Foursome the Spider, Larry Nestor

Foursome the Spider was a silly book. It is about a spider that moves into a nature center with other bugs. Foursome knows how to play golf and he teaches the other bugs to play golf. Through the game they learn how to interact with each other and still be nice to one another. It is an interesting book because it is a picture book, but there are a lot more words than other picture books I have read. It kind of bothers me really. When I first opened it, I thought, "Wow, this looks really long. I don't want to read this." In fact, there are so many words, the pictures don't really add much. You'd have the same story without them. I think the book is a very didactic book, and it is intended to teach a lesson on playing together and being kind to one another. On various occasions, Foursome knocks his seed golf ball into the territory of others and he must apologize, saying he did not intend to harm them. Many times Foursome is complimented on his kindness. Overall, the point is to teach children how to play nice. Honestly, I thought it was a little overdone, and I don't see how I would have liked it when I was a child.

The Cat's Meow, Gary Soto

The Cat's Meow is a strange story. I've never read one so strange. It is about a little girl who hears her cat talk in Spanish. When she asks the cat how she learned to speak, she tells her that a man on another street taught her. The weirdest part about it is it's all true. It just seems weird to me.

It does seem to parody parents and the way kids see their parents. In the story Graciela, the main character, thinks her parents are so weird. She sees them smear ice cream all over themselves and say funny things (her dad keeps saying, "When I was a little girl"). Her parents never seem to listen to Graciela. When she asks them questions they respond with answers that have nothing to do with the question. They also don't notice when she is gone. She just hangs her sweater on the bush in their front yard and they think she is there. It seems like the story is told through the little girl's eyes, so everything that happens is according to her imagination. Perhaps the talking cat, the weird answers, and all the other crazy things that happen in the story are just part of Graciela's imagination and her perspective on the world. At any rate, this book was quite strange.

Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan

I read Sarah, Plain and Tall when I was little, but I barely remembered it. Now that I have read it again, I see it as a growing up story. It is written through the eyes of a young girl who hopes that a new woman can join her family and become her and her brother's mother after her biological mother passed away. But it seems to me that Anna, the main character, is watching Sarah (the woman) grow up and learning that she will have to grow up as well. Anna says, after knowing that Sarah misses much of the place where she came from, "'I would miss you Nick'", referring to her dog. She seems to be saying that one day, when she must leave her home and marry someone, she would miss much of what she had as a young girl. In the end, Sarah is happy and they are a family, indicating that she has found herself, and she belongs with Anna and her father and her brother. The story is about growing up, finding yourself, and having relationships.

There are also some feminist undertones in the story. For instance, Sarah demands to learn how to ride and drive the cart so that she can go into town by herself. She also says that she can work hard and demands that she be allowed to help Jacob (the father) patch the roof before the storm comes. She is very stubborn and independent. It seems like MacLachlan was promoting these characteristics in women.

Clifford the Small Red Puppy, Norman Bridwell

Clifford the Small Red Puppy was one of my favorite books when I was little. I love the Clifford books! My sister really loves them too. She would always get me to point to each little character in the illustrations and make a voice for them. We would giggle so hard. What I find interesting in the Clifford books is the humor. Clifford is always getting into trouble by only trying to help. Then in the end, he always saves the day. But Clifford the Small Red Puppy is a little different. Clifford doesn't try to help anyone in the story; it's just a growing up tale. But I think it does have a little lesson in it too. Even though Clifford was a runt to begin with, he grows up bigger and stronger than any other dog. Perhaps Norman Bridwell wants children to know that they will eventually grow up no matter how small they seem now.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was an amazing read. It's interesting though, because sometimes I wonder if it should really be considered children's literature. I suppose it is more for adolescents. It seems like when J. K. Rowling wrote her series, she intended the level of the book to grow with the age of the child reading it. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is quite appropriate for a child in the fourth grade, but this one is not. It's more on the level of someone in junior high or even high school. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed it so much as an adult.

I have met many people who do not think Harry Potter is a good series for children because it involves witchcraft. They say that it is anti-Christian, and children should not read the series because it will cause them to turn away from their faith or want to become Wiccan. I completely disagree. Sure, there are some things about Harry Potter that are not exactly good; he has a terrible temper; he desperately wants revenge; he is not forgiving at all. But I see in Harry a Christ-figure. At the end of this book, he sacrifices himself for everyone else. He, as a young man, faces Voldemort, the king of evil, and defeats him. But the amazing thing is: he dies. Voldemort kills him, and he is resurrected. Now if that isn't a Christ-figure, then I don't know what is. When Harry is killed by Voldemort, he goes to King's Cross, which seems to be a passing between Earth and Heaven, and meets Dumbledore. He is given the choice to stay or to go back to Earth, and he chooses to save his friends and family. Sure, Harry is not perfect, but in a lot of ways, that makes him a better example for children. They see that even though they have their faults, they can still make the right choices. They can still be Christ-like.

Would you rather be a Bullfrog? Theo. LeSieg

Would you rather be a Bullfrog? I remember this book from when I was little. It's one of those silly little rhyming books that has a sing-song rhythm. It's a series of questions to the reader about what they would rather be or have. It mimics children quite a bit. I remember the "Would you rather?" questions from when I was little. My favorite was, "Would you rather be freezing cold or boiling hot?" They were great topics of conversation for a child. But this book is great because of its pictures. The pictures are what makes the book fun. It's a really random book, and the drawings go along with the randomness. On one page there is a tiny minnow and a giant whale, and then it the bottom right corner you see a very small hammer and nail. On another page there is drawn "THIS Thing... or THAT or the Thing that's in between". It's quite a goofy picture. Without the pictures the poem would be quite boring.

I, Freddy by Dietlof Reiche: Hamster Religion?

My sister gave me this book, I, Freddy, by Dietlof Reiche. It's hilarious. It tells the story of a hamster personified, who tries to be a hero and escape from captivity. He is much more intelligent than the other hamsters and encounters many funny adventures. It has so much humor in it; I laugh every time I read a little bit. For example, the hamster writes the story from first person as if he has never written anything before. He tries to justify how he writes things by explaining that this is his first time being an author. For example, he says, "There, and I'd really meant to write about the Golden Hamster Saga at this point. Still, as an author (okay, a budding author), I can imagine that my readers would prefer an action sequence first." (4). This is a great way of allowing children to relate to the story even better. He doesn't claim to be some far off, intelligent writer, but he puts himself on the level of the children: someone who has never written anything that's been published before, just someone who wants to tell a story.

There is one thing that really bothers me about the book though. It seems to parody religion quite a bit. In one chapter, it tells the story of the The Saga, which parodies the Creation story of the Bible. In it the Golden Trinity, three golden hamsters, were abducted from the Promised Land of Assyria. They were held captive, but they multiplied into the race of hamsters that is still held in captivity today by the humans. Every golden hamster on earth is descended from them. Someday, there will be the Golden Hamster Liberation Day (parodying the Second Coming) when all the golden hamsters will be released from their cage and led back to the Promised Land of Assyria.

This story seems funny, right? Hamster religion. It made me laugh at first. But then Freddy, the main character in the story, started questioning the teller of the story (his grandmother) about it because it doesn't make sense to him. He doesn't see how Liberation Day could be organized and questions the existence of the Promised Land at all. Grandmother agrees. She says that it's really just a fairy tale and the only reason it is passed down through the generations and hamsters are told to stand in readiness for Liberation Day is to keep them in check. Hamsters are greedy creatures, she says, and the only way to protect from themselves is to tell them to believe in a fairy tale.

I don't know about you, but it sounds like Deitlof Reiche doesn't have a religion, doesn't it? Perhaps he thinks religion is a good thing for society, but it seems to be a fairy tale to him.

I don't really like the book much anymore.

Red is a Rose

A bit of poetry. It's about the way we see the world. If we'd only stop to look or listen, we mights see things differently.

Red is a rose
Normally
Or so it goes...
But pink, yellow, orange, white
Are roses too
And beautiful

Blue is water
Most often
When we think of it
But teal and green and purple
Are deeper waters
Lovely to see

The sky is blue
They say
When someone asks
But orange, red, and yellow
Are seen every morning and evening
If you watch

A poem rhymes
Usually
Or so the world thinks...
But words without rhyme
Are poems too
And colorful

The Little House, Virginia Lee Burton

The Little House was one of my favorite books when I was little. I'm not really sure why. It tells the story of a house that is built, lived-in, abandoned, and adopted again. All around the house the landscape goes from beautiful country to dirty, thriving city until she finally is moved to the country again. I think I always loved it because it is about history and the permanence of the house even though the world around her is changing so rapidly. It tells a lesson about technology too, explaining that in the city "Everyone seemed to be very busy and everyone seemed to be in a hurry." Is all this technology really worth it if our lives are just a racing mess? The house is only happy when she is surrounded by nature and is able to watch the slow changing of seasons. The city is dirty and grimy, loud and noisy, and ignores the charm of the little house. I want a little house, and I want it out in the country.

The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss

How many people do you know who have not read The Cat in the Hat at some point in their lives? Not many, I'm sure. It's a classic. I've probably read it at least five times and maybe more like ten. I just finished it now. It's funny though, because when I was little I didn't like it very much. I thought it was too long, a little boring, and didn't rhyme exactly right. I think I was one of those children who liked things to be consistent. I wanted a pattern in the rhyme that was easy to follow. This book certainly rhymes, but Dr. Seuss changes it up a little within each stanza. To me, it is a little irritating because I have a certain thought in my head about what comes next and Dr. Seuss is always surprising me. It is sort of like he mirrors the randomness and nonsense of the events in the story with the way he rhymes the words.

I realize now, after reading it as an adult, that is has some funny parodies. The fish, for instance, parodies adults that are always telling you what to do, or even those kids that are such goody-goodies and never want to do anything that is even a little outside of the rules. It also has a moral: always clean up. Who would have thought that a crazy cat such as the Cat in the Hat would have the decency to pick up after himself? I also enjoy the ending, "What would you do if your mother asked you?" Dr. Seuss never really tells the ending, but leaves it up to the reader. I think this last line is one of the major appeals to the book. It is an original sort of punch line.

Guess How Much I Love You

I just finished reading Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. The book was actually given to my sister when she was born, but I adopted it because I love it so much. It tells the story of a little rabbit that is trying to tell his father how much he loves him, but his father keeps responding with an amount of love that is far greater than the little rabbit can think of. The best line of the book is, "I love you right up to the moon--and back." My ex-boyfriend and I used to say that to each other. It was kind of a silly little thing, but it meant something. What is so great about this story and its illustrations is that it is cute, funny, and entertaining, but it teaches children about the love of their parents. It's sort of like a subtle lesson, but not really. I don't know if learning about your parents' love is really a lesson, but it is something that we all deserve to feel. This story is such a wonderful way of putting love into a concept that children can understand. It takes the cliche of saying "I love you this much" while spreading your arms out wide, and turns it into something more. You can't really quantify love, but that is the best way that kids can understand it. The hares in the story also add to the child appeal. It's such a lovely little book. And I am proof that it not only touches the hearts of children, but adults as well.

Undertones

The Lord of the Rings came on today. It was kind of ironic since we were just learning about the Hobbit. My friends and I were talking about the movies and commenting on how they were and were not like the book and what they should and should not have done. Then we started getting into the Christian undertones of the story and, finally, whether or not it is appropriate for children. We were talking about that story The Golden Compass and whether or not children should be allowed to read it since it has strong atheist undertones. Many people say that they would not have even realized that it was a story written by an atheist if the media hadn't blown it in everyone's faces. Of course, in my opinion, even if something isn't obvious, it can still have a subconscious effect on a child's mind. But I am definitely not like those people who won't let their children read Harry Potter because it has magic in it. Harry Potter teaches a lot of people about the struggle between good and evil, and it certainly doesn't force witchcraft on children as if it is real and true, and a religion to be practiced. I won't deny that there is a certain age that children should be allowed to read the books, but they shouldn't be banned forever. When you say something like that, you are putting very little faith in your child's faith, will, and moral code. We can't be afraid to expose ourselves to everything that is just a little different than what we believe. If we did, we wouldn't be able to read much at all. It is in looking at those things that our faith becomes stronger and we are able to better ascertain the truths that we already know.

Interpretation

My friends made fun of the title to the children's book I am reading. It is called Foursome the Spider. It's kind of sad that they made fun of it. Just because it had the word "foursome". The idea hadn't even crossed my mind until they said something. Now I am going to think about that every time I read it. Sometimes I wish we could go back to the innocent days of being a child when things like that didn't even enter our mind. Nowadays we have to worry about everything we say because it might get interpreted the wrong way. No wonder Christ says that we must be like little children to enter His kingdom. Kids are genuine and sweet.

The Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis

I am about to finish The Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis. It is incredible. I read the entire series when I was in fourth and fifth grades and I loved it, but I don’t think I even caught the (incredibly obvious) Christian undertones. This one is about the end times. The image that struck me the most was when Aslan calls the beasts to him and each looks into his face. If they are good, they go to his right and enter through the gates of Paradise. If they are bad, they go to his left and disappear into his shadow never to be seen again. I also enjoyed the end of the world. Father Time awakens and blows his horn, and everything begins to melt away. The stars fall out of the sky to stand behind Aslan; the dragons and giant lizards destroy the forest and the lands; a massive ocean swallows up the earth. If freezes, and the world ends. Powerful. C. S. Lewis is a mastermind. I love his books.

Child is Us

I am at a racquetball tournament this weekend. The lady at the front desk was really funny. She was probably in her forties, but she acted like a young girl. The funniest thing she said was, "They have this Italian restaurant there and it is, like, so yum." It made me laugh. It makes me wonder how much adults want to be like children. How often do adults try to make themselves look younger, sound cool, or hang out with a younger crowd? I wonder how many of these people really love children's literature. It's not just literature for children because there is a child in each and every one of us. That sounds so cliche but it is so true. (Cliches have to come from somewhere don't they...) We know that A Child's Garden of Verses is a collection of poems written by an adult but from a child's perspective. They reminisce about life as a child, the good times. Everyone wants to always be a kid. It's fun, imaginative, innocent. Everything in the world is playtime.

Bunnies and Eggs?

Goodness, this has been a long week and I haven't written nearly enough. It seems like I had just gotten back to school when I was leaving for home again for the Easter Holidays. Not only that, but I have a big project due next week and I have been working on that endlessly it seems for the past few days. Oh well.

Speaking of Easter, I wonder where the Easter Bunny came from. I heard someone say recently that it is related to the pagan sign of fertility (as is the egg), but why do we have an Easter bunny that carries around a basket of eggs? That doesn't make much sense. Is there a children's story about the Easter Bunny? You know, something like the one about ol' Saint Nick. Of course, the story of St. Nick makes a lot more sense than an Easter bunny that likes to hide eggs. I don't know if anyone even could make a great story out of that. It seems kind of wrong, really. Easter is supposed to be about the Resurrection and new life. And yet, the eggs this Easter Bunny hides are unfertilized, boiled, painted, and eaten (sometimes). What kind of new life is that? And still, why on earth would a bunny have anything to do with eggs, or baskets, or candy. It doesn't make sense.

The Art of Expression in Poetry

I love poetry. It is a beautiful art. It is one of the most free-form expressions a writer can have. A poet doesn't have to follow the conventions of language but can manipulate language, punctuation, and even the way the words are written on the page in order to convey a certain message. It is a lovely freedom. I sometimes like to write poetry myself; it is one of the easiest ways to express how I am feeling. In fact, I know a good many people who I would not consider writers, but who write poetry when they are feeling particularly emotional. It is almost like a release, a way of uncorking the emotion bottled up inside. The funny thing is: a good piece of poetry not only shows the reader how the writer was feeling, but can also speak to the reader in a way that is different from everyone else's experience. A good piece of poetry expresses something but also sparks more emotion and thus more expression. Ah, poetry; what a beautiful piece of art.

Princesses

I like MacDonald's idea that we are all princes and princesses. Daughters of the King. Isn't that a beautiful concept? There is certainly something to be said in it. Princesses must be honest, keep their promises, treat others kindly. But some princesses, as it can be seen throughout history and in many other stories, do not act so wonderfully. They are pompous and rude, and see others as beneath them. This is hardly the kind of princess that MacDonald intended to portray. It's too bad that this is the way we most often see royalty. It seems that power corrupts people and makes them, in a sense, less than what they are. But from a Christian perspective, it is only through being humble and kind that you even become true royalty. This is not to say that only good people are God's children--we all are--but it is those who accept what it means to be the King's child who will make it to His final palace.

Messages

I wrote something for the writing contest today. I wrote it on a spur of the moment. I was suddenly inspired with a story, and I sat down to compose it, and it seemed finished in no time. Well, I guess that is a bit of a lie. I was interrupted the evening I started to write it and didn't finish it until the next morning, but each time I sat at my computer the words flowed out of me like water, steadily spreading across the page. The crisp white page soaked them up quite nicely. The interesting thing is, the contest is about Christian writing, and I certainly wrote from a Christian perspective. It is quite obvious. I wonder if that will be a downfall for me. It seems nowadays the trend is to have less obvious connections: analogies that are difficult to see when viewed from the surface. Sometimes I understand this; I really enjoy trying to dive into works of literature and discover the hidden messages. But at the same time, most people don't like diving into a sea of words to see what treasures may be uncovered, only to find that one's lungs can only hold so much air. Then, under the weight of the words, it is a struggle to come up for breath. Unwilling to search: what they see is what they read is what they get. There is something to be said for obvious connections, so that people get the point on the first pass, and do not mistake what they are reading.

That being said, I would venture to say that many people are affected by unobvious connections whether they know it or not. Nearly everyone who reads a fantasy knows that it is not real and could never happen, but many, as they read it, have a secret hope that it really could happen, or find some glimmer of reality in it. Perhaps that is because much fantasy is teeming with underlying themes, theories, and analogies to real life. There is a yearning in the reader for something in life that is like what is in the story. Only the something in life is real, and the story is only a metaphor.

Anyway, back to the point. Sometimes clear connections are important, too. There are a good number of people in this world who don't like to beat around the bush. They want it plain and simple. We are real, physical beings, and we like things to be seen and touched. That includes the reality of words. In many of the world religions, we use physical actions and verbal prayers that are signs of the spiritual, analogies of the supernatural. These analogies are very real and very direct, such as breaking bread or calling upon the Holy Spirit. Why can't the analogies of our literature do the same? I suppose we need a little bit of both. We need the direct messages to catch our attention, to remind us to keep on the lookout; but we also need the hidden messages to call us deeper, to lure us into the depths of language, where life lessons are trapped in the ocean. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why literature is so important in life.

They Would Soar

I hope no one gets tired of my story updates... Although it has been a while.

Adon was barely tall enough to see over the stall wall. But then he heard a snort, and movement, and before he was ready, a large head peered over the door. Adon faltered, taking a step back. He was huge.

“Well, let’s go!” Marion said, and he reached for the door latch. Before Adon had time to comprehend what was going on, Marion had led the animal out of the stall and into the dim morning. He was pulling himself up on the massive animal’s back as he struggled to keep the creature from walking forward. “This is Veridus,” Marion said. “Now get on.”

Adon hesitated. Where had this creature come from and why were they allowed to use him.

“Come on!” Marion shouted. “We don’t have much time. I promise you; we are allowed to borrow him.”

Having no other choice, Adon did at he was told and pulled himself up behind Marion. He heard Marion say a word that he did not understand, and with a jolt, they were soaring on the air. Adon clutched at Marion’s back, almost reeling backward off the horse. “Oh my God!” he shouted. “What the hell is this?”

“Watch your language!” Marion grunted over his shoulder. Veridus tossed his head wildly as if understanding the boy’s words. “This, is a flying horse.”

Adon only gripped Marion’s back tighter and leaned into his shoulders. He could feel Marion waver a moment with Adon’s weight and then heard his voice.

“Can’t you keep your own balance, boy?” His voice quavered, and there was a sense of unease in it.

“What have I got to hold on to? You’ve got a mane.”

“This is going to take some getting used to,” Marion mumbled, crouching closer to Veridus’s neck. He was careful not to wrap his arms around it.

It didn’t take long for Marion to realize that he wasn’t exactly sure where he was going. He had been so caught up in the idea of leaving that he hadn’t given much thought to his actual direction. He glanced below. Everything looked so different from above. Landmarks were not as distinguishable; roads were obscured by the tops of trees; clouds and mists veiled the landscape; even the sun appeared differently from the sky. He scanned the terrain searching for some sign: a large road, lights of a city, the river. Ah, the river. Marion found it. He tugged Veridus slightly to the right and judged that they were about on the right path. They were on their way. For now, they would soar.