Count Down

I finished packing and sorting (turns out it is hard to get a suitcase down to 50lbs). I now have "take me if you have room in your suitcase" bag all ready.

Now it is last minute errands (important documents to the storage unit and quick run to the grocery) as we savor our last morning in Ann Arbor and then on the airplane spend the night and on to Germany. "Like Knuffle Bunny and Trixie? With books?" Yes, Ben we are bringing books.

We are so close!

read

The Westing Game

its just fun to say

So, I am now madly in love with Uri Shulevitz's art work (and name - the author and illustrator are given made credit in our house and it is a fun name to say) and am going to request lots of his books from the library. As we are read SNOW in honor of our gray skies, our gray rooftops and our gray city turning wonderfully white this very evening.

(Picture of amazing "boy with dog" arriving tomorrow)

Notice that this dog is clearly outside - and is labeled as such by Mr. Ben. However, any dog inside a house and the first dog in Go Dog, Go is always "a cat." That is also fun:

"Go, Dog, Go by P.D. Eastman"

"A cat"

How does one explain the difference between a cat and dog?

This is subtle biology people.

pease porriage hot

Owl at Home is an inspirational book - we have enacted several of the stories.

Most recently, we performed "The Guest" where winter knocked on our door (did you hear the wind?), entered the house (because the heater broke), and when the heater was fixed we made delicious pea soup and hot buttered toast. YUM! Peas!

At my father's house, we often perform "Upstairs, Downstairs" where you try to be on both floors at once and get totally exhausted and sit in the middle.

And is it just me or does Arnold Lobel look just like Owl?

It's a CAT

Ben is obsessed with cats, and pictures of cats, and our cat Bonnie, and his newest trick: pointing. And when he gets going he has a full conversation complete with gestures and jokes with each picture, or at Bonnie, or of pictures of Bonnie.

So our new favorite cat books are:

The cover of James Herriot's All Things Wise and Wonderful. Notice the amazingly cute kitty.

The inside is rather full of words and no more pictures of cats, but the cover gets lots of kisses and giggles. Do you remember that when a book with only words was a complete bore?

And, yay for English relatives who sent The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr.

Look at this "big, furry, stripy tiger" - irresistible.

Ben with his tiger:


And I have to report that the horrible Touch and Sparkle books are now a big hit because there are pictures of kitties. These were in the give away pile because the "touch" aspect was just a circle somewhere on the animal, the pets have dumb names (that is Gerry below) and they have ugly pastel backgrounds.



win some, lose some.

Artist's Corner: Sylvia Long

Presenting Sylvia Long who fills her books with accurate, gorgeous, and playful rabbits. Long shows both craft work and place in all its specific beauty - there is a sense of "being there;" of a magical photograph into an alternate universe of dessert rabbit people. You end up spending lots of time just staring at the illustrations catching each forshadowing and detailed touch.

We always pause to see all particulars of the quilt in Hush Little Baby:
Long's alternate lyrics are also fun: And when that quilt begins to wear, Mama's going bring your teddy bear.


It is a delight counting and then tucking all the rabbits in as they sleep with Ten Little Rabbits:
(this is written by Virginia Grossman)


And I just like reading Because You Are My Baby; It has a clear message of love and parent child relationships without competition or obsession (sorry Guess How Much I Love You and Run Away Bunny - you all weird me out). (This is written by Jennifer Ward)


What Artists would you recommend?

heat antidote

I watched a good friend's three year old and after we roamed the Dominick's frozen food aisles to cool down, we moved on to the library to read BOOKS ABOUT SNOW! Now is when all the good winter books are at the library and hiding in a/c with a book about snow is the coolest way to go.

Without further ado...
The Snowy Day

There is something so magical about spending the day with Peter and having solo snow adventures. Peter's pace as he makes quiet slow crunches feels about the same as a hot three year olds' - s l o w l y w i t h l o t s o f s t o p s .




And the wonderfully silly Snowmen at Night (Didn't you want to know why snowmen look so beat up the next morning?):

We spent considerable time finding the pickle nosed snowman on every page.