Children's Books Take Five: A Hush Baby Comparison

When I first had Sofia, I had so much trouble thinking of anything to sing her. I was far enough away from my childhood or my baby-sitting days for any lullaby's to be front of mind. So when someone gifted us with a board book of Hush Little Baby I breathed a big sigh of relief and then said, "duh!"

And then I read the book a time or two, and realized how it models this parenting approach of materialism. The Papa spends the whole song trying to buy lots of presents to keep a baby from crying. Fresh out of my baby-registry craziness, I was feeling like that philosophy had already been sufficiently thrown in my face by all the baby stores of the world. And none of these supposedly fool proof sleep-toys did a thing to soothe my own baby. I kept thinking, "someone should really re-write the words to this song!"

Turns out, someone did! Nearly a decade before I had the thought. Way to go Sylvia Long! I saw this new version of Hush Little Baby in my mother-in-law's children's book collection [she's been preparing for grand-babies with great excitement for a while!]. These new lyrics portray such a sweet, patient, nature-inspired relationship between a mother and child. The illustrations are also beautiful, just as Sylvia's other books. I was so thrilled by this book that I stole it from my mother-in-law (with permission) and brought it home with us.

 

And yet, as much as I prefer the message of the above Hush Baby, the illustrations of the original board book we had seem to be far and away Sofia's preference. The illustrations do feel clever, I must admit. And in fact, I appreciate that in these illustrations, it is not just one mama comforting the child. The baby looks to be much more of a terror than the "blue hush baby," as Sofia calls it. This baby is really screaming his head off. But his WHOLE family, big sister included, is there working to the brink of utter exhaustion to help calm and comfort him. The story told through those pictures, of all that family does for that baby, make the last line "you'll still be the sweetest baby in town" so much more sweet. They communicate, "no matter how crazy you make me, I will still love you." The pictures almost overwhelm the materialistic message of the song. Good work, Marla Frazee!

So, torn between good aspects of each, we hardly ever read one without also reading the other. 

P.S. The other Sylvia Long book we own and enjoy is Ten Little Rabbits, a sweet counting rhyme with beautiful Native American style.

Sabbath Sunday

“Sabbath keeping is something that was designed to be a part of us by our Creator. It is a day where we rest in the work that God has already done. It is a laying down of our wants, demands, and activities to be content in what God has already accomplished in our lives. It is a discipline of acknowledging that I don’t have to produce or do something in order to be right before God. 

It’s an act of being versus doing.”

~ Rhett Smith, The Anxious Christian: Can God Use Your Anxietyfor Good? 

Children's Books Take Four: Madlenka

Madlenka ~ Peter Sis

Madlenka's tooth is loose, and she has to tell everyone. She runs around her city block in New York to share the exciting news. Through her journey, she encounters friends from several countries, and in the end, announces to her parents that she's been around the world, and she lost her tooth. It is a sweet story of our globally integrated society and the diverse nation we live in. And I personally feel that the illustrations are what really make this book so magical. The graphic layout that illustrates her run "around" the world and the fantastical pictures that show her exploring each friend's unique universe really enhance the beauty of the story.

Right this minute, I really love books that provide natural teaching opportunities that jump off the page. The more we read this book to Sofia, the more she wanted to read it. And the more that she read it, the more fun she had talking about how "Mommy went around the world" or "Sofia went around the world." We read in a library that's on one corner of a bit of a circle around our stairway, so as she kept laughing over this one phrase, I realized, we could really go "around the world!" So I quickly scratched out some little signs with the names of each continent and posted them up in the different spaces around our stairway. I grabbed Sofia's hand and announced, "This is Africa," ran to the next spot, "Now we're in Europe, let's fly to Asia" and so forth. When I came full circle, I could announce, "Sofia! We ran around the world! Just like Madlenka!" and her mind pretty much exploded with happiness. We run alot of laps now, which is great as we've been having alot of rainy days lately and need a way to get energy out indoors. It's not that I think a child under two needs to know her continents, but it has been a really fun way to act out a story she loves and get physical with our imaginations. And it is pretty cute hearing her try to say "Antarctica." Thank you, Madlenka, and Peter Sis, for inviting us into this beautiful adventure!

Children's Books Take Three: In a Blue Room

In a Blue Room ~Jim Averbeck, illustrated by Tricia Tusa

This is one of the sweeter nighttime books I've ever come across. We used to read Goodnight Moon to Sofia every night, and now In a Blue Room has replaced it. Somewhat for variety, somewhat because Sofia's growing out of Goodnight Moon, and somewhat because I think it's just better. But something tells me I might draw some flack for that statement.

Alice does not want to go to bed in anything but a blue room. Her mother very calmly brings in sleep aids that stimulate all of her senses, but each thing contradicts Alice's demands for blue. As bedtime draws nearer, the lights eventually click off, and all the colors of her sleep aids are blanketed in a "pale blue light." I love the creative concept, the soothing poetic language, the model of a mother who can stay calm through a stressful daily routine (an encouragement to me!), and the magical illustrations. Much like Goodnight Moon, it's natural to memorize the entire text. And I can testify that the calming example has literally encouraged my support of Sofia through challenging bedtimes, as well as her ability to focus, calm, and relax on similar sorts of nights.

After our library due date ran out, I had to buy our own copy because I simply could not let it go. I can't seem to get enough of this one!

Sabbath Sunday: Children's Books Take Two: Perfect Square

Perfect Square ~ Michael Hall

Why am I bothering to recommend a children's book on a Sunday, you ask? Because I believe this book is a beautiful illustration of Sabbath. Much along the lines of another great new children's book, Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg, perfect square shows that sometimes mistakes or injuries can be transformed into something beautiful. It's a valuable lesson to learn in art, and it is a beautiful lesson to learn in life.

Hall's book is simple and creative with a story of a square whose sides become less than perfect day after day. But what makes it a great Sabbath book, is that after restoring imperfection to beauty Monday through Saturday, on Sunday, nothing bad happens to the squares perfect sides. He comes to feel even bored by the lack of activity or challenge. But he realizes that he can sit back, and become a window, through which to view the beauty that he's created the rest of the days of the week.

I think of how God sat back, on that first Sabbath day, surveying the work of His week, and He said, "It is good." It was so good, it took Him as long to take in the joy of it, as it did for Him to create each thing. Isn't that a beautiful thought? I have no idea what Hall's intentions were, but I enjoy and recommend reading this book on a Sunday, and use it as a prompt to look back, and see what good God has been up to, transforming you this week! (and feel free to share in the comments!)

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!

Cooking with Zoe: Tomatoes Galore

The Farmer's Almanac, which I hadn't even looked at since I was a kid rummaging through my grandfather's ranch house curiosities but is apparently a regularly referenced guide here, tells me that it is officially fall now. The students have had their first round of exams, the leaves are changing color, and my tomatoes have nearly all together petered out.  

My first tomato harvest yielded this little salad with fresh basil from my herb garden. And as my father-in-law, who helped me transplant my seedlings, predicted, I've had more tomatoes than I would have asked for. He is a more generous man than me. When he has a bountiful harvest and winds up with more fruit than he would have naturally purchased at a store, he gives it away to anyone who will take it. I am a bit of a hoarder. So instead of sharing much of my tomatoes, I have challenged myself to get creative and find ways to use my fruit at a rate that keeps up with their ripening. I've lost one or two from falling behind. But in the process, I've made:

1) Caprese paninis

2) Spaghetti with tomato meat sauce



3) Pesto pizza with goat cheese, caramelized onions, chicken, and of course, tomatoes

4) Roasted corn and Tomato soup [recipe from the William Sonoma catalogue], good enough to make twice



5) Breakfast burritos [sausage, eggs, cheese, and diced tomatoes wrapped in a warm tortilla]

6) Bruschetta [I dice the tomatoes, add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to coat, salt, pepper (fresh ground if it's available), garlic salt (fresh garlic if I have the energy), lots of basil, and other italian spices to taste (such as oregano, thyme, a hint of rosemary, sage, and savory)]

7) Salsa, using this recipe from my sweet friend Jamilah:

1 cup red onion chopped
1 cup chopped cilantro(it takes a lot, you could even add more than this)
1 can diced tomatoes (I like to use the seasoned kind with onion and flavoring)
1 cup frozen corn
Salt, pepper

Combine in bowl, add white vinegar until the level of liquid is about an inch deep. Taste test.


Optional ingredients: fresh cucumber and green pepper chopped fine

8) Turkey sandwiches with sliced tomato

9) Chicken Vegetable Soup [see this recipe from Cooking Light - this was SOOOoooo good and surprisingly filling!]

And I have a few more tomatoes left on the vine, still ripening. Any more ideas for how I might use them? Not too shabby for the cost of about one good sized tomato and the transplant fertilizer! I feel like this if the first time in my life an investment has paid off so fruitfully. ;)