AB’s Bookshelf.

We’re back with some children’s books  that will interest both you and your kiddo (tested by AB and approved by moi). I have found that if you are interested in the book you are reading to your child he or she will be interested as well. If you are more engaged (i.e. more likely to do funky, funny character voices and act out parts and actually have fun doing it) and your child will be too.    Though, believe me, I understand that sometimes the energy just cannot be mustered.  That is when it’s time to break out Goodnight, Moon and the like.

Current Stack:

1. Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino – It is very easy as adults to get wrapped up in all the many things we need to check off our to do lists.  We are forever on the go. This is a story about a father and son’s weekly trip to a diner for a pancake breakfast. Simple yet endearing, it will have you racking your brain of what traditions you want to introduce to you little one. Take the time to slow down, put away the Blackberry/iPhone, turn off the computer, turn off the TV and truly have quality time.

2. Think Cool Thoughts by Elizabeth Perry and illustrated by Linda Bronson – Summer is fast approaching so pick up this book to distract from the heat. Join Angel as she camps out on the roof, counts ice cubes in the sky and dances in the rain. A magically sweet and refreshing story to remind you of the wonders of the imagination. Great bedtime read.

3. Woolbur by Leslie Helakoski and illustrated by Lee Harper – A wonderfully illustrated tale about a free thinking sheep. His refrain of “I know…Isn’t it great?” will help lessen your exasperation when you find your own little one marching to the tune of a different drummer…at the most inopportune times.

4. Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Calef Brown – My favorite of this weeks stack. When I saw it on the shelf I had an immediate flashback to my freshman year in college and wanting to throw Ms. Stein and her convaluted writing  out the window.  I found her style incredibly frustrating which is why I think I enjoyed this one so much. It’s a nice introduction to modern art and literature for the kiddos.  The repetition is a huge plus. Said repetition can also lead to some tongue tied sentences which makes it all the more fun.

Happy Reading!

Me Gone Wild.

This week I have been afforded the chance to play an amazing game of make believe.

This week I have been neither a mother nor a law student but a young writer living on Chicago’s North Side. I have been whistled at and honked at appreciatively. I have searched for the perfect Cafe Americano. I have flirted with various cute boys at coffee shops and bookstores.

This week I have read Bret Easton Ellis and Jay McInerney and longed for a time when authors were given the same status as movie and rock stars. Inspired by the possibility of such an era’s return, I have written and written and written.

This is me gone wild.

Nikki Giovanni.

On Saturday, I was in the presence of the great Nikki Giovanni.  She was at Women and Children First bookstore in Andersonville promoting her new children’s books, Lincoln and Douglass, and Hip Hop Speaks to Children. I had this reading on my calendar for weeks. So excited.
I thought, how great will it be to expose AB to such a great artist at such an early age. I am such a culture mother. Yet, it was a disaster. I was too ambitious. Granted AB had been at a birthday party half an hour earlier where I had allowed her to run around like a banshee.  She repeatedly climbed on the stage when Ms. Giovanni was talking. Eventually she settled in a corner that had toys.  The final straw was when she attempted to climb on a bookshelf to get to the new Charlie and Lola book. I had to climb on stage grab her and walk on the store with her wailing at the top of her lungs. I was so angry and humiliated that I was on the verge of tears. I finally lost it in the alley around the corner from the store as I frantically called my family members, desperate to talk to someone.

I felt like a total failure as a parent. I was beyond mortified.

But Ms. Giovanni did not let me down.  She was incredibly gracious and kind.  She expressed sadness that we had to leave. (AB was the only child of color there.) When AB was first getting fidgety, Ms. Giovanni said that it would be okay for her to go up on the stage and stay there while she spoke. But her kindness increased my humiliation.  I just kept thinking, “How could such a thing happen in front of such a awesome person?”

However, the incident was a long time coming over the course of the week, as I felt my temper getting shorter and my stress level rising. Combine this with her skipped nap and we were a walking powder keg.

This was a lesson learned. I have visions of AB growing into a great strong, amazing, and intelligent woman and how embarassed she will be when I tell the story of our first encounter with Ms. Giovanni. But we shall redeem ourselves.  No worries.

Junot Diaz.

I had the great pleasure of meeting the coolest nerd ever, Junot Diaz. He is the author of my favorite short story, “How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl or Halfie)” and he recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

“Hi, I’m Junot.” He introduced himself by name to each and every person in line. That was just one of his many endearing qualities. 

He didn’t sit at the table they had set up for him, but stood at the edge of the stage. He was much more physical than most authors. He’s a kisser. (Double kiss, both cheeks.) He’s a hugger. He’s a hand shaker. He’s a shoulder grasper.

He has a particular form of speech. He has a habit of ending his statements with “yeah?”. He has the mouth of a sailor interlaced with hip hop slang and ”wait a minute, let me get my dictionary” kind of words. He’s genuine.

And his intelligence. I am truly in awe of his intelligence. He is absolutely brilliant.

I want him to be my friend. I have a feeling he would be a great friend.

Nam Le.

My sister and I had the pleasure of meeting the impressive Nam Le at a reading yesterday.  He is the author of a new collection of short stories entitled The Boat.  He was so chill, unassuming, intelligent and kind. The Australian accent, his way of saying “Please” rather than ”Yes” when calling on an audience member, his incredibly thoughtful responses, his corporate lawyer past, his consciousness of the relationship between the writer, the reader, and the story, and the fact that he wore the same shirt he is wearing in the picture above, all equal me loving Nam Le.