Snow, books, ALA awards, and the prospect of more books

The recent uncharacteristic set of two consecutive snow days (and husband home from work!)  in our southern state has afforded me a few minutes to write a quick post. We don’t see this too often…

Our life busy-ness has been like that of many families with young children as of late (holidays, various classes, family events, minor yet time-consuming toddler illnesses  i.e. croup and ear infections). We are grateful and blessed and frequently on the move.  What a difference from this time last year when we were mostly home-bound and trying not to expose our little guy to any illnesses that might complicate his heart surgery recovery.

On to the book musings…this snowbound time (minimal, I know, compared to our northern friends who are surely chuckling as they read of our “big storm”) has nonetheless provided more chances to curl up with a book or two or three. I finally finished the affecting novel *One Day* which mesmerized and moved me, especially during the last third of the text; I’m now fascinated by Antonia Fraser’s account of her marriage to Harold Pinter and admittedly surprised by the predominance of their political involvement. I’m seeking recommendations of which Fraser historical biography to read first — she wrote so many! Will it be Mary Queen of Scots? Charles II? the six wives or the warrior queens?

Of course, the real impetus for this blog is kids and their books, so I am glad to spotlight two of the books that are in our “high frequency” piles at present. 

The Usborne *First Picture Trucks* has become a favorite for both children (as well as their mother who needs more education on the subject!) We enjoy that the book can be read rather quickly with emphasis on the names of trucks and brief descriptions, which is great for the one-year-old attention span. Our language-loving daughter appreciates the interesting details on truck functions, parts, and purposes. (And I look forward to explaining what  a “rubbish truck” is – relish that British flavor!)

Liz Murphy’s *A Dictionary of Dance* appeals to our three-year-old dancer a great deal. The approach to dance as a language is a marvelous touch. Since our daughter has learned a few ballet terms from our mommy and me class, she already had an established context for and a motivating interest in the subject. The familiar A-Z organization of the text helps her take risks with unfamiliar terms and challenging (in a good way!) illustrations.

More recent book-related excitement: have you seen the ALA youth media award announcement? If not, check out this delicious list here:

http://ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pr.cfm?id=6048

I spent a luxurious amount of time yesterday requesting lots of the award winners from our public library’s online catalog. I’m hopeful that new favorites will soon introduce themselves! 

Happy 2011 and happy reading!

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