Curious George Goes Camping

 Curious George Goes Camping by Margaret and H.A. Rey's
1999
Weight: 7 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating

I was packing up some home supplies and deciding what to donate, what to trash, what to recycle, and what to keep.  I have not been able to bring myself to throw out my camping supplies, despite not having gone camping in the last 8 years.  I am determined that Harriet will try it at least once.  We have used some of the items when the power has gone out or when we have, for some odd reason or another, had an unusual sleeping arrangement.  Like, when our senior dog had an accident in bed.  Poor girl could not help it, but we had to seek refuge.  

H is bound and determined that camping is not for her, and I am afraid she is 100% right, but it is worth a shot!  Right?  

This is a children's book about a curious little monkey that wanders away from camp.  "There is a lesson about forest fires--'Fires can be nice, if you're careful,' said the ranger.  George agreed.  Especially for roasting marshmallows."

Cherry

Cherry by Mary Karr
2000
Weight: 12 oz
Method of Disposal: Lending Library

Coming of Age stories, like the previously written about coming out story, are hard because they are done by so many people in so many different ways.  It can feel like you have read them over and over again.  The time this is written is also important for context.  18 years ago. 

I was enjoying it but not overly blown away by it.  I totally appreciated the young narrator reveling in her sexual power, but I felt like I was watching her fall into low self-esteem, drugs, bad situations with little consequence and not a lot of insight into the reasons she was spiraling out.  We did get the impression that it was due to her parents not being overly concerned with her life, though they were there for her in very important and big ways when it counted.  Her dad is painted as having some anger issues, and her mom does at one point attempt to kill herself with both daughters begging her not to.

 It was not until the author, or maybe it was the letter at the front, someone anyway, pointed out that it was a sexual coming of age story written from a girl's perspective that I felt that old familiar rallying cry of pro-sex feminism rise up within me.  I had forgotten that we have for so long not been able to read young girl characters as sexual agents in their own story.  That we've had coming of ages stories for boys out the wazoo but not for girls.  So, I can respect it for that.  I don't know when life started ti improve enough that I forgot that, but I remember being a young girl now and hating Holden Caulfield and feeling like I could not relate to any coming of age story ever written.  Given, as a super lesbian teen, I probably would not have related so much to this one either, but I can appreciate it's importance.  I was busting with sexuality back then, but it was in a very different way, I think.

One complaint I did have was that I did not feel like there was a real ending, and I felt like the writing there was kind of rushed.  I wished for something more, but I am not sure what it was.  There was just this hippie, drug-induced, whatever whatever that ended in jail and then Mary's mom came to the rescue in a way that still made Mary feel angry and isolated.  I guess with it being a memoir, maybe that is just real life?  I don't know.

Rechenka's Eggs

Rechenka's Eggs Written and Illustrated by Patricia Polacco
1996
Weight: 4 oz
Method of Disposal: Lending Library

There seems to be an International theme to my children's books that I do not remember.  Here is a story about an old grandmother who lives alone in the country and paints eggs for the Easter Festival.  A goose is shot down by a hunter, and she takes her in to nurse her back to health.  She names her Rechenka.  Another vegetarian story for me!  Not vegan though.  Rechenka repays the old lady by laying her an egg every morning for breakfast.  Then, in another turn, she wins a feather blanket by bringing Rechenka's eggs to the festival.  Rechenka flies away, back into the wild, but leaves the Babushka a hatching egg so she will have a friend for always.

This book is a great introduction to Russia--a child can learn Russian words, see a little about the art and culture, and even see a bit of architecture!  I do think this is one of those books adults may like a little more than children though.

Aaaarrgghh! Spider!

Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks
2007
Weight: 7 oz
Method of Disposal: Lending Library in Tucker

This is a super cute children's book, and I do not like spiders at all.  This book is probably, in part, created to change the minds of people like me, and it may have worked a little.  This attention seeking spider is adorable.  The pictures are great and the story is fun.  It makes you think differently about spiders you see in the bath tub, spiders making webs, and spiders dropping down right in front of you.  Maybe they are just trying to dance for you!