Book Review: Hush, Little Alien

Hush, Little Alien

by Daniel Kirk

1999

Daniel Kirk's always charming illustrations hit the mark yet again in this re-mix of "Hush, Little Baby." Papa Alien accompanies his little one as they go on an intergalactic adventure, and if sometimes things don;t go just right, Papa knows just what to do (even when the antics of the Little Alien - ahem, careful with that laser-beam! - cause mayhem). 

This one is as fun to look at as it is to sing-along to at bedtime.  The aliens are sweet and gentle enough for even your youngest before lights-out (though my own kiddos didn't care for the fisticuffs between alien & astronaut...we always just skipped that page and hummed the interim). "And when that rocket ship takes flight, Papa's gonna give you a kiss good night!" 

My Secret Crush!

You know the old parlor game, “If you could invite "X" number of people, living or deceased, to a dinner party, who would you ask?” My list changes every time I'm reminded of the game, but one name pretty much always stays put: Benjamin Franklin. This guy was the total package: intelligent, humorous, sensual, resourceful, honest, charming, wise, bawdy, worldly, inventive, sensible, observant, diplomatic, and on and on and on. I’m not sure I’d want to invite anyone else to this dinner party if Ben were going to be there…I’d much rather have him all to myself. Okay, enough about my secret crush on a guy who's been dead for over 200 years...

As a printer by trade, the founder of America's first lending library, a voracious reader, and a strong proponent of intellectual dialogue, Benjamin Franklin had a lot to say about freedom of the press. I could attempt to sum up his thoughts on that topic, but I couldn't say it better than he did himself in his “Apology for Printers,” an editorial for his newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette. It’s a pretty forceful argument for freedom of the press, and also for that of speech and thought.

(My only quibble with Franklin would be on his point #10 in the above, in which he says that he himself would refuse to print anything “that might countenance vice, or promote immorality.” As any reader of Franklin knows, the man understood that sex sells, and he wasn't above going that route from time to time in order to push his newspapers...sometimes stepping well over the morality line of the time.)

Are You there Judy? It's Me, Susan.

Wowzers, but Judy Blume was my savior as a young woman. She helped me through those dark adolescent years -- helping me to understand that I wasn't a complete freak, and that I wasn't alone in my angst. Margaret was a late bloomer (hey! me too!). Deenie had a physical disfigurement that made her feel all creepy and weird (hey! me too!). Karen's parent's were getting a messy divorce (hey! me too!). Katherine grappled with her emerging sexuality (hey! me too!). 

(Doesn't she look just like someone you could really talk with?)

Point is, Judy Blume understood kids. She not only knew what they were thinking and going through, but she knew how to relate to them in a way that parents and friends couldn't always satisfy. Sure, my mom was great, and open about the "sex-talks," and always too willing to share information with me (she bought me Our Bodies, Ourselves, after all!). But when you're a tween (a term that didn't exist back in my day; you were either a teenage or you weren't yet), sometimes the last person you want to talk to is your mother, no matter how great she might be. Likewise for the friends...they might love you, and share many of the same feelings and problems - but it can be really hard to open yourself up to your peers when you're not always sure of acceptance or even able to articulate your own feelings. 

But I never had to worry about Judy judging me. Judy never made me feel weird, she never made me feel alone. Rather, she helped me to understand, in a way that nobody else could, that I was not a freak, and that, yes, I would come through it all okay. And I think that was because she was an author. Not a mother, not a friend, not a kindly aunt...not anybody that I had to actually have an awkward conversation with. Instead, Judy wrote stories about kids like me...kids that might have had some of the same problems...but, I felt, she was writing especially to me. And that's what I found so powerful about her books; her amazing ability to connect on such a personal level.

I Googled Judy, and wasn't surprised at all by the results; that her books have been frequently challenged and banned. Please visit her website. She's got a great section on censorship there. I especially relate when she says, "I wish the censors could read the letters kids write," and goes on to quote a correspondent, "Dear Judy, I don't know where I stand in the world. I don't know who I am. That's why I read, to find myself. Elizabeth, age 13." 

Yes, Elizabeth, I totally get that. And, Elizabeth, I'm sorry so many others don't.

Book Review: Apples to Oregon

Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains

by Deborah Hopkinson, Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

2008

This is the ("slightly true") story of Delicious - yes, she's named after an apple - and her family as they move from Salem, Iowa clear out to Milwaukie, Oregon in the mid-19th century. Delicious tells us about their adventure-filled journey, one based on a personal dream as tall as this tale: Papa getting his precious fruit trees, carried in boxes set to wagons, across the western plains and mountains, and ultimately planted in good old Oregon dirt. "Along with apples, my daddy took peaches, pears, plums, grapes, and cherries. Oh, and by the way, he took us along too." And it's a good thing too, because Delicious saves the day time and time again for her family, but especially for her beloved Papa and his dream.

While a tall-tale, this story also serves as an good portrayal of the pioneer experience in many regards. In fact, Hopkinson provides an interesting and informative Author's Note, allowing the reader to explore the fact behind the fiction. Carpenter's illustrations are beautiful and colorful and lovely to look at, as they capture equally well the hardship and humor of life on the Oregon Trail.

As a bonus, if you're the kind of parent that likes to get your "character actor" on while reading aloud, Apples to Oregon is a dream come true.

Hiya

I really do love libraries.  

So then I'm fortunate to be able to work in one.  

It's rather nice to get paid to be in my "happy place." 

Plus, it's satisfying to be able to help other people connect with whatever it is they need out of our collections and offerings.

No two patrons, nor any two queries, are ever the same. 

That makes for an interesting day, every day. 

How cool is that?!