Black Beauty

Recently a little girl came in looking for classics to read. She had a paper from her school shaped like a shield/crest, and it was divided into sections, with each section having the title of a book and its author. Titles included Treasure Island and Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz and The Wind in the Willows. When we were looking for one of the titles, we passed by the S author last names. She reached up and touched Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, and I said, "That's my favorite," and she replied, with a sigh, "I know." She understood.

I love Black Beauty, and I hold it very close to my heart. It is one of the first books I ever read, the first book I read completely in English, and the first book that ever made my heart ache. It is also one of the greatest reasons why I love animals and think there should be stricter punishments for animal abuse. This was the version I had, a paperback Landoll Classic, which I am trying to purchase again:

It came with this matching Robinson Crusoe:

I can't tell you how happy I felt to hear that she loved this book so much. That was a great moment, and she was such an awesome kid. 

The January/February 2014 issue of The Horn Book Magazine has a really wonderful article titled "What Makes a Good Horse Book?" by Anita L. Burkam. It's such a wonderful article, I highly recommend it. There are so many great titles, and it is so neat to have learned that Ms. Burkam was a former riding instructor! 

After-Valentine Bulletin Board

I had been wondering what to do with the bulletin board outside the workroom after Valentine's Day. A coworker suggested Where's Waldo, which I thought was a great idea, especially because I wanted to keep the red background and white border. I went searching and found an awesome silhouette character idea at A Rainbow of Teaching.  She made silhouettes of various children's book characters on a red background. I decided to do something similar, and this is the result!

   

Skippyjon Jones, Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Lorax

Where's Waldo?, The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Cat in the Hat, the protagonist from The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

I saw this bulletin board after I'd already made the one above, but I'm still so glad I found it. The silhouettes are amazing, I especially love the Clifford silhouette. 

Valentine Books & Eeyore

I saw these adorable Valentine Chocolate Books at Target. I wish they had had a version with book titles on the spines. These are some of the cutest Valentine treats I've seen.

And just for fun, this beautiful Eeyore mug gift.

Eye Candy by R. L. Stine

R. L. Stine's Eye Candy novel is being made into a mini-series starring Victoria Justice.

Summary:

Lindy Sampson is a twenty-three-year-old New Yorker with a problem: She’s too beautiful. Guys are intimidated by her. Her roommate suggests Internet dating and writes a Personal ad for Lindy, calling her “Eye Candy.” The responses pour in. Suddenly, Lindy is dating four guys at once–and having the time of her life. Until she gets a terrifying note that warns: “Don’t say no, Lindy. Keep going out with me. I’ll mess you up if you ever say no.”

Which one of her admirers is a deadly freak? Lindy is now forced to say yes to everything the four men ask of her–dates, invitations to spend the night, anything. From the East Village to the Hamptons, panic and paranoia shadow her every move. Lindy suspects everyone, even the one person she thought she could trust. But Lindy Sampson doesn’t know the half of it– and what she doesn’t know could kill her. . . .

Animal Valentines

A really cute Valentine craft we had this year:

An elephant, a cat, a fish, and a dog.

This great idea was from Sassy Dealz. I thought the elephant would be the most popular, but the dog turned out to be the most popular.

Libraries in Books

I've been wanting to create a series of posts dedicated to the portrayal and inclusion of libraries, librarians, books, and other library-related subjects within books. This past week I came across a book titled Francis, the Little Fox that is partly a picture book, partly a chapter book, but altogether a beautiful and highly recommended read.

I was delighted to come across a building labeled "Rare Books" and another labeled "Library" in the story. And with these I kick of this series of posts! For the sake of organization, I shall label all of these posts "libraries in books."

Francis, the Little Fox

Veronique Boisjoly

2013

Como Reconocer a Un Monstruo, Pinguino

Cómo Reconocer a un Monstruo
Gustavo Roldán
2010

This is a very quick and fun book to read, especially out loud to someone. It is an easy guide to finding out how to recognize a monster. The book begins very comically: if you think you have come across something that could possibly be a monster, it is best to be sure. If the creature has large feet and a tail that goes for meters and meters, you may just be face to face with a monster. What makes this book fun to read is that every time you turn the page, you see a new part of the monster, so the book builds up until you are finally sure you are seeing a monster.

Pingüino
Polly Dunbar, 2007
Belén Cabal, traducción, 2008

This is also a very funny book, and would be great to pair with Cómo Reconocer a un Monstruo. Lucas is a little boy that has just received a penguin as a gift. He tries and tries, but Penguin will not speak, no matter what. Finally Lion comes by and Lucas offers Penguin to the Lion as a snack. The ending will make you laugh and will surprise you.