MotherReader

A Nonfiction Monday contribution, with the round-up hosted at Perogies & Gyoza

Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard
by Loree Griffin Burns, photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz
Henry Holt and Co, 2012 review from library copy

Well written and skillfully executed, this is the kind of book that could get kids excited about science by making their contributions to it more tangible. Sections show citizen scientists in each of the four seasons - Fall Butterflying, Winter Birding, Spring Frogging, and Summer Ladybugging - along with information on the background and research goals of each venture. The layout is attractive with different styles reflecting the type of information presented with good use of color, patterns, and photography. The concept of citizen scientists is explained and reinforced throughout describing being in the field, with page spreads focusing on a particular person involved in the research and lists of what you will need to prepare. There are also some quizzes, but there is no grade. The end of the book is full of information on taking the adventure from book to real life with books, field guides, and internet resources to the various organizations. The book provides a thorough bibliography, glossary, and index, along with the answers to the quizzes. An interesting and accessible look at science and scientists.

I'm heading off shortly to sell tickets at lunchtime for the Teen's fall play. The high school is doing a creative adaptation of A Midsummer's Night Dream that involves the show Madmen and it's setting of 1960's New York City. There is a particularly interesting costume interpretation of the fairies in the woods of Central Park that is knocking me out. I seriously love the punkish Oberon and his fairy crew. I've seen some great photos from the show, but I'm wary of sharing pictures of other kids online. This one seems okay to me as the focus is Titania, otherwise known as my lovely daughter Anna, and there's a sense of the cool costuming without a clear look at any of the other characters.

Cool, right? If you're in the Northern Virginia area and want to see a great show, it's Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Lake Braddock. I'm going Thursday... and Friday and Saturday night. Hey, it's my kid as the fairy queen, who could resist!

With the results of Tuesday's election an entire category of books does not become obsolete, including today's title.

Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and what the Neighbors Thought)
by Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt, 2011
Harcourt Children's Books 2011, reviewed from library copy

Using a conversational style, regular "important" history and background - like former jobs, college, and marriages - is mixed with more personal information about our nation's Presidents. Each man is afforded only a few pages, keeping the descriptions tight and the book easy to dip into, making it a great selection for the classroom. The illustrations have a caricature feel to them incorporating hobbies, favorite things, and places. Some have backgrounds that fill out the places where they are from, but not all. There may be some sly digs like "A man of many appetitles, Clinton loved to schmooze." but the book doesn't shy away from mention of his affairs and impeachment hearings. As a sample of the writing on our still-current President Obama: "He tries to be healthy, but it's not entirely clear whether his promise to quit smoking has worked out. He eats salads, zucchini quesadillas, and Michelle's shrimp linguini, but never beets - he hates them." Fun insight combined with standard biographical facts offers a unique perspective in a concise and interesting book.

Nonfiction Monday is hosted today at The Flatt Perspective.

Tucked somewhere in old, old papers from my school days, is a collection of poetry that I memorized for extra credit. Today it seems well, old-school, but while our education system seems to emphasize memorized facts, we've lost the art of memorization as knowledge, as an art. While I can't claim that can recite those poems of my youth, I value the skill set learning how to memorize. That the techniques of memorization so fully unlock the levels of a poem was one concept that presented itself in this book.

Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
selected by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Michael Emberly
Little, Brown 2012, reviewed from library copy

Divided into categories that range from easier to harder and to logical grouping of animals, food, time, feelings and more, this collection of poetry is meant to be savored. More than savored, memorized. The poems were selected with this goal in mind, and reflect a broad range of styles and subjects for maximum appeal. The diverse group of poets include Carl Sandberg, Emily Dickinson, Edward Lear, Nikki Giovanni, Gary Soto, Naomi Shihab Nye, Walter Dean Myers, A.A. Milne, Eloise Greenfield, Odgen Nash, and many more. The author contributes several poems and lays out the reasoning and approach for learning a poem by heart. Some of that here in the first poem:

A Poem for the Reader
...
You'll pick out your favorites
From those that you've read
And invite them to live in
The house in your head.
This house is called Memory,
Everyone knows,
And the more you put in it,
The larger it grows.
The more that you give it,
The more it will give,
And your poems will live with you
As long as you live.
- Mary Ann Hoberman

With poems short and long, silly and serious, concrete and surreal, she's brought together a collection that expands the idea of a "children's poetry book" to something that will be shared with an adult with equal interest. Emberly's illustrations are a perfect fit with this concept, with styles adaptable to lighter or serious verse, showing humor, sensitivity, and a gentle touch that complements the text. Wonderful book for a classroom - think teacher gift! - or to read at home.

For more poetry books and poems, Poetry Friday is hosted today at Think Kid, Think!

Twelve years ago I told my four year old daughter to grab her coat because we were going to the park after voting. If she seemed particularly enthused, I barely noticed. The logistics of pulling two kids out of car seats may have also made me miss the first sign of confusion, and it was only as we started walking that she turned her adorable face up to me asking, "But where are the boats?"

"Oh honey," I replied. "We're voting today, not boating."

I can only point to a polished mothering skill set - and perhaps the fully stocked Girl Scout bake sale outside the polling place - that we avoided a full meltdown. That she accepted a flag sticker and brownie instead of a day on Lake Anna with her grandparents was an Election Day miracle.

Her disappointment then was to later reflect my own in the results of that election, where the direction of country was decided by about five hundred people. But it only reinforced my idea that every vote matters, even if you don't feel like dragging a couple of kids to the polls or subjecting one to what could have been a pivotal moment in future trust issues.

Anyway, in responding to the KidLit call for Why I Vote, I wanted to find the truth in moving statements about women fighting for voting rights or men dying for the privilege to cast ballots. While I certainly don't discount either, that's not why I vote.

I vote because it's just what you do. You park in the lines at the supermarket, you shovel your sidewalk in the winter, and you take turns merging on the highway. These are the hallmarks of a modern society. And if people ignore all of them, well then, our country also allows for your right to be a dick. But I choose not that course.

Today I vote with hope for our future and also hope for an iced brownie at the bake sale, because the best of humanity combines the sublime and the mundane. As for which defines voting and which the brownie... well, I'll leave that open-ended.


Check out other thought at Chasing Ray's round-up of Why I Vote. And VOTE!

Here on the verge of selecting between "Bronco Bama" and Mitt Romney, it seems appropriate in the KidLit world to note other contests are taking place with more two-dimensional characters. (Yes, even more two-dimensional than Romney. BAM!)

Babymouse for President
by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Random House 2012, reviewed from library copy

Fueled by her elaborate fantasies, Babymouse decides to run for student council president. She is up against some tough competitors, including her nemesis Felicia Furrypaws and her own locker. As she gets caught up in the campaign and winning, she forgets her purpose. (Like no presidential candidate does that.) But in the end, she comes back to the truth even if she doesn't win. (Come on, it's Babymouse.) Another fun addition to the series with some greater truths, clever asides, and humorous illustrations. Some jokes may only be picked up by adults, like the series of posters similar to candidates of the past. Love the Obama-inspired poster, Typical.

Bad Kitty for President
by Nick Bruel
Square Fish 2012, reviewed from library copy

With the former president of the Neighborhood Cat Club stepping down, Bad Kitty has an opportunity to take charge. But it's no simple process, starting with primaries of the left and right sides of the street and ending with the election decided by an absentee ballot. A nicely humorous story that hits on a lot of election aspects like endorsements, caucuses, delegates and negative ads often explained in inserts and in a glossary. It's a lot of information, but the funny side of the character and cartoons shines through. Some important lessons like not blowing the debate or not being someone else in ads feel very current somehow.

There are tons of books that would be perfect for a Halloween review, but that would involve far more work than sharing the Lemony Snicket inspired song "Scream and Run Away." Happy Halloween, everyone. Stay safe out there, especially my New Jersey and New York friends.

Hush, Little Monster
by Denis Markell, illustrated by Melissa Twai
Little Simon 2012, reviewed from library copy

"Hush, Little Monster, don't you howl. Daddy's gonna give you a screeching owl. If that owl won't say 'whoooo,' Granny Ghost will bring you a big, bad boo!" Silly version of the song with lots of monster visitors, but the bright colors and cartoon style keep it all in fun. Some slightly spooky pages with zombies, but also silly situations like an ogre sneezing from all the hair shed by the wolf man. Light fun for Halloween or any time of year.

Vampirina Ballerina
by Anne Marie Pace, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Hyperion 2012, reviewed from library copy

A vampire girl who wants to be a ballerina is faced with unique challenges. Finding a night class is hard enough, but how do get the perfect positions when you can't see yourself in a mirror? Of course then there is the question of fitting in. But this little ballerina keeps at it with family support and it all turns out fine. The talented LeUyen Pham lends her special style in the illustrations with lightness and humor. Fun for the whole family, but especially the ballerinas.

Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody
by Ludwurst Bemonster
Feiwel & Friends 2012, review from library copy

“In a creepy old castle all covered with spines lived twelve ugly monsters in two crooked lines.” For Madeline fans, I need go no further to explain the shear enjoyment of this book. With the rhythm and set up of the original, this book copies the illustration style. though it’s hard to compare the gentle Madeline with the little monsters who inhabit the castle – even if they are some cute little monsters. Though not well-behaved ones. “In two crooked lines, they bonked their heads, pulled out their teeth, and wet their beds.” The book takes a dark turn with Frankenstein loses his head, goes to the hospital and starts eating people. And the book ends with all the monsters headless. It’s done in fun and with a silly feel, but it might be worth knowing before, say, you read the book to a room of preschoolers. Probably a better bet for k- 2nd grade. But very well done.

I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted anything. I blame my habit of writing up notes on books at home, work, or PTA meetings and then doing NOTHING WITH THEM. Apparently, they don't magically transform themselves into posts, so lesson learned.

Other than not turning my notes into coherent reviews, I've been keeping up on the Cybils nominations and background organizational work. I made a weekend trip home to see my mother and niece where my Internet access depends on random unguarded wireless. I spent time and emotional energy on the Kid's musical, Seussical. She played Mayzie La Bird and was flawless in her performance with a bluesy voice and brassy attitude. (The video is on Facebook, fyi.) The election has also kept me mentally occupied in a nail-biting sort of way, and I'm really tackling my household clutter... at my own snail's pace.

Being back in the library, I've been seeing some great new picture books. The middle-grade stuff has also been tempting, but I haven't had the time to do nearly enough reading at home. But hopefully I can share some of my favorites here... as soon as I decipher my notes.

Today is the last day to nominate a book for the Cybils awards, so head over there and make sure that your favorite children and teen books of the year are listed. For some ideas, check out Cybils "wish list" posts around the Interwebs, including a selection at the Cybils.

Also you can feel a little generous by donating a book in the Ballou book fair. There are lots of great choices to help this underfunded D.C. high school, and we are making a difference - book by book!

I have a lot of chores to do today, so let's get right to the book.

Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It
by Gail Carson Levine, illustrated by Matthew Cordell
HarperCollins 2012, reviewed from library copy

Start with the idea that William Carol Williams' famous poem about plums in the icebox was pretty lame as a plea for forgiveness. Then turn the template of that poem into a series of false apologies and you have one entertaining poetry book for kids. Many of the poems allude to other familiar stories like Sleeping Beauty and Aladdin, while others refer to everyday situations. Well, with a bit of a stretch as to the normalcy of a kid's world, but it's all in good fun. The humorous, lightly sketched illustrations add to the entertainment value of a book of poems all entitled, This is Just to Say. My favorite:

This Is Just to Say

while you were buying
doll dresses
I sanded off
your Barbie's face

which
you constantly
patted
and praised.

Forgive me
her beauty
was only
skin deep.

Find more Poetry Friday selections with our host Teaching Young Writers. Also, don't forget to get in your Cybils nominations which are coming to a close (checking calendar....) on Monday, and consider sending a book to Ballou (which sounds like a Seuss village) the fall book drive which ends on Sunday. Go Nationals!

The conference began, as so many do, with me auctioning off extra ARC's on the front steps of the library. After our group's visits to the publishers, we realized that we couldn't take home so many books. Yes, I could have waited for the Leave-an-ARC-Take-an-ARC cart, but what would have been the fun in that. Also I didn't know that it was there or that I would take yet another bunch of books with a bonus tote bag. But it was fun hanging out with new blogger friends Amy and Alyssa just giving away books.

Entering the impressive New York Public Library building, I started off with a session on Twitter led by blogger icon Teri Lesesne, The Goddess of YA Literature. A true believer, she even let us use the computers to tweet during her presentation. I followed a few of her suggested folks as she was talking and I noted #titletalk, #nerdybookclub, and #mglitchat to get me into the world of chats. Best of all, she made me feel a more comfortable in exploring Twitter and on setting limits - time or otherwise - on my involvement.

Art of the Picture Book was an exciting opportunity to learn more from an art student who talked about the divide between the "craft of illustration" and "fine art." With examples, selections, and videos from illustrators Jess Ferro used her expertise and passion for picture book illustration to help get through the divide. I hope later to link to her talk as it was fascinating!

After lunch, everyone attended the Critical Reviews session. The panel was packed with knowledgable people, and I was taking notes throughout trying to keep up with the discussion. Liz gave us some great funny bits, while Monica blushed about her relationship with Philip Pullman.

Next was a panel discussion on the Changing Relationship between the Author and the Reader in the Age of Social Media with authors Michael Northrop, Gayle Forman, Alyssa Sheinell, and Adele Griffin. The main topics on the table were the social media needs of an author and the right public/private life balance. It was interesting to me how much time authors put into correspondence - especially if they write books about sensitive issues.

The keynote speech was different in that it was at the end, and that speaker Marueen Johnson used the little-known Phone a Friend option for it. It was a causal discussion along with her good friend Robin Wasserman on a meandering path of social media and branding and critical reviews and author meltdowns. I'm not sure I liked it, but I'll certainly remember it.

We had to move out to the library pretty promptly at the close, and we fit in a stop at the hotel to freshen up before the KidLit Drink Night. I also grabbed a slice of pizza because I knew I wouldn't have a real chance to eat. And I did not, though I was able to talk to Melissa, Maureen and Charlotte about kids and conferences. I chatted with Monica and Sondy about possible Newbery award winners for this year. I introduced two Cybils Chairs - Terry and Mary Ann to each other in actual real life. I had a brief exchange with the woman of the weekend, Betsy Bird, who pulled together one fantastic conference and got a little more face time with Greg before he hit the jet-lag wall.

After a wine-fueled attempt to find my favorite junky store and a cupcake shop - both of which were closed - we had to call it a night. Which really meant more talking back in the room about the great time we had at KidLitCon 2012. Hope you join us there next year, in Austin.

Traveling light, I left for New York City with a purse and an ingeniously packed laptop bag containing a change of clothes, toiletries, and an iPad that I barely know how to use. I came back from KidLitCon 2012 with much, much more including fifteen ARC's, ten hardbacks, five F&G's, four tote bags, three notebooks, two mini-shampoos, and a Ganesha's Sweet Tooth toothbrush.

Of course, I also came back with great memories, new friends, and a fresh perspective. And I have a representative photograph of that... which I took from Kelly at Stacked.


I took the bus in on Friday and missed the first session of publisher previews, but did get to have lunch with old friends Liz Burns and Kelly Jensen. I was particularly excited to meet another longtime blogger friend in actual real life, Leila from Bookshelves of Doom. Then it was off to Penguin, where I was unfortunately late for guest authorGayle Forman, but was treated to a preview of upcoming titles. I loved the the enthusiasm displayed each editor for the books coming out of their division and was excited to bring home a bag of some of the talked about titles. The marketing department shared their thoughts and book trailers as we munched on cupcakes, and the art department gave a very interesting presentation on book covers and how they come to be.

After talking to a few other bloggers, I headed to the hotel room that I shared with Liz and Kelly, where I met up with Lelia and her charming friend Amanda, and we all traded books from our various previews. Reviewing middle-grade and picture books like I do, I got more books than I could take home, but I also gave away most of my YA titles.

After a brief tidying up, we headed to the KidLit dinner at Ichi Umi, which features the longest buffet of sushi and such ever. I was able to touch base and share table space with Greg Pincus as we tried to remember which yummy morsels we had put on our plates. (The monk fish liver was fabulous.) I had exchanged brief hellos with our speaker, Grace Lin, and made cutesy faces at her adorable baby. Yes, she brought her baby. What a treat! (Thanks for the picture, Sondy.)

Of course the real treat was her presentation of her journey as an artist. It was personal and meaningful, exploring her revelation to find her own style by looking to what moved her and incorporating her cultural and individual identity. The lovely talk was followed by a signing of her new book, Starry River of the Sky.

The day was over before the karaoke could begin, though some of us stopped at the bar on the way back home. (Yeah, I'm looking at you, Maureen.) We closed the night pretty early though, saving our energy for the upcoming big event: KidLitCon.

Nominations for the Cybils begins today. This is happening, people!

There are a few changes to be noted. One is that you will register first, which is an extra step in the process but does allow you to keep track of your nominations on a personal page. The other changes are to publisher nominations, so read more into at the Cybils page. It also wouldn't hurt to review the FAQ's, but I'll address two big ones here:

Which books are eligible?

Any English or bilingual books published in the U.S. or Canada between the end of one contest and start of another. For 2012, that means books released between Oct. 16, 2011 and Oct. 15, 2012. Books must be specifically published for the children’s or young adult market.

Does it help if a book has lots of nominations?

NO! In fact, the online form will kick the nomination back if a book's already been listed. It needs to get on our radar only once for consideration. After that, it's up to the judges.

So get over there and nominate the books that we need to see. It's Cybils time!

While it was frustrating to be offline for much of the month, it may be just what I needed to get back on track. Or at least to find the track. We'll see how it plays out.

My schedule at work is settling a bit, now that I'm not covering summer vacations, and with the girls at school, I'm enjoying having a place to go, work, and earn money. I'm on the committee to select books that we'll promote for next year's summer reading program. I'll also be moderating a panel at Fall for the Book, so I think they like me.

Teen got the coveted - by her - role of Tatiana the fairy queen in her high school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. We worked on her callback material together, and she's going to be great. She also was selected as the lead critic for her school's Cappies program, probably due in part to the three reviews that she got published as a critic last year.

In the first week of school, the Kid finished a fantastic performance of 13: The Musical. It was so professional these teens could have gone on tour with the show. The next week she got the part of Mayzee, the amazing bird, in Seussical. As soon as I heard her sing the bluesy "How Lucky You Are" I knew she was getting that role.

My mom is feeling much better back at home, completely recovered from the radiation side effects and back to herself. She negotiated getting her house painted and is able to drive again. Though she restricts herself to the doctor, the supermarket, and the animal shelter where she volunteers.

Without books on the brain, I've been tackling some long overdue household organization. Still a lot to go, but it's a process. Also I'm feeling less nervous about the election, so that's a relief.

So that's what's been going on. Now that we're all caught up here, I hope to be a little more present - mentally and virtually. And hey, on Friday I'll be heading to New York City for KidLitCon! Can't wait to see everyone!

We have been experiencing technical difficulties here at MotherReader. Pretty much for the month of September, the site has been offline. My tech guy - or spouse - explained that the hosted name wasn't pointing to the blogger site, which also wasn't working, even though I could see it to post. I don't know. But it's fixed now, and I feel a little bad for my absence.

I completely missed announcing the 2012 Cybils panelists, with a special nod to my own team for Fiction Picture Books. So let's knock that out first with a hearty Hooray!!!

I haven't been able to promote KidLitCon in NYC, but I'm hoping that I'll see some friendly faces there. Who's coming? It's going to be fantastic to be at my favorite conference with my favorite people in my favorite city. I think I better bring my favorite wine to round the whole thing out.

If you're in the D.C. area, I can point you to a session from the Fall for the Book festival. I was asked to moderate the Young Adult session discussing "the widening demands for Young Adult fiction — with a focus on fiction that might be considered “too dark” for young adult reader," with guests Kristen-Paige Madonia, author of Fingerprints of You, Diana Peterfreund, author of For Darkness Shows the Stars, Carmen Rodrigues, author of 34 Pieces of You, and Timothy Travaglini, Director of Children’s Acquisitions at Open Road Integrated Media. It's at 4:00 on Sunday at One More Page Books in Arlington. Yes, I'm heading straight from New York to this panel, because I'm a boss.

Hopefully with the site back on track I can follow suit with book-loving posts to come. As the Obama campaign says, Forward!

I've been taking a break here concentrating on the 2012 Cybils ramp-up and getting the girls back at school. But I did have a chance to see a book for Poetry Friday, hosted today at Random Noodling.

I've Lost My Hippopotamus
by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic
Greenwillow 2012, review from library copy

Generally I'm not a big fan of Prelutsky, but I wanted to give this new collection a shot. The cover notes that the book contains more than 100 poems. And that "more than" offers a hint of the problem. It's not exactly 100 poems, which would have set a limit. It's mostly animal poems - with a few exceptions. It's mostly the pun-filled, silly poetry Prelutsky is known for - but there are a few plain, thoughtful haiku which seem like leftovers from If Not for the Cat. All those factors together make this feel like a collection of leftovers, which could have been solved by tighter editing with more consistency. Urbanovic's illustrations add to the light and humorous feel of the poems. The black and white sketch drawings will fit perfectly when this book is turned into a Scholastic paperback sold at book fairs, but seem unfinished in the hardback book with its quality paper and lovely cover. But in a way, none of this matters because kids will like it.

My own problem with Prelutsky is that I rarely find that his poems reach across the wacky, silly, imagined worlds to reflect deeper things - like the Silverstein poems I see as his predessor. In the whole collection, I only connected with this one, and that's because my hamster also died, and I miss her:

The afternoon my hamster died,
I moped around and cried and cried,
Although I readily admit
That I was far from fond of it.
It was a poor, unpleasant pet
That I should probably forget.
it never had a proper name...
I miss it deeply, all the same.
My hamster had annoying ways-
A tendency to sleep for days,
A knack for making noise all night,
A need to gnaw, an urge to bite.
In fact, it bit me more than twice.
It simply wasn't very nice.
Despite these faults, I cried and cried
The afternoon my hamster died.
-Jack Prelutsky

I think it's only right to add that my hamster was very nice and had a name - Cookie. She was particularly cute and social, always looking around for company. As the girls lost interest, she became my little nocturnal friend when I was up too late or couldn't sleep. Like the poem, she also had annoying ways - like dumping food in her wheel and then running in it turning the whole thing into a hamster maraca - and I cried when she was gone.

It's the last week of what I'm calling the Lost Summer, and I'm just ready for it to be over. It's not I love autumn, but because I'd rather get on with the schedule of the school year if I'm not going to get the fun of summer.

I ended up with another week helping my mom through her radiation therapy. She is at her home now and feeling much better, though it will be a while before she feels like herself. The good news is that the treatment is completed with a ninety to ninety-five percent success rate for holding her vision in check. Obviously, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and my prayers with her.

With my mom's treatment, my new job, the girls' theatre/arts program, and scheduling conflicts all over the place, we lost out on our normal summer of sun, sand, and swimming. Only twice did we made it to my old home, Virginia Beach, and each of those for only a couple of days. We canceled our membership to the community pool, but didn't go to my in-laws pool much either. My work schedule was often opposite the girls' program, so I wasn't seeing much of them. And tacking on the Kid's rehearsals, we never seemed to be all together much at all. Our closest thing to a vacation was New York, but again we were only together in the evenings and that was only when Bill was able to join us at the end of the week.

At this point, I'm happy to close the book on the whole thing and get ready for a new, exciting year. We start off with MPAT's performance of 13 on September 7th and 8th - if you're anywhere near Northern Virginia come to the show, which will be fantastic! Then both girls start off with their school's theatre programs, which includes A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Teen. For me, there is KidLitCon in September and the start of a new Cybils year. (Last days for judge applications!) And always, books, books, books to read. And occasionally to write about.

While I was helping my mom in Baltimore, I had a little reprieve every day. I took each opportunity to head down to the Inner Harbor, finding a bit of peace by the water even with the crowds. There's a magic to water that I find reflected in today's poetry book - reflected being a key word.

A Mirror to Nature: Poems About Reflection
by Jane Yolen, photographs by Jason Stemple
Wordsong 2009, review from library copy

Bringing together photographs and poems is only the first layer of pairing in this picture book of poetry. Each spread features a photograph of an animal, reflected back in a body of water, along with a descriptive poem and a fact about the animal. The photographs have a simple, natural artistry composing and shaping the mirror theme, as the concepts of reflection, pairs, and water weave throughout the poetry. The most eye-catching photographs in the book feature deeper contrast between the represented animal and the landscape, but many of the selections have more subtle distinctions and a muted color scheme. Even the cover itself - lovely with its play of light, water, and reflection - seems like a hard sell for kids. The poems hit the right note, featuring haiku, couplets, and free verse and clever interpretations of the motif. As a sample, here is my favorite:

Coyote Landscape

For the moment, you are as still
As the roots, rocks, snow.
Only the water runs fast,
As fast as you, when you go

Whipping the wind, blazing the trail,
Following the panting prey.
But now, for a moment, you stand statue still
Reflecting on the day.

- written by Jane Yolen

Poetry Friday is hosted today at Dori Reads. Don't forget to apply to be a Cybils judge - especially in the Poetry category!

Oh New York, why do you tease me so? Beckoning with your warm embrace only to blast me with your sauna-like subway tunnels. Luring with your bustling streets only to wake me at dawn with the noisiest garbage collection procedure known to man. Teasing with dollar slices of gooey pizza while leaving me with the hotel bill for many, many dollars. New York, you are a cruel mistress.

There you have it. A bit of poetic tribute to my city stay of two weeks ago. It was not our smoothest visit. The hotel was small, and I hadn't realized how much we count on an extra room in an apartment to get a little space from each other at the end of the day. We all went into the trip tired from our various things, which didn't help our stamina or mood. Things simply didn't gel the way they have in the past.

But it was still New York and we made the most of it. We loved seeing RENT again from prime orchestra seats and enjoyed the energy of Newsies. We reluctantly passed on Shakespeare in the Park's Into the Woods as being too involved, but went to TKTS booth to get great seats for One Man, Two Guvnors. It was as funny as they say.

We hit the free Friday night at MoMA and decided we prefer it to the pay-what-you-wish hours at the Guggenheim where they shame you into paying more than you might wish to. In fact, we took advantage of free things as much as possible taking in Broadway in Bryant Park, the Staten Island Ferry, and the Folk Art Museum. (Foe more free museums, check out this listing) We walked along Riverside Park and visited with good friend and semi-tour guide Tim Bush along the High Line.

Teen and I did some shopping at the discount stores, sample sales, and consignment shops. She found a great collection of New York style clothes and one fantastic dress that had people turning heads as she walked by. She looked like she had stepped out of Vogue. The Kid worked very hard at Broadway Artists Alliance and was thrilled with the guest speaker, Megan Hilty of Smash. It was so perfect that she could tell her that she was performing her version of "Crazy Dreams" at the BAA Showcase - and that she sang it masterfully! The Showcase itself was amazing to see with the amount of stunning young talent.

Buying an extra day with an evening departure, we went the Bronx Zoo as the close to our family trip. It turned out to be the perfect way to end our visit, with a relaxing walk around the peaceful zoo grounds. We even came away with a new family saying from the ticket pricing structure listed at the zoo: "Total experience does not include camel rides." How true that is... on so many levels.

On my return, I was immediately sick with fever, back at work, and dealing with my mom's health. The last of which sent me back to Baltimore to oversee the last days of her treatment. I'm hoping that with the conclusion of this therapy and the beginning of the school year, that I can get back to blogging more regularly. Of course, I've said that before. In any case, my personal trip is now cataloged and broadcast for posterity, whatever that's worth.