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Happy Thanksgiving, Farida! I hear you on all counts. :)

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a lovely kvetch-free holiday.

I'm so with you on #4.

Hope the holiday was good.

Thank you! I had a good time with the family this past week. I hope you all had some relaxing time off, too, and didn't have to play Rude Family Thanksgiving bingo.

I so agree!

RE:While there will probably always be those who have more than others, it seems that the least we could do as a species is to make sure we all have the fundamentals to survive: food, clothing, shelter, love.

Love being so so so important....to teach each other how to love. I have so far to go on that! all those other things come together if we just loved each more!

Wow, you read a lot! Colman is the only one of those I've read and I feel pretty much the same way about the story, but cannot help being fond of it for its association.

I enjoyed reading your reviews. Your dolls are lovely too!

Wow! You did an amazing job. :-)

Wow, I thought you were kidding about the History of Salt! That is a great mix of books. Congratulations on finishing!

Interesting mix of books. I think that is one of the keys to a successful 48hbc experience. Thanks for playing!

Congratulations! That's an admirable total, of time and books. I haven't read anything by Goudge other than The Little White Horse, which I loved as a child but didn't hold up too well for me as an adult. I wonder if I should try something else of hers?

Farida (what a gorgeous name!):

I am honored that my book, The Story Biz Handbook, made your summer reading list. I am so glad that, though you are an experienced teller, you still find elements in my book useful. I'd love for you to write a review on Amazon.com (I will send you all of the forms in the book via email as my token of gratitude).

Again, thanks a million!

Warmly,
Dianne de Las Casas :)

P.S. Are you a member of Professional Storyteller, a social networking site for storytellers? http://professionalstoryteller.ning.com. Hit me up on Facebook too (Dianne de Las Casas).

I love your preamble! Aren't you glad you didn't hear that "Farida will never become a reader" at the time?

I agree that a mix of books is a key to this challenge. Keeps you from getting bored, and all of that. I hope it recharged you for reading more in general. I know it did that for me.

Congrats! That is such a lot of books!

The Story Biz Handbook is in our system, so I'm putting it on hold. Sounds like something Jason would be interested in as well.

Your mother NEVER said you would not be a reader. It is amazing what children dis-remember, isn't it?

Melangell: It's almost as amazing as parents who repeat the same stories over the years and then forget them as they become irrelevant!

Adrienne: I'm glad it's in the system! Let me know what you and Jason think.

Jen: Thanks! It looks as if my mom is denying the whole thing now. ;)

Dianne: I'm so flattered you stopped by. I'd be glad to do a review. I joined the Professional Storyteller ning after I got your book.

Anamaria: I'd be glad to send you a list of Goudge books I'd personally recommend. They definitely vary, though I read all I could get my hands on.

MotherReader: Thanks for hosting!

Nerdgirltalking: That history of salt did sound like something one would make up, didn't it. Thank you, as I thank Laughing Stars, Paulina and LoneStarMa (yeah, I'm replying to everyone at one go).

Melangell: It's almost as amazing as parents who repeat the same stories over the years and then forget them as they become irrelevant!

Adrienne: I'm glad it's in the system! Let me know what you and Jason think.

Jen: Thanks! It looks as if my mom is denying the whole thing now. ;)

Dianne: I'm so flattered you stopped by. I'd be glad to do a review. I joined the Professional Storyteller ning after I got your book.

Anamaria: I'd be glad to send you a list of Goudge books I'd personally recommend. They definitely vary, though I read all I could get my hands on.

MotherReader: Thanks for hosting!

Nerdgirltalking: That history of salt did sound like something one would make up, didn't it. Thank you, as I thank Laughing Stars, Paulina and LoneStarMa (yeah, I'm replying to everyone at one go).

P.S. The blog post has been amended to clarify what I meant by "never become a reader."

What I love best about Goudge is that she is so very visual--her flowers are bright, and woods are dim with flashes of sun and her fabric has texture....

Gaiman does seem lovely, doesn't he?
I sometimes have that feeling about famous people -- Wouldn't they be awesome to hang with? But then, I know that probably one or the other of us wouldn't be the same in real life.

I love the thought of a person being a place one was loved best of all... I think I have a fundamental selfishness from being one of many children, and have never gotten over my wish to be loved best of all. Hard to admit, that! Here's to undivided attention and being gifted with those who have what we need.

Subscribe to Neil's blog. He writes so very well about so very many things. I can tell you, though, that a day I stood in line for many hours to get him and Charles Vess to autograph my copy of Blueberry Girl he actually asked about my son, a writer acquaintance of his, and I found out later Neil's father had died that morning, and he had decided to go ahead with the signing anyway. Wow. He is an amazing guy.

I really like quietness in my life and being able to focus and pay attention to things. I think I'd make a very, very bad famous person.

Adrienne: I think I'd make a bad famous person, too, though sometimes I wouldn't mind the challenge.

GraceAnne: I do indeed subscribe to Neil's blog and follow him on Twitter... and we're even friends on GoodReads. Someday, I'm going to meet him, present him with a copy of Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears, and say, "Hey, guess, what, we co-authored this." Yes, I'm savoring that one. That's great that he asked about your son and was able to keep everything together despite his father having just died.

Tanita: Well, I know for a fact that you're awesome to hang out with in real life. By the way, Seattle Public Library bought 6 copies of Mare's War. Yay! I hope the YA librarians booktalk it along with Flygirl.

Ooh, good to know!
I'm hoping to be IN Seattle in August, so maybe I can visit... Hm.

You are very kind! Let me make you some tea.

lovely :D I am so glad you are not famous too, as I love our rare moments to connect across the ocean. I feel the same about Yeti too... and I think Wombat is *just* getting to the stage where Sendak will appeal to him... may have to buy a copy though, as the 3 at the library are ALWAYS on loan :)

I'd also make a bad famous person, mostly 'cause I like to watch people. I think it was Meryl Streep once who said that when she got famous, it hurt her acting in that she couldn't just sit on a park bench and watch people anymore (since everyone knew her face and wanted her autograph).

This post makes me think of this, in a roundabout way: http://www.amyjanecheney.com/famous.html. One of my favorite poems ever.

As for Blueberry Girl, I think it's wonderfully written. Things got kinda ruined for me when I found out at the end that it was written for Tori Amos, but I eventually managed to look past that and appreciate the text for what it was.

Tell me your wonderful answer still got you the job. Chirpy just doesn't do it, not all the time, and increasingly less so in a complex world that requires real answers.

The impossible questions are my son's, always. He wants to know the future. I can never promise.

Beth: While I got into the job pool, my overall rating wasn't very high. When I asked the institution why I had such a low rating (the equivalent of a "B") despite my strong credentials and skills demonstrated in the assessments portion of the evaluation, the answer was, "Aside from storytelling and children's programmming, the interviewers couldn't really tell what you were about." Whatever they wanted for the answers, I wasn't able to read their minds to find out!I'm hoping I can still be part of that institution in the storytelling and children's programming end of things, but it will have to be as a performer, not as a librarian.

that feeling of "mystery solving" is one of my favorite parts of reference work at the library. just last week, a guy came up and was trying to find a movie with viggo mortenson that had a Spanish title, something like "the sad pirate" he thought he could remember "triste" being one of the words. After some poking around on IMDB, i found the film "Alatriste" which more or less matched his description. Although he started to argue with me that the word was "TRISTE" not something that started with "A," after I read him the summary, he decided that yes, that was the movie he was looking for. a nearby patron chuckled and said, "i love librarians."

my favorite impossible reference question was the kid who came into the library insisting that we help him find a road map of the Amazon Jungle. When I told him that there weren't really any roads through the Amazon, he became quite agitated. Ah well. Those are the ones that make good stories.

If you got a "B" because you weren't "chirpy," then I think that grade should be one of your proudest moments ever. I want a librarian (or salesclerk, or waitress, or principal) who can THINK! But that's just me!

Okay, now I'm even madder that I didn't become a librarian. I always wanted to be a detective when I was a little girl.

I'm with everyone else. I don't want "chirpy." Sounds like you're having more fun being true to yourself and your talents. You rock.

To be honest, I don't know if they wanted chirpy. I had no idea what they wanted. When I asked what they were looking for, they said they indicated that they were looking for a certain type of personality, but I never got what that was. I take my B and wear it proudly. "B" is for Book! And ballroom dancing! Well, I don't know how to ballroom dance, but it's still good.

I had one of those just yesterday! A patron wanted a book she remembered reading to her daughter, a real classic, based on Welsh mythology but no, not a collection of folktales, a novel...and the author's name had the word "Llwellyn" in it. So I searched Llwylyn in various spellings, came up with nothing, and then asked, on a wild hunch, "Maybe it's The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander?" and showed her the cover.

"I think that's it!" she said. "And there are two L's in the name..."

p.s. that interview committee was SILLY not to hire you.

Bookbk: Yes! I feel as if I do that all the time when I'm looking for a book from my childhood. Thank you for the vote of confidence. I think things work out for the best in the long run... at least, I hope they do. There are a number of things I love now that I probably wouldn't have learned had I gone back to work as a librarian.

Miss Pretty in Pastels there is as cute as she can be, with those sunglasses. I want to wear sunglasses at the dentist!

The phrase Urban Mennonite for some reason just gives me giggles. I love it.

Lone Star Ma makes me think happy things about Texas at last. I'd be into the Gulf of Mexico if I could just get there.

Colleen's post threw me right back into childhood; the first time you discover that is YOUR history, it's about YOU, that people would do that to YOU had you been born then; well, I suppose it's akin to being a Jewish child and first hearing about the long, twisted history of "let's off the Jews," which culminated in the Holocaust. For awhile, you walk... tentatively through the world, and behind your eyes is always something whispering, "It could still be you."

pax

Whip-smart? Me? Thank you. I feel pretty fuzzy and slow, mostly...

Your baby is so cute.

Look at Lucia rockin' those sunglasses. That girl is just so cool.

I'll have to tell Jason he got a mention today. :) That rhyme is even better live; I really never know what that boy is going to do next when we do storytimes together.

I know what you mean about making videos. I had exactly zero appreciation for how difficult it was to make a decent video until we started trying to make some ourselves. Hopefully we'll be getting some equipment and training with this grant we're hoping the current financial crisis doesn't screw up, but we'll see. We keep working with what we have. One of our problems is the lighting in the library is poor on the best of days, even without the camera.

TadMack: It's even more unsettling, I think, that it's a history that happened not that long ago. There is so much for which humanity has to atone. On a happier note, LSM is one of the great features of Texas. Lyle Lovett, James Marshall, and the bats flying up from under the bridge in Austen are also on that list, too.

LSM: Isn't she, though?;) You may feel fuzzy-headed, but you write clear articles and posts.

Adrienne: If I could bottle the je ne sais quoi of the gentle giants (i.e. big guys who are gentle and great with kids), I'd be rich, I tell you. Or at least, comfortable enough to buy a slightly larger house.

The answer to my video prayers might be on the horizon. If something comes of it, I'll let you all know.

P.S. That would be Austin, not [Jane] Austen.

thanks for the shout-out! now maybe i should go post something new...

:)

We'll take photos of your devastatingly cute daughter ANY time, even if they're appropos to nothing in the post.

Great meeting you this weekend. And I might never have said it, but you should know that every time I see "Alkelda the Gleeful" pop up in comments or emails, it just plain old makes me smile.

Sounds wonderful - I'm glad you had a great trip. I think you're cool!

And there you are, with that beautiful purse!

Does high school ever leave our heads?

So glad you had fun!

Jules: Sometimes I wonder how YA Librarians do it-- did they have a good time in high school, are they dealing with the fallout from cliques, or are they just able to put it all in perspective as they work with teens?

GraceAnne: Hey there! I'm glad you like the purse, too. By the way, I took that photo with Bede's old (recently arrived) tripod and a delayed timer.

LSM: You are so kind, as usual. I debated about whether or not I'd keep that paragraph in before I posted-- I didn't want it to come across as a plea for affirmative remarks. I decided to leave it in because I figured there might be other people at the conference who'd read it and think, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way sometime." On Mark Blevis' screen-saver, I noticed a cartoon that had a bunch of figures all thinking, "Why am I the only shy person in the room?"

Gregory K: Thanks so much. Coming from a guy who has people laughing as soon as he opens his mouth, that means a lot.;) It was good to meet you this weekend. Thanks again for finding my wayward camera lens cap.

It was so nice meeting you this weekend. I'm totally impressed by the thoroughness of your kidlit blogging conference blog!

Bridget

I'm going through the papers/notes from the conference, and I'm struck by how very much I heard all in one day. Some really good stuff, though. I've been thinking especially a lot about MotherReader's presentation.

Regarding feeling socially awkward, I feel that way pretty much whenever I leave my house. I am the wittiest person I know when it's just me and my cats at home, though. ;)

I am so sorry that we could not spend more time talking. I appreciated your comments so much, at times I want to hide away from the crowd. Hope your voice is better.

Me too on the high school thing...

And I hope you make it to D.C. cause I would like to play cat's cradle too.

Bridgit: Hey there! It was good to meet you this weekend. Everyone, Bridget and ABCGirl (of happystuff) knew each other in Madison, Wisconsin, and it was good to be able to ask, "Do you know so-and-so" and have the answer be YES. How often does that happen (outside of the Mennonite world, that is)?

Adrienne: I can relate. I used to think that it was a cliche when people said they did their best singing in the shower, but it really is an ideal space-- good acoustics, and the steam really loosens the vocal chords.;)

Jone: Thanks! It's slowly on the mend. If I had been wise, I would have found a tea-kettle and a bowl to steam my head this weekend. I wish we could have talked more, too. Fortunately, we're on the same coast and three hours apart, so the likelihood just increased.

Charlotte: That sounds like a fine idea.

I so much wish we could sit down together and have a coffee some day. I just know we would be great friends. I really appreciate what you said about welcoming others to the table and grabbing a prize for someone else. You are precious.

Cloudscome: Thank you for your kind words. I look forward to that cup of coffee with you.

I'm hoping that I'll get a chance to see you at your storytelling best someday!

You expressed the way I felt about the conference when you said, "Even if I don’t make it to the next Kidlitosphere gathering (to be headed up by MotherReader in Washington, D.C.) I will remember the people I met and the friends I made."

Yay for the Kidlitosphere, a welcoming place!

Thanks for the report, Alkelda! I wish I could have been there.

Susan
Chicken Spaghetti

Susan T: No kidding! I would have liked to have met you.

Hi Farida! Great to meet you -- glad you guys got to see some Portland landmarks like Voodoo Donuts where I (after almost 8 years in this city) have still never been!!!

Hope your voice is back to full strength!

Thanks for the video, Alkelda! I've posted it on my blog now, too!

Thanks for the good reports, too. :) You were a great roommate, and I had such fun. I hope to visit the Pacific Northwest again before too much time passes.

Laini: It's the same with me and Seattle landmarks. I usually wait until friends come in from out of town (which is how I finally went on the Underground Tour-- twice). My voice is on the mend, though my daughter is trying to get me to to read to her....

Adrienne: I do hope you come this way again. I'm a bit of a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to traveling, but sometimes I get it together to do so.

Farida, it was quite wonderful to meet you. Your kind words touched my soul. I love the purple glass in the underground tour! My favorite part.

Farida, it was great to chat with you at the Meet the Author event. I've had such a curiosity about storytellers, thanks for answering all my silly questions. I hope to see you around the Northwest sometime!

That is a lovely, lovely bag.

Holly: It was good to talk with you at the conference. I'm a fan of the purple glass, too.

Christine: There you are! Your questions were not silly, FYI, and I was glad to answer them. I hope we cross paths again.

Jules: Thank you. If not for Adrienne, I would still be sporting my small, somewhat disheveled green purse.

Aren't those donuts the best? We are fond of the chocolate ones with the Cocoa Puffs on top! Glad you had a good time!

I would like to visit Portland again before too long, and part of the reason is the sadness I feel over not having been able to try the chocolate doughnut with the Cocoa Puffs. I never buy Cocoa Puffs anymore, but it's not because I don't love them with all my heart. That almost certainly has to be a good doughnut.

It was great to see you again and get to talk books and string games! I'm definitely going to have to put one of those purses on my Christmas wish list...

Sounds like some good conversations were behind this. Sorry I missed them!

Word.

I acknowledge myself guilty of holding myself aloof until I see someone worth voting *for* rather than against. However, I consider my mitigating factor - it would be a big deal for me to become a citizen (and enable my voting rights), so I'm not sure the time is right for such a step.

I salute your post.

TadMack: I had thought Colleen Mondor asked us to do blog posts on why we should vote and have them posted this Monday. I probably misheard, because I've not seen any other posts yet... well, here it is anyway! You were missed, my dear.

Jules: Thanks. By the way Mother Reader mentioned during her presenatation on Saturday that some people respond to every comment while others wait awhile. I don't want to respond to every "yea rah" comment, but it does seem weird to me not to acknowledge comments, so that's why I do it.

Bluemamma: Thank you for your words. I am leaning on Bede to become a citizen so he can vote. He wants to vote, too!

What a wonderful post! The LSG says kids should be able to vote at 16 when they can take jobs because it is otherwise taxation without representation. Hard not to see her point, but teens are so squirrelly that I tend to like the Scandinavian model where kids get a vote so their interests will be proportionately represented in the population but their parents exercise their vote until they reach majority.

LSM: When I was 16, I thought that my wages shouldn't be taxed precisely beacause I was underage and couldn't vote. It was the same idea, but flipped. I didn't know about the Scandinavian model, so thanks for letting me know about that.

I miss the lever voting machines. Also I wish we could use markers on the paper ballots instead of pens; it's a lot of work filling in all those bubbles with a pen.

Oh I'm so jealous. You and Adrienne together, and I can't be there! You can't see it, but I'm pouting.

What a lovely photo of you both. So glad you got to meet.

I read Weetzie Bat in grad school and it also did not blow my skirt up.

Heh. Jules. I love the way she puts things. I would have said, "Weetzie Bat. Meh." But I live in NORTHERN California, and Weetzie is all SOUTHERN, and it's very high maintenance and fake glam to me. Of course, since then I've read Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and have realized that it's the difference between City and Suburb, and some people actually live like that. I just don't want to.

I should re-read Weetzie Bat, too; I read it in grad school as well. But I won't.

Ned really does seem to be a sweet person. I'm always a little shy when authors comment on my reviews!

Jules: The funny things you say always catch me by surprise! I should have learned by now....

TadMack: I went to your site to look for your review, but couldn't find it-- is it elsewhere? I'd be shy to have authors comment on my reviews, too. I got reamed out once, too, early on in my review-writing career. Fortunately, SLJ gave me the last word, and said it could have been worse.

WOOO HOOO! I got out the suitcase this morning, which means I am really going on the trip.

(By the way, I would like some cosmic bonus points for getting the suitcase out almost 48 hours before I get on the plane. I have not put anything *in* the suitcase yet, of course, but I've *thought* about it, and isn't that what really matters?

Adrienne: You definitely get the 50 extra points for bringing out the suitcase.

What a great story, full of things I like best: memory, friendship, wordplay.

How exciting to meet up with someone brilliant after ages and ages! And another Mennonite! How funny! I wonder if anyone else has connections like that...

That is the best "found each other again over the internet" story. And the poems! Brilliant. I especially like the Gwendolyn Brooks one. Thanks!

I am the granddaughter of that ancestor that broke your ancestor's heart and I appologize by proxy, but I do enjoy being alive and am grateful for Nelson and Christmas Carol's procreation!

Thank you, all! That reminds me that I to finally received the lyrics to a song another Mennonite friend sang to the folksified tune of The Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman." The chorus is, "She's a Mennonite woman-- gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme that Mennonite luff." I hope he records it on YouTube someday because it really does need to be heard to be believed.

Missy: All is forgiven.:) Still, it would make a funny musical if the families had feuded over it. (Maybe not so funny or musical if it ended up being a shunning.)

Love this post. What a great reunion story, and those poems are wonderful. cummings has always been my favorite poet :)!

Brilliant? Careful. You're gonna make this Menno Boy blush with embarrassment and cause me to stop being humble. Then what will I do? I'll have to get up in front of the congregation and confess my sins. :)

Thank you all who have commented on my parodies. And thank you Alkelda for choosing them for inclusion in your Friday Roundup. In some ways I feel like I've finally been selected for Broadsides. :)

Oh that is funny! Thanks for sharing them! I especially liked the Salinger one lots. Someone once pointed out to me that many of Emily Dickinson's poems can be sung perfectly to the tune of "The Yellow Rose of Texas," (try it--"because I would not stop for death, death kindly stopped for ME!" which has become so part of my brain that I can't quite buy her poem here...

What a wonderful story (and wonderful Jack verses!)! I wonder what a Mennonite feud would be like...

Oh, and...it's Friday.

Charlotte: I've also heard that many Dickinson poems work for both the Gilligan's Island theme and the "New Britain" version of "Amazing Grace." How's this:

Because I could not jump for Jack,
He nimbly jumped for me--
So quickly o'er the Candlestick
Into his Destiny."




LSM: A Mennonite feud can totally lay a person flat! There are no swords, of course, but all of that "engaging in loving dialogue" and "fellowshipping" will send a person running for the dessert table.

K.Jay: Now, see, if you were Catholic, you could confess your sins in private.;)

Jama: Yes! Mine too. Once I got to college, I realized that the high school teachers were holding out on me by only studying the "Balloonman" poem.

Anamaria: I'm glad you enjoyed them! The Brooks one is my favorite too.

TadMack: I suspect that small colleges have those kinds of connections. Bede's alma mater certainly reminds me of mine in that way.

Graceanne: Thank you. By the way, I just took a photo of my daughter standing in our sunflower patch. I'll post it for you soon.

A Mennonite feud would be the ultimate in passive aggression. Not a single cross word would be exchanged yet both sides would be laid in ruin.

Sounds kind of fun...

Oh yes, I like the new Emily one much better! And now I have Gilligan's Island in my head....

K.Jay: You're right. No cross words, and no Scrabble games either!

Woe is me for coming being out of blog contact for so long and coming to this late! This is too fantastic; I love the ee cummings one. And just to jump on the bandwagon, he's my favorite poet as well!

Hee. That's great!

I know at our library that they keep a full schedule of activities during the summer. The reading program itself however isn't individual book driven (if that makes sense). Each child who signs up gets a sheet on which they keep track of the time they read or are read to (a box checked off for every fifteen minutes). Two hours worth of reading earns 1 book buck. The book bucks can then be turned in for small prizes. My kids like the prizes - but they'd read even if it didn't mean getting a sticker or bracelet or pencil.

Yet another reason to admire Seattle Public Library!

Oh yay! I'm so glad you went and read Adrienne's link, and I LOVE THIS POST.

I'm currently filling out the books that my girls and I read in the elaborate summer reading program at the library down the road, but only because the numbers help the nice librarians who are working their butts off. (You have to read 30 in a summer, and it's been less than a week, and we're over that already. I'm not boasting; I just simply am not cut out for this. We constantly read, and I don't normally stop to keep count or take notes. Ergh. It's driving me crazy).

I have half a mind to turn in my notes so the numbers help them and then just skip the prizes. My husband and I already have a problem with the girls saying to him every time he comes home, "did you bring me a surprise?!" or asking Granny that when she comes over (of course, she ALWAYS DOES have a surprise), just 'cause he will bring home surprises *sometimes.*

And, yeah, I think they already get that reading has its own intrinsic rewards.

It all makes me kinda crazy. I know that's an unpopular opinion, but I just. don't. get. it. All the research says it does not work.

And there's the larger issue of contemporary American kids thinking they should get rewarded for just about every-little-thing, but I've already run my big mouth enough.

Thanks for this, Alkelda! These are exactly the kinds of experiences I hope to avoid. Aside from the fact I think they aren't accomplishing any of our goals, I just don't want to spend my time in that kind of atmosphere. When we did more prize-focused programs, I'd die a little every time I heard a parent speaking harshly to a child about how they HAD to do the summer reading program so they could get such-and-such a prize or had a parent complaining to me about the quality of our prizes. I think it was the father who said to me "You expect my kids to read just so they can win a lousy pencil?" that really sent me over the edge. Like I told my boss when I first proposed this program, if they're ONLY coming in for the prize, I'd honestly rather they didn't come in at all. I was gambling on the fact that we had way more to offer that was of a much higher value than plastic toys (an engaging room, a solid collection, and excellent programs). Thankfully, I was right. :) Stats continue to go up, and we're busy, busy, busy--but we're busy doing stuff I enjoy and feel good about. It's one of the best decisions I ever made.

(I am, incidentally, hugely lucky to have the freedom to make this decision. My boss says the other directors keep telling her she's crazy for letting me do this, but she is extremely supportive and lets me try out my crazy ideas. It is most excellent.)

Well, I never knew that some programs were really prize-driven. At our library, the kids read 10 books (or are read 10) and get to put their name on a card that goes up on the wall. They also get a plastic bag with donated coupons from local businesses for things like a free milkshake or something, and maybe some stuff like pencils and a bookmark, and a certificate, but no really tangible prizes...no one really cares about the bag. After that, each ten books earns a star sticker to go by their name on their card on the wall. That seems to be plenty of motivation for those that need some, and it is sort of fun. I agree about prizes being silly, but I love, love, love, love the busy-ness of the summer reading program. I know it is a busy time for the librarians, but I think it is very valuable to have all the story times and craft times and to have the kids so involved at the library.

LSM: As a parent now, I just love all of the programs that are available in our two library systems. As a librarian, I only got to see the music or puppet-shows if I were the host-librarian for that program. I think this is the summer that Lucia will actually be ready for Oregon Shadow Puppet-Theatre. I've waited years! And thanks to SRP, we've gotten to go to many Nancy Stewart, Captain Bogg and Salty, and Recess Monkey shows. I'll admit, I was off my head with joy when I found out my former library system handed down a "no craft program" mandate. It irked quite a few crafty librarians, but I was always the one stuck doing the "bunny cutting" craft programs. Not that it's all about me (ha ha ha), but that's why I learned origami in the first place-- if I had to do a craft program, I wanted to teach something I loved.

I appreciate all of your comments and any further discussion they garner. Maybe someday I'll blog about the SRP snow-globe/glue-gun craft program we almost had to do.

Hi, this is Alkelda's mom, posting anonymously(ha ha). I was NOT the children's librarian when this travesty happened, though I was on the staff at the time. Poor Alkelda was "hired" by the then-children's-librarian to help out with the onslaught of kids wanting prizes. Lamb to the slaughter.

During the years when I was in charge of the children's summer reading program, we had an intensely personal, interactive program that an assistant (think Dewey in "Unshelved") and I developed: a Dungeons and Dragons-inspired reading program which some of the kids adored. One had to roll the dice and then read from a genre accordingly, or choose a different path, etc etc. "Dewey" was and still is a gifted illustrator and a graphic novel specialist. I have often wondered if he could make money selling our library summer reading programs.

At the end of the summer we always had a low-key program to tell each other how we "won".... read a lot of books, or read a hard book, or had a lot of fun - you name it. And then the kids got to choose an ARC or review book.

When I was a beginning reader, back in the '50's, the local library had a huge caterpillar which stretched across the library bulletin board. Each time we read a book, we could add a small segment to the caterpillar. I got so much satisfaction in seeing the caterpillar grow. I read and read. I think that was when reading took off for me, like learning to ride a bicycle. No creepy little prizes, just immense pleasure.

I had a mother come on my bookmobile in the late 90's and sign up her three kids for the summer reading program. When I started explainig the program and prizes to the kids, she gave me a quick "shhhhh" and a stern look. Well, that shut me up quick. Later, after she got the kids distracted, she told me in a whisper that her kids had never known about the prizes. It had always been a practice to treat the summer reading program in their family as a challenge to see how many books they could read. Not once did they ever come in to claim a prize and, so far as I know, not once did her children feel like they were missing something.

I owe my love for reading to my 7th grade teacher at a very unorthodoxt (sp?) middle school. My mom never had time to read to me and my dad never really saw the benefits of reading. My 7th grade Language Arts teacher allowed us to choose ANY book we wanted to read, as long as we gave a brief synopsis and it was available in our school library (she checked each and every book out and read enough to efficiently grade our book reports). I also give my mom a little credit, as she allowed me to read pretty much anything I wanted, as well. Comic books were the norm, "Highlights" were always received via USPS, and Mama never questioned the novels I read. I owe that teacher and my mom the world for teaching me that reading is FUN, not just educational! Hurrah for all those who encourage reading; any genre, any resource, any outlet! I think librarians friggin ROCK!

so... why did they disallow craft programs? and what is the Breakfast of Champions?

ABCGirl: Aha! I wondered if someone would bite. If I recall correctly, the library system wanted programs to be book or materials related in some way, and they found that a lot of librarians were spending gobs of time preparing craft programs that didn't actually connect to the library materials. I know that I wondered if the taxpayer dollars really were put to their best use by all the cutting, punching and laminating. For some summer reading programs we had "round robin" crafts by which we traveled to different libraries doing our one craft program. It felt, overall, as if more time, resources and energies were spent than the actual programs warranted. Now, when a library staff person who was skilled in his or her field of craft expertise did a program, or someone from the outside came in to do a program, it made more sense and was an enriching experience. I learned how to make a book from one such program.

The Breakfast of Champions is where you get to have breakfast with the mayor, the SPL library director, and the other branch winners of the drawing.

Man. A few years and a bunch of states apart, we had the same first grade. We were supposed to put our heads down, and I was daydreaming and fiddling in my desk, so Mrs. R. pulled my hair and pulled my head out of my desk and pushed my face down. It was fairly gently? But I told my mother that the teacher had pulled my hair. Because she had.

Oh, yes, the system can be hard.

I heard a lot of stories on the radio, too, but it was a SF station that played the audio Sesame Street -- which was something I thought my Mom just rigged up with foil on the radio antennae. I had NO idea they actually broadcast that, and I always felt like I was getting away with something.

Good thing our moms had radios!

TadMack: Isn't it interesting how events with strong emotions attached to them stay with us as vividly as when they first happened? (Though, as my update indicates, I melded two different events together.)

I didn't know they did Sesame Street as audio, either. I'm glad the radio station did that.

I think corporal punishment was still in force when my parents started teaching. They hated using it as a punishment, but when they didn't, parents actually COMPLAINED. Can you imagine complaining because your child's teacher DIDN'T spank your child?

When my father was in school, he had a totally unhinged teacher who smacked him so hard once that he fell out of his seat. Why? Because the boy behind him had been talking.

Praire Home Companion was my savior when I was small and afraid of the dark. :)

You have such a great memory for details! I tend to mush lots of things together in my memories, and there are certain years I probably couldn't tell you a thing about.

I *do* remember the nuns having a thing for violence as a kid. I got hit over the head with a math book once in fourth grade by Sister James Marie for losing my math homework (that for me was the kicker; I'd actually done the bloody assignment but I just couldn't find it!)

Mysteries were always the escape for me, starting with Nancy Drew before quickly graduating to my mom's Agatha Christie collection. Even as an eight-year-old, I loved the idea that there was a correct answer to every problem, if you could just correctly interpret the facts.

My second grade nun was very nice, but my third grade nun was a terror. Mainly in the emotional sense, though. They did get corporal on us, but not extremely often and never to me. I was very well-behaved until about 7th grade and then they were so shocked at my pent-up bile that they didn't know how to respond. My mom used to offer to send me to other schools, but for some reason, I didn't want to switch. except for that one nun, I did feel loved by the nuns, although I was really scared of them and mad at them, too.

I've been thinking about this story (these stories) all day. I was in second grade the same year, but I had a completely different school experience. I didn't like Wind in the Willows either, though I'm glad you had it and other books to keep you company that hard year.

That's a great story. My teachers weren't so mean, but I could have used that when I was little. I mean, who couldn't?

Blogapotamus: I can't understand it. I can see parents wanting other people's children to get thwacked.... I'm glad you had Prairie Home Companion.

Goddess: Was there any follow-up by parents, or was it just 'one of those things?' Being punished unjustly is one of the worst things for a child. You definitely don't forget it, and it brings to light the larger injustices of the world. I never delved into mysteries, but I can certainly understand loving the poetry of things fitting together.

LSM: I'm glad you had a good experience with nuns in the school. Yeah, pent-up bile coming from a young teenage girl who used to be sweetness and light-- that sounds familiar.

Anamaria: I really think Wind in the Willows is not a children's book, but rather a book for grownups that children can like, either in parts or as a whole. It's a book with a wide emotional landscape that doesn't follow a strict linear narrative. After Toad gets thrown into prison, the other animals go on for several chapters before returning to Toad. That just doesn't happen in children's books!

Jules: I'm always glad to hear of teachers who "weren't so mean" and even really good ones. I had a number of good ones, but the dramatic is what makes for stories, you know? I still remember my Algebra teacher fondly, and I did terribly in Algebra. And yes, we all can use good stories.

I really appreciate reading all your comments. Please continue to leave them as you feel inspired.