Monday Mix: Me...Jane Book Review

Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell (Little, Brown, $15.99)

What an amazing and beautiful picture book written and illustrated by the creator of the Mutts comic strip Patrick McDonnell. It's a simple story about the true childhood life of Jane Goodall, a curious girl who loved nature and discovery, started a club called the Alligator Society, and decided at the age of ten that she would live in Africa and study animals. The illustrations are spare and beautiful, mixing McDonnell's drawing style with collages of stamp designs and actual childhood drawings and puzzles by Jane Goodall herself. This is a perfect introduction for the youngest of children to the life of a truly inspiring environmental activist. This is an inspiring story for adults too... everyone told Jane that her dream was impossible, but she did it. It's never too late!

-Maleka

Monday Mix: Frida Kahlo Coloring Book and Hundertwasser Create Your Own City

Frida Kahlo has been one of my favorite artists throughout my life for her bold choices in life and art. Her magical realism partnered with identity explorations of what it means to be a strong woman, especially in the art world, is so compelling. Friedensreich Hundertwasser is another personal favorite- his art and activism were amazing. He dedicated his life to a strong mission of ecological awareness which followed through in his art, even to the choices of materials he used to create his art (he made his own paints out of earth based dyes and substances). I was thrilled to see both of these artists appear in kid-friendly book versions - Frida and her life and art as a coloring/activity book (Coloring Book: Frida Kahlo), and Friedensreich Hundertwasser's art and architecture as stickers in a create-your-own city book.


These will totally be my go-to gifts for any upcoming birthday parties (they're inexpensive, too...). Wrap them up with cool paper and a bow, add some art supplies and you have a wonderful little bundle for any burgeoning little artist in your life.

Monday Mix: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Book Review

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Little Brown, $9.99)

I finally got a chance to sit down and read this book, which has been on my to-do list since it won the National Book Award, became one of the One Book, One Philadelphia choices, and was talked about in length on NPR with the wonderful Sherman Alexie. My favorite anecdote by Alexie during the interview was when he was talking about the many movie offers the book has had but how he won't do it unless they find a kid who can REALLY play basketball. He joked about not even caring if they were Indian, as long as they could play basketball right.

This book is definitely for young adults and older- there are some mature themes that might be too intense for some middle graders. Alexie's coming of age story of a high school boy named Junior (real name Arnold) from the Spokane reservation is both heart-wrenching and hilarious simultaenously. The comics drawn by Ellen Forney throughout the book are right on point. Simply put, life on the reservation is hard. Kids deal with alcoholism, poverty, and depression on a regular basis. When Junior decides on his own to attend a school outside of the reservation to get a better education he realizes how different his perspective is just by the amount of funerals he has attended in his young life. His white friends at his new school have barely lost any of their immediate and extended family. He has seen countless people close to him die. The balance of tragedy and humor is so solid. I was choked up with tears and smiling, finishing the book with countless sighs and silent prayers. I wish I had been able to read this book when I went to high school.

Monday Mix: To Market, To Market Book Review

To Market, To Market by Nikki McClure (Abrams Books for Young Readers, $17.95)

I will admit right away that the entire Big Blue Marble Bookstore are big fans of artist/author Nikki McClure. She's a self-taught artist and mama, interested in capturing the beauty in motherhood, the changing of the seasons, and living a sustainable and simple life. She works with an X-acto knife, creating intricate paper cuts. Her newest picture book is a gorgeous tribute to visiting the Olympia, Washington farmer's market every week. Her family's market list becomes a list of stories of gratitude to each person responsible for their basket of goodies- from the farmers who grow the dark green kale to the man who smokes salmon bought directly from local fishers to the artisan Yukie, who uses the indigo plant and wax to dye and then batik beautiful cloth napkins.

This book details what each person does to produce what ends up in your household. It's such an inspiring story to read and really contemplate what it takes to support a community, and almost depressing to read when you think of how little thought goes into these mass-produced and highly processed food products we take home every day. It's hard to buy all locally grown food and products when you're just trying to get by financially, but this book truly inspired me again to support my neighbors and embrace Philadelphia as much as we sustainably can.

Introducing the Monday Mix: Book Reviews, Quotes, Neighborhood Fun, and More Mishmash

Greetings Germantown Avenue Parents!

It's Maleka Fruean, mama of three, events coordinator at Big Blue Marble Bookstore in Mt. Airy, and Germantown resident. I'm introducing a new series of GAP posts I'll be doing on Mondays called the Monday Mix, filled with book reviews on new and older children's and parenting books arriving at the bookstore, quotes on parenting and kids, neighborhood fun in Germantown and beyond, and a mixture of other mishmash.

This Monday I'm starting with a short book review about a great little picture book that just arrived at the Big Blue Marble.


A Sick Day for Amos McGee
by Philip C. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, $16.99)

This book just won the 2011 Caldecott Medal! All of the staffers at the bookstore cooed over it as soon as it came in and when you read the story and look at the beautiful illustrations by Erin Stead you will see why. It's a simple and touching story of an older gentleman named Amos McGee, who has a daily routine of catching a bus, going to work at the zoo, and spending time with all of his good animal friends. His friends include the elephant who likes to play chess, a tortoise who wins every race, the rhino with a runny nose, a shy penguin who simply likes to sit quietly with him, and an owl who is afraid of the dark. They each have their daily routine with Amos, which is one day interrupted by him waking up with a cold. So the animals pack into a bus and visit Amos instead. It's adorable in every way- from the sparely colored illustrations to the friendships that Amos has with each animal. Highly recommended.

Summer Reading Program!

We are consistent library-goers, visiting our closest free library at least once, sometimes more than once a week. We've moved three times in the past five years but one thing has remained constant- we find our closest library and become a regular customer. All the security guards know us. Most of the librarians know us. This definitely helps when our library fines start stacking up from our piles of overdue books. But I digress.

Our main library love in these hot months (besides the awesome air conditioning) is the summer reading program happening at every branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. We LOVE the summer reading program. Your child doesn't have to be reading to join! Even if you are reading books to them, you can sign up and start listing each book you've read every week this summer. When you fill up your folder with stickers for every book you get little prizes like animal masks and sidewalk chalk and big prizes like free tickets to Clementon Park and free doughnuts from Dunkin' Donuts(that's big for us). My preschooler and almost kindergartener are beyond delighted when they get to fill up their summer reading program sheet and I ask them to tell me and the librarian about all the books we read that week. They are learning to be proud of all the "reading" they are doing. Adults can win prizes too, just for reading books to kids! Let's support our libraries all year long!

p.s. In 100 degree weather, I'd try to keep these kids in the library playing computer games, reading books, and winning prizes all afternoon!

New Summer Poetry Classes at Big Blue Marble Bookstore!

I asked local poet Jane Cassady why her new poetry classes this summer for kids at Big Blue Marble Bookstore can't be missed. Here's what she told me:

1. You can bring your kids to poetry class and have an hour for yourself to hang out in the bookstore or co-op or Springboard Studio or High Point Cafe, etc...
2. Because it's awesome arts and crafts poetry fun!
3. It's great vocabulary building and reading help.
4. We're going to put out an anthology at the end of the class so kids will be published poets by the end of the summer!

Check out the details:

Miss Jane's Poetry Club (for children 5-7 yrs) Tuesdays, June 29-August 10. (6 sessions--no class the week of Independence Day) 1pm-2pm

Fun with words! Each week, we will get inspired by poems and songs from poets of all ages and backgrounds. Using word games, arts and crafts, skits and other activities, we will learn new and exciting ways to express our amazing gifts. Poetry Club is an excellent way for kids to increase vocabulary, practice spelling, and receive extra reading help. At the end of the class, students will be published in a chapbook along with the other Big Blue Marble Poetry Classes. We'll have a festival to celebrate! 100.00 (includes supplies and copies of the poetry/art book.) Scholarships available. Pre-register at aesthetic52@yahoo.com, 215-432-4036.


Miss Jane's Poetry Club (for children 8-12 yrs) Wednesdays, June 30-August 11. (6 sessions, no class the week of Independence Day) 1pm-2pm


Fun with words! Each week, we will get inspired by poems and songs from poets of all ages and backgrounds. Using word games, arts and crafts, skits and other activities, we will learn new and exciting ways to express our amazing gifts. Poetry Club is also an excellent way for kids to increase vocabulary, practice spelling, and receive extra reading help. At the end of the class, we will be published in a chapbook along with the other Big Blue Marble Poetry Classes. We'll have a festival to celebrate! 100.00 (includes supplies and copies of the poetry/art book.) Scholarships available. Pre-register at aesthetic52@yahoo.com, 215-432-4036.

All of these will classes happen at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane, Philly, in the community room.

Jane Cassady is the booking maven for the Philadelphia Poetry Slam. She has appeared in The November 3rd Club, The Comstock Review, Valley of the Contemporary Poets, and other journals. She has performed at such venues as LouderArts in New York City, Valley Contemporary Poets in Los Angeles, and The Encyclopedia Show in Chicago. She has taught poetry to all ages from pre-K to adult, and believes in coaxing out everyone's unique poet voice.

The Hidden Park

Tucked behind a large mansion and beside the Germantown Post Office is a "secret" park- the Howell Park, open to the public and part of the Philadelphia Parks Alliance! This park really is a hidden treat. Walk down the driveway of what may look like private property (at 5215 Greene Street) and find a little parking area and an open field perfect for playing football, kickball, or any other sports that your backyard/small strip of grass may not be big enough for. Surrounding the open field are trees, shrubs, and all kinds of little flowers and plants that kids will have fun identifying or playing in. Bird-watching seems to be a good activity here too- the last time I took my little two-year-old son here we spent the whole time looking for birds calling to each other in various trees. This place is nice to have a picnic, relax in the sun, or just pretend that you're not smack dab in the middle of the city.


Find a nice neighbor that will be able to tell you the entire history of the park and how it ended up staying a public space in the neighborhood. Check out the mural next to the log bench. Sit daydreaming of what Philadelphia was like before the urban landscape took hold. Oh, and these beautiful pictures of the park were taken by Dana Scherer, of Bamboo Photography. She specializes in gorgeous portraits of children and families, and has taken several photo shoots in this park!

Big Blue Marble Bookstore's Bunch of Events for Kids!

Big Blue Marble Bookstore, Northwest Philadelphia's premiere spot for free, community events for children and adults, has a packed schedule this fall with events ranging from puppets plays to pirate parties, from excellent young adult readings to seminars teaching parents how they can pay for their child's education. Come check us out!

-Maleka Fruean, events coordinator at Big Blue Marble Bookstore


FOR KIDS:

Sunday, November 15, 11:00am and 11:45am. Waldorf Puppet Play! Join our special guest puppeteers from the Waldorf School of Philadelphia for a wonderful puppet show. One show at 11am and again at 11:45am. "The Little Boy Who Wanted To Be Carried Along All The Time" is a poem written by F.Ruckert and adapted for use as a puppet play by Suse Konig. It's a sweet tale of a boy and the adventures he encounters and how nothing is quite right until he safe in his Mother's arms. For ages 12 months to 5 years old.

Saturday, November 21, 3:00pm. Robox Reading and Robot Party! with Mark Rogalski. Join Mark Rogalski and Big Blue Marble Bookstore for a robot party and book reading celebrating the new book Robox, a robot story and build-your-own-robot kit!

Sunday, November 22, 1:00pm. Archie and the Pirates Reading and Pirate Party! with Marc Rosenthal. Join us for a pirate party and reading from Marc Rosenthal's newest picture book.

Sunday, December 6, 2:00pm. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus Reading/Kids' Event with Charles Santore. Join Big Blue Marble Bookstore in our cafe for milk and cookies and a reading by Charles Santore from his new book about all the adventures of Santa Claus. We'll have some art to color too!

FOR YOUNG ADULTS (AND ADULTS!):

Thursday, October 29, 7:00pm. Liar Conversation with Justine Larbalestier. Liar is a psychological thriller set in New York City told from the point of a compulsive liar who promises that this time there will be no more lies. Justine Larbalestier is the author of the Magic or Madness trilogy and How to Ditch Your Fairy. She is married to author Scott Westerfeld and divides her time between Sydney, Australia, and New York City. Justine blogs daily at www.justinelarbalestier.com/blog.

Friday, November 6, 7:00pm. Sugarless Reading with James Magruder. “Magruder is a writer of immense gifts, with a voice —smart, playful, lyrical, subtle, unsparing —utterly unlike anyone else’s.”—Tony Kushner, playwright of Angels in America. Things look bad for Rick Lahrem, a high school sophomore in a cookie-cutter Chicago suburb in 1976. His mother’s second husband is a licensed psychologist who eats like an ape, his stepsister is a stoner slut, and his father is engaged to a Southern belle. Rick’s only solace is his growing collection of original Broadway-cast LPs, bought on the sly at Wax Trax. After he brings two girls in speech class to tears by reading a story aloud, Rick is coaxed onto the interscholastic forensics team to perform an eight-minute dramatic interpretation of The Boys in the Band, the controversial sixties play about homosexuality. Unexpectedly successful at this oddball event, Rick begins winning tournaments and making friends with his teammates.

Thursday, November 19, 7:00pm. Big Blue Young Adult Readings and Discussion with Catherine Gilbert Murdock and Delia Sherman. Catherine Gilbert Murdock is the author of the Dairy Queen trilogy, featuring the determined D.J. Schwenk, which comes to its conclusion in the brand new Front and Center. Catherine is local to the Philly area and is also the author of the fantasy Princess Ben. Delia Sherman is the author of Changeling, the story of Neef, the official mortal changeling of Central Park, and its recently released sequel The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen. She is also co-editor of the "interstitial fiction" collections Interfictions and Interfictions 2 (due out November 3).

FOR PARENTS:

Wednesday, October 28, 10:30am. Paying For Your Child's Education Financial Seminar with Edward Jones Financial Group. Parents, stop by for this free seminar from the folks at Edward Jones Financial Group that details how you can create a financial plan to pay for your children's education through the years.

Thursday, November 5, 7:00pm. Raising a Left-Brain Child in a Right-Brain World Reading with Dr. Katharine Beals. Bright, eccentric, and often socially awkward, so-called left-brain children often have talents and inclinations that lean heavily toward the logical, linear, analytical, and introverted side of the human psyche--what is commonly referred to as the "left brain"--as opposed to the "right brain" which is our emotional, holistic, intuitive, and extroverted side. Left-brain kids are often found on the margins of the classroom and the playground, the ones who tend not to fit in with their peers but have rich interior and intellectual lives. Join us for an evening with Dr. Katharine Beals whose research and interviews with parents and children, has led to a new understanding of left-brain kids and practical strategies for nurturing and supporting them, both at school and at home.

All events take place at Big Blue Marble Bookstore in our cafe, 551 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119 (right near the Weavers Way Co-op). All events are free and open to everyone.

Philly Spells Writing Center Presents "Write Your Own Fairy Tale!"

You may have heard of bestselling author Dave Eggers (What is the What, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) or you may have heard of his excellent writing center in the Mission district of San Francisco, 826 Valencia, that gets kids ages 6-18 excited about writing and helps teachers inspire their students in the literary arts.

The creativity and inspiration of both Eggers and 826 Valencia is heading to Philadelphia in the form of Philly Spells Writing Center, a wonderfully welcoming, unabashedly wacky world of self-expression. Their mission is to excite young people about all forms of writing through wacky and wonderful programs. They open their physical space in 2010 but offer free workshops throughout the year to the public, schools, and youth-based programs. They'll be working hard throughout the city to raise funds to open the center, but in the meantime Germantown Avenue parents can support the cause right in our own neighborhood!

“Once upon a time, a little boy lived in a big city, on a medium-sized street, in a tiny house. One summer afternoon, he walked out of his front door…”

And THEN what happened?

Bring your budding – or resistant – writers to finish this story or start one of their very own! Join Spells for Write Your Own Fairy Tale, a free wonderful and wacky writing workshop. Led by educator and author Angelina Sciolla, the program culminates with each child writing a unique timeless tale.

SPELLS WRITING CENTER PRESENTS
Write Your Own Fairy Tale
Saturday, July 11, 2009
2pm-4pm
Big Blue Marble Books
551 Carpenter Lane
Cost: Free!*
Best for children in grades 2-6, but open for all ages.

*Space is limited! Call 267-670-0869 or email write@phillyspells.org to reserve yours now. And please check out their fabulous website for event updates, information on writing programs, and how to donate to this wonderful new writing venture!

Tennis

As the weather gets warmer and warmer I've been thinking about tennis-- a sport I used to do as a kid and absolutely loved. I never took lessons and never got very good at it but I adored taking up the racket and hitting the ball as hard as I could, and then trying different swings, imitating Andre Agassi as I played.

It got me thinking about tennis courts in this area, and on my walk to Germantown Pediatrics the other day I went past the Woodford Tennis Club, right on Wister Street in Germantown, tucked behind large trees with a beautiful, gigantic house in the front. I didn't get a chance to walk through and check out what it was all about but if this intrigues you like it intrigued me, I suggest looking at this website list of Philadelphia Tennis Courts where there are listings for an Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center and more in and around this area.

Let me know if you find any free tennis lessons for children or tennis camps. Heck, let me know if there are tennis groups for moms who are reminiscing about their past sporty selves too.

And of course, you can always just stop by Allen's Lane Playground and try and reserve a tennis court there. Happy swinging!

Hansberry Garden and Nature Center Flea Market

Hansberry Garden and Nature Center is a beautiful community garden located on the corner of Wayne Avenue and Hansberry Street in the Germantown neighborhood. Its membership consists of wonderful neighbors with diverse backgrounds and gardening experience ranging from absolute beginners to experts.







They'll be holding their first Flea Market for the season on Saturday, May 9, 2009, from 10:00am-4:00pm, with a special plant sale for Mother's Day, an absolutely amazing selection of kids' books, adult fiction/non-fiction, and much more for prices as low as 25 cents, and an eccentric variety of flea market finds (toys, clothes, electronics, oddities) for great prices. There will also be a baked goods sale, a garden cafe selling refreshments, and an assortment of flea market vendors with tables packed with goodies.


This is so fun to take the kids to because the garden is such a family-friendly space- it's enclosed from traffic and has plenty of places for children to run around, toys to climb on, and plants to admire. I love taking my children for the morning, finding some great deals on children's picture books while they run around the garden plots. They get a special sweet treat made with love by one of the neighbors as we leave and everybody's happy.


Hansberry Garden will hold flea markets every second Saturday from May until September so if you miss this one be sure to check out next month's. This year they'll also be holding free gardening workshops from local garden enthusiasts during the flea markets, and possible kids' activities too. So come support local gardens and community with your family!


*Membership to the garden is only $15 a year (plus a small amount of work which can be joining a committee, attending meetings, and/or working a few hours in the garden) and members are given their very own plot to grow flowers or vegetables in this chemical-free community garden.

Mt. Airy Kids' Literary Festival- This Weekend!

Greetings Germantown Avenue Parents!

I'm Maleka Fruean, the events coordinator at Big Blue Marble Bookstore and mama of two children in the Germantown neighborhood. I'd like to invite you all to the biggest book event for kids in the Northwest- the Mt. Airy Kids' Literary Festival. It's completely free, has events and activities for toddlers/preschoolers all the way up to young adults, and will take place all this weekend. The entire festival will take place at the Big Blue Marble Bookstore. See the fully updated schedule below:

Friday, April 17

4:00pm - Afterschool Plantings with Mark Goodman!
Kids get to help spruce up the Big Blue Marble Bookstore's porch with help from Mark Goodman, owner of Earthcraft Landscaping, based in Mt. Airy.

7:00pm - Reading and Concert with Baby Loves Jazz author Andy Blackman Hurwitz and special musical guests.

Saturday, April 18

10:30am - Eco Kids Earth Cooking Experience with Atsuko Quirk.

Let your little ones explore a simple hands-on cooking experience with Atsuko Quirk, author of Tiny Hands Cooking: Complete Guide to Cooking With Kids 1 to 3 Years Old and founder of the Eco Kids Playgroup, which teaches preschoolers about healthy and nutritious ways to have fun with food. We'll make "cookie cut-out veggie salad"! You can cut out veggies in all kinds of shapes with cookie cutters. Heart, bear, airplane... make your own salad with your favorite shapes!

12:00pm - Juggles the Clown and his special clown show.

1:00pm - Storytelling with Debra Johnson.
2:00pm - Reading with Betty Tatham, author of Penguin Chick.

3:00pm - Jump Rope Making with the Waldorf School of Philadelphia/Bookmark Making with Big Blue Marble.

Outside on the sidewalk join the Waldorf community in making very cool jump ropes with yarn. (This activity depends on the weather.) In our community room we'll be making your own special bookmarks for keeping in all your favorite books. We'll be using lots of different materials!

4:00pm - Reading with Tonya Cherie Hegamin, author of M+O 4EVR and Most Loved in All the World: A Story of Freedom.

Sunday, April 19

11:00 - Storytelling with Milt Cohen.

12:00pm - Bookmark Making with Big Blue Marble.
Join us again on Sunday for a lunch time craft. In our community room we'll be making your own special bookmarks for keeping in all your favorite books. We'll be using lots of different materials!

1:00 - Reading with Rebekah Barlow Rounce, author of Pancakes with Chocolate Syrup.

2:00 - Reading with Anne Sibley O'Brien, co-author of After Ghandi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance.

Hope to see you and the kids there for this weekend of fun!

-Maleka

Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia(Mt. Airy), PA 19119, 215-844-1870