Oh, the usual... they tell great stories, they bring you to far away adventures, they have characters who mirror the best and worst of ourselves and all-that-literary-jazz. Comics are funny, sometimes satiric. They can be easy, engaging reads even as they show history and not-so-subtle political commentary.
Also, comics make 6-year-olds read for fun. That in itself is awesome. Comics make kids beg parents to go to the bookstore where they can discover other genres and authors. Today Herge. Maybe one day Tolkien?
And so...
I was at the bookstore when I overheard a mom sneer at her child, "you should be reading chapter books, not that." That being a Geronimo Stilton comic the poor boy was clutching. As Captain Haddock would say, blistering barnacles! To Sneering Mom, except for the crappy ones, what's wrong with comics? There are crappy books just as there are crappy comics. I know, I am taking her remark too personally, but come on, Danielle Steel novel or Neil Gaiman graphic novel? You choose.
Spotted at the museum shop: Some of the VivaKiddos' all-time favorites. I love knowing these books are enjoyed all over the world.
Can you spot Mak's Jungle Book?
Bear's Red Balloon
The Mak-Tato's Goodnight Moon and Cat in the Hat
plus Chicha's Madeleine, how can we forget?
Nona, here's something Chicha might like. Even I want to read it! Elizabeth Matthews' Exceptionnelle Coco Chanel. A picture book on the amazing life of Coco Chanel.
(Note to self: Find the English version)
Can't read French but I'm guessing this is where she learns how to sew in that dreary orphanage where she grew up in.
And this is probably where she finally rises above all that hardship. Coco Chanel, pardon my French but...You rock, Mademoiselle!
Hey Nana, your adventure in France reminded me of this creation by Parisian graphic designer Marion Battaile. I'm guessing she is a genius who's also inspired by her gorgeous, picture-perfect native city...
This got me googling around for more creative ABCs. Lo and behold...
Origami Alphabet by Emma Downing.
Click on the pictures to enlarge. As Mies van de Rohe says, "God is in the details." Especially in this one...
Buildings and Sky Alphabet by Lisa Reinermann. I LOVE this!
Chicha is currently in this phase where she likes showing us that what-not looks like an L, this-and-that is a P, and she also likes to contort her body or fingers to make ABCDEFG, etc. There are too many examples so my epiduraled-brain can't even remember them! I think she'll really like this...
Found Alphabet by Jen Quinn
This one for block-loving, LEGO-fanatic, 3-D thinking Bear....
I love parenting books, but there really is more psycho-hogwash out there as opposed to the real gems. I'm also realizing that the books that truly inspire my own parenting philosophies are not parenting books per se. Cases in point....
I love Ken Robinson. I don't share his exact same definition of success,
but I totally agree with his learning philosophies. Tidbit from this book:
Paul McCartney slept through music class but totally dug Chaucer
thanks to an inspired Literature teacher.
Has the most intriguing, heroic child protagonist in books. Ever.
He makes Holden Caulfield look just like some... whiner.
But, I still love Holden and TheCatcher in the Rye.
Though I don't think it was Gladwell's main intention, this makes a good case for
Thank you books. Sometimes I like you more than people. I'm weird that way, but I'm comfortable with it. Anywaaay... I think I have always been fascinated by books on psychology, child development and stories of resilience and transcendence because...
This one I have yet to read. Haven't read Coupland since Generation X.
I will have a weekend getaway with him again soon.
...particularly mine!
I grew up amidst dysfunction and craziness, but it's cool. It makes life more interesting. It makes you more open-minded. It makes me want to be better, especially for the little ones and their dad - who grew up with his more than fair share of dysfunction too. Just saying... without much care if this post makes sense to anyone else. Cue crickets.
The Scholastic warehouse wonderland to three happy geeks!
I was with Joe (one of Keys' curriculum coordinators) and Marion (a co-mom volunteer/intrepid book-buyer). We were like three geeks in wonderland... Haha! We spent an entire morning buying all this....
3 people. 629 books. 1 morning. I can go crazy in a bookstore, but that was a record shopping spree even for me. These babies are brand new additions to the growing classroom libraries of the Keys kids - who all take part in a really wonderful reading workshop in the tradition of Maggie Moon and Lucy Calkins.
So grateful to a wonderful, generous community of Keys parents who are supporting our book fund raiser. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
This Maurice Sendak classic is one of the first books Baby Bear had memorized by heart when he was about 3 years old. It is the very first book he brought to his nursery show and tell. Chicha used to enjoy having it read to her at bedtime, but last time I suggested it for our nightly story she said "no mama I might dream that." So now, we only read it to her when it's daytime. She's just quirky and cute that way.
"That very night in Max's room a forest grew..."
I can imagine some kids getting scared of Sendak's beautifully compelling illustrations. But I think many can relate to his young protagonist Max. He has his naughty moments, gets punished by his mom, but copes by using his imagination and retreating into his own invented world where even fearsome beasts bow to his rules. For a moment, even if it is just in his own head, he has complete power over his life - and he can pursue his adventures in wild abandon. There is a Max in all us. There should be a Max in all of us. This simple classic story celebrates this. If your kids haven't met the rascally but imaginative Max, I suggest a trip to the bookstore.
"...and made him king of all wild things"
About a month ago I stumbled on the Where The Wild Things Are... MOVIE trailer. I was thinking whoever is behind this don't you dare mess it up! Then I am really blown away when I see it's being directed by Spike Jonze. I heart him! Oh... he just happens to have directed Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. And remember the brilliantly hilarious Fat Boy Slim Praise You music video? Directed by Spike Jonze. If you do remember it, Mr. Jonze was even the lead dancer of the Torrance Community Dance Group. Hilarity! But enough fan-girl digression.
Jonze also co-wrote the film adaptation with Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. So... Sendak plus Eggers plus Jonze equals this-better-be-a-good-movie. Production was plagued by controversy. It took years. Finally it will be released this October. Baby Bear is hyped. Chicha loves the trailer, but we'll still have to see wether she'd be ready to watch the actual movie.
"Oh please don't go - we'll eat you up - we love you so!" And Max said, "No!"
Here's a cute, related tidbit. Molly over at the We Love You So blog posted their "rigorously analyzed" Top Ten Rascals in Literature. Wild Things protagonist Max wins top rascal, beating the likes of Holden Caulfield, Oliver Twist and Curious George. Of course top prize goes to Max, because We Love You So is a blog about the wild, wild influences of the people behind the big screen version of the Sendak classic. That blog is now a daily habit of mine. Not just because I am cyber-stalking Spike Jonze, okay?
Now here's the trailer. Soundtrack is Wake Up by Arcade Fire. Coolness factor just keeps rising....
