Easter Parade!

Well, it's that time of year again. Easter! It was always a big deal in our house in Indiana. Still is. The fridge overflows with cartons of expertly dyed and waxed eggs, baskets are filled with homemade cheese, bread, and sausage for midnight church services, and the Easter bunny leaves rhyming clue cards scattered from room to room for my brother and I to find. This scavenger hunt would take place every Easter morning, and each participant was forced to hop from clue to clue in order to claim their basket at the end of the hunt. The basket would usually be full of cartons of strawberries, jars of pickles, and a magazine or two.

My mom has this great habit of saving some of our old children's books (according to our ages, some of them are 40 years old). She now keeps them in different boxes divided seasonally, an interesting and intriguing method for a librarian...I like. Here are some of my fav old Easter books, and we're not talking Pat the Bunny:

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Du Bose Heyward, Pictures by Marjorie Hack, 1939

This mama bunny has about a gagillion baby bunnies (21 to be exact). Dang, mama bunny! And then she is somehow chosen to take on the exalted bunny duty: Easter bunny. Can she do it with all those needy babies?

The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard

See that bunny next to the egg? He's waiting for the baby duck to come out so they can be buddies and make a story for you to read. There are lots of colorful illustrations to enjoy.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, 1903?

You know the idea...Peter Rabbit sneaking around Mr. McGregor's garden. I won't give away the ending. While you're at it, you should read Ms. Potter's other lovely little classics. Remember Jemima Puddle-Duck?




*There's also a real creepy book my brother Matt and I always manage to find in the pile. We flip through the pages in horror as pictures of real baby rabbits dressed in clothing tell some terrifying tale about getting lost and disobeying your parents. I'll make a point to look for it when I'm home and show you all pictures of your next nightmare.

Happy Easter to all! Dave and I are headed to Scranton to visit his family for a quick trip. I'm bringing a small carrot cake from Modern Pastry in Boston's North End to celebrate the occasion. I love carrot cake, but last weekend I had a piece from Modern while visiting the little shop with my friend Laura. My life changed. It brought my carrot cake love to a new level. It may, in fact, be my favorite kind of cake which is saying something because this girl loves some good cake.

And 3 other things that are coming along for the ride:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, 2011

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, 1999

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, 2006











I'll probably only crack one of these books, but who doesn't like options?!

Thank you for the pictures BarnesandNoble.com!

The Short American Century: A Postmortem by Andrew Bacevich, David Kennedy and Emily Rosenberg, 2012

Remember Brookline Booksmith? Well, they host all these great author events, and I am dropping by one Thursday evening. What a good way to start off a 3 day weekend, right?

I am attending a discussion by Andrew Bacevich, a renowned professor from Boston University and retired military officer whom I was lucky enough to hear speak back as an undergrad at Indiana University. Two other professors from Harvard named Jeffrey Frieden and Akira Iriye will join the discussion. Down in the basement of the Booksmith, these 3 academics will discuss a new book by Bacevich, David Kennedy, and Emily Rosenberg on America in the latter half of the 20th century. The Short American Century: A Postmortem is a reflection, if you will.

I don't even remember much about Mr. Bacevich or what he talked to us fine, young 20 year olds about, BUT I remember it was riveting. He visited my American Military History class which I took spring semester of my senior year. And though I didn't agree with everything he said, I could tell this guy knew what he was talking about. He made me want to know what I was talking about. I am always impressed with knowledgeable people. They inspire me to read more and learn more and take more classes and run more and write more letters and just generally be less lazy. And maybe what I need right now is a swift kick to get me back on that track I was once on many moons ago. Andrew Bacevich, impress me with your knowledge. He will have truly blown me away if I walk out of the Booksmith with a hardcover copy of his book. I almost NEVER buy hardcover. Can he do it?

Read this interesting essay by Bacevich and then come join me at the event! Afterwards we can romp around Coolidge Corner eating chocolate bunnies and making plans on how to get smart like that guy we just saw. Deal?

*Thanks for your picture, Brookline Booksmith!

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, 1958

So this is not the old school cover you might have recognized, but it will do. This cover is vibrant and telling, but the original is much more windswept and lonely just like the story. Covers are really powerful and continue to become more so. I even read a really fascinating article about cover work, but that is for another post. Back to puritanical Connecticut circa 1687!

The Witch of Blackbird Pond tells Kit Tyler's story. When her grandfather dies, Kit is sent from their plantation home on Barbados to her only remaining relation's home in Wethersfield, Connecticut . Having never met her aunt and knowing little of the New England way of life, Kit is shocked by the strict rules and extreme work schedule. Even her cousins Judith and Mercy work to the bone. Desperately homesick for her life on the island and finding it impossible to fit into the stifling Puritan life, Kit befriends an old Quaker woman who lives alone near Blackbird Pond. Shunned from Wethersfield, Kit's friend Hannah is so welcoming and friendly. How could anyone believe she is truly a witch?

This is a great read from yesteryear. I was struck by the slow pace and the extremely wholesome characters. Of course, knowing the setting you wouldn't expect some adventure packed tale starring a 16 year old "hussie" (ha!), but even Kit, the daring odd man out, is really genuine and likes teaching young children how to read and saving kittens from burning homes. Wholesome. Also, there is much about her daily life and young love and Hannah's cozy home that is slow paced. And for someone like me, someone who loves Little House on the Prairie, this is perfect, but it takes a certain kind of teenager to agree...definitely a girl who likes to read, likes to read historical fiction, and likes to read books like Jacob Have I Loved. Are you getting my vibe? All of that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am glad I picked it up. Everyone loves a good witch story, and it is easy to feel for Kit and her extreme loneliness. And reading about the Puritans can really creep you out so much so that at certain points when things seem really hopeless for our young protagonist, you find yourself hoping she'll flag down a boat and head back to Barbados despite her being promised in marriage to a 50 year old plantation owner back there...what?!

Anyway, read on, dear friends! And happy April! We've made it to another month, and in the springtime, that always seems like a big event especially if you go to or work in a school. Two and a half months until summer vacation, but who's counting?!