A lovely shade of pink.

The windows and shutters were fixed
and once again they painted her
a lovely shade of pink.

And perhaps fresh wallpaper for the parlor?

Someday

And someday I will remember to take the softened butter out of the oven before turning it on. This book brought me way back. How Charlotte Zolotow can so precisely express the desires and longings of person-hood we will never know. "Someday, I'm going to go to dancing class and Miss Bird will say, "Ellen is doing it just right. Everybody watch her." The illustations by Arnold Lobel are heartwrenching. As I cleaned up the half pound of butter melted into the bottom of my stove,  I was comforted by Ellen's hope that we all just want to do something right.  First published in 1965, nothing much has changed.

A Christmas Memory

Merry Christmas! A heartwarming story of Truman Capote and his cousin is just what we need. Friends true celebrating in simple ways. Homemade kites, fruitcakes, and Queenie the dog. This one is a treasure. I am thinking of you all. Love, Emily

A Christmas Carol

It still strikes me as surprising, but my children love to listen to the story of A Christmas Carol.  I mean the real one, by Charles Dickens. Unabridged.  I think Myles and Fiona can listen to the telling, because I shout the words, DEAD! and GHOST!  They can't help but want to hear more.  And then we stop and talk about what it means to be tightfisted. Its kind of lovely.  The copy that keeps us going is this beauty illustrated by, Lisbeth Zwerger. 

Friday night we saw our town's homey production of Scrooge's ghostly night.  It was run through the recreation department and Ebeneezer was played by a twelve year old girl, with a pretty decent British accent.  Fiona shout whispered through the whole thing,  "When is Scrooge going to change out of his pajamas!!??" Regretfully, this caused me to shout whisper back, and we left in tears, because of refreshment stand controversies. But other than that it was enjoyable. 
And tiny Tim wasn't terribly annoying! God Bless us everyone!

Dandelion

Sweet little Corduroy has stolen everyone's hearts.  This is all right and good. But, have you met Don Freeman's understudy Dandelion? First published in 1964, 

this book about honest friendship never gets old.

Dandelion is your everyday sort of lion, who after receiving an invitation to a friend's tea and taffy party decides to revamp his look.

He arrives at the party fancied beyond recognition, 

as the host Jennifer Giraffe turns him away.

Freeman's writing is so poignant that the reader intimately experiences 

the rejection that Dandelion receives. 

She tells him, "I'm sorry sir, but you are not anyone I know." 

At this point your insides hurt.

 Lucky for Dandelion he is given a second chance at the party. The way Dandelion handles himself among his friends after being so foolish gives one confidence in mankind.

 Acceptance, honesty, humility and more.
This story is beautiful!

Ira Sleeps Over

If you have read this book please reminisce, smile, nod, and carry on. But for those of you who have missed this gem, move quickly.

The story begins with a boy named Ira having just received an invitation to a sleepover at his neighbor Reggie's house. He is thrilled, overjoyed to be on the precipice of such a milestone. Yet, the joy of the invitation is short lived as his big sister brings him back to reality. She highlights a dilemma he had not foreseen.  "Are you bringing along your teddy bear?"

What proceeds is Ira's heart wrenching struggle of to bring or not to bring. In what turns out to be one of the best sleepovers of all time, (for every child who reads this story longs for a junk collection the stature of Reggie's), the reader deeply connects with Ira, Reggie, and the sacred opinion of an older sibling.

Bernard Waber you are a genius!