Category Archives: Adventures of Max and Calvin

Worm loves Worm

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In the last few weeks, my best male friend married his partner of many years. A few days ago, a dear girlfriend had a baby with her wife.

The pastor at my church married his long-time partner in May. Another friend is being cared for by his husband during a sudden illness; they’re grateful they married after 30 some years and don’t have to worry about the legalities of the healthcare system.

You see where I’m going with this.

There’s much to be said about the horrendous events in Florida this week. In this space, I simply want to recognize that “love is love” with a children’s book.

My kids know girls can marry girls, boys can marry boys, and boys can marry girls. Books help reinforce these simple lessons.

Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian and illustrated by Mike Curato is a great celebration of love.

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As Worm and Worm plan their wedding, other bugs tell them, “that isn’t how it’s done.”

“Then we’ll just change how it’s done,” says Worm.

“Yes,” says Worm.

And they marry, each wearing a mix of a bride and groom’s outfits. Surrounded by their friends.

Pretty simple. It’s a lovely book.

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The Worms look amazing in their wedding garb.

When I told the kids my friend was having a baby with her wife, Max asked me, “Did they need a boy?”

“Yes, a boy helped them,” I said. (Note, they don’t know all the DETAILS of how a baby is made.)

“Yeah, sometimes it takes five people to make a baby,” said Calvin.

We may need a book about babies.

Dedicated to the people of Orlando with love. 

 

 

 

 

Hippo Love

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You know a book is good when you get your coworkers laughing about it in the lunchroom.

This lunch hour included people talk discussing gross things while others are eating. It made me think of what was on my nightstand. No, not Curtis Sittenfeld’s newest book Eligible, but tales of two hippos who are best friends.

Enter the George and Martha books, written and illustrated by James Marshall.

George tells “an icky story” while Martha is eating. She doesn’t like it.

“Please have some consideration,” she said.

He doesn’t stop so she tells him, “You’re asking for it.”

She retaliates with an even worse icky story and George gets sick.

“Don’t do it again,” she warns.

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Martha makes George pay for his icky story.

This is just one example why these books have my kids and me laughing out loud. When I mentioned this tale in the lunchroom, friends with older children remembered them with fondness.

“Have you seen the HBO show?,” asked my friend Michele, launching into a stellar imitation.

“It’s a good thing they are friends or George might be a henpecked husband,” she added.

Martha does let George have it when he tries to read her diary or scare her. Her one-line zingers aside, there is a lot of love and friendship between the two hippos. (And nice lessons about being a friend too.) George even starts a Martha fan club.

Finding a fellow admirer, I had to ask, “Do you know why George has one gold tooth?”

At this moment, another coworker walked in.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Hippos!” we laughed.

No one could remember why George had a gold tooth but we left lunch feeling warm and fuzzy. Such is the power of a great book.

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George tries to read Martha’s journal. She doesn’t like it.

I did a little “research” and read the story about George’s tooth – an unfortunate skateboard accident. However, Martha assures George he looks, “handsome and distinguished.”

Calvin, Max and I curled up a few nights ago with a  George and Martha: The Complete stories of Two Best Friends, with an introduction by Marshall’s friend Maurice Sendak.

We laughed and laughed.

“I might be a little afraid when Martha gets mad,” Calvin said.

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A little selfie action after reading George and Martha. We were wound up. Blame the funny hippos!

P.S. I highly recommend reading Sittenfeld’s new (adult) book  Eligible based on Pride and Prejudice. Local friends, it’s set in Cincinnati.

Discovering a Monster

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When reviewing a new book with your children, reading on a night when they are exhausted is tough.

The first time I read Monster Needs To Go To School, they listened in tired silence and the usual cute insights, comments, and questions were nonexistent.

Let me rephrase that. It was a great bedtime for me, just not for my blog.

The newest in the Monster series, I was curious to receive this book from Mighty Media Press. Written by Paul Czajak and illustrated by Wendy Grieb, the bright colors and storyline appealed to me right away.

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Monster’s friend boy suggests he go to school so he can learn.

As a parent, I was happy about the diversity of the children and adults in the book. I loved that it addresses bullying, a topic we have been talking about at home. Monster won’t play with some kids until they stop being bullies, so they stop!

My opinions aside, I approached the real critics a second time. I wondered what my kindergartners Max and Calvin thought of this story that could be used to prepare a child for school.

I brought up the book using a secret parent strategy – asking questions in the car.

“Were you nervous about going to school when it started, like Monster?”

“I was a little worried,” Max admitted.

“I was BRAVE,” countered Calvin.

I asked them what they liked about the book.

They both found it hilarious and puzzling that Monster liked school so much he planned to skip the next day so he could go straight to college.

“He’s going to college?” Max laughed. “How can he go to college?”

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Never one to shy from a photo op, Max models the book cover.

The second time we read the book, they listened again. This was a good sign. They were WIDE awake and ready with comments.

Calvin was pleased that a girl liked Monster’s hair. Max wants to try pottery, like Monster.

Thumbs up for Monster!

Thanks to Mighty Media Press for the opportunity to review this book.

 

The day I helped at the book fair

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“Calvin’s mom!” “Calvin’s mom!”

My true name was revealed to me when I volunteered at the Scholastic Book Fair at my kids’ school.

“Do you like to read to kids?” asked Herr Hayes, the school librarian. (Remember,it’s a German school.)

He told me to pick out a couple of books before Calvin’s kindergarten class came in. I would read to them and then help them pick out books.

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Kindergartners are squiggly. Calvin and Max with their friend Shalin. (Shalin is in Calvin’s class.)

Reading out loud to my own kids is one thing, but reading to Calvin’s class made me a little nervous.

Luckily, they were an easy audience. Or should I say, a squiggly audience. After they got the “Calvin’s mom!” out of their systems, most of them sat still and listened. (Calvin beamed at me from the front row.) There were a few in the back that couldn’t sit still but most seemed to enjoy my attempt at rousing renditions of Please Mr. Panda by Steve Antony, The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot by Margaret McNamara and Mark Fearing, and The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat.

I made the rookie mistake of letting them get up when I was done but Herr Hayes rushed over and made them sit back down and listen to instructions. I guess 22 kindergartners on the loose isn’t always a good idea.

Here’s what I learned that day: my kids are pretty normal. They aren’t the only ones who squiggle, don’t listen, and tell on each other.

One girl told me a long saga about how her friend said her necklace wasn’t as pretty as hers.

Let’s pick some books, I suggested.

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This book allowed me to impress little kids with my alien sounds. It was a big day!

Once they left, I was a seasoned pro and read to the first graders. I noticed they were quieter and asked more questions. I did hear a bunch of them laughing about a book that had poop in it.

More proof that my kids are normal!

And the next time I visited Calvin’s class, a bunch of the little squigglers ran over and hugged me.

More book info

Steve Antony also wrote one of our favorites, The Queen’s Hat, featured on this very blog. He also has a new book coming out, The Queen’s Handbag.

Beekle is another family favorite and Caldecott winner! Listen to this NPR piece about it.

The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot was a great new find and illustrator/writer Mark Fearing illustrated one of out most-loved books, How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans.