Children's Books Take One: Clorinda the Cow

Sofia is finally entering into the world of picture books, by which I mean she does not instantly consume everything we read with her teeth. We are going a bit hog-wild at the library and spending hours at home tearing through books, some of them over and over, now that I can trust that we can return them safely in one piece.

Before I was a mom, I had this idea that children's books were all golden classics that would give me warm fuzzy feelings and beautiful ideas to ponder. Turns out that's not the case. There is a shocking amount of stupid stuff out there. And frankly, there is a surprising amount of material I really do not want Sofia to be exposed to. It's just plain bad. But when you're confronted with a large room filled with shelves, it's a bit overwhelming to sort through it all.

I find myself comparing notes with other moms about good books to keep an eye out for, so I figure, why not share them here, where perhaps more people can benefit. I'll post some suggestions as they come. If you have some tips to share, please do comment! Small note: if you click on the images of the books, it'll link you to Amazon. If you purchase these books from there, Amazon will send Emily and I a little cut. Thanks in advance ;)

I don't want to rail on all the bad books or become a censorship police. My hope is to steer you towards books that are edifying so you don't have to waste your time, or your child's attention span on things that are not.

Without further ado, here is one of my new, two-claws-up, favorites:

Clorinda Takes Flight ~Robert Kinerk, illustrated by Steven Kellogg

I have loved Steven Kellogg's illustrations since I was a kid, The Mysterious Tadpole remains one of my favorite children's books.












He continues to do a fantastic job illustrating the Clorinda books. Very colorful and imaginative, with creative little details hiding here and there.

In this and the other Clorinda book we've read, Robert Kinerk writes thoroughly uplifting poems whose lines are fun to read. (I am looking forward to reading Clorinda Plays Ball, because it's more Clorinda, but I'm not huge on baseball, so I'm a bit nervous.) 


Clorinda has big dreams. Being a cow, she also has big limitations. But she pursues her dreams, she turns to her friends for help. Even when she faces failure, she acknowledges what she can and can't do, adjusts her dreams, and finds beautiful ways to be happy and share her happiness. I love Clorinda and her pal Len! You can just sense that these stories were written from a place of great love. It's hard not to love them in return. 

Well there you go, four tips on one. I hope you find this little series helpful. Happy reading, Lobsters!

a poem for miss eiley

Last night, my mom got home from work and was playing with Eiley. "Eiley, you need a song," she said. Then Eiley scooted across the room, and Mama started typing furiously on her computer. I thought she was composing an email or playing Typing Maniac, but then about five minutes later, she read this:

I know a little girl named eiley
Who most of the time is smiley…

she plays and talks and naps
she sits on peoples laps

she gives high fives and waves hello
and crawls determined, steady and slow.

On some occasion she might be a grump
There could be a reason, perhaps a head bump?

A load in her pants or too little sleep
No one could expect her temper to keep.

But the smile that wins out on this little face
Is the smile of ALL smiles, it’s our eiley grace.

It's not a song just yet, but it's a lovely little poem. Feel free to write music for us, someone.

Eiley and her Fee Faw!

A Short Dissertation on Why I Hate Phones, In Poem

i hate the phone.

voices are muddied

calls drop without reason or warning

a breeze on your phone becomes an ache in my head

and no physical cues means i can't show you i'm listening 

i have to uh huh, yeah, go on

and wewe talktalk overover eacheach otherother

and that's awkward.

i just hate the phone.

but i love you.