You're Such a Knucklehead!

In the Scieszka household, that would be a compliment! So, after my whole "boys and books" post, I thought I would give a quick review of Jon Scieszka's autobiography (for kids... it's a whopping 106 pages): Knucklhead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories About Growing Up Scieszka. In a word: hilarious. Seriously, I laughed out loud every single chapter. And at 2-3 pages per chapter, that's a lot of laughing!

I know I've mentioned Scieszka's perfect way of reaching reluctant boy readers, so I'll try to keep my fawning to a minimum. But this book is great, and it gives insight into how the man could have a crazy enough brain to think up the Stinky Cheese Man! The short chapters are a plus for reluctant readers, as are the laugh out loud funny stories of what it was like growing up with six boys in one house. To give you an idea, one chapter is called "Crossing Swords", and it describes what happens when you send multiple boys to use the bathroom at the same time. Oh yes, there's plenty of bodily function humor! There's also lighting things on fire, picking on the younger siblings, school trouble, and tales of brotherly "love". And there is love... you get the sense that the Scieszka parents cared about all six boys and taught them how to be pretty good kids, while at the same time, letting boys be boys. There's that fine line of teaching kids right and wrong behaviors, but also giving them room to be the way they were made to be. Loved it!

To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader

This is one of my “special interests” within my field. Ohhh, how I could go on and bore you with the statistics about boys and reading, but I think if you know enough boys, you can make the generalization yourself (and yes, it is only a generalization). But simply put, the majority of boys do not like to read. And trying to stay off my soapbox, reading (and reading well) affects more than just your language arts grade in school!

Here are some of the main problems with why boys don’t like to read as they get older:

Required reading: Whether clueless, well-intentioned but ill-equipped, or somewhere else on the motivational chart, many adults (teachers, parents and librarians) have a certain idea in mind when it comes to reading. A boy should be reading award winners, right? We can live in a dream world or we can see what boys really are reading and encourage that. Forcing a boy to read “good reading” or something that we would choose to read at their age is not going to help. It’s bad enough that you’re turning them from storytime with their friends and hearing picture books to reading picture-less books alone ;)

Expand your idea of what reading is, too. Recently, I had some mindless craft prep to do for a few hours in my office, so I tried to listen to a book on audio that I’d wanted to read for years. Oh, did that not work for me! My mind wanders during audios. And I also recently purchased a graphic novel written by Shannon Hale, one of my favorite authors. LOVE anything she writes, and this was good… but again, not my preferred style. But here’s the deal. Each reader has his or her own style. Listening to books on audio is actually a preferred format for boys. So are graphic novels (think comic books), magazines, reading things online, newspapers, and reading non-fiction. Boys like to learn why something is the way it is or how to do something. Jon Scieszka (whose name I can spell without looking it up!), the first/current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, created an organization all about these differences: Guys Read. Check it out. I actually recommended his Time Warp Trio series to a mom of a very reluctant reader, and she came in today to say he loves it and reads it every night… he wants more of them!

So we have to watch “required reading” and expand our view of reading, two key factors in giving boys the room they need to grow to love reading. The third is modeling reader behavior. This is most important for parents, since you see your kids most often. Make the library a routine. Read at home. Especially dads. Dads, please, PLEASE, PLEASE… read in front of your kids! Show them that you read and that you see it as valuable. I’ve started a few programs at the library and they’ve been growing… slowly but surely, and it makes me love what I do all the more to see the changes! We have special Daddy and Me storytimes (no moms allowed!), and we recently began a Daddy Catchers program, where we pick one day a month to give dads a small thank you from a local business if we see them in the library with their kids. (A thank you, not a bribe.) And attendance of dads at programs as well as boys in elementary school age (the age they traditionally stop coming to library programs) has been on the rise. In fact, the most recent Daddy and Me and bedtime booktime storytimes were attended by more dads and boys than moms and girls! And I was thrilled!!

So I tried to be brief, but this is obviously a subject I’m passionate about. Trust me, I did restrain myself. I know these are generalizations, but see how they apply to your situation and use them if they help. I can’t stress how important engaging kids, but especially boys, in reading is!

I Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart

Okay, loved that song as a child. But you know what? It's more than just a children's song.

I've noticed this over the years working with preschoolers. It doesn't matter what I'm singing... they don't even have to know the words... but the second Miss Erin starts going crazy, singing some song, they're mine. Singing gets them to that "happy place" where they just might actually pay attention to me as I try as much as possible to keep 15-20 preschooler's attention for a story. So back to the song...

It's not about a happy "place"... how I feel based on the externals. Call me a crazy former English Major, but I believe there's a semantic distinction between "happiness" and "joy"... well, at least I make the distinction for myself. Happiness is situational, depends on those externals, while joy is deeper. For me, true joy is from Christ. C.S. Lewis wrote about the difference in Surprised by Joy. So I know that while the crazy world around me might threaten my happiness, it cannot take my joy, because this world and its craziness is temporary, but my God is eternal. I know not everyone might believe it, but that's what I know to be true.

What does that mean in "real life"? It means that situations in my life can be difficult, and things may not be running smoothly... even chaotically at times, but that I can still have joy. This week, work was not easy. Nothing with my patrons. Kids can make me smile any day! I know I'm blessed to get to work with them. There were some other things going on. But despite that I still know that God has given me this job. There are so many reasons that I know this is where God has placed me, this is what He's wired me to do (at least for now), and I am thankful for it. I've been told by numerous people that I'm lucky, and I don't take it for granted. Not everyone even likes their job, let alone loves it. (Hey, you have to considering what librarians get paid!) And the rest of my life outside of work is at times, smooth, at other times... not so smooth... but as long as I keep my focus on the right place... on God... I have my joy. It's a fight some days when I lose that focus, but as another verse in the song says, He also gives me peace that passes understanding. It's all past understanding sometimes! But I'm no less thankful :)

To Twilight or Not to Twilight?

Okay, I've avoided it. A Breaking Dawn review. I've been sharing my thoughts in person, but it's hard to get it across in print (without lots and LOTS of words!)... but here we go!

You'd have to have been living under a rock not to have heard of the Twilight Saga and the fourth and (supposedly) final installment, Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer. You'll have to go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble for a summary, and I'll try to steer clear of spoilers (send me a message if you want more information), but I want to share my thoughts.

First, with the series as a whole, I am not, NOT, NOT a vampire story kind of girl! But I felt when it became popular with teenage girls a few years ago that I should read it. The story takes place in rainy Forks, Washington, where teenage Bella Swan moves to live with her father, the town police chief. She meets Edward and is immediately drawn to him. As you might know, Edward and his family are the stuff of folklores: vampires. But the Cullens (all seven of them) are "vegetarians"... they drink from animals, not humans. There's more supernatural characters and much more to the story, but that's the general plot of the series.

In it's favor, I did like the series overall. A fast read, getting millions of teens (mainly girls) to read. The story's entertaining. The caution: while we can all relate to Bella's clumsiness, trying to fit in and first love experience, she becomes rather obsessive about Edward. So as a parent, the best thing if you choose to let your daughter read this book (like any book they read), talk to them about the choices Bella makes. Best to read the books as well. Talking points: Bella's obsession with Edward, disobeys/lies to her parents, takes a lot of risks.

Now, specifically Breaking Dawn, the latest in the series. Honestly, not my favorite of the series. At a whopping 750 pages, it gets a little drawn out at times, and I found myself trying to remember what happened in the beginning of the book! Meyer takes the story places I didn't expect. Normally, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but this was a bit extreme. Teenage marriage, teenage pregnancy, obsessive/irrational behavior... and when Bella makes a certain long-awaited transformation (trying to keep spoilers to a minimum!), everything falls so neatly into place. A little unrealistic and a little unrelatedable. Even taking my faith out of the context, most professional reviews agreed that Bella became unrelatedable as a character. Fans have said they're choosing to remember it as a trilogy. While I think some have gone too far in attacking the author (because as an author, it's her right to decide the direction her story and characters will go), it's fair to say this book was not what I expected. There are good things about this last volume and I'm glad that I finished it to find out what happened to Edward and Bella, but it was certainly an interesting read!

So To Twilght or Not to Twilight? That's the question for parents. If you're getting your daughters or students asking about reading the series, I think you have to know about the fourth book. If you allow a girl to read the first three, chances are likely she'll get hooked, and then it could be difficult to not let her finish the series. Just my thoughts.

Crawling Out of My Summer Hole

Okay, I have to bite the bullet and just write, even though I'm not going to get everything in that I'd like to! It was a crazy summer... my first doing the Summer Reading Club programming on my own, not as the assistant. The summer is the busiest time for a public library children's program, so basically, everything else gets neglected! ;) Yeah, non-stop. But good :) It's just that Miss Erin was busy at work and busy outside of work, so there wasn't much time to write. And here's a little insight into my personality, but I'm definitely one of those "there's so much I want to write, could write, and where do I begin to write... that it's easier to just keep putting off. So yes, this post doesn't serve much point! But I will say that I'm going to get back into it!

A little teaser of what's ahead: reviews on the (in)famous Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, Traction Man Was Here and its sequel Tractioin Man Meets Turbo Dog; maybe some information on my "special intestests": keeping boys reading and emergent literacy; and finally, some of the really cool things God has been teaching me the past few months. So check back soon! (I promise!)

I'm Alive!! Sort of...

So I haven't posted in two months. But while I may be a blogging slacker, the reason for the lack of posts is because I haven't had much opportunity to be a slacker "in the real world". I'll blame Summer Reading programs starting... love them, but they're a lot of work. Both mentally and physically exhausting! Throw in trying to juggle family, friends and youth group, a short stint house-sitting, and VBS this week after work... well, one thing God is reminding me of is that Miss Erin is not superhuman! I have to learn how to say "no", which is something I hate to do. I want to help where I can. I want to spend time with people that matter to me when possible. BUT too much of a go go and no rest attitude is going to take me nowhere but burnout-land. Quality over quantity. So that's been a challenge, but good.

And I have been reading! But not so much of my own choosing, which is why I may not have added any reviews. I have six book discussions this summer, but none of them were at the top of my long "to read" list. I'm currently reading Gregor the Overlander (not far enough for an opinion), but it seems like it might grab middle schoolers... especially boys. So far, it seems like a boy's version of Alice in Wonderland. Just substitute cats and rabbits for giant walking and talking cockroaches! The first high school book discussion is Sara Beth Pfeffer's Life as We Knew It. Interestingly described by one of my Teen Advisory Board members as "the apocalyptic Little House". It's the story of a teenage girl and her family's survival after a dense asteroid knocks the moon closer into the earth's orbit, wreaking natural disaster after natural disaster: tidal waves, tsunamis, earthquakes, airborne illness. Really makes you think and pulls you in for a quick read. A few grips were the way the author obviously has certain political leanings, which she is of course entitled to. It was just how bitterly she delivered them, and without the courage to name names, instead, only giving obvious descriptions. Probably laughing about her cleverness behind her hand. But it was just overkill and unnecessary. And her very obvious feelings towards Christians, evidenced by a rather slanted and unfavorable portrayal of a Christian friend. Otherwise, a quick, thought-provoking look at what if.

An Ode to National Poetry Month

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge poetry fan... I'm sorry, but Emily Dickinson bores me to tears. But there are exceptions and I'm learning to enjoy it more. In college, I learned to appreciate Elizabeth Barrett Browning, one-time national poet laureate Billy Collins, and of course, Shakespeare. Those loves all came though, because of a professor who was so enthusiastic and passionate about poetry that her passion was contagious... and she made it fun! I ended up taking her multiple times as an English major. She'd do crazy things like have us do debates over which couple in a Shakespeare play was the more realistically in love couple... a debate complete with a gauntlet throwing challenge and a judges panel, and one time, I even played some dead king and laid on a table some classmates carried to the door.

I still remember a Shel Silverstein poem, One Sister for Sale, that I memorized in grade school because I felt it "adequately described my pain as the oft-mistreated younger sister" *halo ding* Silverstein and the first/current National Children's Poet Laureate, Jack Prelutsky have humorous child poetry down to an artform. They, like my professor, have made poetry accessible to everyone, not just people who have a little more artistic appreciation than I do. I know my best friend reads these two to her third grade class and gets requests for more and more. I'm trying to take that knowledge... that it's how something is presented sometimes (Is there interest/passion on the part of the parent/teacher/librarian?) that can bring a "dull" subject alive... and apply it. Tomorrow, I'll be doing a magnetic poetry program with the teens at the library to celebrate National Poetry Month. They get free lunch; they just have to provide the imagination, as we use those magnetic poetry kits and try to come up with the best (or funniest) immortal lines.

In a different context, as a Christian, I'm made in God's image. He is the Creator, so therefore, I (supposedly!) have some creativity inside me, as well. As He's been showing me that fact, I've come to embrace my inner poet (ha!)... simply as a means of expressing myself... feelings, joy in nature, whatever strikes me. No, I will not share! But all of these random thoughts... I think the common thread is that, whether it's poetry, God or something else, something has to become real, and more than just a concept to us, before we can truly see it's beauty and value. So try out some poetry ;)