Bird and Little Bird

Library Monday: Pippi Longstocking.

At my house, we read Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren.  As in, we read it yesterday, and the day before that, and we will probably read it tonight.  And tomorrow too.  We borrowed this particular edition from a friend of Mariam's in the late winter, and we have been reading it pretty much ever since.  Twice straight through, and now just random chapters at whim and very much out of order.  The chapter where Pippi outwits the robbers by making them dance the polka and eat roast beef is a particular favorite.  We obviously now have our own copy of the book.  

The thing that amazes me about Pippi Longstocking is not that it is a good book.  I figured that it would be (I don't think I ever read it as a child...), otherwise it wouldn't have kept its stellar reputation in tact for the last sixty odd years.  What amazes me is just how very good it is. An excellent translation is helpful, to be sure, but I am continually impressed by how funny, how clever and how exceptionally well-written Pippi Longstocking is.  The finer points are what make this story, not just the individual plot elements.  It isn't necessarily what Pippi (and her friends Annika and Tommy) do each day that makes the book so delightful.  It is the way that they do it; the way that Lindgren uses wit and an agile cleverness to add descriptions and details that are both unexpected and perfectly suited.  The result is enchanting.

The illustrations in this edition are by Lauren Child, of Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean fame, and they are brilliant.  Bright, colorful and with an intelligent sense of humor, the illustrations represent the spirit of the story perfectly.  I particularly like the way that the pictures interact with the story, sometimes taking the place of words, phrases or sentences.  I don't doubt that Pippi would be a wonderful book no matter the edition, but I really think that Child's illustrations paired with Lindgren's genius make the experience of reading this edition especially great.  

I also think that Pippi Longstocking would make a great hammock lounging read-aloud choice for the summer. I suspect that you'll agree, even if, like us, you've read it once or twice before.  

Remember This?

 

 

It's funny how certain memories from childhood seem to stay with you and pop back up at the strangest times.  Last week, out of nowhere, I suddenly started thinking about the factory tours that Mr. Rogers used to feature and how very, very super cool they were.  The crayon factory was a big favorite.

 

  

 

The trumpet factory visit is another one that I remember really loving.  There is something about watching all the individual parts being molded and polished that is kind of mesmerizing.  

 

 

 

And, of course, once you head down the Seventies YouTube rabbit hole, there isn't really any going back.  Before long I found my way to another very memorable, if not completely bizarre, childhood favorite.  The Sesame Street llama dentist visit.  This one raises a lot of questions for me as an adult.  Mostly related to parental supervision and urban llama ownership.  But, whatever.  When I was six I thought it was super awesome. 

The Week That Was.

This week:

- I registered for fall classes as a library science student.  I know that I should get some of the boring bits out of the way first, but instead I signed up for a bunch of classes on children's literature.  Couldn't help it.

- With Dan's help, I believe that I have finally outwitted the backyard squirrels and freed my bird feeder from their tyranny.  

- Annie 2.0 and I finally got access to our community garden plot for the season.  It is pretty big (about 25 feet by 35 feet) and better yet, it is no longer underwater.  So yay for that!

- Mariam and I began thinking in earnest about pumpkin planting time.  We love pumpkin planting time.

- I had my first meeting with a student's family where I had to fess up that I won't be back in the fall.  They were genuinely disappointed and I felt genuinely guilty.  Or sad.  Or something.

- We quickly realized that squirrel-besting has resulted in a new problem: grackles.  They're worse than stellar's jays (and not nearly as pretty).  

- I read the entire New Yorker cover to cover the same day that I got it, and then had to kick myself all week long for not saving it for violin lessons, waiting room times and the like.  I never learn.

- I wanted to tell you all that I'm sorry I haven't been out to see you as often as I usually do during the week.  The end of the school year is proving to be a super busy time, and I find myself not making it to the computer at all some days.  I promise a return to more regular posting, if not more interesting posting, as soon as things calm down just a bit. Deal?

Dandelion Spring.

I can never tell from year to year if things are really happening at a different time, or if it just feels that way to me because I tend to keep track of time in such a non-calendar referencing kind of way.  I think things like "last year when the dandelions bloomed, I already had pea plants on the trellis."  Not actually that useful for actually marking time when we have a year like this one, and weather patterns are extreme in all directions.  We had the snowiest winter on record, followed now by the wettest spring.  I live in an underwater wonderland, people.  Anyway, dandelion season has finally arrived, which makes me very hopeful that I can get away with putting tomatoes in the ground sooner rather than later.  I might have to defy the Memorial Day frost-free date.  Just by a few days.  I like to live on the edge.

In other news, wouldn't the accordion box book project from Alphabet Glue be perfect for making some of these? And, don't you really need to make the world's smallest postcards? I'm pretty sure that I do.  

Oh, and Craft Hope is starting another project.  Security blankets for families affected by the flooding and tornados in the southern U.S.  The deadline is a bit tight, because the need is pressing, but it is a lovely effort.  

Speaking of efforts to help out down south, Angel and Jenny, the gals behind Stumble and Stitches, are organizing a huge raffle with proceeds going to the Salvation Army disaster relief.  You can check out the details here. 

Lunchbox Rock.

I believe that we have previously discussed, on more than one occasion, my daughter's tendency to fill her little pockets with pebbles, acorns, sticks, feathers, pinecones and the occasional live insect.  I have adjusted my laundry routine accordingly.  However, even I was shocked to discover this rock in her lunch bag last week.  I thought that her backpack seemed a bit heavy when I picked her up from school in the afternoon.  When I went to unpack her lunch leftovers, I found out why.  I'm guessing the rock weighs at least three pounds and is probably close to six inches wide.  

And here I was feeling so proud of always remembering to check pockets.  

The Case of the Backyard Broccoli Bandit.

Someone is eating my broccoli.  And whoever it is lacks even the common decency to wait for it to grow a bit.  Instead, it gets planted one day, and is pulled out of the ground and left to die by the next.  So, I guess it isn't really accurate to say that my broccoli plants are being eaten.  They are just being beheaded, apparently for no good reason.  So here is the question: what sort of small, mischevious creature is to blame for the midnight brassica raids?

I originally suspected birds.  But then Dan installed the bird netting cover that you can see in the picture above, and the next day we found yet another little plant, cut off at the stem and laying on top of the netting.  It had been pulled right through.  So maybe not birds.  I think the next step is probably a more serious floating row cover- one without any visible holes in it. Otherwise we might have to execute a Nate the Great style late night investigation to find the broccoli bandit.  

Speaking of Nate the Great, did you hear?  Alphabet Glue Volume Two is going to be about all things kid detective.  Lots about our favorite miniature sleuths and the stories they star in, not to mention many pages of related projects and activities and some good bookmaking to go along with it all.  I'm still aiming for a launch date around the first day of summer, if not a little bit sooner.  

Library Monday: The Runaway Dinner.

 

On our shelves, there is the occasional book which is regarded in such a way that you might not be able to tell, just at first, what a favorite it is.  This is the case with The Runaway Dinner.  Mariam will often forget to take it down for a long period of time, but sooner or later, it comes off the shelf for another evening and she always seems to love it just as much as she did at first read.  It was good at four and it is still great at seven.  The Runaway Dinner has staying power. 

The Runaway Dinner by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman is the story of a small boy, whose parents have named him "Banjo," and who eats the same supper every night.  Every night, that is, until the evening when his sausage leads a dinner-time revolt, resulting in the escape of Banjo's meal, along with his plate and cutlery.  Of course, Banjo and his flustered parents give chase, and the result is a picture book that is great fun to look at and even more fun to read.  The Runaway Dinner is nonsensical and ridiculous and completely silly.  It makes little sense and is full of unlikely events but is so well executed that you hardly notice.  It becomes much more appealing to just believe.

I sometimes feel like the desire to be unique through silliness is the curse of the modern day children's author.  There are so many books out there that seem so focused on being wacky and different that the important bits, like having a decent story, seem to get lost. This is one of many reasons why I always like Allan Ahlberg's writing so much.  Yes, it is silly, but it is also smart and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that distinction.  

 Oh, and the climactic moment when poor Banjo finally gets hold of his sausage once more and then his mom starts screaming not to eat it because it has been on the ground?  Too good.  

The Week That Was.

This past week: 

- I didn't post here nearly as often as I meant to.  I'll blame this on having been really, really sick.  As in, spent Friday afternoon hooked up to i.v. fluids kind of sick. 

-  We put up a great new bird feeder and immediately had multiple pairs of cardinals as customers.

- We all realized that squirrels, though quite resourceful, are a huge annoyance.

- I decided that I probably do need to make this.  And how pretty are those pictures? Very.

- Mariam picked out all of our books for the week during our regularly scheduled library trip.  I've had to read all kinds of incredibly weird stuff for the last few days as a result. 

- Alicia began offering pre-orders on her crewelwork sampler kit.  So, so pretty.  I don't do all that much handwork, but this is the sort of thing that reminds me of why I always intend to do more.  

- I ran across this simple but lovely quilt pattern.  Just when I thought that I had finally committed myself to another pattern.  This is exactly why I can never just get a project started already.

Spring Green.

Originally, I had some thought of showing you photos of my newly planted spring garden and the sweet little seedlings and small plants just getting settled there.  It is that time of year, afterall.  But, like everything else in Vermont, my backyard has basically turned into marshland and is off limits until it has a chance to dry out a bit.  It might be awhile.  

In the meantime, things like this Spanish Spearmint plant and my pea seeds are waiting patiently to go into the ground.  Presumably, the ravenous birds in my backyard are waiting patiently to eat them. 

Eggshell Planters.

I could have sworn that I posted about this quick and practical little project last spring. Well, at least I meant to.  Anyway, I wanted to pop in and share the idea with you all this afternoon. We are having a very, very rainy spring here in Vermont and I have needed to have a few extra indoor activities up my sleeve as a result.  Maybe you do too.

Planting into eggshells seems to a common enough kids' craft project, and with good reason.  There is something incredibly fun about setting a little carton of hollowed-out shells on the table, and watching them grow plants.  Plus, when the seedlings are big enough, you can gently crush the shell to loosen the roots and plant the whole thing into the garden.  You can find many, many versions of this project by doing a quick search, but what follows should be enough to get you started.

 

Eggshell Planters

What you will need:

Eggs

Seeds

Potting soil

 

What you will do:

-  During the course of your normal kitchen activites, start saving your eggshells.  A good way to do this is to use a serated knife or a pair of scissors to gently remove one end of the eggshell.  I found that poking a couple of holes in the eggshell along the line where I wanted to cut allowed me to use my knife or scissors to lop off the top a lot more easily.

- Fill the eggshell to the top with potting soil.  Remember that the soil will shink down a bit when it gets wet.

- Plant a two to four seeds in the soil, following the instructions on the seed packet.  To water, you can either pour a very small amount of water into the top of the eggshell or use a spray bottle to lightly mist until the surface is uniformly damp.  

Now watch your seedlings sprout and grow!  We put our eggshells back into the carton they came in and used them as a centerpiece on the table until they were ready to move outside.  Just make sure that your plants get plenty of sunlight so that your seedlings don't get leggy and flop over!