Dogland

by Will Shetterly

A family sets up an attraction of a display of various dog breeds as a tourist attraction in the middle of nowhere. Well, it was in Florida, but sounded like a remote location. It was a strange idea, to my mind. The family built their little enterprise around having the dogs on display like a zoo, running a roadside cafe and selling stuff in a gift shop. Their story is told through the eyes of one of the youngest siblings. I had hoped (of course) on opening the book that it would be about the dogs, but it's mostly about the family, the string of curious visitors to their roadside setup, and how their attempt at running a tourist stop gets them involved in the community. It's set in the sixties and they hire some black people which upsets the locals. They got mixed up in some kind of trouble with the police, I think, and there were other events that caused family turmoil. Also, there were some elements of magical realism, which just confused me. Especially as I thought this was a memoir; there is a website about it here. Bottom line is, this book was unfortunately mostly forgettable for me. I don't recall any of the characters or events very well. Have any of you read it? What did you think? Other readers (see below) seemed to like it better than I.

Rating: 2/5 ......... 402 pages, 1997

more opinions:
EyeWrite
Liz Andra Shaw

Rosie's Walk

by Pat Hutchins

I have been enjoying reading to my kids books that my own mother read to me as a child. And I'm visiting many of them a second time around, as my youngest is now old enough to appreciate regular picture books. One of those on our shelf is Rosie's Walk, an old favorite. It's a simple picture book about a hen taking a walk through a farmyard. She's followed unawares by a sneaky fox. Every time the fox tries to pounce on the hen, he gets thwarted by one mishap or another: falls into the pond, trips on a rake, gets tangled in a rope, stumbles into a wagon, and so on. There are very few words (a nice emphasis on position or directionals: over, under, around, through, etc.) but the pictures are rich with texture and the chain of events is easy for young readers to follow. Will Rosie get home safe from the fox? Of course!

My daughter's favorite page is when the beehives fall over and the fox gets chased away by the bees. I always add a buzzing noise and sometimes a circling finger into a little giggly tummy.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 32 pages, 1968

more opinions:
Story Snug
goodnight moon, goodnight blog

Anna's Book

by Fynn

I don't know why I keep getting ahead of myself with these past-reviews, but here's another one. Anna was a little girl found abandoned on the streets of London and taken in by a fellow who calls himself Fynn, and his mother. The first two Anna books (on my shelf, easily accessible so I'll write about them later, probably after an enjoyable re-read) are collections of incidents revolving around Anna and the funny, curious and insightful things she would say. I loved those two books, and couldn't believe it when I found this one as well. Apparently Fynn kept a box full of Anna's own drawings and writings, and he later complied them into this book (she died young). If you ever wanted a look directly into the mind of a child, this is a delightful one. Anna's words (which charmingly, but also sometimes confusingly, include her prolific misspellings) describe her thoughts and feelings on various emotions (love and tears I remember in particular), God, kindness, her vague memories of her mother, and her own self. Some are endearingly silly stories she made up herself. They have the quaint, yet sometimes surprisingly wise perspective of a child. Anna's simple little stories and insights make me pause and think again.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 75 pages, 1986

World of the Fox

by Rebecca Grambo

I've always been very fond of foxes, and this book is one of the best ones I've read about the beautiful animals. Although aimed at a younger audience, it's very well-written and excellently illustrated. It describes the biology and daily lives of foxes, their various skills and acute senses, their family habits, and how they have been alternately persecuted and revered by man. The book is full of fascinating information, especially in how the stereotypes foxes have for cunning and slyness have a rational, physical explanation. It focuses on five species in particular: the familiar red fox, the gray fox (which can climb trees), arctic fox, swift fox and kit fox. Oh, and did I mention the awesome photographs? If you like foxes, or want to learn more about them, this book is a must read!

Rating: 3/5 ....... 109 pages, 1995

Dinosaur Tracks

Curious George
adapted by Julie Tibbott

This is one of those "modern" Curious George books based on the tv series. I suspect the pictures are stills straight from the computer-generated animation; they have that too-smooth style that doesn't really appeal to me. But my kid loves Curious George and the stories are always fun and educational, so I overlook my nitpickiness on aesthetics here once again, and just enjoy it.

George, the ever-curious monkey, is going about with a camera taking pictures of animals. His friend Bill helps him look for a fawn to photograph, and George learns how to find and identify animal tracks. He finds some tracks that puzzle him, tries to guess what they are from, and decides it was a dinosaur. George is frightened at the idea of a dinosaur walking around, but he follows the tracks and finds out who really made them; quite a surprise! In addition to having a fun story that teaches some things about wildlife and basics of logical thinking (making a guess and testing a theory), the book also has a few pages in the back that give kids activities to match animals to their tracks, and how to make a casting of tracks you find yourself. I might just try that with my older daughter; we often find deer tracks in the nature park nearby, and once I thought I saw the footprints of a raccoon.

Rating: 3/5 ........ 24 pages, 2011

Buster Bear's Twins

by Thornton W. Burgess

Another charming animal story by Thornton Burgess. This one is about a pair of young bear cubs and their early education. Their mother leads them through the forest, teaches them to be safe and stay where she puts them, and corrects them when they disobey. Mostly she allows the natural consequences of their own misbehavior stand in as sufficient punishment. I like that this book illustrates a lot of emotions and behavior young children will feel themselves. Desire to do their own thing, pride at small accomplishments, feeling unjustly treated when corrected for wrongdoing, pouting and wanting others to feel sorry for them. The little bear who does wrong even runs away from home and soon learns that he can't at all get along in the world by himself yet. He gets teased by Peter Rabbit, the blue jay, an owl and then has worse encounters with innocent folk who nonetheless teach him painful lessons when he is rude and overbearing: a porcupine and a skunk. You can guess what happens to the poor little bear cub who is relieved to at last find his mother, feeling sorely chastened by experience. He has yet one more lesson to learn from his family, though. As ever, I found the story a simple yet very entertaining read. It teaches a lot about wildlife and good behavior hand in hand.

Rating: 3/5 ........ 79 pages, 1921

Never Use White Type on a Black Background

and 50 other Ridiculous Design Rules
edited by Anneloes van Gaalen

This has been my "bathroom book" for a while now. It's one that's easy to dip into, read a few pages, come back to the next day. It's a compilation of design rules- both those unspoken and those rigorously taught in schools (at least to my experience) alongside numerous quotes by various photographers, architects, typographers, fashion designers and other artists either agreeing with, expostulating on or simply further exploring said rules. There's often a source as well: who first made up the rule, or a famous quote it was derived from. Sometimes the rule has evolved a long way from its origins! I got a kick out of some of these; one of my favorite Golden Age illustrators, Norman Rockwell, gets a serious nod here. Nearly all the rules I have either heard in art school (although some phrased differently) or just known intrinsically, but there were a few I had never encountered before (if you don't know what to do- just make it big and red took me by surprise). The ones related directly to fashion weren't as applicable to what I do, but felt familiar regardless. And if you read between the lines you get a sense of the paradoxical relationship that often exists between designers, their clients or directors, the intended audience and so forth. It's all about the rules of good design, how to apply them and know when to bend or break them. (And the title rule? I happen to agree with that one, especially when applied to web pages! White text on black ground makes my eyes swim and I get a headache. I usually never revisit a website that has a black ground.)

My boyfriend brought this book back from a visit to Holland. I've been really enjoying it. Some parts make me me think, others make me laugh, others I grin in recognition and agreement. And most of all, it makes me feel inspired to create again.

Rating: 3/5 ........ 145 pages, 2009

more opinions:
Greeting Card Designer
Battlefield Man

A Dance with Dragons

by George R.R. Martin

Warning: there are spoilers in this post

Well, not as spoiler-y as you'll get with readers who actually finished the thing; this mostly has my general impressions and suspicions about what is to come. Yes, I've given up on the beast that is this book. I made it through just over a hundred pages and it just wasn't holding my interest any more. There is too much political scheming, talking and talking, not much action and again new characters I'm not connected to yet. I didn't quite feel frustrated, but just found it dull- which is surprising in a way, considering how richly Martin has built this world and the intricate interactions of the characters who inhabit it.

The gist of what I read is that Jon struggles to hold his command on the Wall as Stannis tries to make things go his way, Theon comes back from the (supposed) dead and has a role to play again, and Tyrion gets smuggled away to safety but then ends up a pawn. He's lost his lust for women and scheming (for the time being at least) and seems bitterly resigned, at least as far as I could tell. I did flip through all the succeeding chapters to see if any of my favorite characters made a reappearance (I miss Arya, Sansa and Brienne in particular) and also to see where the dragons come up. No qualms about reading ahead of myself, as it were. What I found of Tyrion's situation intrigued me- reduced to slave status, alongside another of his stature, which gave him a completely different worldview of things. Also I found that Denarys' chapters are mostly about her efforts to rule the city she sacked, with very little mention of dragons until in the aftermath of a firey disaster she flies away on Drogon. I did read the entire sixteen pages near the end of the book that tell of Dany living in wild isolation on an island her dragon flies to; her struggle to survive there and master control of him. It was interesting, but not quite what I had hoped.

The threat of a years-long winter cold continues to loom in the background, while most of the characters go blithely about their regular lives, concerned with all the wrong things it seems to me. I have a suspicion that this series is aiming to pitch me into reading something I usually avoid from complete disinterest: zombies. Yep. What else are the walking dead, the wights, the Others and the white walkers they run into north of the Wall? And what's the difference between all those anyways? are some different names for the same creature, or is it four distinct kinds of dread things? That was never clear to me. I don't really want to read about zombies. It was bad enough the glimpse of what Catelyn Stark had become, and the strange things these various invented religions get into. Intriguing though. Mark of a very good writer: Martin makes me want to go on reading even though I detest half the characters, get bored with the politics and don't like the hint that a zombie invasion is coming over the wall (ha ha)!

End sum: I think I will like this book better in the future. It certainly has some things I want to read about, some character developments I want to follow, but not right now. When I have to pick up and continue a series after a gap I usually like to recap by reading the immediate prior book to the one that's newly published. So I'm thinking I will wait until book six comes out, then read this one just before that.

Abandoned ........ 1016 pages, 2011

more opinions:
You're Entitled to My Opinion
In a Bookshelf
Temporary Escape
Lulu's Bookshelf

more TBR

books I am likely to read as they have a local presence (the library):

HHhH by Laurent Binet - Reading the End
Being Caribou by Karsten Heuer- Ardent Reader
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell- Things Mean a Lot
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson- The Lost Entwife

books I might never read, as they are sadly absent (from the library):

Song of the Dodo by David Quammen - Shelf Love
My Leaky Body by Julie Devaney - Indextrious Reader
Nature Cure by Richard Mabey- A Work in Progress
Mud Season by Carin Siegfried- Caroline Bookbinder

winner

The winner of my bookmarks giveaway is Susan from You Can Never Have Too Many Books! (I love her blog title. That's my sentiment, for sure). Congrats, Susan! Send me your postal address and I'll mail them to you promptly. Happy reading!

The Custer Wolf

Biography of an American Renegade
by Roger Caras

In the 1920's (and surrounding decades, as far as I understand) regular war was waged between ranchers and wolves, to the point where wolves in North America were pretty much exterminated. Poison, baits, traps, dogs, shooting- whatever it took. People were eager and passionate about killing off these intelligent predators. Quite a number of individual wolves gained notoriety with the public as being regular killers of livestock- not just for sustenance but large numbers of animals being found dead and just left there. Whether the wolves were actually responsible for wanton killing of cattle and other livestock remains a question in my mind, but this animal certainly got blamed for a lot of it.

The Custer Wolf, also called Lobo, became legendary for how much livestock he supposedly killed and for his ability to escape all attempts by man to kill him. The first part of this book describes the wolf's early life, patterned after wolf behavior the author observed first-hand when he spent time with a captive pack and also viewed films made of young wolves being born and raised by their parents. This part was enjoyable reading and reminded me a lot of how White Fang commences, with the unfolding of the young wolf's awareness, its learning through instinct guided by the parents, its experiences encountering other wildlife and exploring the world. The white wolf soon meets with mankind and witnesses the death of both its littermates and parents until it remains a solitary animal and eventually becomes known as a killer of livestock and hunted down.

The firsthand accounts of people actually witnessing this wolf destroying livestock were nil, a few people glimpsed the animal briefly, and stories of its size and ferocity were greatly exaggerated. It mostly gained fame from being able to avoid traps that took hundreds of wolves and other wild animals in the vicinity. When the Custer Wolf was at last shot, men were surprised at its relatively small size. The author was careful in his account to point out which stories were probably fabricated and which had shreds of the truth. He also includes a lot of native american folklore that praises the wolf, as well as recounting ancient cultural fear and loathing of wolves that people brought with them from Europe when they came to America.

It was interesting reading for me, and reminded me of why I enjoy reading these kinds of books.

Rating: 3/5 ......... 175 pages, 1966

more opinions:
John Vernon's Reviews
Society and Natural Resources
wanderingref

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books!

by Lucille Colandro

I read this book to my kid last night. Do you know the rhyme There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly? and each successive creature she swallows is after the one before it? This is another version of that, but with the old lady swallowing school supplies- a pen to write in the books, a pencil case the hold the pen, plus a ruler, folder and chalk until she finally swallows a bag, cheers for the school bus coming around the corner, and coughs up a backpack with all the stuff in it ready for school. I remember the tune that goes with the original rhyme, but when I tried to read this book in that singsong, it didn't quite fit. A lot of the lines have uneven rhythm, and the refrain I don't know why she swallowed the books / but she didn't get any looks feels particularly awkward to me. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be read to the tune, but when I tried to just read it straight, it didn't go any smoother. So for that, I didn't really enjoy sharing this book with my daughter. Plus she seemed really puzzled as to why an old lady was consuming all these non-food objects! She didn't get the humor. So... I didn't enjoy reading this one, mostly because the words came out awkwardly.

I do like the illustrations by Jared Lee. They're done with ink lines in a scribbly style, with some color medium. Really fun. There's a dog on every page frolicking with the old lady, but whenever kids appear in the picture they're standing there looking uncertainly at the old lady, with shocked expressions. I see that there are numerous other old lady swallowed books by the same author/illustrator where she starts out by ingesting leaves, snow, a baby chick, a sea shell, a rose... I'm a bit curious about those, and my library has quite a few, but I think I'll wait until my kid is older and will giggle at it instead of frown.

Note: some kids might find the premise alarming. Especially if they read the original my mother had, where the old lady swallows a fly, spider, bird, cat, dog, pig, cow, horse and the last page ends with I don't know why she swallowed a horse / she died of course!

Rating: 2/5 ......... 32 pages, 2012

A Feast for Crows

by George R.R. Martin

It's a bad sign when you're reading less and less eagerly, and start wondering when is this going to be over? This book was just too long, and it had too few of my favorite characters, and too many new ones to keep track of. Of course many many more people die, and in very unpleasant ways as well. That's something I haven't really mentioned before about these books: they are very brutal. Thankfully Martin doesn't go into a ton of detail, whether he's describing someone getting their arm cut off or raped (there's plenty of that). Women are not treated very well, but this didn't bother me much at first, as I pictured the world he's built being structured like a medieval society, and well, things were pretty awful for lots of people back then. Or so I imagine. What I do like is that there are plenty of powerful women who step outside the normal bounds of that society, here. Denarys is a notable one for me, because not only is she powerful, but also merciful, determined to set slaves free wherever her army goes (although the results of that are not always what she had hoped). Then there is Brienne. She is the opposite of most women: large, strong, wields a sword as good as any knight, puts her life into the service of others. Is constantly mocked for her looks and unfeminine strength. Stubbornly loyal as well. I like her, and I don't like how other people treat her. She's been a constant thread in the books before, but this is the first time that Martin has given entire chapters over to her point of view, which I appreciated. Compared to those two women Catelyn Stark is just plain dull.

I was horrified by what happens later in the book. I started to really detest some of the characters who treat others in a vile manner, repeatedly. Namely Cersei. How I loathe that woman! My eyes started to glaze over with the numerous names, the introduction of yet more minor characters, the constant shifting between viewpoints. And I haven't even told you of what happens! Well, a lot. People continue to struggle for power in the realm (if they are in a position to care about that, or have a shot at it) or they simply struggle for survival. It's a detailed picture of the aftermath of war (well, quite a bit of war still going on) and of how people pick up the pieces and go on when main figures simply fall off the map. Dealing with the aftermath of everything. Turning it into new events. I found it amusing a few times when certain characters would intersect with others and they had no idea who each other were, or why they were significant, but the reader knows.

I was disappointed that most of the characters I'd become most interested in weren't featured in this book at all, but are the focus of the fifth one, which is a companion volume to this (it was so long the author turned it into two volumes). I am in continual admiration at the author's skill in building so complex a world, and also continually feeling annoyed, tired, disgusted and bored (this last with the politics mainly). I do want to read A Dance with Dragons just because I want more of the dragons, but am starting to wonder if I will really finish this series (it's starting to feel like Wheel of Time to me- never got through all of that one...) I need to get back to something simpler, now. Maybe silly or fun. While I wait for the fifth book to become available to me (waiting for my turn to borrow a library copy).

Rating: 2/5 ........ 978 pages, 2005

a few more opinions:
Satia's Reviews
Val's Random Comments

The Kingdoms of Elfin

by Sylvia Townsend Warner

A collection of short stories about the Elfin kingdoms as Sylvia Townsend Warner imagined them. These elves are not gentle or necessarily wise and definitely not jolly or cute. They are cold, austere, often cruel and careless. Elegant and dazzling for sure but not lovely. They live centuries and have completely different, alien customs and values from ours. They are another race altogether and their depiction in these pages is fascinating. Language is a beautifully crafted thing and by itself enthralled me here. If you like intricate descriptions, that is. The stories are mostly about the elves themselves, and their various courts and aristocracies but sometimes about humans who have been captured by them or tricked into an exchange. I wish I could tell you some of the threads of the stories but have unfortunately forgotten them (it's been years since I read it). The impression lingers, though- of a dim, glittering world in a forest far away and yet close enough to be parallel, a place where beings live their own lives in a strange way, touched differently by time...

Another book I'd like to revisit someday, if ever I could find a copy (borrowed once from a public library when I lived elsewhere; not available in mine own here now). Anyone else read it? What was your impression?

Rating: 3/5 ........ 221 pages, 1977

more opinions:
Nannygoat Hill
My Book Blog

The Sea Runners

by Ivan Doig

An adventure story set in a place my heart is tied to: the Pacific Northwest. Set during the 1800's, it tells of a daring escape attempt by four men working in a fish packing house in Alaska, as indentured servants to the Russians. They flee in the dark of night and make their way south to Oregon, paddling a dugout canoe almost the entire way. They have to endure harsh weather, cold seas, hostile native tribes. They have to find food and navigate the rocky shores. Most of all it is a tale of endurance filled with vivid descriptions of the beautiful, wild scenery. Supposedly it's based on a true account. But for some reason I didn't fall in love with this story. The writing style takes some getting used to and I felt like I never really got to know any of the characters as individuals. I feel a bit ashamed to admit that I didn't really love it, as Doig is one my mother's favorite authors (I think I might have even borrowed this book from her). I've discovered that Ivan Doig has written many books about different places in the Pacific Northwest so I'm determined to give a few more a try. Any recommendations?

Rating: 3/5 ........ 288 pages, 1982

more opinions:
The Literary Tally
Andrew's Dedicated Blog

BIG and Little

by Samantha Berger

This simple little book compares sizes. It shows photographs of large and small animals (great dane next to a chihuahua, mother elephant with a small baby, etc) little kids next to older kids, a huge elaborate sand castle next to a small molded one, a grown-up's hand holding a child's, etc. My toddler likes the page with the hands, she always puts her hand on the small one and announces: "my hand!" and points to the other: "mommy hand!" As a little variation, the last page shows a pair of twins, which are the same size. This book is read often at my house. Liked so much that when I moved and realized I'd left it behind, I bought a new copy for my daughter.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 14 pages, 1999

Behind the Bathtub

by Colette Audrey

** if you care to know, there are SPOILERS in this post **

The story of a dog living in a French apartment. You might think this is one of those fairly common books all about the author's dog and what it meant to the family and its endearing or destructive habits, but instead it's a bit more untidy. Or at least, had a different angle than I expected. Because the author seems rather focused on her dog's sexual behavior, and its death (the dog crawled into a small space in the bathroom to die, thus the title).  I don't really understand why the owner didn't have her dog spayed, but I think I recall that she wanted puppies. Or to just see the dog have puppies. Or to give her dog the joy of motherhood, something like that. But there are far too many details about trying to find a suitable mate for her dog, and how the activities surrounding that went (unsuccessful) and how messy and inconvenient it was when the dog was in heat. Plus some almost-funny but mostly just awkward scenes where she took her dog out in public and it persistently made advances on men in the restaurant, who had no idea what the dog was actually doing. Mostly I felt sorry for the uncomfortable situations and wondered why this lady didn't just get her dog fixed already. Although looking at when it was published (the sixties) perhaps it wasn't so common for most people to get their pets neutered and spayed?

So it was an okay book, certainly different in terms of dog stories but not very memorable. And take all this with salt; there was probably much more normal stuff about the dog in there that I just don't remember, it didn't stand out.

This was a book I picked up at a used sale once on a whim, but it isn't in my collection anymore.

Rating: 2/5 ........ 307 pages, 1963

threat averted (I hope)

I recently spent half a morning involved in a serious cleaning operation and inspecting the bookshelves thoroughly, taking out each volume to fan its pages and dusting around, atop and behind all the books.

Because I found this nasty little critter:

photo credit: Pjbryant

Three of them, actually. Scurrying up the wall. Silverfish. They EAT BOOKS. Also cotton, starch, flour, etc. Multiply like crazy. Hard to get rid of once you have a serious infestation.

It's in my small office room that I've seen them. My office doesn't house a lot of books; there's just a handful of reference books in there but also all my sketchbooks, which I hold dear. And I don't want my documents getting destroyed either. The strange thing is that I've seen the silverfish near the file cabinet, but carefully went through all the drawers and see no damage to any paper. Nor is there any dampness there, which also attracts the pests. (I have been very careful to keep my books away from dampness, as I have a horror of mold). I am hoping they are just scouting from an adjacent apartment, and haven't actually set up house in my walls or corners, yet.

I've called the management to send in pest control, before this gets out of hand. I was horrified when I first saw an insect run up the wall; I thought it was a roach and I detest those things. I was perhaps even more horrified when I realized it was a silverfish and could easily destroy my entire library. My boyfriend joked about it, saying "they like to eat books? Well, they've come to the right place!" but I didn't think that was funny at all. Especially concerning as I have plenty of older books acquired from used shops, with yellowed, weary pages (tempting to pests). It did spur me on to dust everything very thoroughly.  So I went through all the bookcases in the other room methodically (do you know how tiring it is to move 897 books? -current count- even if just lifting a few at a time off the shelves and then putting them back?) The good thing is that I found no signs of damage there (thank god).

Strangely it was nice to go through all the books, even for such an alarming reason. I paused over many, turning a few pages, remember why I enjoyed them so, wonder when I'll get to visit them personally again. I keep thinking it would be nice to only reread my favorites off my own shelves, for a whole year. I wonder how many I would get through... If anything it was even more pleasant to look through all the TBR shelves, suddenly struck again by my interest in all these books and hoping to get to them sooner now, rather than later.

I did a bit of shuffling too, moving a few to another shelf and removing two volumes altogether, which made enough space to properly shelve upright the handful that had been sitting horizontally across the tops of other books. I've heard that it isn't good to cram your books in tightly wedged together, they need room to breathe a little bit. But I'm guilty of crowding them in, and actually wedge them close on the bottom shelves on purpose to deter my toddler from pulling them off the shelves!

I gave my older daughter a complete set of the Chronicles of Narnia. It has all seven books bound together in one fat volume. With the original illustrations by Pauline Baynes. I happen to have all seven books individual as well, ones that I sought out at used sales as a kid until I had collected them all. Don't really need the redundancy and my daughter was thrilled to have it for her own!

What about you? Do you squeeze your books in as tight as they can go? Have you ever come across critters that threaten your library? I seriously hope this is the last I see of them!

more books

for the TBR! you guys all read such interesting-looking stuff, I can't resist...

The Lemon Orchard by Luanne Rice- Bermudaonion's Weblog
Big Brother by Lionel Shriver- You've GOTTA Read This!
The Curiosity by Stephen Kiernan- Bookfoolery
The Silver Star by Jeanette Walls- Bermudaonion's Weblog

Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban- A Work in Progress
Instruction Manual for Swallowing by Adam Marek- Opinions of a Wolf
A User's Guide to Neglectful Parenting by Guy Delisle- Captive Reader

The Mud Fairy

by Amy Young

My youngest child is starting to get out of board books and into regular picture books, but I have to choose them carefully because those with too much text are still beyond her attention span. So I've started browsing the picture-book shelves at the public library again, which is delightful. Writing these short reviews about children's books is a nice relief from the lengthy stuff that is Game of Thrones (yes, still slowly working my way through that!) as well. This book caught my eye and I actually brought it home to share with my eight-year-old, who asserts she is no longer interested in picture books but will read it if I pretend not to notice.

The Mud Fairy is a cute story about a little fairy named Emmalina who is a bit of a tomboy; she likes to play in the mud with frogs, not sit at dainty tea parties (well, it's not tea but dew drops- you get the idea). Emmalina really wants to "earn her wings" by doing something special. She sees what other fairies do and tries to copy them: opening a flower, delicately adding dewdrops to a spiderweb, creating a rainbow. But things always go wrong for her. The Fairy Queen gently suggests that she just needs time, and the fairy glumly goes back to visit her frog friends in the swap. Emmalina finds them in trouble and helps out; then to her surprise gets rewarded for her efforts by being proclaimed the Protector of Frogs and earning her wings for accomplishing something no other fairy could have done. It's a lovely little tale of being true to yourself. And the illustrations are just darling, I really like how the characters are drawn.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 32 pages, 2010

more opinions:
The Book Whisperer
Manga Maniac Cafe: Picture Book Roundup

bookmarks giveaway!

Win this free pair of bookmarks! Featuring a beautiful spotted wildcat, the Ocelot. Giveaway runs until tuesday, Sept 10th. Simply leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered to win. A name will be drawn using random.org. Open to anyone with a postal address in the US or Canada.

The Adventures of Sammy Jay

by Thornton W. Burgess

I thought for sure when I picked up this Bedtime Storybook that it was the one I recall my father introducing me to long ago. I have a distinct memory of a large book (borrowed from the library, I think) that had a collection of stories about forest animals, with lovely illustrations. And I do remember something about a squirrel and a corn-crib, but I thought the squirrel was stuck or trapped inside the corn-crib. The story turned out to be a little different from my memory.

It's a little tale of greed and blackmail, and survival for the animals of course. The gist of it is that Chatterer the squirrel is trying to store up food for winter, but has been displaced from his home in fear of a weasel, his mortal enemy. Sammy Jay, always looking for trouble, tells Chatterer where he can get all the corn he wants- from the farmer's supply stored in his corn-crib. The squirrel finds the corn and starts stocking up for winter but then plays a trick on Sammy to scare the jaybird away, wanting all the corn for himself. Neither is really entitled to the corn, they're both stealing from the farmer. But they squabble over it regardless, and the jay forces the squirrel to do what he wants by threatening to tell the weasel where he lives, unless Chatterer fetches corn for him whenever he wants it. So it ends with both animals trying to "get even" and each thinking of ways to outwit the other. Reddy the fox gets involved as well, and I met a new character I hadn't seen in previous books, the black farm cat. It is pointed out that the cat hunts for sport, not because she needs food, and so all the smaller animals hate her whereas they fear the fox and other forest predators but not in the same manner.

All in all there were some interesting little dynamics in the story, and by the end of it a few animals had learned their lessons. But I am sure they will get up to further mischief in tales to come! I enjoyed this just as much as all the other Burgess books. Still looking for more to add to my collection!

Rating: 3/5 ........ 119 pages, 1964

Fish Eyes

A Book You Can Count On 
by Lois Ehlert 

This is a fun counting book. It's full of fish with all kinds of different shapes, patterns and vivid colors on a dark blue background, which really makes them pop. They're drawn with basic shapes and bold markings, but I recognize a lot of the species. The eyes are cut-out holes which always intrigues my toddler, she likes to poke her finger into the holes. She's even starting to count along with me on the pages. The first few pages have rhyming text leading a child along on an imaginary swim through the ocean: If I could put on a suit of scales / add some fins and one of these tails / I'd close my eyes and then I'd wish / that I'd turn into a beautiful fish... then counts one through ten all the fish you encounter. The very last page is even bolder, with fish eyes glowing off the dark page, bodies as obscured silhouettes. My kid really likes it.

 Rating: 4/5 ........ 32 pages, 1990

another belated

Dogear Diary is now six years old!
Once again, I missed my blogiversary. It was august 19th.

So what's the status of this blog? Well, I'm still here even though I'm preoccupied nowadays. I don't read as much as I used to, nor participate with all the social media stuff, but I think you've all recognized that by now.

I don't think this blog will ever die, as long as I'm still reading (and that's a lifelong passion!) If anything, it will quietly go back to what it was in the first place: simply a location to note down my thoughts on books, and keep track of what I've read. At some point that author/title index is going to get unwieldy; I've been thinking of how to make that function better- perhaps a separate page for each letter? or an anchor link at the head of the index page... ?

But I digress. I'm sorry for the silence from my little corner of the blogging world. It's easy to get burned out at six years, especially when the rest of your life gets busier. I might slow down, but I'm not close to quitting yet!

Roller Coaster

Curious George
adapted by Monica Perez

This is one of those newer Curious George books not written by the original author, but based on the current tv series. As ever, it's a cute story about a little monkey (or ape, see my first Curious George review) who gets into mischief. I have a problem with this one, though.

Curious George is excited to go to an amusement park with his friends. He wants to ride the roller coaster but is too short. An employee shows George how many candy sticks tall he'd have to be to ride. George tries to think of things to do that will make him grow tall faster, and after he does each activity he holds up the candy sticks again. It appears that he is indeed growing, but George finds out later that instead, the candy sticks were getting shorter (because he kept eating them). It's an interesting concept to present to a kid, and I liked that part of the book.

It was the ending that bugged me. George is understandably very disappointed that he is still too short to ride, but instead of having to wait like all kids would, or having some other solution presented (like padding to make him tall enough in the seat?) the park owner says there's a special sign to measure monkeys and lets him ride anyways. I didn't like that excuse. The reason for height requirements is for safety on the ride; technically speaking George would still be too short to fit properly in the harness or whatever. So he gets to bypass the safety rule just because he's a monkey and not a kid? It bothers me what message this might give to kids.

Rating: 2/5 ........ 22 pages, 2007

A Field Guide to Ticks

by Susan Carol Hauser

Purely informational, this one. My sister bought the little guidebook when we went camping in a nearby national park, last month. I'm particularly wary of ticks since the county I live in has one of the highest incidents of lyme disease in the nation, I personally know two people who have contracted the disease, and my kids have gotten ticks on them four times since we moved here. The cat occasionally comes home with a tick on him, as well. This little book is dense with information, written in a clear format. I learned about the life cycle of ticks and when they are likely to carry the disease and transmit it to humans. I learned more about their behavior- particularly that they don't drop from trees but climb up stems of grass or brush and then grab onto you as you walk past. They will climb up your body, which is why you find them on your head. I learned more about how to prevent tick bites, how to treat them, and when to worry about the disease (not quite as much of a risk as I had feared). The book also has information on a myriad of other diseases ticks can harbor, and other small critters that can give dangerous bits or stings such as scorpions, black widow spiders and chiggers. I have certainly been educated.

Rating: 3/5 ........ 108 pages, 2008

Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren

by Barbara Park

For a light read between the massive tomes that are Game of Thrones, I picked up a Junie B. Jones book my daughter brought home from the library. This one is about Junie B. and her friends squabbling over the attentions of a new boy at school. They each want him to be their "boyfriend" and to love them. Junie tries her hardest to get Warren's attention but he just thinks she's weird. So she tries to act more normal, but that doesn't work either. Finally her mother tells her that to make new friends she has to be herself, and to show she cares about other people's feelings. In the end, Junie shines all on her own. I did like that.

I also liked some parts of the story that showed Junie in a very realistic light, demanding that her parents take her shopping immediately to get something she wants, assuming that certain possessions and appearances will gain her popularity, and I really liked how she discovered she could find things around her house to dress up in, when her mother wouldn't buy her a princess dress (the results were hilarious, of course). Junie's frequent grammatical errors and use of phrases that seem beyond her years didn't bother me; kids are like that. But it wasn't as amusing as some of the other Junie books I've read. And I did find the entire premise of kindergarten girls fighting over the attentions of a boy rather annoying. My daughter is going into second grade and is just now showing the kind of innocent interest in boys that Junie displays here. Back in kindergarten that was not the case. So it felt a little out of place to me. Might have been more appropriate as part of the "Junie B. Jones: First Grader" series, and even then I might question it.

Rating: 2/5 ........ 80 pages, 1996

more opinions:
Shine Up Your Library Card
Kelly's Journal
Banned Books

A Storm of Swords

by George R.R. Martin

I realize that I never gave a good description of the structure of this series. It's large, sprawling, detailed, well-populated (lengthy character lists in the back, which I actually referred to a few times during this read!) and fascinatingly intricate. I do the best I can here, but it's mostly my impressions and many of the other reviews you can find will give you a fuller synopsis (see a few links below).

Well, here goes. The land is still divided. Several kings each claim their own portion in the south lands, Winterfell has been burned, Joffrey the sadistic puppet boy-king still holds the central seat although plenty of vying factions try to control what happens there regardless of who's supposed to be ruling. Denarys is travelling overland from across the sea through her own maze of war and betrayals to try and reclaim her birthright. In the far north, the real threat looms- hordes of barbarians are attacking the Wall that defends the lower kingdoms, and the diminshed numbers of the Night's Watch are hard-pressed to turn them back. But the Wildlings themselves are fleeing an even greater evil that might overrun all, a doom of which the southern squabbling kings are woefully ignorant (they've been warned, but scoff at the very idea). I keep thinking that the dragons have returned just in time, because what else better to fight frozen demons than creatures breathing fire? I'll just have to wait and see, though, but I suspect that's where this is all going...

And why is there not more about the dragons? they and the direwolves are very interesting to me, but they always take a back seat to what the humans in these books are doing.

I continued to amuse myself by comparing the book to the tv series, although here that will end, as the final fifty pages or so of this book moved beyond the last episode of the third season. There were several major changes, like who Robb's bride was and where she went with him, but not any great shift in plot or character. I still felt for most of the same characters, becoming even more interested in the fates of Tyrion and Sansa, particularly. I was shocked at a few revelations; one of my favorite characters turned out to be a planted informer, betraying the very person he swore to protect- I actually jumped in my seat and shouted aloud at the book when I read that! And the author certainly has no qualms about killing off major characters, let's just say that without further spoilers. Some of those took me by surprise, too. I though I might be weary of this series by the end of this book; it's been slow reading. But the way characters speak to each other explains a great deal of the history of this invented world to me, so that certain things begin to make more sense, certain characters become even more sympathetic, motives are revealed, cause-and-effect more intricately linked, and I am even more invested. Well done.

(These books would certainly get rated one notch higher by me except that I'm not completely enthralled by them. It's a darn good read, and I'm interested in many of the characters, but it splits a bit too much between the eight or nine or ten -never really counted- points of view the chapters alternate around. So I haven't quite fallen in love with it yet, and not sure if I'll ever read the books again after this. I won't really know that until I've completed the entire series, I think. But a three is a good rating, from me! A very solid recommendation).

Rating: 3/5 ....... 1,173 pages, 2000

more opinions:
Passport Books
Books Without Any Pictures
cuddlebuggery book blog
Ludwig's Library

more for the list

Just a few titles this week. The first two are available at my library, the last two aren't. Like to note that for future searches...

Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff- You've GOTTA Read This!
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell- Shelf Love

Heidegger's Glasses by Thaisa Frank - Indextrious Reader
Turning Pages by Tristi Pinkston- It's All About Books

Colors for Zena

by Monica Wellington

Zena is a little girl who loves colors. She wakes one day into a gray, black-and-white room and runs off with her puppy to find where the colors have gone. Each subsequent page features a prominant color- red fire truck and flowers, yellow bus and store fronts, blue sky and birds and so on. Zena wants more colors, so the primaries are introduced again and then mixed together to create pages of orange, green and purple. Along the way Zena collects new friends as well, who follow her on her discovery- an orange lion, a green frog, a purple dragon. At the end she mixes colors herself and paints a lively picture with a rainbow. It's a delightful little story introducing small children to the color wheel. My toddler was enchanted with the bright illustrations and cute characters.

Disclosure note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 32 pages, 2013

The Beginning Place

by Ursula K. LeGuin

This is a book I wish I remembered better and feel I really ought to read again someday. It's a fantasy that begins in the real world, with two young people each from troubled families. The girl, Irene, has been visiting a hidden, alternate world where it is always twilight for many years. When the boy, Hugh, discovers it for the first time (he's twenty-one) she sees him as an intruder and outsider. The town of locals in the magic world are experiencing trouble; something is blocking roads and passages and in fact Irene and Hugh have different problems traveling to and from the magic place and their own mundane world. The townsfolk welcome Hugh as a hero when he arrives which angers Irene; but then she finds they must work together to save their secret world from the evil that threatens it. Of course they eventually become friends and perhaps something more...

Wow, does this modern cover sure look different! I found it while googling further information on the book. The older jacket illustration gave me a sense of an idyllic place when I read the story; the new one imbues it more with a sense of adventure. I wonder if I had first read the novel under the more exciting cover, would it have influenced my interpretation of the story? Have you ever felt like the cover of a book significantly affected how you imagined the story, beyond just what the characters look like?

Rating: 3/5 ........ 240 pages, 1980

Potty Time

by Anne Civardi

This picture book about a two-year-old learning to use the potty is going through its second round in my house. I read it a lot when my first daughter was young, and am reading it to my second child now. It has bright, simple pictures that show the little girl Millie at home with her family (big sister, younger brother) and how she learns to potty. She sees her big sister's example in the bathroom, and then her mom gives her a potty of her own. Her friend tells her what it's for, Mom helps her sit on it (even though nothing happens at first) and she gets out of diapers into "big girl pants" (which I read as "special panties" because that's what I call them with my daughter). Millie has several accidents but is always gently reminded to use the potty instead. She finds that it's okay to potty in different places- taking it along in the car, using it right before bedtime, even occasionally going in the bushes with help from dad when at a picnic. By the end of the book she's using the toilet with some help, and learns to wash her hands afterwards. Then she gets to be the example and tries to sit her baby brother on the potty!

I think it's cute, as well as being a good sample for a child of different activities and experiences that surround toilet training. I also like the home atmosphere in the books; the floors are strewn with toys (just like my house looks most days), the mom always looks gentle and helpful, the family is shown doing things together like making cookies, playing outside with a hose in hot weather, going out on errands. My child is really fond of this book, and was even before we started helping her use the potty in earnest.

When I read it aloud, I do change the euphanisms "Number One" and "Number Two" to the more straightforward "pee pee" and "poo" we use in our house. But the book itself makes that suggestion; there's a brief forward that reminds parents to use whatever terminology they already have in place with their own kids. I don't know why this book seems to have fallen out of favor; the amazon review is rather critical, and nobody else seems to have made notice of it. Maybe some dislike how the pictures show clearly activities surrounding toileting habits, while the text itself doesn't go into great detail. But I think that works just fine; kids don't always need a ton of detailed verbal explanations, whereas they can look at a picture and identify with it clearly. It works for us.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 24 pages, 1988

The Book on the Bookshelf

by Henry Petroski

A history of bookshelves, the physical design of books themselves, and to some extent the organizational systems for libraries. Might sound boring. But I think any book-lover, especially one interested in how things are organized, will find it engaging, as I did. Seeing books lined up vertically on shelves is so much the norm for us that it's hard to imagine finding books in other ways (although stacks on the floor are often a norm for me, too). Petroski looks in detail at all the ways throughout history that books have been kept safe, from the oldest scrolls stored in cubbyholes, to precious volumes safeguarded in locked chests, to various takes on shelving until arriving at the horizontal bookcases we are so familiar with today. He looks at library designs as well, and includes plenty of amusing anecdotes about book-lovers through the ages (I remember in particular Samuel Pepys, who was a book collector paramount to none; he had hundreds of books and apparently had to climb over the piles to reach his bed!) I found most intriguing the descriptions of heavy volumes so valuable (back when books were meticulously copied by hand and took scribes many years of their lives to create) they were actually chained to the shelves to thwart library visitors who might also be thieves. It led me to the title The Chained Library, a book that's been lingering on my TBR list forever now (mostly because my public library doesn't have a copy for me to read). As a little plus, the appendix has all sorts of suggestions on ways to organize your own library, from the usual subject or alphabetical arrangements to sorting by color and other whimsical methods. Overall intriguing and fun at times. The writing is pretty good, too. A lot of it is about engineering of shelving systems, but it's written in a friendly fashion that makes that easy to understand, open to the curious mind. Sure to interest any bibliophile who likes to mess with lists and shuffle their books every now and then (I rearrange my shelves every few years just for the fun of it).

Rating: 4/5 ........ 304 pages, 1999

The Loon

Voice of the Wilderness
by Joan Dunning

Beautiful book about a most interesting bird. I was introduced to Joan Dunning by coming across her book on bird nesting behavior while browsing library shelves; a search turned up this one as well. I clearly remember the calls of loons on a lake in Canada, where I went camping as a kid. It was nice to learn more about them. Dunning's book follows the birds through the four seasons, while describing their behavior and habits. It's a good combination of both scientific facts and lovely prose. The author's delightful black-and-white drawings and color paintings make it a book to treasure.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 143 pages, 1985

Frank and the Tiger

by Dev Ross

This is an easy-reader book my toddler picked out at the library. It has a feature I haven't come across in picture books before; each spread has one side for the parent to read, and on the second page much simpler text for the child to read. My daughter isn't old enough to participate in this way, but I think it's a great idea to get kids involved. The book is about two little friends, a frog and a mouse, who hear a boy calling for his lost tiger. The frog wants to find the tiger and return it to the boy; the mouse is afraid to meet a tiger. It turns out the tiger is just a stuffed toy, but the mission of returning it isn't quite so easy. A dog snatches up the tiger and the pair of friends must try and get it back. When they finally return the toy to the boy, his reaction isn't quite what they expected!  I like the story, but the pictures leave a little something to be desired. The boy is drawn a bit awkwardly and the frog's face looks odd to me as well. But that's a small complaint. My toddler certainly likes this book well enough. It's one of the longest storylines she'll sit through yet.

Rating: 3/5 ........ 41 pages, 2012

A Dog's Life

by Peter Mayle

Humorous observations on the life of a suburban french dog. Well, he didn't start out as a suburban dog. He was abandoned by his first owner and lived some time as a stray, suffering kicks at worst, neglect at best. After fending for himself on the streets, he gets adopted by a writer and life is suddenly better, albeit confusing at first. The dog must learn to get along with his new human's many quirks, finding himself delighted (balls to chew on) puzzled (scoldings at rolling in smelly things) and appalled at turns (baths, particularly). He becomes adept at the art of appeasing angy or frustrated owners (whom he refers to as "The Management"), has constant run-ins with cats and handymen (or was it a plumber?) and repeatedly attempts to woo a female dog that lives next door. It's a funny little book stuffed with sarcastic humor and all sorts of witty little pokes at our own habits, as you would expect of a story told from the dog's viewpoint. I believe the author was portraying himself as the dog's owner. The scrawly illustrations add an extra bit of charm and amusement.

Rating: 3/5 ........ pages, 1995

more opinions:
prettymayleen
Reading Thots
finnfolk

The Scalpel and the Butterfly

by Deborah Rudacille

I go through periods of interest in certain non-fiction subjects, and then read all the books I can get my hands on around that- usually finding other titles of note in the resource lists and continuing on a spin until my interest flags, with more books noted than I originally started with! Over the past years, the subjects most often include field studies of wildlife behavior, but also things like ape language experiments, king arthur legends, the art of falconry, adventures in sailboats, the slow food movement, Charles Lindbergh (spurred by a school project) and animal-rights issues.

Of all the books I read on the animal-rights front, this one seemed the least biased, carefully stating facts from both sides. The author presents a 150-year history of the conflicts between scientists using animals in biomedical research, and the activists seeking to protect animal rights, concerned for their welfare. There are detailed chapters showing personal stories from both sides. On the one hand, it is pointed out that many advancements in medical science would not have been possible without research and testing using animals. On the other hand, the cruel practices and suffering of animals is exposed- not only from activists trying to shut down labs and threatening violence to specific scientists, but also more subtly, people working from within the system to try and improve things yet keep the labs functional.

I don't think reading this book changed my mind any, but it certainly taught me a lot. It's a pretty compelling read, even if it does stray from time to time into philosophical asides- which I mostly glossed over. In the end, it appears that the author's stance (even though she tries to be neutral you can feel which side she leans towards through the writing) is that research is a necessary evil- we would not be where we are today without it, but things can and must be greatly improved.

Rating: 4/5   .......  389 pages, 2000

books that caught my eye

The Eighty Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts- Across the Page
Tiger Lily by Jodi Ann Anderson- It's All About Books
Pandora's Lunchbox by Melanie Warner- It's All About Books

A Gift Upon the Shore by M.K. Wren- The Lost Entwife
The Breakaway by Michelle Davidson Argyle - It's All About Books
Openly Straight by Bill Kongigsburg- Stuff as Dreams are Made On
The Bohemian Love Diaries by Slash Coleman- Bookfoolery
Everybody Has Everything by Katrina Onstad- Bookfoolery

Star of the Sea

by Linda Haldeman

Linda Haldeman wrote one of my very favorite books, The Lastborn of Elvinwood (Which I will write about here someday, putting it off because what I really want to do is read it again!) Over the years I've looked hopefully for more of her books but discovered finally that she only wrote three.This is the last one I found and read. It's just as intriguing and original as her others, but did not quite captivate me like the other two. And it's been long enough that unfortunately I do not remember much about it, at this point. I do know it's about a girl in a religious school (Catholic?) and there is something about a statue of the Virgin Mary. I have a vague impression of an unhappy, lonely girl (perhaps picked on, or neglected?) who fixates on the statue as being able to solve her problems with a miracle, and in the end there was a scene on a cliff, and a fall from a great height... but it's really all a muddle. Have any of you read this little-known book? can you remind me more about it? I'm wondering if I should trouble to look for it again...

Rating: 3/5  ........  182 pages, 1978

When Dogs Run Wild

by Christine Gentry

This is one of those little-known books so specific in subject that I suspect it will only appeal to a limited audience. It's a report on a study done in the eighties on the behavior of stray dogs in a certain town. The author spent quite a lot of time following dogs around and observing exactly what they do when on their own. She noted which dogs were strictly strays- having no home to speak of- and which had homes but were often running loose. It seemed to be a common habit in her town that at night dogs were simply put outside and left to their own devices. If I remember correctly (it's been a few years since I read this one, and can't locate a copy to borrow for reminders) most of the book looked at the possibility of dogs spreading disease, how they interacted with each other (pack behavior), and specifically how they found food sources. The actual stray dogs varied between accepting handouts and scavenging food; the pet dogs let loose at night chased livestock for amusement and then went home to eat. One of the main aims of the study was to see how roaming dogs were affecting wildlife. The conclusion was not quite what I expected; contrary to popular belief, the author surmised that damage to livestock attributed to coyotes is more likely caused by the roaming pets, who of course aren't going to eat what they kill (or just injure the animals and don't follow through with a kill), since supper is provided at home. It was an interesting book. I wonder if any subsequent studies have been done along a similar vein...

Rating: 3/5 ........ 195 pages, 1983

winner!

Random.org has chosen Jenny as the winner of my kitty paws-and-noses bookmark giveaway. Have fun reading with a kitty companion, Jenny!
~
In other news, I can't believe an entire week has gone by without me writing anything about books here. I've been preoccupied with a good thing- I have a new little nephew! and this week have been busy making baby gifts. It's a good reason to be distracted from reading time! And he's really cute!)