Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fights for Desegregation

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fights for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh is a book I picked up to read to my son on one of our airplane trips. I found myself blown away by this book because it is not only child-friendly, but it’s full of rich history that I was able to use in my teaching. 

Sylvia Mendez was a young girl in California when her father moved the family to Orange County to help run a farm left by a family moved to a Japanese internment camp during World War II. (The book doesn’t mention this part, but I think it’s an incredibly poignant point in this story.) When Sylvia’s ain’t took her, her brothers, and her cousins to register them for school, her aunt was told that Sylvia and her brothers had to go register at the Mexican school. Her cousins — with lighter skin and a French last name — could stay. Her aunt refused to register any of them, and they all went home. This fired up Sylvia’s father and mother, who went above and beyond to ensure that their children would have the same education that their neighbors had. Their fight went all the way to the Supreme Court, with a ruling stating that children of Latino heritage were entitled to an equal education as their White peers. 

This was a lovely story, and a wonderful book, and not long after reading this to my son, the Mendez case came up in my urban schools course. We read about it in several readings and watched an adult Sylvia testify before the Civil Rights Commission. It was quite moving. It also confirmed that this book was quite accurate in the depiction of the Mendez case and Sylvia’s experience. I wanted to read this book to my students, but we ran out of time as we do in all classes that have strong conversation sparked. I’m so happy I found this book, and even though I had to return it because it was a borrowed book, it’s on my son’s wishlist. After all, I can learn to share. 

Marvelous Maravilloso: Me and My Beautiful Family

Marvelous Maravilloso: Me and My Beautiful Family was a pick up from BookExpo this year for some family fun reading. It's about a young girl who sees all of the colors of her world bright and clear, and she takes us, her readers, through her life in a tour. She even sees the color of the people in her world, including her mommy and daddy who are different colors. Her mother is like crema, and her father is like chocolate. She herself is like cafe con leche. What a lucky girl she is!

I love love love that this book incorporates Spanish seamlessly; it's a natural part of the story and it's written in when it feels like it should be. One page talks about where her grandmother lives, and the next refers to her as "Y mi abuela." It feels so natural and the connections are so clear.

It's also a lovely story of a girl who is of two cultures, and she moves between them seamlessly. She does this because she sees the beauty of the world in all of its amazing colors and differences. There are three pages in the back of the book that lead the reader to discuss race and discrimination with their children, which is always helpful if you need a little guidance as to how to address these issues with small children. It can be difficult, but it is so necessary, and children are open to these discussions if you begin having them early. This book is a wonderful jumping off point for those discussions, and I'm so happy I picked it up. 

The Knish War on Rivington Street

I mentioned somewhere previously that one of my goals at BookExpo this year was to buff up my children's library, and I specifically was on the lookout for diverse books. The Knish War on Rivington Street by Joanne Oppenheim and illustrated by Jon Davis fit this bill. 

It's the story of Rivington Street in lower Manhattan, which for generations served a large immigrant Jewish population. Benny is a young boy whose mother's knishs were so famous that she was able to open up a knish store on Rivington Street. Then one day Mrs. Tisch opens up a competing knish store across the street, and her knishes are fried and square. Who has ever heard of that?!? 

The two knish sellers each begin lowering their prices in order to compete with one another, and when that isn't enough, each store resorts to crazier and crazier tactics to win customers. The war heats up, and it comes to a head when the Mayor shows up to sort out which knish is the best. Which one will he choose?

Based, albeit loosely, on a true story -- yes, my friends, there was actually a knish war on Rivington street! -- this lovely, lovely children's book is simply a delight to read. It has a great message -- that one person's success doesn't take away from that of another -- and it is told through an entertaining and easy-to-grasp story of two boys who are simply caught in the middle of their parents' feud. I am just madly in love with this book, and I hope that one day my son is as well. 

The best part of this book (well, I don't know if it's the best, but it's certainly wonderful!) is that the last page of the book has recipes for both baked and friend knishes! My son isn't old enough to get the connection yet, but as soon as he is, we will make knishes after reading this book on a cold winter afternoon. 

My Body Belongs to Me!

Amazon Prime Day is a beautiful thing. I didn't intend to buy anything more than what we absolutely needed, but when I saw this My Body Belongs to Me! by profamilia and illustrated by Dagmar Geisler, I knew we absolutely needed it.

Clara is a young girl who understands that from being a baby to being a small girl, her body has changed and she is becoming different as she grows. She also knows that sometimes it's nice to touch other people, like sitting close to a friend, hugging her family, and sitting on her grandmother's lap. But Clara most importantly knows that she is the only one who gets to decide who touches her and when they do. She has the right to tell others to not touch her, and to decline when others offer and she does not want it, even if it is someone she knows well, like her parents. And if she tells someone no and they don't listen, she can always go get an adult she trusts, because she gets to choose when and how someone touches her.

One thing that is very important to us in our household is that our child does not have to touch anyone he doesn't want to. I ask him to give high fives, hugs, or kisses to people we know and love, and sometimes he just doesn't want to. It's not a problem; in fact, quite the opposite. Sometimes he doesn't feel like it, even at 16 months old. It's his right, and we want to encourage bodily autonomy with him. I ordered this book for exactly that reason; I wanted a resource that we could read to him that says this very thing.

Over 90% of children who experience sexual abuse and assault know their victimizer. All of this brouhaha over the last few years about transgender men and women using the bathroom of their choice because it puts kids in danger is a bullshit, and not just because of the primary reason that we should respect people's choices with their own bodily autonomy (and, frankly, if you are going to look over my stall to see my genitalia, I am absolutely going to call the cops and report you for sexually inappropriate behavior). The statistic at the start of this paragraph should alarm you, because it's NOT a stranger in the parking lot, but someone your child -- and YOU -- knows. It's someone you might very well trust.

Sex education begins young. It begins when babies are teeny tiny. It's a constant education, not just a single sex talk. It starts with making sure that children know that their bodies belong to them, and they have a right to say no and to be listened to when they say it. I love this book, and the culture of consent that it reinforces.

There is an introduction from the International Center for Assault Prevention recommending this book and providing information as to how to use it with your children to discuss bodily boundaries. There is also a list of resources at the end for parents if they need them. I would also like to point you to RAINN, another great resource if you are in need of help or other resources.

The Princess in Black: Science Fair Scare

The Princess in Black: Science Fair Scare by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham is part of a series that I did not know about before Book Expo this year. One major reason for this is that prior to this Book Expo, I hand no need to look for elementary and middle grade books. That has changed since the addition of my little guy as well as my desire to find books for my teacher education students, and this year was a feast of goodies.

Apparently I have been missing something, which is that The Princess In Black has so many adventures, and her science fair is just one of them. Why has no one told me? In this adventure, Princess Magnolia, our protagonist, heads to the science fair to present on her work regarding how seeds grow into plants. There are many princesses presenting, and everything is going well until one boy's volcano starts talking. Wait -- is that right? It turns out that boy, Tommy, added monster fur to his volcano to help it erupt, and erupt it does -- right into a big old monster who is set to destroy the entire science fair! Can Princess Magnolia, err, the Princess in Black, get rid of the monster (in a humane way, of course) and save the science fair before the monster eats it all?

I am so very happy that I picked up this book to have on my son's bookshelf as he heads into elementary school in a few years. Not only is it so much fun without being scary, but it features female protagonists who are also superheros when they aren't princesses. The Princess in Blankets joins the Princess in Black to fight the monster while also aided by other princesses who are at the science fair. It is important to me to surround my child with female heroes deliberately and frequently, because he, as a White male, will be surrounded by his likeness frequently and unconsciously. I loved the moral of this story, and how the girls saved the day. 

Dave Eggers' What Can a Citizen Do?

I love Dave Eggers, and when I saw he was releasing a children's book, What Can a Citizen Do?, illustrated by Shawn Harris, at Book Expo, I absolutely stood in line for his autograph. He made it out to my son, so that he will know that he is a citizen and there are so many things that he can do.

He can do so many things -- join causes, write letters, build things, stand up for beliefs, do kind things for others. The key is that a citizen must be engaged and they must be part of their society. Do things to help others regardless of who they are and what they need. After all, we never know the battles that others are fighting. Being a part of something is bigger than me and you -- we are citizens.

Where to start with this lovely piece of work that I love so much that I might not let my son touch it before his 18th birthday? Or, you know what, since his prefrontal cortex doesn't finish developing until he's in his mid-20's, he can't touch it until then which is fine because I wasn't about to let him out of the house anyway. But since I want him to be a good citizen, maybe I should take everything in this paragraph back and send him out into the world.

I love the sentiment of this book, and the poem itself is just wonderful and lovely. That the thrust of the book is to be a good citizen, which means recognizing that there is injustice in the world and that it is your job to fix it, is not just a sweet and ambitious idea, but it's the reality of our current circumstances. I have heard for years from parents of small children then they can do their part by teaching their children to love everyone, and the reality of that idea is that it's privileged, uninspired, and missing what is required to be an active, meaningful citizen. In order to teach our children to be citizens we must make explicit for them how to be good citizens -- caring for others, finding the helpers (thanks, Mr. Rogers!), being the helpers, giving of your time and your talents in any way that you can, and standing up for what is right. It is not enough just to love others -- oh sure, it's sweet -- but we must also teach our children to be active.

That is what is at the heart of this gorgeously illustrated, deeply worded book for young people. May my son always know that he must be a citizen.

Boo-Boo! A Children's Book

So many children's books! I loved that Boo-Boo! by Carol Zeavin and Rhona Silverbush, illustrated by Jon Davis, featured a family of color, so I picked it up at BookExpo this year for my son.

JoJo is a toddler who loves to run. One day though, she falls and hurts her chin. Her father cares for it by comforting her, washing it, and putting a bandage on it. He tells JoJo that he knows it's scary, but she will get better. He even lets JoJo put a bandage on his face!

This book review came up at a very appropriate time. Just today at the park, my son was having a blast in the water fountain sticking his hands in the jumping water and practicing his walking. He got a little ahead of himself and face-planted on the brick. He was devastated, and he got a pretty big scrape on his nose and chin. Once he calmed down and I got him home (and, let's face it, took a nap), I read him Boo-Boo! The book could not have been more perfect for what we needed.

I love love love that JoJo is a girl of color who is interacting with her father. I want diverse books for my son, and this one hit the spot. There is also a "tips" guide on the last page for caregivers in how to deal with kids when they get injured. I certainly appreciate that, even if I didn't see it until after my son's first big face dive. I adore this book, and I will be purchasing additional copies for my son's friends. 

Who? A Celebration of Babies

Who?A Celebration of Babies by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Natascha Rosenberg is the sweetest, most adorable book. I picked it up at Book Expo this year as part of my movement to pick up more books for my son. Because the 500 we currently have just isn't enough.

This book goes through a series of questions asking who the baby is seeing. From birds and dogs and cats to grandmas and grandpas and parents to cars and toys, just about everyone and everything you can imagine are present in our world within these page.

What makes this book worth purchasing is the diversity presented throughout its pages. It's not just babies of different races, but babies of different complexions within races. There is a grandmother who wears a head covering, and a a set of twins. So many babies are represented here, and while I would have liked to see a baby with a physical disability to round out the group, I am so happy with this book. My son loves it too, from the beginning to the end. I caught him looking through it on his own yesterday, actually, and it was the sweetest thing to see. I'm thrilled this early reader is on our shelves, or, more specifically at present time, flung across our living room floor. 

White Owl, Barn Owl

I recently read Nicola Davies' White Owl, Barn Owl (illustrated by Michael Foreman) as part of a teacher professional development on science learning, and I fell madly in love with it. If you haven't picked it up, it's well worth your time.  

A boy is helping his grandfather, and today they are going to build a box for the owls in their fields. The boy has so many questions -- what is the box for? How will they use it? The pair builds the box, and in time they find that a barn owl has stayed there. The boy explores information about owls with his guide, such as how owls hunt and eat and what they leave behind, and they learn more together than they could have expected. 

I was really enamored with this book for one very specific reason. It warmed my educator heart to see that this book told two stories. The first story was the narrative, the story of the grandfather and the grandson (at least, we think it's a grandson because the gender is never specified) and their building of an owl house in order to take care of the bird on their property. The parallel story is expository, giving the reader factual, scientific information on the barn owl. Not only is the story compelling and sweet, but it also contains clear, factual information that I learned so much from. For example, I never knew that the heart-shaped ruff around their eyes was designed to move sound toward owls' ears, which have incredible hearing so that they can hunt prey. I also never knew what owl pellets were; I thought they were poop, but they are not. You will have to get the book to find that out yourself. 

I am so in love with this book that I will have to buy it for my son. I love books that are informative while still being good reads. 

Be Brave Little One

I've always enjoyed children's books, but now that I have my own little one, I'm a sucker for them. Especially ones that feature a good moral of the story or encouragement. I cry. Seriously. So here we have Marianne Richmond's Be Brave Little One.

Out of all of the things I want to teach my son, bravery is up near the top. This book explores bravery in so many forms. It's not just taking chances and stepping out on a limb, it's also the willingness to try to something new, and if you stick with it, great! But if it's not for you, also be brave and walk away. Be brave in messing up and fixing things, and be brave in making friends, even with those you might not find otherwise. Bravery in perseverance and bravery in emotions are also part of the equation. In short, be brave, little one.

This was such a lovely, sweet, and moving book in its simplicity. The words don't have to be big and the sentences don't have to be long in order to pack a big punch and make this mama shed a few tears. After all, I think it's fairly universal that we all want the best for our children regardless of what that looks like. Bravery may or may not be important for everyone to instill in their children, but bravery sure is needed to get through life. This book reminded me of Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance," which makes me cry every time I hear it. (Honestly, I have to turn off the radio when it comes on.) It's a sweet and short book to read to your small child, and give as a gift to your big child, but it sure does hit home.

Rapunzel

Bethan Woollvin's Rapunzel was high on my "get" list for Book Expo this year because it was such an empowering children's book. I knew that I needed to get it not just for myself, but for you all, dear readers.

We are all familiar with the traditional Rapunzel tale, but what would happen if we took away her reliance on a man (the infamous handsome prince) and just had a girl who was tired of being bossed around by the evil witch? We would have this Rapunzel, a new type of heroine who leaves the castle all the time to do her own thing and one day, when confronted by the witch who found a leaf in her hair, convinces her the wind blew it in to the castle, then leaves the tower. She cuts her hair off behind her and leaves for good, scaring witches henceforth. Now that's a strong female lead.

I was particularly drawn do this story because I want my child to see portrayals of girls that don't necessarily do things for males or because of males; I want him to see girls that are strong in their own right. Don't you think this Rapunzel is a more fun girl to hang out with? I sure do, and not just as a friend, either. I want my child to think of all people as those who make choices for themselves and don't stand by while people don't ask for their consent. Believe it or not, that's an issue in this book. The witch never asks Rapunzel if she can snip off some of her hair to sell it; she just does it without permission. It's a hell of a signal, then, when Rapunzel just whacks off all of her golden, luscious hair and walks away from it for good.

I'm excited to have this book on my son's bookshelf, and I'm looking forward to reading it and talking to him about it. It's really amazing to see old stories that don't exactly work for our family retold in ways that do. 

Max and Bird

Max and Bird is the latest in Ed Vere's Max series, and I almost died when I approached the Sourcebooks booth at Book Expo and asked if they had a new Max book out this year. I love Max with my whole heart and soul, and he is by far my favorite children's series. (You can read about the other books here and here.) Mr. Vere has not let me, or you, down here.

One day, Max and Bird meet. Max is used to chasing birds, and Bird is used to being chased by cats. However, they decide to be friends -- at least until Bird can learn to fly. Together the pair embark on an adventure to teach Bird how to fly, including a visit to the library and plenty of practice. Once they are successful, Bird offers for Max to eat him, as that was the deal. Max decides he likes Bird too much to eat him, and they agree to stay friends.

I am blown away by this book, as much as I have been by Vere's previous Max books. I would rank this one my second favorite after Max the Brave. I love the simplicity of the message -- friends help friends, and don't ask for anything in return. There is another message, which is keeping your word. When Bird offers to sacrifice himself because he told Max he would, it was a sweet, if martyr-ish offer. Max's willingness to turn his new friend down on a very tasty offer was kind, but it also showed a desire for friendship over carnal desires. It is sweet, but it is also a very good message of kindness and caring for others. As per usual, the illustrations are to die for, Max is a dreamboat, and Vere has a way of reaching the deep recesses of adults' sense of humor to make this book a huge winner in terms of children's books. Or any books, for that matter. 

Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide for New Arrivals

At Book Expo this year, I happened to be at the expo early, so I grabbed an autographing ticket for Mo Willems' Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide for New Arrivals. I am so glad I did -- it is one of the greatest gifts a new mama could have for her baby.

There is so much to see and do in this world. There are songs to sing and rides to ride and cats to watch. There as passwords to learn and there are mirrors to look into and there are families to love. Life is so big and so wide, and we are happy that you have decided to join us here. Mo Willems puts together a welcome book for babies, and what a glorious welcome it is. 

This was the first book I read my baby boy. The first time I read it through I teared up (because pregnancy), and I knew it would hold a special place in our hearts and our home. It is simple enough to read to your baby yet complicated with big ideas for the big people. The graphics are big and blocked, perfect for tiny brains making sense of the world. It has a consistent tag line and it can be argued that the book is a metaphor for life at large. The world can be a big and scary place, and sometimes it's important to have a book to break it down for you. 

It is a proper introduction to the world if I do say so myself. Welcome to the word, indeed. 

As you can see, the book is baby approved. 

One to Ten: Squirrel's Bad Day

One to Ten: Squirrel's Bad Day by Carole P. Roman is about Squirrel, who, in a rush, loses all of his acorns down a stream. His friend Rabbit teaches him to rate his problems so he can put it into perspective, and that rating scale goes from (you guessed it!) one to ten. It helps Squirrel properly rate how bothered he should be by the problem so that he can find a solution much easier. He does, and he learns a valuable lesson in perspective.

This is a positively adorable book that starts out with few words and ends with a lot. Squirrel and Rabbit go through a range of problems as examples for how to rate problems, and it's not only adorable but also useful in teaching a very abstract skill that young kids don't have. In education circles, we understand that little kids = little problems, and that's only sort of true. To a young child, every problem is a big problem whether it's hunger or it's dropping a toy on the ground. It's nice to have a book like this to relate back to when speaking about whether or not problems are big or small. 

Cheddar's Tales: Showdown in Crittertown

The drama continues! Or at least, it does in showdown in Crittertown by Justine Fontes. 

Now that things have settled down around the post office, word on the street is that the local elementary school will have to close due to a budget crisis. Cheddar and the gang love these students and can't imagine not seeing them after school regularly. They hatch a plan with the students to save the school. Meanwhile, a rumor is brewing of war between the post office colony and the library colony. Who is making the weapons and planning to take over? Can Chefdar come up with a solution in time to save everyone from certain ruin? 

Just as with the first book, Cheddar and company are completely adorable and melt-worthy in this second book. Cheddar is a kind soul, and it's clear when he draws up a peace treaty between the Post Office and Library gangs that he cares about not just his own family, but also the greater good of mice in Crittertown. He comes up with the idea to hold an anual Mouselympics competition between the two houses, and it turns out well for everyone. It's a sweet moment, and it has a nice moral to it as well. 

Also I this book, character development begins to expand. Cheddar and Nilla both have crushes in the library clan, even though Nilla's is what led to the sharing of post office information, which facilitated the peace treaty. Poor girl; she just wanted to be loved back. Cheddar, though, has a crush on Poetry, and by the end of the book it looked like it might be headed somewhere. He did give her one of his beloved cheddar crackers, after all. 

As an adult reading this book, I thought it was incredibly humerus that the mice and the children solved the school budget crisis by just raising the shortage. After all, we know budgets don't work like that. However, from a kiddo perspective, it's an uplifting take that shows the power of teamwork and what can happen if we all care just a little about our fellow man (or mouse, if you will). 

Realistic budgeting 

Crisis in Crittertown

So, I'm a fan of the Cheddar's Tales series. It's a super cute, super fun set of books for kids in the early childhood set to be read aloud to by their parents, and in elementary school to read on their own. There's a good, positive moral to the story, and it's still adorable for parents to read. I proudly read Crisis in Crittertown on the train this week. 

Ever since The Change, the mice of Crittertown can understand, read, and speak English. It's the darndest thing, but they sure are enjoying themselves. Cheddar, Nilla, and his gang all live in the Crittertown post office and have a nice life there. They snack on the mailman's crackers, enjoy the daily hustle and bustle, and spend time relaxing and loving life. Then one day they overhear the mailman talking about having to close the post office. Where will Cheddar and his litter go? They sneak out one night to find a new place, heading to the library and a bed and breakfast to a school. Can they find a new home before it's too late, or will the groups of mice not be willing to share their homes with Cheddar and his family?

The cuteness is on overload over here, folks. Cheddar can write. Like with a full-size pencil. He sometimes can't help himself, like when he eats half of a girl's cheese sandwich because he's so hungry. (Cheddar cheese is his favorite, FYI.) He makes friends with dogs and with children, but cats will never work out. He stands up to a nasty, angry gang of mice at the grocery store, and after reading that passage I seriously had to consider how I feel about my local grocery store mice. His adventures were just lovely, and it was nice to read a children's book that was fluffy for me but that I know would be highly enjoyed by the 3 foot set in my life. 

My absolute, no-doubt-about-it, favorite part of this book was the library scene. The mice who call that habitat home all have names that correspond with sections of the Dewey Decimal System. There's Nonfiction and General History. Seriously. I'm not kidding. It's absolutely glorious, and it was just a fun, lovely book to read. I enjoyed myself immensely and I look forward to putting this on my child's bookshelf to one day read aloud with him.  

A Flag for the Flying Dragon: A Captain No Beard Story

Captain No Beard is back! I have a bunch of Carole P. Roman books that are waiting to be reviewed -- she has a fantastic new series out -- but in the meantime, our favorite high-seas bandit is back with his crew in A Flag for the Flying Dragon: A Captain No Beard Story.

Cayla, Captain No Beard's little sister whom we met a few books ago, is now grown up and doesn't need her burp cloths anymore, so she's using them to improve the ship. Their younger brother, though, Zachary, is still a baby. Babies, as we know, are just so much trouble. No one can find a job on the ship for Zachary that he doesn't ruin. No one wants to hurt Zach's feelings, but no one wants him to help, either. No Beard comes up with a plan -- he chooses a flag for the ship, and asks his baby brother to guard it. The flag isn't exactly what No Beard was picturing for an official ship representation, but sometimes we have to compromise to include those we love. 

As usual, I was smitten with this book. More than usual though, I really feel that this is one of the best No Beard books I have read. Roman does a great job of whittling down the story to its essence. It's shorter than most of the other No Beard books, and it gets right to the meat of the issue. I like the short and sweet nature of this story, and I love the addition of a new sibling for the Captain. Now that one sister is old enough to join in productively, he has to deal with a little brother. Some of the same issues, but this time around No Beard is growing up and working with his family instead of against them. It's lovely to see the series progress in this way, and to see No Beard sticking up for his brother. The choice of ship flag was not exactly the one that he wanted, but he knows and understands that sometimes you have to sacrifice the details for the bigger picture. This was a lovely story, and I'm so happy to add it to my No Beard collection. 

Do I Have to Say Hello? Aunt Delia's Manners Quiz

I picked up Delia Ephron and Edward Koren's Do I Have to Say Hello? Aunt Delia's Manners Quiz more than a year ago, at BEA 2015, and as we all know I got a little distracted by my (lack of) dissertation. (It's going much better, by the way!) I thought it would be a perfect fit for a Thanksgiving Day review here on Sassy Peach. I will be slaving away in the kitchen for my friends while you sit back and enjoy this post.

How do you eat certain foods at the dinner table? What is the proper response to a letter from a distant family member? Appropriate school behavior -- what is it? If you need to throw up in a moving vehicle, how should you politely ask the driver to pull over? Every question you could imagine that a young person wouldn't ask but needs to know is contained in this book. Fashioned as a question-and-answer process, Ephron covers everything you can imagine in this book and has it properly, and humorously, illustrated by Koren.

You might hear an older generation holler about the kids these days having no manners, but the reality is that manners, and morals, for that matter, are generational. Manners are seen as a moral issue, and I have heard many in the greatest generation yell and yell about the lack of respect and manners in young people. Hell, I've even heard my older graduate students wax on about this. Now, doing what I do for a living, I don't believe this to be true. Not only do the idea of what is proper and what is not changes over the years, but we also know that these things take time to learn. They aren't inherent, and not all children are rude. (Sure, some are.) You must learn how to behave in certain situations -- no one "just knows."

A form of this book was originally published in 1989, and honestly, it shows. I loved reading this book because it's of my generation -- it's something my dad's mom would have absolutely given to me as a child. She once sat me down in her living room with my aunt to tell me how rude I was, because obviously that was her job. I can't remember my response, but I think when she asked me if I was this rude at my other grandmother's house, I replied no. She asked why, and I said because I liked my other grandma. As you can see, she would have purchased me this book without taking a step back to realize that maybe, just maybe, the six-year-old me just didn't like being treated as though I had no thoughts, feelings, or autonomy. My behavior was in reaction to, and modeled by, the people I was with. Think on that.

So this book cracked me up, only because it felt as though it harked back to my childhood. It's not a book I would purchase as a gift for my friends' children, because the times, they are a-changin'. I have a much different view toward the development of children (because, you know, it's what I do). They are to be seen and heard, as opposed to my grandmother's desire for me to be a "good little girl" and be prim and proper and marry young because how on earth do I support myself as a woman in this world? I would, however, purchase this book for my friends so that we could sit back and talk about our childhoods. The ones that were good but that we want to modify for our own kids. 

The Water Dragons: Too Heavy to Fly

Dragons are interesting, no? I've never had the biggest fascination, but I love children's books, and I was attracted to this book by the lovely cover and the hope of a sweet story with a strong message. This is Ruth Ellen Parlour's The Water Dragons: Too Heavy to Fly.

Silver and Pearl are dragon siblings, and one day while they are out playing, they spot a bird in the sky. Not knowing what it is or how it works, Silver decides that he also wants to fly. Pearl sets him up with wings on his front legs and he climbs a tree to set off. Only when he is up there does he realize his mistake. His mother comes to save him, and together they realize that ground animals should stay on the ground and that the flying can be left to the air animals. 

This was a lovely, short and sweet book that had a great message -- everything I was hoping for when I picked it up. I loved the idea of the dragon siblings and the desire to go out on a limb (pun intended) and try something new. There is something to be said for the risk taking based on observations, and I appreciate that Parlour explored this in a creative and adorable way. One issue I had was with the illustrations; some appeared to be computer graphics and others appeared to be clip-arty, and I was bothered by the inconsistency. However, the story was sweet, the dragons were positively sweet and cute, and I loved the moral of the story. 

That's a win in my book!

(Get it?!? My book?!? Tee hee hee...)

Ada Twist, Scientist

You may remember a few months ago when I posted on finding the Andrea Beaty and David Roberts' series of students who achieve in STEM fields. Originally I had seen the cover of this book on the side of Abrams' booth at BEA and turned myself right around to speak with them. I pre-ordered Ada Twist, Scientist (I do that so rarely!), and it was everything I was hoping for. I couldn't think of a better book to kick off this holiday season's Children's Book Week here on the blog.

Baby Ada was a quiet creature as a baby, until age three when she said her first word: "Why?" She then started asking who-what-when-where-why-how questions and didn't stop, driving her parents absolutely nuts. Even in school she drove her teacher, Ms. Greer, bonkers. One day Ada decides to figure out where a smell in her house is coming from, so she experiments. First she tries the cabbage soup, and it's not that. Then she tries the cat. Nope, not that either. Her parents stop her as she is about to wash the cat (all in the name of science, of course!), and they put her in the thinking chair. Ada does, indeed, think long and hard -- all over the walls. Her parents realize what a gift this is, and Ada spends her days experimenting away.

I just can't even believe how amazing this book is. The whole series, really, but particularly this one. The search for books with diverse protagonists continues, and this one, with a young girl of color as a scientist, just warms my heart like you wouldn't believe. She is inquisitive and authentic, lovely and sharp. She chooses to speak very deliberately when she has something to ask. Ada spends her early days taking in the world, and when she has something to say, only then does she say it. I can't express how amazing it is to see this reflected in children's literature in such a mature and straightforward manner. Beaty doesn't have to beat the point with a stick; it's just a part of who the character is. She is smart and curious and that is just simply who she is. It's amazing and inspiring to read.

This book just tickled my fancy.

I love the entire series, and I can't wait until the next one comes out!