold it! That’s Eric Kimmel! Talk to him! Talk to him!!! Duo panel about blog tours. Blah, blah, Funny stuff. Blah, blah.² Stepped out to take some deep breaths before...

MY session on building a bigger blog. Once I started talking, I felt comfortable and it seemed to go very well. It was packed, especially since we had to move to a smaller room, but I liked the cozier feeling. I got good feedback from the attendees and it was well received. I’d like to make the handout available later. Maybe here, or on the conference site.

Next was the Cybils session, and then I lunched with those folks — Jen, Jackie, Colleen, Anastasia, and Sarah. This was my first time meeting Sarah Stevenson, and she was so nice. It’s like her super power. We talked a lot of Cybils and promotion stuff, making it a working lunch. Then it was off to hear Laini and Jen talk about the author and book reviewer perspective on blogging. Good stuff. Gregory K. gave a knockout presentation on promotion and using social networking sites. I skipped the last session about author blogs to refresh and regroup.

The last official conference activity was a time to meet the authors, and I did my best to meet them all. I chatted with Sara Ryan and Sara Zarr. I got books from Barbara Shoup, Christine Fletcher, Matt Holm (signed Babymouse book, so my kids will love me!), Clare Bell, Lisa Schroeder, Emily Wing Smith, and Deb Lund. I chatted with many, many more people and took cards, postcards (the prettiest from Dana Arnim, whom I actually tracked down to get her lovely card), and pins.

Afterwards, it was non-stop socializing through drinks and dinner. I finally caught up with Kirby Larson and browsed her new book. Love-ly! We talked about her next book, which will also be a picture book, and her next, next book, which will be a another hysterical... I mean historical novel.

Dinner was great with a cool crew, including the duo that rocked the blog tour discussion panel — Colleen and Jackie. The next table over was blitzing through the raffle, but I did win a couple of items with my tickets. After two wins, I passed on the rest of them to Mark Blevis and the Readergirlz so they could share the joy of winning. (Actually, I gave them to Lee who gave them to the Readergirlz, but I still deserve credit.)

After dinner, it was yet more socializing at the hotel bar. I fit in a catch-up session with Betsy Bird and her fanged sock puppet. I think the puppets were some sort of club — or cult. I could have stayed up until dawn, but my my voice started to go about midnight. So I took that as a hint, left the die-hard party folk, and headed for bed.

Sunday was breakfast with Lee and Maureen, and our tearful (okay, not really) goodbyes. Jone took me on a field trip to Multnomah Falls and we used the car ride to talk conference stuff, since I’ll be taking the show to D.C. next year. Once back in Portland, I hooked up with Jackie, Colleen, Lori, Holly, and Dia to finally get to Voodoo Donuts. After lunchtime, I was on my own in Portland, where I explored the street festival/art show at length, checked out the waterfront, and made another trip to Powell’s. At 5:00 p.m. I was D-O-N-E. But I still had hours to go until my flight, and even more hours until I hit Virginia again. I cruised through that period on my last bit of steam, got home, and slept like a baby.

Now things are back to normal — by which I mean the chaos of the the hamster, the cat, and the breakfast Oreos. But you know what? The hamster was quickly caught, the cat is under house arrest, and the Oreos actually were the perfect choice. It’s all good.

(OMG, I don’t know when I have ever written a post with more links or more pictures or that took this long to put together. Whew. I’m worn out. You should know that I’m getting all these links from the Portland Kidlit site where attendees are linking to their posts. Go there to read about other folks’ experiences.)

Er... I don’t know.

Funny story. In the eight years I’ve been doing alphabet storytimes, taking turns with my coworkers, I’ve never had the letter “E.” So today the letter “E” is brought to you by... YOU! Leave some suggestions for great storytime books about elephants, eggs, or earwax. Also fair game are books using “E” names like Eva, Erin, or Edward (but not Tulane).

---

Okay, okay, I can’t leave you with absolutely nothing. I would probably use Ella the Elegant Elephant, by Carmela D’Amico, The Egg, by M.P. Robertson, and “Eat!” cried Little Pig, by Jonathan London.

Well, I’m no longer in Portland, but apparently I left all my verve there. Still so very tired. It’s almost dinner time and I’m just starting to feel human again. I’m thinkin’ tomorrow for a conference wrap-up. In the meantime, check out the great posts that are coming in from all over the kidlitosphere. There are pictures! There are stories! There are glowing references to me! (You know, probably.) So check them out, and I’ll tackle my summary after a good night’s sleep.

Omigod, I am so tired. I had the choice of either leaving early this morning or late tonight, so I went with the red-eye back to DC. I’m not regretting the decision, as I had a wonderful day first at some waterfall that I am too lazy to look up and then in downtown Portland where I hung out with blogfriends and shopped at a street festival. But right now, I totally want to be home already. Like, now.

The conference was wonderful, and I will write more about it later. This quickie post is just to say that I was excited to meet new authors, to see some blogging friends again, and to make new blogger best friends forever. (Oh BFFs, you know who you are.) But mostly I’m writing to whine that I’ve got a long flight ahead of me and that I’m still, still in Portland.

I’m off to Portland and the Second Annual Kidlitosphere Conference at an unspeakable hour in the morning. I’m also leaving at a crazy-late time on Sunday. But on the plus side, I’ll have plenty of time to see the city and hang with blogfriends. I’ll be at the hotel in the early afternoon — so conference attendees, look me up. Oh, and can someone hook me up with email access over the weekend? Thanks.

This week, Ellsworth’s Journal awarded MotherReader an “I ♥ Your Blog” award, and I couldn’t be happier. Lately I’ve been feeling a little down about this blogging business, and it soothes my soul to know that somebody likes what I’m doing here. Thanks, El — you made my day.

Now to pass it on to other blogs that I love. There are so many that it was hard to choose. Especially since I haven’t been commenting much, and there are lots of posts I should have raved about, but didn’t. Really, I have some great blog friends out there running some amazing book blogs and I count on them to keep me In The Know.

Recently, though, I’ve found a lot of comfort and inspiration in writing blogs. I like to think of it as a step towards my book rising to the surface through the muck of my brain busy with work, family, and this enraging election. The best author blogs take you into the writing experience, but don’t bore you with the details. They teach you something. They open up new ideas, concepts, discussions, and connections. And for me, right now, they don’t make me look at my to-read or to-review pile and make me feel guilty and altogether inadequate. So I ♥ Your Blog:

• Blue Rose Girls give me the viewpoints of varied authors, editors, illustrators, and poets. There’s always something interesting to read there.
  
  
• The Longstockings never let me down with their own collection of authors sharing stories, thoughts, and concerns from the writing world.
  
  
• Mitali’s Fire Escape makes me question if it could really only be Mitali Perkins writing, as there is always so much well-thought out stuff there. Mitali also makes me question books and more in terms of diversity, and I thank her for providing that voice.
  
  
• Kelly Fineman has taught me more about poetry than I ever thought I’d want to know — and that’s a good thing. (But I especially love her for the post I’m linking to about YA for Obama.)
  
  
• Finding Wonderland throws new thoughts out there all the time while I can only have, like, maybe one deep thought a week. I’m also ever grateful to TadMack for commenting at my blog, even as I’ve hit a commenting lull.
  
  
• Original Content lets the blog name say it all. Except maybe the part about how the original content offered is often thought-provoking and funny.
  
  
• Emily Reads may fall into the category of a book review blog, but with her haiku summaries of books, it could equally be called the blog of a poet. I love her small reviews, packed with punch.
  

Ready to pass on the love? Here are rules:

1. Add the logo of the award to your blog.
   
2. Add the link of the person who awarded it to you to your blog.
   
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs.
   
4. Add links to those blogs to your blog.
   
5. Leave a nice warm message for each of your nominees!

Anticipation is building for the third annual Cybils awards. For newcomers, “Cybils” stands for The Children’s and YA Bloggers’ Literary Awards, and it still seems that it’s the only book award of any sort from the blogging community. So, yeah kids’ lit!

Nominations open to the public on October 1 at cybils.com. Anyone 13 or older — authors and publishers included — may nominate a book in one of nine genres. But note that there is a one-book-per-category rule for nominations. Books published in English between January 1 and October 15, 2008, are eligible. (Books that come out later than October 15 will be eligible next year.) The books will go through two rounds of judging. Finalists will be announced January 1, 2009. Winners will be announced February 14, 2009.

I’ll be organizing the category of Fiction Picture Books and serving as a first-round panelist. I’m excited to be part of the Cybils team this year. Start thinking of your best book choices now. Yes, right now.

Just like “C,” there are so many good picture books to use for the letter “D” that sometimes I’ve done a program on just dogs, ducks, or dinosaurs. Here, though, I’m offering a combination of the three. I couldn’t pick the best of each subject — it isn’t possible — but these books offer a variety of styles.


Book: Dinorella: A Prehistoric Fairy Tale, by Pamela Duncan Edwards (this book uses the letter D a lot), or Dinosaur Roar, by Paul and Henrietta Stickland

Fingerplay: “Five Huge Dinosaurs”

Five huge dinosaurs
(Hold up five fingers and extend arms.)
**Letting out a roar
One went away
(Hold up one finger.)
And then there were four.
(Hold up four fingers.)

(Continue down the numbers replacing **second line with:
Crashing down a tree... [three]
Eating dinosaur stew... [two]
Going on a run... [one]
Looking for some fun... [none])

Book: Duck and Goose, by Tad Hills, or a shorter book, One Duck Stuck, by Phyllis Root (counting book)

Song: “Little Ducks”

Six little ducks that I once knew
Fat ones, skinny ones, pretty ones too
But the one little duck with
The feather on his back
He ruled the others with his
“Quack, quack, quack!”
Quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack
He ruled the others with his
“Quack, quack, quack!”

Down the the water they would go
Wibble, wabble, wibble, wabble to and fro
But the one little duck with...

Up from the river they would come
Wibble, wabble, wibble, wabble oh ho ho
But the one little duck with...

Book: Dog Eared: Starring Otis, by Amanda Harvey

Song: “Where Has My Little Dog Gone?”

Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone?
Oh, where, oh where can he be?
With his ears cut short
And his tail cut long.
Oh, where, oh where can he be?

Here! Oh, here is my little lost dog.
Oh here, he’s right behind me!
With his ears cut short
And his tail cut long.
Oh here, he’s right behind me!

Extra/Alternate Books: Mucky Duck, by Sally Grindley, or Dogs, Dogs, Dogs, by Leslea Newman, or your own favorite (short) dog, duck, or dinosaur book.

The Seldom-Ever Shady Glades: Poems and Quilts by Sue Van Wassenhove is one of the most beautiful books ever created. I kid you not. Unbelievable in its scope, the book uses intricate, gorgeous quilts as the backgrounds for poetry about the Florida Everglades. I can’t imagine ever being able to create even one of these quilts — and there are, like, twenty of them! Just amazing.

The poems vary in style, with some long and elegant, others light and funny. Here’s one I particularly liked about the tricolor heron:

The Tiny Shy Tri

It’s amazing
the tiny, shy tri
can find fish each day.

Its squawking
fly cry
should scare fish away.

But each flapping
spry try
snags a fish as its pay.

The accompanying quilt features three herons and is so detailed that it shows the rippled reflections of the birds and the marsh grasses in the blue water. Honestly, I don’t know whether to read this book or frame it. I had heard about it from poetry-lover Kelly Fineman, and based on her glowing review I requested a copy from the publisher. I rarely do that, but I had to see it for myself and I was not disappointed.

The focus is mainly birds, but the alligators and palm trees make appearances too. My favorite page is an absolutely breathtaking undersea quilt that features a poem perfect for a poetry slam.

And Portuguese
sea men-of-war
patrol the shore.
Oh, don’t you wish
moon jelly fish
had jelly bellies?
Weren’t so smelly?
Had no stringy
things that sting?

You know, this book would be a lovely gift for quilters, poets, and birders. And with the holidays just around the corner...

Today, Poetry Friday is hosted by Author Amok. Also, the Cybils announce the Poetry panel for this year! And hey, there I am as the organizer and panelist for Picture Books! Yeah, okay, I knew that, but I’m still excited to be part of the Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards. I’ll be back Monday with more Cybils stuff, but for now check out the site as I take off for one last trip to the beach.

ABC’s, by Charley Harper
I certainly don’t need a board book for my fourth and seventh graders, but I might have to buy this one anyway just for the artistic value. The lovely and interesting illustrations of Charley Harper are completely the point of this (mostly) animal ABC book. Alphabet book connoisseurs are probably wondering about “X,” and I’ll tell you that it is not “Ox.” Oh, the suspense.

Charlie and Lola’s Opposites, by Lauren Child
What can I say? I love Charlie and Lola. I love the original books. I love the show. I love the books based on the show. And now I love the board books written from the success of the show based on the original books. The books are very simple in text — big and small, many and few — but Child’s illustrations are wonderful.

Cat, by Jane Kemp, Clare Walters, and Linzi West
Dog, by Jane Kemp, Clare Walters, and Linzi West
It’s surprising that it took three people to produce books this simple in both words and pictures. I also think that the two books could have been smooshed together — maybe into one of those flip-over books — so you’d get more bang for your buck, because seven pages isn’t much book. That said, they are cute books about, respectively and most obviously, a cat and a dog. Fun, lively pictures.

There are so many good picture books to use for the letter “C” that sometimes I’ve done a program on just cats, chickens, or cows. Here, though, I’m offering a combination of the three. I couldn’t pick the best of each subject — it isn’t possible — but they offer a variety of styles among the books.


Book: Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful of Cats, by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (alphabet book)

Action Rhyme: “Hey Diddle Diddle”

Hey diddle, diddle
The cat and [plays] the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such sport
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
(Repeat verse and have the kids act out the action verbs — that’s why I’ve used “plays the fiddle.”)

Book: The Cow That Laid an Egg, by Andy Cutbill, or The Cow Who Clucked, by Denise Fleming

Song: “Ten Little Chickies”

One little, two little, three little chickies
four little, five little, six little chickies
seven little, eight little, nine little chickies
Ten little chickies in the nest.

Book: I Bought a Baby Chicken, by Kelly Milner Halls (counting book)

Song: “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”

(You know the song. This time just use the animals that begin with “C” — chicks, cows, and cats.)


Book: “C” Is for Clown, by Stan and Jan Berenstain


Extra/Alternate Books: Grumpy Cat, by Britta Techentrup, or Cats, Cats, Cats, by Leslea Newman, or your own favorite (short) cow, chick, or cat book.

In case you are wondering if the SNL sketch with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin is as good as people say... um, it totally is.

Speaking as someone who procrastinated on buying her plane ticket until this week, let me state that there is still time to be part of the Second Annual Kidlitosphere Conference. I got a sneak peak at the lineup of topics, and it looks fantastic.

If you’re an author and want to find out how blogging can work for you, this conference is the place to go. If you’re a book blogger, and are looking for more ideas for growing your audience or expanding your voice, this conference is for you. The conference will be great for both authors and bloggers looking to share ideas, meet people, market books n’ blogs, and generally network. And you’ll have a blast.

Can you trade in frequent flyer miles? Set up a book marketing event nearby? Call in your education training requirement? I don’t know, set up a lemonade stand? It’s going to be great and we want you there.

(On a totally unrelated and political topic, I was watching McCain on the Presidential Forum last night and thought, “Man, why isn’t this guy running for president?”)

Dear CNN,

This morning, on September 11th, there are touching memorial services in New York City, in Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon. I appreciate that you are covering these events live when it seems that all other channels are continuing with regular programming. I know that you are covering three simultaneous events live, and while I wish that you were doing a better job of it, I can understand the difficulty. I find the commercial interruptions extremely annoying, but I’m even willing, reluctantly, to let that go. However, I do have to say one thing to your anchors and reporters:


Every second, every pause does not need to be filled with the inane things coming out of your mouth. Perhaps people watching the memorial services and the official dedication of the Pentagon memorial would actually like to hear the people who are speaking there. Not you blathering on. Perhaps the pauses are to allow our own thoughts and to add to the gravity of the event. Not so you can fill them by wondering aloud about Donald Rumsfeld’s activities over the last few years. Perhaps showing the moment when the benches are uncovered is more important than you talking about how the benches are going to be uncovered soon.

I want to reflect, to remember, and to mourn. Please, allow me to do that without a constant stream of filler comments.

In aggravation,

Pam

Feel free to skip this post on the political nature of words. I wasn’t going to write it, but I can’t stop myself from writing it any longer. Forgive me.

The new lines have been drawn in this race for the White House, and they are no longer about the concepts of experience and change. They are about the words.

Not terribly long ago, regardless of your party affiliation, the decisions were fairly clear-cut. The Republican and Democratic candidates were in line with their parties’ platforms. Sure, people could argue about a maverick reputation or a liberal bias — and that’s pretty much what we’ve been doing for the last few months — but in essence, each candidates represented his party’s platform.

But not everyone votes on party, so focusing on the two candidates themselves, you could decide which was more important to bring to the White House in 2009 — experience or change. Again, people could argue about the details of these concepts — and they did — but the essence of the argument remained the same: Is it more important that our next president have lots of political/governmental experience or that our next president bring change to our current policies?

That’s a real choice. Certainly I’m simplifying, but that’s what it boiled down to for this election. Experience or Change.

So, now McCain/Palin have decided that they want change as their agenda. Not actual change, mind you, but the word. Because apparently, repeating the word is enough. People now believe that the Republican party is going to bring change — to the office held by the Republican party — and it’s all because the McCain/Palin ticket is running on “change.” Again, the word, not the actual concept.

And this scares me. Because the words that candidates use have to matter. They have to be true, and they have to mean something. If candidates can just make stuff up, then hell, I could have run for president. (Perhaps I can also be thin if I just say it enough. Thin... thin... thin... Poof! Size 6!)

On that topic comes this article from The Washington Post today: “As Campaign Heats Up, Untruths Can Become Facts Before They’re Undone.”

John Feehery, a Republican strategist, said the campaign is entering a stage in which skirmishes over the facts are less important than the dominant themes that are forming voters’ opinions of the candidates. “The more the New York Times and The Washington Post go after Sarah Palin, the better off she is, because there’s a bigger truth out there and the bigger truths are she’s new, she’s popular in Alaska and she is an insurgent,” Feehery said. “As long as those are out there, these little facts don’t really matter.”

Somewhat related (but mostly included because of its great headline) is this article from The Wall Street Journal, not known for its liberal bent: “The GOP Loves the Heartland To Death.”

[McCain] seems to think that small-town people can be easily played. Just choose a running mate who knows how to skin a moose and all will be forgiven. Drive them off the land, shutter their towns, toss their life chances into the grinders of big agriculture... and praise their values. The TV eminences will coo in appreciation of your in-touch authenticity, and the carnival will move on.

Then there is this article from The Guardian, which offers a frightening global view alongside its acknowledgment of the facts about Palin: “The world’s verdict will be harsh if the US rejects the man it yearns for.”

We know one of Palin’s first acts as mayor of tiny Wasilla, Alaska was to ask the librarian the procedure for banning books. Oh, but that was a “rhetorical” question, says the McCain-Palin campaign. We know Palin is not telling the truth when she says she was against the notorious $400m “Bridge to Nowhere” project in Alaska — in fact, she campaigned for it — but she keeps repeating the claim anyway. She denounces the dipping of snouts in the Washington trough — but hired costly lobbyists to make sure Alaska got a bigger helping of federal dollars than any other state.

And just to remind us that words can also bring us hope, and yes, make us laugh, from The Onion we get: “Obama Modifies ‘Yes We Can’ Message To Exclude Area Loser: ‘Yes We Can, Except Nate Walsh,’ Obama Says.”

“I have always said that the change we seek will not come easy, that it will not come without its share of sacrifice and struggle,” Obama continued. “And the last thing we need is dead weight like Nate Walsh adding another 20 or 30 years to the process.” The speech, entitled “A More Perfect Union Minus Nate Walsh,” was 26 minutes long and contained the words “change” 12 times, “hope” 16 times, and “Nate,” in conjunction with the phrase “with the exception of,” 34 times.

I’ll try to get back on the books, and writing, and libraries. Really, I will. But I had to get this out of my system. I hope you understand.

Here’s the next installment of the ABC Storytime, featuring some great new “B” books. Enjoy.


Book: Grumpy Bird, by Jeremy Tankard

Fingerplay: “Two Little Dicky Birds”

Two little dicky birds sitting on a wall,
One named Peter, one named Paul.
Fly away, Peter; fly away Paul;
Come back Peter; come back Paul.
(With hand motions according to the words.)

Book: Dog and Bear, by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Song: “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear”

Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, show your shoe.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, I love you.
(With hand motions according to the words.)

Book: Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? written by Bill Martin, illustrated by Eric Carle

(Some call-and-response or singing or pausing to identify the animals can make this book more participatory.)


Book: Ha Ha, Baby! written by Kate Petty, illustrated by Georgie Birkett

Song: “Rock-a-Bye Baby”

Rock-a-bye Baby
On the tree top
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall
And down will come Baby
Cradle and all.
(Kids can rock pretend babies or stuffed animals.)

Book: Bounce, written by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Scott Menchin

(Then let the kids bounce on out.)

Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers has been crowned the oddest book title of the past 30 years. The complete article, including the titles of close contenders, is available at The Bookseller. The complete list of candidates for oddest title is featured in this article.

I’m kinda partial to Simon & Schuster’s If You Want Closure In Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs.

When Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, by Laura Amy Schlitz, won the 2008 Newbery Medal, I wasn’t confident that kids would pick up this book and read it if it weren’t assigned. It is an interesting book of poems as stories. I enjoyed the look into the lives of the medieval people, and I liked how the tales were connected. But it seems more of a classroom book than a pleasure book. I’m wondering now that it’s had a chance to reach the public, what do kids think of it? Anyone know?

When I read it at the beginning of the year on a particularly moody day, I copied part of a poem to use for Poetry Friday (today at Wild Rose Reader). I haven’t felt like posting this cynical, hopeless poem until this week, when the Republican convention and Sarah Palin have me feeling rather cynical and hopeless.

Father is the miller
As his father was of old,
And I shall be the miller,
When my father’s flesh is cold.
I know the family business —
It’s been drummed into my head:
How to cheat the hungry customer
And earn my daily bread.

Oh, God makes the water, and the water makes the river,
And the river turns the mill wheel
and the wheel goes on forever.
Every man’s a cheater, and so every man is fed,
For we feed upon each other,
when we seek our daily bread.

Of course, there’s more to the poem about how everyone from field to mill to bakery cheats and nothing ever changes. And there’s more to my thoughts on the RNC and Palin, about how everyone lies and nothing ever changes.

I have to say that this week I feel like I’m in a bad dream or Bizarro World or even 1984 (“We’ve always been at war with Eastasia”). The candidate touting experience as the most important qualification for president picks an inexperienced running mate. Long-time Washington insiders are talking about shaking up Washington. The party in charge is running as the party of change. Palin tells us that she respects her daughter’s “decision,” but doesn’t see the connection to choice. She asks us to leave her family out of the discussion, but she uses them as her main talking point. The Republican party says they represent real Americans, but the convention was one big hall of white people in a country that is nearing a majority of minority populations. And perhaps most disturbing for me, I’m agreeing with most of a Krauthammer column. Up is down! Hello is goodbye! Prada is Payless! This perpetual state of cognitive dissonance is making my head hurt!

(Deep breath. Watch Change video. It’s going to be okay. I hope.)

This fall I’m introducing a new feature here at MotherReader. It’s a weekly preschool program centered on the letters of the alphabet. I’ve done these programs in my library for years, and now have a full complement of them that I may as well share. Perhaps they’ll be useful to beginning librarians, preschool teachers, day care providers, homeschooling parents, or just plain parents.

At this point, I’m keeping it as short as possible, so I’ll skip the book annotations and the words to some of the songs. I also may have to play around with some of the songs or rhymes if I’m not sure of the copyright issue. Bear me with on this one. As to my book selection, I generally pick books that have the letter of the week featured in the title. For instance, my pick below of Snip, Snap What’s That? for alligator is unusual. Just one of my quirks.

Anyway, on with A is for Arugula. (Kidding.)


Book: Alphabet Rescue, by Audrey Wood and Bruce Wood

Song: “The Alphabet Song”


Book: Snip Snap! What’s That? written by Mara Bergman, illustrated by Nick Maland

Rhyme: “Five Little Monkeys”

Five little monkeys swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Alligator,
Can’t catch me, you can’t catch me.
Along comes Mr. Alligator quiet as can be
SNAP!!
(Continue with “Four little monkeys…”)

Book: Up, Up, Up! It’s Apple Picking Time, written by Jody Fickes Shapiro, illustrated by Kitty Harvill

Song: “Apples and Bananas”

I like to eat, I like to eat
I like to eat, eat apples and bananas…
(Repeat, substituting a, e, i, o, and u sounds for the vowels all through the song.)

Book: I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track, written by Joshua Prince, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan

Song: “The Ants Go Marching”

The ants go marching one by one
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The ants go marching one by one
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The ants go marching one by one
The little one stops to have some fun.
And they all go marching
Down to the ground to get out of the rain
Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum
(Continue to four, using “The little one stops to say ‘no more!’”)

I had planned to do a “Farewell to Summer” post yesterday, but I was too busy faring well. Or farewelling. Or both. Anyway. I’m glad that I didn’t set summer goals because I think it’s safe to say that I wouldn’t have met them. Well, unless my goals involved increasing the household disorder and eating a lot of takeout, in which case I did pretty darn good.

My mantra of the year — Create, Connect, Comment — also went out the window. I didn’t create anything except mess as my writing was on hold. I only connected with my family, to whom I’m already well-connected. I didn’t comment on blogs, though I was able to make some snarky verbal comments about McCain — but I don’t think that counts.

In fact, on the commenting, I feel like I owe my blog-friends an apology and/or an explanation. At work, I can read book blogs — so I have been reading — but it pushes the limits to submit comments. I swear to myself each work day that I will go home and comment then, but I also swear to myself that I’ll resist the Call of the Oreos and that never pans out either. I’m hoping with the structure of the school year that I’ll get a better system going for this commenting thing. Stay tuned.

So I didn’t meet any particular goals, but I think we did all right for ourselves this summer.

• Six pairs of jeans purchased at discount at Ross
  
• Five nieces and nephews tickled and kissed
  
• Four trips to Virginia Beach, including lots o’ niece time
  
• Four weeks of the teen library play for seventh grader
  
• Four meetings of Girl Scouts summer book club
  
• Three nylon Prada handbags purchased on eBay
  
• Two weeks of drama camp for both girls
  
• Two yard sales for charity
  
• Two long bike rides in the park
  
• One Obama meeting, and hand-shaking
  
• One stunning fireworks display at the beach
  
• One trip to Lake Anna, including a trial run of the kayak
  
• One huge yard sale haul of designer clothes at $2 a bag
  
• One expedition to Six Flags, including water park experience
  
• One fish pedicure with bonus daughter bonding
  
• One exploration of Willoughby Bay, Norfolk, Virginia
  

There was also lots of reading, pool visits, and grilled steak. And of course, my new job at my brand-new library kept the summer interesting. (“Do we have a public phone? Hmmm. Let me find out.”)

Today I sent my seventh grader to, well... seventh grade at the scary middle school. Scary in that the school is huge. Bill and I hid behind my car to watch her get on the bus. It was like she was going to kindergarten for the first time except without the crying.

Okay, maybe I cried a little.

FatherReader here, making a brief guest post (in no small part because Pam’s busy trying to get the kids ready for the first day of school tomorrow). But since she didn’t want to leave you, dear readers, without original content over the long weekend, she asked me to fill in. So be forewarned — I can’t claim to be as wittily smart-assed as MotherReader, so I tend to make up for it by being merely long-winded and inflammatory.

That said, I’m really just going to pass the buck and post a video we both found amusing this week. See, Pam and I are convinced that the main reason the G.O.P. campaign machine has promulgated the previously-unheard phrase “arugula-eating” in its attempts to smear Obama as elitist is that they needed something new: The de facto phrase when making such a smear — “latté-drinking” — just might raise some uncomfortable backlash accusations of racism. Y’know, what with Obama being of... blended racial heritage.

But rather than delve into a whole discussion on that topic (feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments section, of course), I just thought I’d post this similarly-themed Onion News Network segment. And then go see if I can pick up some arugula while waiting for my own morning latté.

Yes, it’s still Thursday.

Today went by fast, that’s for sure. I spent the morning agonizing over whether my Girl Scouts would need to do the flag-raising ceremony that I’d agreed to do before losing the one person who could really do it well. I was cheering for the rain this morning like most people cheer for football teams. Then, saved by the weather, I went from a back-to-school day to a back-to-school shopping day, where a locker shelf was needed, and then a backpack at the next store, and then apparently some jeans and two dresses. And then it wasn’t long after dinner, and the fashion show, and the Annual School Supply Labeling Extravaganza that it was time to jump into Obamaland, as brought to you by the Democratic National Convention and PBS. But it’s still Thursday, and here are three beach books for the last of the summer days.

Wave, by Suzy Lee
I heard great things about this book and I had to see it for myself. As it turns out, I could have waited for the movie. Truly, this is a beautiful book wordlessly chronicling one girl’s encounter with the ocean. The book’s gutter gives a sense of a barrier between the cautious girl and the playful waves. As she gets braver and feels more invincible, she finds that the ocean has many surprises. A lovely summertime book combining light charcoal sketches and brilliant blue-painted sea.

Bebé Goes to the Beach, written by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Steven Salerno
Bright, stylized illustrations put Bebé and Mama at the beach following their previous shopping trip. Spanish words are used throughout the rhymes, often with context and pictures explaining the meaning of the words. (If you get stuck, there is also a glossary.) For instance, take this couplet: “He’s wearing his gorro with fuzzy jirafas./Mama parks her silla and puts on her gafas.” You could make some good guesses, but it’s certainly easier with Bebé sporting a hat decorated with giraffes as mom puts down her chair and puts on her glasses. In this story, it seems that the baby is a bit of a handful zipping around the beach, but mom still gets a chance to have fun with her son.

Duck Dunks, written by Lynne Berry, illustrated by Hiroe Nakota
I loved the art of Duck Skates, so I was all psyched for the new title. I enjoyed the cute story as five ducks head to the beach and swim, snack, play, and fly kites in a gorgeous blue sky over an aquamarine ocean. Light and easy sing-song rhymes keep the book fun: “Five little ducklings, hand in hand, skip from the boardwalk, into the sand.” Fun book for preschoolers and anyone who likes really cute ducks. I mean, they are really cute ducks.

On a dreary, rainy day I picked up Hitler’s Canary, by Sandi Toksvig — because despite the word “Hitler” in the title, the cover was bright yellow and looked cheery. Plus canaries are pretty happy birds, right? Okay, so the book wasn’t all that cheery. It actually was about Hitler, or more specifically, the Nazi invasion of Denmark. It turns out that the phrase “Hitler’s Canary” was applied to Denmark because it turned over power so easily that it was said that the country sang for Hilter like a... canary. I also suspect — though I didn’t see it in the book — that the term came to mean that the country was a canary in the coal mine for what would happen to countries around Europe as Hitler marched forward.

For such a terrible time, the book wasn’t all that depressing. First, it was a well-written story of a boy growing up in the theater with an actress mother, an artist father, and a personal sense of the dramatic. Bamse also has a Jewish friend, a rebel brother, and a front-row seat to the madness that was the Nazi occupation of Denmark.

I knew little about this specific aspect of World War II, when Germany took over Denmark in one fell swoop. The tiny country didn’t have a chance. But when the Nazis started demanding the Jews be turned over to them, the Danes fought back — secretly. With the power of community, less than two percent of Denmark’s Jews died in the Holocaust.

Read an account of how this country worked to save its people, from the personal and fictionalized account of one family. It’s not as cheery as the yellow cover, but not as depressing as you’d expect. In fact, I’d call it inspirational. It reminded me of a personal favorite, Yellow Star — which had a far worse ending for more people, but was also hopeful in the survival and work that people put into saving one.

My whole family is obsessed with Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. We sing the songs all the time. I mean, all the time. So, on recommendation of my seventh grader when I lamented being stuck for a Poetry Friday entry, here’s part of the first song. It’s about five minutes into the viewing.

Laundry day
See you there
Underthings
Tumbling.

Want to say
Love your hair
Here I go
Mumbling.

With my freeze ray
I will stop
the world.

With my freeze ray
I will find the time
to find the words.

If you haven’t seen Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog yet, then OMG what’s wrong with you!!?? Go. Go NOW!


Poetry Friday is hosted over at Read. Imagine. Talk. I’m not sure this counts, but I’m putting it in anyway because I am the original maverick. Have a great summer weekend.

Hello, Yahoo.

I’m a big fan of yours. I use your email, your groups, and your weather page. I use your search engine even as the term “Googled” has become universally accepted. But I’ve stood by you, Yahoo. Hey, I’ve mentioned how much amusement your headlines bring to my day. I mean, “Chocolate Jesus Show Canceled”? That still makes me chuckle. But now I’ve got something I’ve got to say to you:

STOP RUINING WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS FOR ME!!!

Like you have to put the winner in the headline. Twice. Or an obvious picture with a sly caption. Twice. I get it. You know the results first. Well, some people have to wait to see the performances and some people don’t like having the results all over the place before some people have had a chance to watch it. Oh, and by some people I mean ME!

Jeez!

You know what? Here’s one for you. In Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte dies. Hah! Take that!

In a word, Lovely.

If you are looking for a book about caterpillars turning into butterflies, you want nonfiction but artistic and poetic, Monarch and Milkweed, by Helen Frost, is for you. Featuring beautiful illustrations by Leonid Gore, the wording takes this nonfiction title to a different level.

Monarch lights on Milkweed,
drums her feet on Milkweed’s flower,
and tastes home.

All the basic facts are here: Monarch finds mate, attaches egg to leaf, caterpillar breaks out of egg, caterpillar eats leaf and grows, caterpillar transforms into a chrysalis, and emerges a butterfly. But it’s usually not said like this:

Its feelers droop...
and one last time,
it sheds its skin —
it twists and turns, and pulls its body up, transforming
into a chrysalis. It hangs beneath the leaf,
a shining jewel,
jade green, specked with gold.

At the end is a summary of the migration and an expansion of the text — for instance the fact that each species of butterfly has one kind of plant on which the butterfly lays its eggs, like monarch and milkweed. The book also points out a monarch website for more information. Classroom teachers, librarians, and parents may want to pair this book with an even simpler version in a picture book, Arabella Miller’s Tiny Caterpillar, by Clare Jarrett, which features bright illustrations, rhyming text, friendly characters, and factual information at the end.

I’ve heard that the monarchs have been AWOL this year, and I have to admit that I haven’t seen them around. We have a Butterfly bush in our garden, but I’ve seen mostly Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (yes, I looked it up) and not even that many of them. First the bees disappear, then the butterflies. What’s next? Roaches?

Oh, actually that would be okay.

What a great concept, using world records as the inspiration for poetry. Kids love the Guiness Book of World Records. Kids sometimes need to be coaxed into poetry. So what a perfect combination in The World’s Greatest Poems, written by J. Patrick Lewis and illustrated by Keith Graves.

The poems cover a variety of topics, many of them true oddities. The Shortest Street. The Dumbest Dinosaur. The Largest Mantle of Bees. My favorite two records used are The Most Live Scorpions Eaten by a Human and The Most Cobras Kissed Consecutively, but the poem I’ll share is one that reminds me of summer:

You’re swerving north,
You’re curving south,
Your stomach sits
Inside your mouth.

You hold your breath,
You lose your nerve,
You’re scared to death
At every curve.

You’re feeling very
Sick, but then
You tell your Dad,
“Let’s go again!”

The poem reminds me of my youngest daughter’s first roller coaster experience, when she was seven. She really wanted to go, having second thoughts only as we got to the end of the line. She sat next to me without too much encouragement, but as the train started creeping up the first hill she said quietly, “I don’t think I like this.” Then as the roller coaster made its first dive, she shouted “MOMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!” I felt so bad for her — and at the same time, I couldn’t stop laughing. Which made me feel even worse. Honestly, it’s still funny thinking of it now. But just like the poem, after a little rest, she wanted to try the roller coaster again.

Poetry Friday is hosted over at Big A, little a.

Now that the new books are coming into my library, I can pick up The Thursday Three again. With school just around the corner (Wahhhh!), here are some new going-to-school titles.

Splat the Cat, by Rob Scotton
Definitely the best of the bunch, and one that will be appreciated by the widest range of readers. Scotton, of Russell the Sheep fame, brings his humorous and fantastically off-beat illustrations to the world of cats — plus a mouse. Splat is worried about his first day at Cat School. If you’re not sure that he’s really worried, look at his big, wide eyes. He tries to hide, and stall, and even hang onto the gate, but his mom gets him to school. There he learns that cats chase mice. Hold it! Splat has a pet mouse! That he brought to school! This isn’t going to be good for anybody. But of course it is, and all the cats learn a new lesson. All-around wonderful book.

Keisha Ann Can! by Daniel Kirk
This isn’t Keisha Ann’s first day at school, but she shows how it’s done with cheer and confidence. She catches the bus, waits in line, passes out paints, shares with classmates, and takes turns. This book represents an interesting — and needed — approach to going-to-school literature by focusing on the positive. I also liked that the girl was African-American, as I would like to see more children of color in books. Newest reports say that 44 percent of children in the United States are now minorities. Perhaps we might want to show more of them in books. Not just for them, but so all children can see kids of different races featured in stories. Keisha Ann Can! is simple in language, making it best for the preschool or first day of kindergarten crowd.

Jake Starts School, by Michael Wright
When we last saw Jake, his parents were trying to get him to sleep by going everywhere around the house with him. Well, Jake is still having separation issues at school, where he cannot let go of his parents. He literally clings to them through the whole day, making the seesaw hard and bathroom breaks impossible. The teacher is finally able to engage him with a book with the same name as his dog, and Jake finds his school groove. Bright and wacky illustrations fit the silly — and sometimes strained — rhyming text. (“There it was, Room Number 1/where Jake would join his class./It looked so big, he felt so small,/he passed a little gas.”) Not my favorite book, but kids may enjoy the silliness.

I haven’t been blogging because my malaise turned into a case of melancholy. I suppose I should have taken my vitamin C when I felt it coming on. Or maybe the emotional equivalent, that being Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. (My new mantra: “Everything happens.”)

Actually, it may not have been enough. Summer is ending, the house is a disaster, my projects aren’t done, and... well, stuff. But I do feel like I’m getting back on track. It doesn’t hurt when I see a great Yahoo header like:

Huge inflatable art piece escapes museum, wreaks havoc

that leads to an even better article...

A giant inflatable dog turd by American artist Paul McCarthy blew away from an exhibition in the garden of a Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and breaking a greenhouse window before... it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children’s home.

Oh Yahoo, you had me at “giant inflatable dog turd.” But the mirth continues as I think of the children laughing and laughing at the biggest potty joke ever.

I’ve seen this 100 Books List coming around again, so it seemed time to see where I stood. I did a little investigating to find the original source of the list, as I was particularly concerned with some of the odd things about it. Fortunately, I didn’t have to go too far before I found a blog that did the work for me. Whew.

The Rabid Paladin found an article in The Guardian describing how the list was compiled from a poll where 2,000 people responded naming the ten books they couldn’t live without, and the list matches the meme list. Oh, and the numbers are the ranks of the books. The common phrase associated with this meme, “According to The Big Read, the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books on this list,” doesn’t appear to have any basis in fact.

But all that research doesn’t make the meme any less fun, so here it is for me with these instructions:

• Boldface those you have read.
  
• Italicize those you intend to read. (For me, only those on my to-read list.)
  
• Put an asterisk by the books you LOVE. (It was originally “underline,” but I’m going with mine.)
  

---

1. Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen
   
2. The Lord of the Rings — J.R.R. Tolkien**
   
3. Jane Eyre — Charlotte Bronte
   
4. Harry Potter series — J.K. Rowling**
   
5. To Kill a Mockingbird — Harper Lee**
   
6. The Bible
   
7. Wuthering Heights — Emily Bronte**
   
8. 1984 — George Orwell
   
9. His Dark Materials — Philip Pullman
   
10. Great Expectations — Charles Dickens
    

11. Little Women — Louisa May Alcott**
    
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles — Thomas Hardy
    
13. Catch 22 — Joseph Heller
    
14. The Complete Works of Shakespeare [The complete works? On one line?]
    
15. Rebecca — Daphne Du Maurier**
    
16. The Hobbit — J.R.R. Tolkien*****
    
17. Birdsong — Sebastian Faulks
    
18. Catcher in the Rye — J.D. Salinger
    
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife — Audrey Niffenegger
    
20. Middlemarch — George Eliot
    

21. Gone With The Wind — Margaret Mitchell**
    
22. The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald**
    
23. Bleak House — Charles Dickens
    
24. War and Peace — Leo Tolstoy
    
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams**
    
26. Brideshead Revisited — Evelyn Waugh
    
27. Crime and Punishment — Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    
28. Grapes of Wrath — John Steinbeck
    
29. Alice in Wonderland — Lewis Carroll**
    
30. The Wind in the Willows — Kenneth Grahame**
    

31. Anna Karenina — Leo Tolstoy
    
32. David Copperfield — Charles Dickens
    
33. The Chronicles of Narnia — C.S. Lewis
    
34. Emma — Jane Austen
    
35. Persuasion — Jane Austen
    
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe — C.S. Lewis [Okay, part of “The Chronicles of Narnia”?]
    
37. The Kite Runner — Khaled Hosseini
    
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin — Louis De Bernieres
    
39. Memoirs of a Geisha — Arthur Golden**
    
40. Winnie the Pooh — A.A. Milne****
    

41. Animal Farm — George Orwell
    
42. The Da Vinci Code — Dan Brown
    
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude — Gabriel Garcia Marquez
    
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney — John Irving
    
45. The Woman in White — Wilkie Collins
    
46. Anne of Green Gables — L.M. Montgomery**
    
47. Far From The Madding Crowd — Thomas Hardy
    
48. The Handmaid’s Tale — Margaret Atwood**
    
49. Lord of the Flies — William Golding
    
50. Atonement — Ian McEwan
    

51. Life of Pi — Yann Martel
    
52. Dune — Frank Herbert
    
53. Cold Comfort Farm — Stella Gibbons
    
54. Sense and Sensibility — Jane Austen
    
55. A Suitable Boy — Vikram Seth
    
56. The Shadow of the Wind — Carlos Ruiz Zafon
    
57. A Tale Of Two Cities — Charles Dickens
    
58. Brave New World — Aldous Huxley
    
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time — Mark Haddon**
    
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera — Gabriel Garcia Marquez
    

61. Of Mice and Men — John Steinbeck
    
62. Lolita — Vladimir Nabokov
    
63. The Secret History — Donna Tartt
    
64. The Lovely Bones — Alice Sebold
    
65. The Count of Monte Cristo — Alexandre Dumas
    
66. On The Road — Jack Kerouac
    
67. Jude the Obscure — Thomas Hardy
    
68. Bridget Jones’ Diary — Helen Fielding****
    
69. Midnight’s Children — Salman Rushdie
    
70. Moby Dick — Herman Melville
    

71. Oliver Twist — Charles Dickens
    
72. Dracula — Bram Stoker
    
73. The Secret Garden — Frances Hodgson Burnett
    
74. Notes From A Small Island — Bill Bryson
    
75. Ulysses — James Joyce
    
76. The Bell Jar — Sylvia Plath
    
77. Swallows and Amazons — Arthur Ransome
    
78. Germinal — Emile Zola
    
79. Vanity Fair — William Makepeace Thackeray
    
80. Possession — A.S. Byatt
    

81. A Christmas Carol — Charles Dickens
    
82. Cloud Atlas — David Mitchell
    
83. The Color Purple — Alice Walker
    
84. The Remains of the Day — Kazuo Ishiguro
    
85. Madame Bovary — Gustave Flaubert
    
86. A Fine Balance — Rohinton Mistry
    
87. Charlotte’s Web — E.B. White
    
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven — Mitch Albom
    
89. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    
90. The Faraway Tree Collection — Enid Blyton
    

91. Heart of Darkness — Joseph Conrad
    
92. The Little Prince — Antoine De Saint-Exupery**
    
93. The Wasp Factory — Iain Banks
    
94. Watership Down — Richard Adams
    
95. A Confederacy of Dunces — John Kennedy Toole
    
96. A Town Like Alice — Nevil Shute
    
97. The Three Musketeers — Alexandre Dumas
    
98. Hamlet — William Shakespeare [Um, covered in “Complete works of Shakespeare”?]
    
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — Roald Dahl
    
100. Les Misérables — Victor Hugo
     

---

So, 45. Though I think if I can get a whole book credit for The Little Prince, getting only one for the complete works of Shakepeare kind of sucks. Okay, and I’ve just decided this minute that since two titles were repeated — “Shakepeare”/Hamlet and “Narnia”/The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe — I can put in two titles of my choosing from children’s literature. Hmmm. I’m going with Tom Sawyer/The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, for number 98... and how about Holes, by Louis Sachar, for number 36. Great, now I’m up to 47.

So if I take out Heart of Darkness and replace it with Poisonwood Bible — both Africa — and change Cloud Atlas to Atlas Shrugged — both with “Atlas” — I’m at 49. And to make it halfway through the list, we need only change The Bell Jar to Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? All right, 50 it is!