Wednesdays with David: Frog and Toad Are Friends

Frog and Toad Are Friends

By Arnold Lobel

Harper and Row 1970

From our bookshelves

The Story: This book contains five Frog and Toad stories. These are stories of friendship, told simply with easy to read words. In Spring, Frog changes the calendar in Toad's house so that Toad will come enjoy spring with him and he will not be lonely anymore. In The Story, Toad tries to think of a story to tell a sick Frog with unexpected results. And in The Letter, Frog sends a letter to his friend who is sad that he never gets any mail. Each story is a sweet celebration of friendship and will bring smiles to the faces of children and their parents.

Mama opines: This is one of my favorite books to read to David. There is something comforting about reading a story that has been beloved for generations. I hope that the sweet gestures that Frog and Toad make for each other will encourage David to be a good friend. I also love that the text is easy to read, so he picks up quite a few of the words (articles have never been read so enthusiastically!). 

Thoughts from David: Because I like the parts where Frog and Toad swim in the lake. I don’t like the part when Toad didn't get a letter. But Frog gave Toad a letter and Toad was happy. They are good friends and that’s all I want to write about it.

Favorite part: I like the part when Toad comes out in his bathing suit. 

We hope a snuggle and a good book will cheer up this rainy day. Happy Reading! 

Review: The Slap

The Slap

By Christos Tsiolkas

Penguin 2008

482 pages

From the library

The Slap is the story of a group of friends whose lives are altered by a single summer barbeque. Hector and Aisha hold a party for their friends and family. When little Hugo’s temper gets out of hand, Hector’s cousin Harry slaps the child. Gary and Rosie, Hugo’s furious parents, charge him with assault. The relationships between friends, family, and spouses are forever altered.

This novel is divided into eight chapters, and each one is told from the point of view of a different character. This was an unexpectedly successful approach. While I was initially worried that it would be confusing and sudden, author Christos Tsiolkas gave each character a good story arc so that the reader felt a sense of closure when each character’s chapter was done. Tsiolkas brings a variety of characters to life on these pages, from an elderly man confronting his mortality to teenagers having their first serious relationships.

That being said, the word to best describe this novel is gratuitous. To me, it seemed extremely unrealistic for so many people to casually do drugs and have affairs so often. I know that people do drugs. When a group of teenagers shoot up before a concert, I moved right along. When one of the fathers is doing speed in the bathroom during the barbeque, I found it a bit less authentic. And of course, I know it to be true that people have sex, both within a marriage and with people they barely know. However, to have almost every character with both their spouse and then a lover within fifty pages just seemed like overkill. It seemed inauthentic and forced.

The biggest problem in this novel is the complete lack of maturity in any of the adult characters. Aisha eventually has a major revelation about her husband. “He was a child. He was a child every time he did not get his own way.” This seems to be true for practically every character we meet in this book. None of them have any concept of how adult relationships work, of putting your child's or partner’s needs over your own, of compromising with others, or of having a civil response when things do not go their way. Again, while I could certainly understand this in some characters, witnessing this childishness in all of the so-called adult characters became annoying rather quickly.

The Slap is a well-written book. Mr. Tsiolkas deftly brings you inside the minds of many different characters, each dealing with problems large and small. Some, such as teenage Richie and elderly Manolis, will truly make you feel for them and their situations. Unfortunately the majority of characters are whiny, self-centered, and obsessed with sex. This novel takes a very hard look at the dark realities of relationships, the things that change them forever, and the ways that they endure. 

It's Monday...Watcha reading?

Hey everyone. How are you? Life is a little crazy around our house lately. We are moving in a few weeks, and that tends to make things a little more interesting. Somehow, I am rather ahead in reading...but way behind in reviews. I must get on that, somewhere amid the packing and working and chasing after a certain four year old. Wish me luck! 

Read This Week:

Housekeeping

By Marilynne Robinson

The Watery Part of the World

By Michael Parker

Posts from this Past Week:

It's Monday

Wednesdays with David: Just One More Swim 

April Wrap-Up 

Reviews of One Thousand Gifts and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making 

Reading Now: 

The Secret History

By Donna Tartt 

Up Next:

Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected
By Kelle Hampton

What are you reading this week? 

Review: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

By Catherynne M. Valente

Feiwel and Friends May 2011 

247 pages

From the library 

September is a 12 year old girl who is bored with her life in Omaha. She is often home alone since her father is off at war and her mother is working in a factory. One day, the Green Wind blows into her window and invites her to Fairyland. She soon meets three witches who entrust her with a quest – to retrieve their stolen spoon from the evil Marquess.

This slight novel pays homage to so many stories that you know and love – The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Phantom Tollbooth, and A Winkle in Time, to name a few. But paying homage is not the same as copying; author Catheryne Valente has created a universe and characters that are all her own. Some parts of this story are familiar, like an evil despot who lords over the kingdom. However, there are some truly innovative and fascinating characters, such as the Wyverary whose mother was a wyvern and father was a library and a small blue boy named Saturday who can grant your wish (but only if you defeat him first). The characters are further brought to life by small illustrations at the beginning of each chapter by artist Ana Juan.

Although I enjoyed this book and applaud the author’s creation of a new Fairyland, I missed the feeling of racing through a story. It took some effort to read this book, which I did not expect from a YA fairytale. I think much of it has to do with pacing. There is no in-between in this novel. The characters are either moving at a furious pace or standing absolutely still. Because the reader is learning about this new world and its inhabitants as the book moves along, such fast-paced action can be hard to follow.

The best part of the book is the omnipotent narration, which gives us gems like these: “The trouble was, September didn’t know what sort of story she was in. Was it a merry one or a serious one? How ought she to act? If it were merry, she might dash after a Spoon, and it would all be a marvelous adventure, with funny rhymes and somersaults and a grand party with red lanterns at the end. But if it were a serious tale, she might have to do something important, something involving, with snow and arrows and enemies. Of course, we would like to tell her which. But no one may know the shape of the tale in which they move. And perhaps, we do not truly know what sort of beast it is, either. Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. That is why we close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble.”

This intersection of childhood and adult perception is the crux of the best fairytales. Part of September’s adventure is growing up, making decisions, and making sacrifices as she grows to care for the creatures of Fairyland. Her journey helps her grow from the selfishness of childhood to the awareness of an adult who is concerned for others. Of course, in spite of her growth, September is still a young girl. This gives the narrator the task of filling in the things that September does not yet know about Fairyland or  herself in a witty and perceptive manner.

Although Valente has written several other books, this novel was the first time I had heard of her. The Girl Who…began as installments on her website, but will now be the first book in a series. A sequel entitled The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There will be released in October. Ms. Valente has created a vivid and imaginative world that readers old and young will enjoy visiting. 

Review: One Thousand Gifts

One Thousand Gifts

By Ann Voskamp

Zondervan 2010

227 pages

From my bookshelves

Ann Voskamp is a mother living with her husband on their farm in Canada. As she went about her daily routines, she noticed a lack of joy in her life and the everyday presence of fear.  She realized that the root of joy was in eucharisto, in giving thanks through all circumstances. She began a personal challenge to record 1001 gifts, carrying a small notebook with her to write down each blessing. One Thousand Gifts is Voskamp’s record of her journey and the ways in which counting blessings brought her closer to God and changed her life forever.

I received this book as a gift, but let it sit on my shelf for months. I really regret this in retrospect because as soon as I finished this incredible book, I wanted to start it all over again. Voskamp is an incredible writer – her style is distinctive and lyrical. You have to let yourself go with the words, since she does not particularly respect grammar and tends to write in stream of consciousness. But her observations of the everyday routine amid painful loss and exultant joy are stunning.

“I’m reluctant to untether from the moon. The world I live in is loud and blaring and toilets plug and I get speeding tickets and the dog gets sick all over the back step and I forget everything and these six kids lean hard into me all day to reach and raise and lead and I fail hard and there are real souls that are at stake and how long do I really have to figure out how to live full of grace, full of joy – before these six beautiful children fly the coop and my mothering days fold up quiet? How do you open the eyes to see how to take the daily, domestic, workday vortex and invert it into the dome of an everyday cathedral? Could I go back to my life and pray with eyes wide open?”

Voskamp begins with the seemingly simple concept of giving thanks. She proposes a counting of gifts, noting the sunshine in the morning, her child’s smile, or an unexpected kindness. However, she realizes that making the list is not as simple as it seems. Her own stories of losing faith amid devastating loss are shared throughout the pages, along with her search for God in the minutiae of trying to keep up with six children, a house, and a farm. She confronts the deep fears that we all share - that God’s promises will fail us or that we will be unable to give thanks in times of trouble.

Ann Voskamp’s book has the potential to radically change the way you view everyday life and the ways in which you seek God’s presence. This is a book you will want to savor, but will instead find yourself racing through the pages in a search for further insight. One Thousand Gifts is a book I can see myself picking up again and again, searching for new insight and new glimpses of beauty. 

Wednesdays with David: Just One More Swim

Just One More Swim

By Caroline Pitcher and Jenny Jones

Parragon 2008

From our shelves

The story: Two little bears emerge from a long winter's sleep. Their mother guides them to the ocean and they stop, mesmerized and frightened. Big Bear gently guides her cubs closer and closer to the water until they discover their love of swimming.

Mama opines: This is a sweet story of a mother helping her children to learn something new in their own time. She does not demand that they start swimming; she simply shows them the way until she is sure that they are ready. This would be a great book to read if you have a little one who is unsure about swimming or is starting any new adventure.

Thoughts from David: Well,  I really love what the bears do. It’s cooler than cool.

Favorite part: When the bears say “Just one more swim!”

Happy Reading! 

April Wrap-Up

Books Reviewed: 8
Pages Read: 2,402
Paper Books/Audio books: 7/1
Fiction/Non-Fiction: 6/2
Female authors/Male authors: 7/1
My books/library books: 2/6
Lindsey's favorite of the month: Q by Evan Mandery

Books reviewed with David: 4
David's favorite of the month: Why Do Volcanoes Erupt?

What was your favorite read in April??