im engaged!

im engaged! last weekend i was proposed to by my boyfriend of 2 years. all week i was noticing him being a little sneaky (he has a very hard time being secretive). my roomates also all knew about the upcoming weekend surprise, and they had a hard time not dropping hints here and there. so when the weekend came, stone told me he was going to pick me up at 11 and we were going to drive into austin, tx. so, we drove into austin and once we got there he put on a song in the car by an artist named tristan prettyman and told me the surprise was that we were going to the concert that night. so i was completely thrown off, because i thought the surprise was going to be the engagement. so stone and i had a relaxing early afternoon getting lunch at whole foods and going shopping. then we ended up going to a park and walking along this trail by a river in austin. we came up to a trail of flower petals that lead down to a small wooden boat that had a picnic basket with chocolate and wine. we got into the boat and by that time i knew what was happening. we paddeled out and stone began talking just about our relationship and how much he loves me. then he proposed! i said yes of course, and we paddeled onto shore and had a picnic in the park and called friends and family. after that we went to a restaraunt where 20 of my friends had come into town to surprise me at dinner. when we walked in the entire restaraunt started cheering for us. then we all had dinner and went to the concert all together. the day was perfect, the weather was beautiful, and i am so excited! both of us cant wait to enjoy this time of our engagement.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

I remember reading this children's chapter book , "Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry", when I was in grade school. I remember not really understanding the brutality of a surviving African American family that was portrayed in this book because of my age. Reading it again, as an adult I recognize and understand the hardships presented throughout this book. The reason I was interested in re-reading it was because I have been studying slavery in America in one of my debate classes, so, picking up the book I felt like I could really comprehend what the author was trying to paint a picture of.

The Logan family is the center of our story, they endure many hardships throughout this novel, and they always fight for justice and what is right. The book, written by Mildred Taylor, describes the trials this family endured extremely vividly. Some of the things they went through are desrespect from store owners, burnings and killings, boycotting, losing jobs, lynching and crop fires. The family teaches the readers to stick together and stand up for what is right. Throughout the story the family is mostly trying to protect their small farm, while the kids are constantl lured into fights of defense, the Logan parents are always having to back them up. When a store owner disrespects their daughter, Cassie, the family begins to boycott the store. When a close friend gets condemned to lynching, Papa goes to stop it from happening. These are just a few of the ways they family sticks up for one another and for what is right. Over all the novel was a good read of courage and family.

Book 3: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Picture Book?: No - Chapter
Posting Date: February 21, 2008

Teacher's Pet?

In my English 413 class we just finished reading Augustine’s “Confessions”. The first three chapters are dedicated to Augustine’s early childhood. Throughout the book, the author makes a point to discuss language and learning. He pointed out a flaw that he has noticed in early education, which is learning through fear. He remembers times when he was chastised when he did not do well. I agree with Augustine in that if a child is having a hard time learning to read, they should not be disciplined for it, they should have more encouragement to study from their teachers.
My boyfriend is a substitute teacher right now, and has noticed the same thing. Although he has just told me that the same way of teaching children is still present today. While there is another side to this story, in that if a child is doing well they should be rewarded. Teaching is a hard, but extremely valuable profession, and a kind encouraging teacher is the best!

Won't You be my Neighbor?

What a beautiful day in the neighborhood! The weather was perfect today, just perfect. I spent the day in the park across the street playing with friends. We flew kites and rode bikes. This reminded me of when I was a child, spending the weekend afternoons in the outdoors. This desire, as a kid, to play outdoors was not just because of my rambunctious personality, but children’s books and television shows also encouraged this lifestyle. One television show that combined TV entertainment and reading was the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood show. Thinking back I am now interested in who exactly Fred Rogers was, and came up with a quiz of these details:
1) Fred Rogers was an American…
a. Minister
b. Educator
c. Songwriter
d. TV host
e. All of the above

2) Mister Rogers often fed his ____ during the show.
a. Dog
b. Children
c. Fish
d. Cat

3) The show began in 1968 and ran for ___ episodes, the longest running show on PBS.
a. 354
b. 778
c.1,082
d. 998

Will You be my Valentine?

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I decided to do a little research…
The correlation of Valentine’s Day to love can actually be dated back to 1382. The writer and poet, Chaucer, write a poem in honor of the marriage of two friends. The poem was read mistakenly and the readers thought he was declaring the 14th of February, Valentine’s Day. From then on, the day was equated with love and marriage. Since then many Children’s stories and picture books have been written about this topic. In grade school I remember always celebrating the special day making cards for my friends, including a poem in it, usually sounding something along the lines of:
‘Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you’
That of course is one of the most famous love poems. But, now there are plenty out there in bookstores and on the internet, I found one that might describe how some girls feel on Valentine’s Day by Myra Livingston:
If you won’t be my Valentine
I’ll scream, I’ll yell, I’ll bite.
I’ll cry aloud, I’ll start to whine
If you won’t be my Valentine.
I’ll frown and fret, I’ll mope and pine, and
It will serve you right—
If you won’t be my Valentine
I’ll scream, I’ll yell, I’ll bite!

Lost Somewhere in Time

I just received in the mail a copy of my grandmother’s journal from when she was growing up. She is still alive, and she wanted to share a little bit about what she was like when she was a child. Every entry in this journal is so eloquently written, and with beautiful cursive handwriting; and at the young age of 13! I was so impressed by her stories and it made me wonder what has happened to our education as children that we have come from my grandmother’s time with such sophistication and beautiful writing. As a young child, I could barely write in cursive let alone use words such as ‘languidly’ and ‘sauntering’. I hope one day the education system will regain the emphasis placed on rhetoric and language, I feel that through children’s literature this can be taught quite easily and through reading thy can learn a new beautiful form of language which has gotten lost somewhere in time.

Sick

One memory I have from growing up is the yearly poetry readings at my elementary school. Sixth graders at Moss Haven Elementary, spend their second semester memorizing Shel Sylverstein poems to recite to the school with their own interpretation of costumes and acting. I can remember I chose the tongue-tying poem titled “Sick”. The young girl in the poem spends exactly 27 lines complaining about absurd sicknesses she has developed that would prevent her from going to school that day. In the end she is told that today, in fact, is Saturday. Then she exclaims “okay I’m going out to play”! I enjoyed reading this poem as a 12 year-old as much as I enjoy reading it today. I definitely plan to read the poems by Shel Sylverestein to even my children one day, and I know they will love them just as much as I have.

Book 2: Where the Sidewalk Ends
Author: Shel Silverstein
Picture Book?: No - Poetry
Posting Date: February 12, 2008

Politics?

With the presidential races at their peak right now, I have been contemplating a lot about politics and how we can be influenced by the world around us. Starting at a young age, children are subjected with the views of their elders whether they even realize it or not. The novels that children read growing up for the most part are conservative. Yet as our country ages, these books have become more and more liberal. These books can teach children to live under a certain belief system, and forever more shape their political views.

Not Such a Fairy Tale After All

Walking into church this morning we were handed a pamphlet with a story corresponding to what the sermon would be about. The title of the story was “Not Such A Fairy Tale After All”, and it was about the misconceptions we all sometimes have about life. Most likely rooted from our early childhood of losing ourselves in these dreams of being a wealthy princess with a handsome prince, we grow up to have somewhat of the same expectations. Reality does hit at times, and when it does it can hit quite hard. When we try and mask it with this idea of a fairy tale lifestyle we are only denying ourselves of truly enjoying the wonderful mediocrity of life! I truly came to the realization today sitting in church that I am so thankful to not be apart of some idealistic fairy tale story; I love the ups and downs of life, it is what keeps it interesting!

Little Rockstar

Once upon a time in a far off land,
There lived a young girl who wanted to star in a rock band.
She sat in 5th period and dreamed of the day,
To be the lead singer, she must find a way.

When school let out she raced home to find,
The Gibson guitar she had bought online.
As she opened the box, the excitement made her scream,
“This is the coolest thing I have ever seen!”

She was on her way to becoming a young star,
All she needed were back up dancers and a flashy new car.
The only problem still standing in her way,
Was that she was only 9 and didn’t know how to play!

Gender Roles in Children’s Literature

"Everything we read...constructs us, makes us who we are, by presenting our image of ourselves as girls and women, as boys and men" (Mem Fox, 1993).
I took a ‘Gender in Communication’ class last semester where we studied just exactly how we inherit gender roles. One of our projects of the semester was to find a children’s book that expressed specific male and female gender roles. Of course, this was not hard at all. Turns out, almost all children’s literature is intentionally teaching it’s young readers how they should act.
This, however, can be dangerous. From as far back as these ancient fairy tales, teaching girls to be subservient, boys to rule over them, to rescue the powerless. So from an early age children are interpreting their gender roles with these characters, helping promote the idea of a independent and strong man, and a weak and helpless girl. Is this the message we want to send to our young? As we know, children are eager to learn and be molded. While we are thankful for the morals that come out of these stories, we must be aware of the power this literature has over kids. Hopefully, as our society ages, our minds become more open to things, children’s books will evolve with that, allowing kids to make up their own mind of what kind of characteristics they want to hold.

Ella Enchanted

After completing Ella Enchanted, I find myself only upset that there is not a sequel to such a fun, delightful story. There are many things that surprised me and pleased me about this wonderful read. One of my favorite characters in the story was of course Ella and her witty sense of humor, and courageous presence. She is unlike many fairy tale ‘princesses’ in that she is very independent and self-sufficient; something I am sure feminists were pleased in. She did not need her father, she did not need Char, she was brave and bold in her thoughts and her actions. I also really admired the way the love story between Ella and Char unfolded. Their love was not founded in vain; he was drawn to her by her humor and character more than her looks. Ella contained a kind heart, which was evident in the way she mourned her mother’s death, befriended those who had no friends, and sacrificed her happiness for the safety of Char. Through letters the two grew closer and closer to each other, which I loved because it showed that they were truly attracted to each other’s hearts. I was pleasantly surprised by the novel and literally could not put it down! Hopefully our nest read will be just as ‘enchanting’ as this one has been.

Quiz... Take If You Dare...

The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis
What fruit does Digory bring back from Narnia to cure his mother?

Pear
Orange
*Apple

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Who was the first child to win a Golden Ticket?

*Augustus Gloop
Veruca Salt
Mike Teevee

A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
What do the Baudelaire orphans make for dinner for Count Olaf and his theatre troupe?

*Noodles with Puttanesca Sauce
Roast beef
Spaghetti bolognaise

Stig of the Dump by Clive King
What animal escapes from Bottom's Mammoth Circus and is later chased by Stig into a stable at Mrs Fawkham-Greene's fancy dress party?

Puma
*Leopard
Lion

The Diamond Girls by Jaqueline Wilson
What is the name of Dixie's pet?

*Bluebell
Foxglove
Dahlia

Shadowmancer by GP Taylor
The evil vicar Obadiah Demurral has a magic candle. Once lit, anyone in the house is put into a deep sleep. What's the candle made from?

*The severed hand of a hanged murderer
The ears of a drowned witch
The toes of a dead troll

Storm Breaker by Anthony Horovitz
What does the villainous Herod Sayle keep as a pet?

Scorpion
Boa constrictor
*Portuguese Man of War

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Is Mulch Diggums a

Elf?
Troll?
*Dwarf?

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Tom is sent away to stay with his aunt and uncle because his brother Peter is ill with:

Whooping cough
*Measles
Mumps

The Famous Five by Enid Blyton
What is the name of the bay where George lives, which is the scene of some of the Famous Five's exciting adventures?

Carlyon Bay
*Kirrin Bay
Holywell Bay

Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
What does Toad disguise himself as to escape from the prison?

A policewoman
* A washerwoman
A gypsy woman

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss
What does the small Who daughter ask the Grinch for when she finds him in her home taking away all the presents?

A cup of warm milk
A glass of orange juice
*A cup of cold water

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
In which English county is the novel set?

Lancashire
*Yorkshire
Derbyshire

The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
In the book, the Iron Man crashes to the bottom of the cliff and falls to pieces. A seagull swoops down and picks up one part of his body. Which part?

*His eyeball
His hand
His tongue

Charlotte's Web by E White
What does Charlotte first write in her web?

Great pig
Top pig
*Some pig

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
What is the first name of Mallory, Simon and Jared's great uncle Spiderwick, author of the Field Guide found by the children?

*Arthur
Archimboldo
Arnold

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Which of these pairs are among the dwarves who accompany Bilbo on his quest?

*Balin and Dwalin
Stolin and Bolin
Fingle and Dingle

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
What does Meggie's father, Mo, do for a living?

Bookmaker
*Bookbinder
Bookseller

Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
What is the name of "the world's cheesiest animation technique" used in the Captain Underpants books?

Move-o-matic
*Flip-o-Rama
Supermarionation

The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
What is the real name of 'Cloud Wolf', Twig's sky pirate father?

Rook Barkwater
*Quintinius Verginix
Vox Verlix


So, I got less than 50% correct in this Children's Literature Quiz. What does this mean? Well clearly I need to catch up on literature I missed out on, while I was too busy playing with toys and watching tv. Yikes!