Lazy River with Jo March

Yesterday I visited Louisa May Alcott's home, Orchard House, in Concord, MA. A lovely colleague of mine invited me to lunch and a stroll around this chic New England town, home of the "shot heard round the world" to quote Emerson. That is the first shots of the American Revolution. The weather was perfect...so sunny and bright but not hot, nice and cool. And Concord really is beautiful with grand homes and it just oozes with American history. I can't help myself. And throw in talk of Little Women? It was all I could do not to buy a needlepoint kit...I'm not kidding. Instead, I purchased a framed print of the March girls and mozied around Orchard House humming the song from Winona Ryder's retelling of an American masterpiece. I'm sure the tour guides love that. But really, how could I resist?

And then there's this scene for the weepy:

One of my charming college roommates Topher and I watched this movie constantly. We still quote it all the time. "Marmee's home!" or "Your potatoes!" are our favorites. My seven children from Heckedy Peg (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...) will call me Marmee, a name coined by Anna, the oldest Alcott girl represented by Meg in Little Women, who had trouble pronouncing mother as a baby. See? I paid attention on my tour.

This was not my first visit...not even my second. Here's a shot from a Christmas at Orchard House with the good sport Dave:

Also, in an amazing twist of fate, guess who will be drifting down a lazy river in about 24 hours?

It ain't Jo March.

My aunt (you can call her Aunt March even though my aunt is much more pleasant...just for fun) invited me to join her and my cousins on a visit to an indoor waterpark. Where do I sign? An indoor water park isn't something I'd think to do but DEFINITELY something I'll agree to. I told my brother and we both said "lazy river" at the same time. I also plan on wave pooling it just a bit and going on some raft slides. But if you're looking for me, you should start at the lazy river. I'll just be doing loops there.

Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood, 1987

She's Heckedy Peg. She's lost her leg. And she took the children, all 7 of them,  back to her house to eat for dinner!

One of my all time favorite picture books by the great author/illustrator dynamic duo Audrey and Don Wood (also known for the Napping House, King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, the more recent Alphabet Adventure series, and many more), Heckedy Peg is a definite must-have for a home library. For now, my copy is from le biblioteque. But one day, when I have my LLBean Rug, I'll also have my own copy of Heckedy Peg.

There are some classic folktale elements and lessons learned in Heckedy Peg. The poor mother takes care of her seven children, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...you get the idea. She scrimps and saves to buy them all a treat at the market, but before she goes, Mother Dear tells her seven cherubs to not let any strangers in and to not touch the fire. Well, wouldn't you know that they let in a terrifying old lady dressed all in black and light her pipe?! The mother comes back to an empty house. What will she do?

Look at this warm picture:

And this one too:

The illustrations are all done in these rich tones and really convey the mood well. Also, each page has all 7 children on it somewhere so it can be fun for readers to find every kid.

And a little side note, while tooling around the internet reading about this book, I stumbled on a Booklist review saying Heckedy Peg is based on a 16th century English game. Who knew? Sounds a little scary.

I will have seven children and name them for the days of the week.

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

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

Recommended by a really lovely lady with whom I work (who always brings me treats like Valentine's cards or coupons or funny comics or origami gifts or books), Miss Peregrine's starts off as a true delight. Following the mysterious and violent death of his eccentric grandfather, Jacob heads to a remote, Welsh island in hopes of revealing Grandpa's secret past. There he discovers the old abandoned orphanage his grandfather grew up in and some of its terrifying secrets.

I was really into Miss Peregrine's in the beginning. The creepy pictures (apparently gathered by Mr. Riggs from flea markets and garage sales) are sort of scary but not in any real, keep-you-up-at-night way. And then suddenly, about halfway through, I hit a lull and lost interest in the book.  I struggled to finish and was only motivated to continue so I could be done with it and move on to something I'd rather read. Part of the problem is the entire dilemma (initially) is whether or not Jacob will be able to uncover his grandfather's secret past. And then midway through, he does. There are more details to unearth, but for the most part, the cat's out of the bag. And once you know, the new sort of second story or dilemma that develops just isn't as enticing. Many new characters are introduced, but you don't feel invested in any of them except Jacob. And it all gets confusing and you kind of just don't buy it. Or at least I didn't.

But what do I know? It was/is very popular so maybe my distaste is just a personal reaction. But I think readers are drawn to Miss Peregrine's because of the images and the creepy beginning. After that, you might keep reading to see how it will wrap up. It definitely sets itself up for a sequel(s).

Watch this book trailer if you're interested:

In other news, I had a great, long weekend and was lucky enough to cheer on this year's Boston marathon runners close to the 25 mile mark! I was so impressed with these tough participants braving the record heat and putting one aching foot in front of the other all the way to Copley square. It was just the kick I needed to get me motivated for Chicago, 2012...I'm running it and need to get moving!

*Thanks for the pic BarnesandNoble.com!