August Author of the Month: David Melling

#1 I was torn over whether to say author of the month or illustrator. From what I gather David Melling thinks of himself more as an illustrator than an author... but he also writes and what I've read is delightful.
#2 I'm taking a small leap in the dark here. I do have several authors in the back of my mind for future authors of the month who I am more familiar with. BUT, we have LOVED David Melling's "The Kiss That Missed" for many years now. It has been one of those that we never want to return to the library, we renew it the optimum amount of times and then when returning it I always ask myself "Why have we not bought this book yet???" SO... I am going to take a chance. We have checked out all the books we can get our hands on by him and will be reading them this month for the first time! I hope you will join us. If "The Kiss That Missed" is any indication we are in for a big treat!

Okay- I took a break for a minute to watch some videos on his website. It was definitely worth my time. If you are fascinated by what goes into illustrating OR if you enjoy a British accent regardless of the topic you should check these out. (the star faced crocodile was my favorite video, but I'm glad I watched them sequentially) I find that it helps me have more enthusiasm when I read if I know more about the author and I hope I can pass on an interest in authors/illustrators to my children. It's great for them to know that these books don't magically appear in front of us, but that someone has put a great deal of work into creating something that can entertain us. In fact, that's part of the reason I started doing these author of the month posts . I have found that my children (at least my oldest) is more familiar with certain authors now.

PS. If you are heading over to watch the videos now just a heads up- they take a few seconds to load and if you are as impatient as I am you will pause the video, surf the web elsewhere for a moment, and then come back to it... it doesn't take long, really, I am just THAT impatient.

Me From A to Z

A
- Age: 34 years
- Annoyance: People who don't keep commitments, when TP etiquette is not observed.
- Animal: Simon the cat.

B
- Beer: husband says if I drank beer it would be Killian's Irish Red because it's more crisp and less bitter. But I don't. Drink beer.
- Birthday: February 16th
- Body Part on opposite sex: Eyes.
- Best feeling in the world: Getting out of a cold swimming pool and lying on warm cement, getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist, pedicure @ 8 mos. pregnant.
- Blind or Deaf: Definitely deaf- I could read without trying to ignore husband and screaming children.
- Best weather: A crisp fall day, wading through leaves, blue sky against bright fall colors.
- Been in Love?: Still am.
- Been on stage?: Yes, unfortunately. I pray all video recordings have been destroyed.
- Believe in Magic?: Yes- my daughter is magic.
- Believe in Santa?: Of course. Silly question

C
- Candy: Take 5, luckily they are hard to come by.
- Color: #1-Red, #2-Green, #3-Orange, #4-Brown (I know, Brown?!?!?, but seriously, yes)
- Chocolate/Vanilla: Chocolate
- Chinese/Mexican Food: Depends on my mood and whether or not I'm pregnant.
- Cake or pie: Pie, definitely. Apple, preferred.
- Continent to visit: Any of them, I'm a travelin' (wo)man.
- Cheese: Feta for salads, smoked gouda for crackers
- Cuddling: Not a fan, and it drives husband nuts (what is wrong with you?) get right to it I say.

D
- Day or Night: Day AND Night. Why must sleep be a requirement? Why must I love it so much?
- Dancing in the rain: Dancing? I say walking in the rain, kissing in the rain, sliding on my stomach on the grass in the rain, falling asleep to rain pinging on the roof/windows ... all of it, I love the rain!

E
- Eyes: Like: it's easier for a camel to go through than a rich man.... ?
- Ever fail a class?: Poly Sci. Hated the teacher and the early hour, stopped attending, neglected to drop the class- oops

F
- First thoughts waking up: Wow, I feel awake enough to exercise today...ZZZZZzzzzzzz
- Food: Ahhh, my great nemesis.

G
- Greatest Fear: Anything bad happening to my kids/husband
- Goals: Mostly to do with traveling, sights to see. Also books to read.
- Gum: Cinnamon
- Get along with your parents?: Yes, I no longer live with them.
H
- Hair Color: Brown (I should say something more alluring, like Russet Brown, nope, connotes potatoes....ideas on how to make brown sound good? Chestnut, perhaps?)
- Height: 5' 4" ish
- Happy: ha ha, I'm listening to "shiny happy people" on my ipod right now, how odd.
- Holiday: I dislike saying Christmas because it's so typical, but come on, it lasts a whole month!
- How do you want to die: When I am very old, having lived a full and active life, surrounded by family.

I
- Ice Cream: Breyer's natural vanilla stirred up into a shake with crumbled oreos or plain chocolate OR Friendly's Buttercrunch.
- Instrument: piano, guitar, clarinet all played at a mediocre level- I guess that's another goal.

J
- Jewelry: Wedding rings and a ring I bought in Edinborough. Sometimes earrings and a bracelet to church. I LOVE antique jewelry. chokers on occasion.
- Jobs: EMT-Intermediate @ Gold Cross Ambulance (6 yrs.), @ IHC (desk job)(2 yrs.), working with autistic/developmentally disabled @FTC and TKJ Inc.(4 yrs.), sales @ ZCMI (when it existed)(2 yrs.) and numerous nanny jobs. (Mom is not a job, it's a calling and a gift)

K
- Kids: 3 beauties. Dew Drop Fairy (6), Drama Queen (4) and Greased Lightening (1)
- Kickboxing or karate: I've only tried karate, can't judge. Although I believe my current work-out video incorporates kickboxing.
- Keep a journal?: Sometimes, let's be honest, almost never. check mark for another goal.

L
- Love: "All you need is love, Love, Love, Love, bump a budda bum."
- Letter: I think "S" is pretty cool but I'm biased.
- Laughed so hard you cried?: watched a 5 year old girl in a dance recital attempt to keep her pants up while holding hands with other little girls. Guess you had to be there.
- Last movie you watched and with who: At the movies? "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" with husband, 2 brothers, 1 sister, 1 father. At home? I don't think you could call it "watching".

M
- Married: Yes
- Milk: Got? Yes.
- Movies: Amelie, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Field of Dreams, movies that involve magic -especially of the everyday sort.
- McD’s or BK: McD's, they have the best salads of the fast food persuasion and they substitute fries with apple slices- something ALL 3 of my children will eat.
- Number: 37, my address as a child.

O
- One wish: don't wish, do.
- One night stands: Is that like when a Chicagoan/Mexican tries to sell hot dogs/tacos for one night and his business fails??? What is this talking about?

P
- Pepsi/Coke: Coke. But really Dr. Pepper.
- Perfect Pizza: Papa Johns, gotta love the extra guilt in a garlic butter tub.

R
- Reason to cry: No woman, No cry. My house is full of them, I oughta know.
- Reality T.V.: What's that? I don't think it really exists.
- Radio Station: X96, but now I usually just plug in my ipod or kids music.
- Roll your tongue in a circle? Yes and unwrap starbursts in >10 seconds, loop cherry stems, etc.
- Ring size: I think it's 5 1/2, but I have been pregnant (hold on... my ring still fits, hooray!)

S
- Song: Bridge Over Troubled Water- really it depends on the moment you ask. Ever changing.
- Shoe size: I don't know, I usually wear flip flops. Around 7 maybe. I've worn 6 and 8.
- Salad Dressing: Blue Cheese at a Restaurant. At home just a little EVOO with some red wine vinegar and pepper.
- Sushi: Ordered it once by mistake (the actual raw stuff) ... I got it down.
- Skinny dipped?: I plead the 5th... (which we all know means yes)
- Strawberries/Blueberries: both, yum. If I have to choose... strawberries.

T
- Tattoos?: No. birthmarks, scars, freckles and moles, YES. Hooray for au naturale, baby!
- Talent: finding new things to say that will drive husband insane.
- Time for bed: NEVER!
- Thunderstorms: "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens." Some of the most majestic moments of my life have been at my parents cabin watching a thunderstorm roll across the lake.

U
- Unpredictable: Life. For which I am eternally grateful.

V
- Vacation spot(s): Lake Winnipesaukee. Scotland. Italy. Backpacking is good but it's been a while.

W
- Weakness: Drama Queen's cry. For some reason it's easier for me to block Dew Drop Fairy out- maybe because she IS me. Greased Lightening too, in male form.
- Worst feeling: When a child dies.
- Wanted to be when you were younger: Writer/Photographer for National Geographic Magazine
- Worst Weather?: Anything that's going to cause death. No apocalypse please.

X
- X-Ray: Chest, to make sure I didn't have TB after a positive skin test. Several to check for broken bones.

Y
-Year it is now: 2011
-Yellow: Ich habe eine banane und die banane ist gelb (?) Also, Coldplay.

Z
- Zoo animal: penguins: the diving and swimming keeps the kids most entertained. For me giraffes & elephants, seriously take a closer look. They are both so oddly put together.

What I read in June

"Room" recommended to: people who want to think outside the box (bad joke, excuse my sad attempt at humor). People who like to read books that make you think. People who like reading from an unusual point of view in an unusual (and disturbing) setting.









"The Alienist" recommended to: Anyone drawn to psychological thrillers who want a good read with a book that's hard to put down. BUT, most importantly, those who either have VERY strong stomachs or who aren't able to visualize graphic crime scenes while reading. (that would be me, but turn it into a movie and look out!)








"Beauty" recommended to: people who enjoy fairy-tale retellings. Those who identify with the whole "ugly duckling turns swan" scenario (for some of us "swan" may be aiming a bit high, but you get my meaning). People who like to see that cocky guy from High School type being humbled and finally find love, in the right way.








"The Annotated Alice" recommended to: people who love Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and want to delve a little deeper. Duh.











"Fever 1793" recommended to: people who enjoy historical fiction for teens. People who want to learn more about the yellow fever epidemic that struck Philadelphia in 1793 with minimal effort and moderate enjoyment.









"Briar Rose" recommended to: people who like cleverly modernized fairy-tales or re-tellings of fairy-tales. People who believe that there must be pain in order to have pleasure.

What I read in May

"As I Lay Dying" recommended to: fans of Faulkner, seems like you either love him or hate him, people who have never read Faulkner and want to start with one of his less daunting novels.






"Out of the Dust" recommended to: people looking for a completely authentic voice spoken in beautiful poetic simplicity. Unforgettable. (I agree with a friend of mine, the cover is awful. Try to ignore it, I know it's hard, but try.)




"The Moon Spinners" recommended to: readers who aren't looking for anything too deep and like a little romance mixed in with their action/suspense.






"The 39 Steps" recommended to: seekers after non-stop action in a very circa 1930 England way. If you're looking for mystery look somewhere else this, as I said, is more action/evasion.






"We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families" recommended to: people with strong stomachs who want to know everything their is to know about the Rwandan Holocaust (I'm not kidding, this book is VERY comprehensive) short of living through it.





"Mitten Strings For God" recommended to: those who don't tend to jealousy and don't have issues with Stepford wives. Moms who want less TV and more REAL life. This is a wonderful book chock-full of good advice if you can get past the author's know-it-all-ativeness. I bought it.





"The Peacegiver" recommended to: anyone who is unhappy and blames it on everyone around them. Anyone who thinks that their life is going pretty well and can't figure out why their family is falling apart.





"Don't Throw Rocks At His Window" recommended to: Single young ladies. Anyone who has a young woman in their life who wants to remember what it was like, take a stroll down memory lane and possibly get a laugh or two along the way.





"The Five Love Languages of Children" recommended to: Those who have read "The Five Love Languages" who want a refresher or to look at it from a different angle.







"The Penderwicks" recommended to: anyone looking for a quick, light and fun read. People who want to start a new series when all of the volumes have not been released yet a.k.a. people who like having something to look forward to. To clarify: you won't be waiting anxiously as with a certain popular series of a few years back but it will be something NICE to look forward to.

May Author of the month: Robert McCloskey

Robert McCloskey is one of my favorite authors. I have fond memories of "Burt Dow Deep Water Man", "Blueberries for Sal" and "Make Way For Ducklings". These books are spring and summer for me. "Burt Dow" is the definite favorite of my kids. Ginny often sleeps with it. If it were just a bit shorter! I often sigh a deep sigh when asked to read it, knowing what lies ahead, but then I get caught up in the story and the language and I forget to be annoyed any longer.

What might feel like spring everywhere else feels like summer on the New England Coast. These books are my childhood and I LOVE sharing them with my children. I should have saved this author for June. I know that I am going to be too anxious to get home and start searching for small creatures in tide pools. Every place has a feeling to it and when I pull out a book by Robert McCloskey (especially the Maine ones) I can't help but be transported by them.

What I read in April

"Unfamiliar Fishes" recommended to: lovers of Sarah Vowell, lovers of humorous history, anyone interested in the annexation of Hawaii by the United States.






"The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" Recommended to: the downtrodden, the hopeless, the young at heart, adventurers, lovers of stuffy old rabbits who deserve second chances (and third chances and fourths...)





"A Long Way From Chicago"
recommended to: those who enjoy episodic novels, people who enjoy reading quirky, grumpy, old characters because they know such a person or they hope to become such a person.





"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" recommended to: people who like to read a book before watching the movie and have a desire to watch the movie based on this book. All right, all right, it was pretty good. Be prepared to have ambiguous feelings towards the narrator.





"Nine Coaches Waiting" recommended to: women (sorry guys, I don't think this book is for you) who like to curl up in a nice squashy chair with a holey crocheted blanket wrapped around you holding a book with fingers sticking through the holes and a nice warm drink on a dark night... get the picture?

April Author of the Month: Kevin Henkes

I chose to have Kevin Henkes (pronounced HENK-us, I've been saying it wrong for years) as our author this month because I feel like many of his pictures are full of springtime. Kevin grew up in Racine, WI and now lives in Madison with his wife and two children. He grew up wanting to be an artist. When he was in High school he gained a love of writing as well. His first book was published in 1981 and he is still going strong.

He has been a favorite of my girls since we discovered "Kitten's First Full Moon" at the library and after renewing the max amount of times decided we had to add it to our own library. We have since added many of his other books as well. He has also written novels but we are going to focus on his picture books.

If you would like a glimpse of Kevin Henkes creating his latest book "Little Rabbit" there is a video that is short and sweet!