The Berenstain Bears: Trick or Treat by Stan and Jan Berenstain
1989
Weight: 3.5 oz
Method of Disposal: Donated
I can only begin to describe my childhood love for the Berenstain Bears, and my two favorite books, which I have held onto all of this time. Trick or Treat and No Girls Allowed. I have always loved Halloween, dressing up in costumes, animals. It is no stretch that I would be in love with tiny bears, wearing clothes, and performing childlike dramas. The illustrations were the best part, but each book has a lesson, of course. I am confident the Berenstain Bears helped me develop my empathy and my love for reading.
Halloween is upon us, y'all. I am struggling to decide what costumes Harriet and I will be wearing this year! It's the most wonderful time of the year...
This is another book that is in such poor shape that I cannot donate it. The truth is that it was already falling apart when I came into possession of it, and it has only grown worse with each move. I did want to read it before letting it go though so it was the last book I read in my time off after surgery.
It was a very sad book. Not the whole time you are reading it, though from the beginning you know the ending will be tragic. You just do not know how yet. The tragedy of this book is not some shocking, never heard it before, cannot imagine it happening sort of thing, but something that feels much more common and, maybe because of that, even heavier.
The book is told from the point of view of a 9 year old girl and much of it is about her feelings and thoughts about a misunderstood boy, who would now likely be diagnosed with autism, but at the time was just seen as different, and even scary to many people in the town. Though the people that actually knew him knew that he was very gentle. You could tell by how he loved animals and they loved him. I cannot say much more without spoiling the book. Ultimately, I think the author was giving us a snapshot into what it was like for girls and women, for people with autism, for people in different class systems, and for people in general at the turn of the 20th century. As always, when looking at history, there are moments of nostalgia and plenty of good things happening, but some things can seem unnecessarily bleak due to the customs and beliefs of the time. It is still haunting in that those customs continue to shadow us today and are not completely gone.
Cootie Shots: Theatrical Inoculations Against Bigotry for Kids, Parents, and Teachers: Plays, Poems, and Songs Edited by Norma Bowles with Mark E. Rosenthal 2000 Weight: 1.9 lbs Method of Disposal: Donating
I am not an educator, and I do not work with children. I am confident that I would not be the best person to review this book. What I do like, is having helpful conversations with kids about race, ability, sexuality, gender, consent, age, and culture instead of acting like every person is the same and that you need to see no differences. This way of thinking hinders children, as they exist in a world where racism, sexism, ableism, etc DOES exist and then they do not have the words or comfort level to further explore and understand this. If we do not have the language, we cannot learn and progress.
This book offers playful ways to get children talking and learning about diversity. You know it is going to be good when one reviewer claims it will cause gender confusion in children and encourage cross-dressing! Mostly this book receives 5 star reviews, and it looks like that particular reviewer was never inoculated. Do you see what can happen?
It is no secret that, in general, Americans do not have a healthy connection with death and dying. I sure do not and have been looking for tools and resources on my own in an attempt to get more comfortable with the most uncomfortable of subjects. I always think I am preparing myself, but there is no preparation and it is jarring and disorienting in the largest, most earth shaking ways when death touched you, even on the periphery. I am scared to face the death of my loved ones, but I am also determined to be better at being supportive of those I love who are grieving. Unfortunately, it is not something that you can learn from reading a handbook, and it is not something you can protect yourself from.
I did not pick up this book to learn about death. I picked up this book to revisit the work of Judy Blume as an adult, and I had also never read Tiger Eyes. I recognized the style right away, even though I did not know the story. Tiger Eyes is about a teenager who loses her father to violence and her struggle to overcome depression, anxiety, and grief afterwards. She must do this within a family of other people who are also grieving. She wants and needs her mother, but her mother is lost in despair too. She is not always her best self and neither are her mom, her aunt, her uncle, but they are also not their worst selves. They are just hurting people.
I think young adult books like this, centered heavily on character development, are so helpful and important to our emotional growth. Young adults do not always feel comfortable asking questions and, if they are like I was, they would not even always know what to ask. You are learning so much so fast, and what you are learning is not just your school curriculum. If a young adult will read and wants to read, they can learn without fear of judgement, without having to know what is right and wrong to ask, and you are just led through it without even realizing you are learning. Learning by experience even if you, personally, are not the one doing the experiencing. Do not get me wrong, you do not read Tiger Eyes and then become a person who knows what it is like to grieve, but you do develop empathy and concern. There is a template, if you ever need to see one again or if you needed one to begin with, that shows you that there is still life after the death of a loved one. Books like this one do not make everything better, but their value is subtle and that value collects in your brain, with all the other information you have gained from life, from other books, from other people. Thank you, Judy Blume, for tackling the hard stuff, even though it is not easy to face the darkness.
Asia and Kiara's Magic Rock Oletha Broussard 1998
Curious George: Goes to a Costume Party Margaret and H.A. Rey's 2001
Curious George: Goes to School Margaret and H.A. Rey's 1989
Peanuts: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Charles M. Schulz 2001
\
I love children's books. I obviously do not need them, but I do love them. My dear friend Sarah use to read me Curious George when we worked at Waldenbooks together, and I loved every second of it. And who can resist a beagle and a giant pumpkin, Charlie Brown? My wife. That's who. The sole person who does not like Peanuts. Anyway, maybe these will make their way to a kid so they can be read 35 times instead of 2-3 times like they have been here.
Walt Disney Presents The Story of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby 1971
Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan pictures by Byron Barton 1981
Weight: 3 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating
These two are books that my grandparents read to me. They were not the ones I had them read to me again and again. I am not yet ready to pass on "Kittens," which I grew up believing was entitled "Kitty Cats are Like That" or "Puppies." Those two books I will be taking with me to the new house. I wonder how many moves they have been through!
I was reading these two one more time before I let them go and found this relic from my teenage-dom:
That made me happy :) I may just take Mulder on the move too!
The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby (2002)
2 X The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book O' Fun (2001)
Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People (2006)
Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Voodoo Vultures from Venus (2001)
Weight: 1 lb
Method of Disposal: Donating
I love Dav Pilkey.
I also love Captain Underpants.
I developed a fascination with all books Dav Pilkey while working in the children's department at Barnes and Noble. I liked to read anything that was popular with the kids to see what they may or may not be picking up. I liked to know what they liked versus what their parent's liked. I enjoyed seeing the adult observations that were innocently masked by childlike humor in Pilkey's books. In one of these Captain Underpants books the characters observe that when you are tiny your parents make a huge deal out of your going to the bathroom, smiling and praising you. Then, years later they yell at you for talking about it out loud. The characters find the adults to be unpredictable and unreasonable. It is amusing because it is also true. The whole point here is that you should read Captain Underpants if you read nothing else by Dav Pilkey.
Boy's Life by Robert McCammon
1992
Weight: 9 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating to the AKS
This book was recommended to me almost ten years ago. I was working at Barnes and Noble and a woman that I absolutely respected, who had very different taste than me, highly recommended this book. I bought it right away, but it took me a long time to actually read it. I finally did this summer, and I really enjoyed it--despite the fact that it is not my usual style at all. It will sound ridiculous, but it had everything from murder to streaking to dogs to camping to lust to racism to ghosts to magic to teenage boys to hunting to loss to family to underwater monsters...to on and on. It is hard to imagine that he packed it all in there, but he did. It is almost like someone challenged him. Write a novel...and include all this crazy shit...and make it readable. Like magic, you get Boy's Life.
The Butter Battle Book by Dr Suess
1984
Weight: 12.4 oz
Method of Disposal: Gave to Lucas, Sarah's baby
This is one of my favorite Dr Suess books, though any close friend of mine knows that I am absolutely smitten with the Sneetches. My dear friend Sarah and I use to work at a bookstore together and sometimes, when things were slow, we would read each other children's books. She would make up her own words to Curious George, and it would crack me up. She talked to me about all the political implications of Dr Suess, which encouraged my lifelong fascination with the man, the literature, and the cartoons.
We were talking about Lucas' book collection and how it was missing some of the essentials, and she mentioned The Butter Battle Book. I would have had trouble letting this one go, but knowing it was going to Little Lucas was perfect. I will never have kids of my own to pass these books and thoughts onto, but I now have a lot of kids in my life who can benefit.
By now, you have probably read The Butter Battle Book but, if you haven't or if it has been awhile, go check it out at the library or go to a bookstore. The lesson of the book and the history is so obvious, and it is scary, but it is also wonderful. It is a great way to teach kids about peace.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Unknown year of publication—I didn’t write it down before I passed it on
Weight: 10 oz
Method of Disposal: Gave to my manager, Tara
Since starting this project, I have been getting more and more special requests for books, and I love it. In some cases, I can just hand the book over right then and there. Other times, I read it real fast and then hand it over. It is a fun challenge to try to find the book if I have it, and I often do have it. Tara happened to see something about Huckleberry Finn on 60 minutes and asked me if I had it. Of course! I grew up with Mark Twain. My mother and my school made sure I read Twain. It was not yet banned for any potential racism.
I can still find endless amounts of value in Mark Twain and know I will always be able to. He was a funny and intelligent man with a lot to offer.
Hamster (ASPCA Pet Care Guides for Kids) by Mark Evans 1993 Weight: 9.6 oz. Method of Disposal: Donating
On April 5, 2011 a beautiful, clean, and curious Black-eyed Cream Syrian hamster named Ditto passed away in her hut at an old age, 2.5 years. We do not know what the start of her life was like, who her mom was, or much about her before she arrived at one of the big name pet stores. We can surmise that she went through a lot as a tiny puppy and was lucky(?) to be alive by the time she arrived at the retail store. PETA exposed cruelty at a major small pet supplier, and it was all over the news just last year. I am not always a fan of PETA but, in this instance, I am thankful for their undercover footage. I also know, from talking to multiple friends who worked at these retail chains, that life in the store was not idyllic either. Many hamsters never made it out alive, they got sick and received little to no treatment, or were sold to people who did not have the best of intentions. I remember one story about someone’s first month on the job. This particular store requires that you fill out a form to buy a hamster, stating that the animal will not be used as feeder. A man turned in the form stating he was No Body from Somewhere, Ga. The manager said there was nothing they could do and to let it go. There were worse stories about animals suffocating in too close quarters and arriving dead or injured.
A woman decided she would purchase her young son a hamster to teach him about responsibility. Ditto was chosen from her litter. She was given a name (Sandy) and taken home. She lived with this family for about a year, but when the woman realized she was pregnant she spoke with her doctor who told her she could no longer clean her cage, and there was no one else who could help her. She knew it would be even more difficult when she was recovering from her C-Section. She placed an ad to get rid of her and all her things for free. We made plans to meet. I picked Ditto up in a public parking lot. I had wanted a hamster, but I knew I would never be able to buy another one from the pet store. I was thankful to have her in my life. I was told that she was not big into being handled and knew to crawl into her running ball when it was time for her to leave the cage. I drove her home. She was scared and angry.
My friend, Skye, was the first person who would be able to lure her into their hands, later that same night, and I was the next. She was a sweet girl, after all, she was just terrified and had been through quite a lot in her short life. I threw out the cage I had been given for free and all of its components. I could not get the urine smell out of it, and so we started with a fresh cage. I named her Ditto after the most fabulous Beth Ditto, a strong woman for sure. She had plenty of treats, toys, and nests. She always had food, water, and a clean cage. She often roamed the house in her ball, running alongside my dog Sergei (who ignored her or was slightly scared of her) and some of my foster babies. She loved papaya treats above all others. My friend, Jasmin, once startled her while she was asleep and she promptly bit her finger, causing her to bleed, but she never hurt anyone else. Jasmin still hates her to this day. She escaped once and was caught in the act once. The first time, I was beside myself with worry and was frantic for hours, trying to find her. She chewed up the carpet, tore up some insulation, and left sunflower seed shells in various corners, but I did find her eventually. I was worried about her for days, but she continued living for a long time after that. The next time I caught her she was tightrope walking right beside her cage. I fixed it to where she could not escape again. I lamented her lack of freedom, but I had to protect her from the dogs and potential toxins.
Ditto was less social than my other rescued hamsters, and it would take just a little patience and time to gain her trust. I have always respected that in an animal, and it seems reasonable considering her rocky start. She was intelligent, curious, and energetic. She made me laugh. I felt an overwhelming amount of love for her.
She is now buried and gone, but I will never forget what an amazing little rodent and friend she was.
I am donating the ASPCA book in hopes that a parent and child will read it together before adopting a hamster. So often, parents think a hamster is a good starter pet, but they do not realize how fragile they can be. This is an excellent book explaining how to care for your buddy, describing what makes hamsters so incredible, and encouraging a healthy life overall for the little rodents. It tells you everything you need to know and more.
INTERESTING HAMSTER FACTS FROM THE BOOK: -In the wild, hamsters run as much as 5 miles in a night. -Hamsters can have up to 16 nipples—large litters! -Hamsters have 16 teeth in that tiny little mouth. -The Siberian hamster became a pet in 1940, not that long ago. The smaller hamsters, like Roborovsky’s were even more recently introduced. -Dwarf hamsters and Chinese hamsters like to live in pairs, but Syrians cannot live together after they are 5 months old. They will fight each other.
Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton 2006 So-Big Whale by Sheryl Berk 2000 The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone 1999 Curious George’s Are You Curious? Illustrations by H.A. Rey 1998 Walt Disney’s Peter Pan and Wendy 1981 Oh The Thinks You Can Think by Dr Seuss 1975 The Digging-est Dog by Al Perkins 1967 The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders by Jack Prelutsky 2002 Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems 2006 My Mama Says There Aren’t Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things by Judith Viorst 1973
Weight: 5 lbs Method of Disposal: Giving to my niece, Isabella
I met my niece for the first time two days ago, and I am on track to see her again one more time tonight before she heads back to Colorado. I have collected some books for her, though I am not all that sure that the parents will want an additional 5 lbs of luggage. The prices keep going up on what you can carry. If not, I will ship it to her in the next couple weeks. I have put some incredible ones in the mix, despite the fact that I debated with myself all morning about whether or not I could let them go. I finally came to the conclusion that THE ONLY person who could have them other than me is Isabelle. So, I am a little selfish when it comes to my books—you should know that by now.
The two I had the most difficult time letting go of were Edwina and The Monster at the End of This Book. Edwina is a wonderful, modern, story about a dinosaur and the kid that cannot get along with her because he just knows she must be extinct. One of my favorite moments in the book is when Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie holds up a sign in protest that states, “This is not happening.” The Monster at the End of this Book is probably on my top ten favorite books of all time list. It is so much fun to read to kids, and they seem to love hearing it. I did. The graphics AND words are incredible. Grover tries so hard to stop you from turning each page, as he is afraid of the monster at the end of the book. This makes it an interactive book, and you are quickly drawn in—particularly if the story teller does a good job.
The So-Big Whale book is a plush book that I bought when I was 16 and have been saving for just the right child. I just like that it is a stuffed book. Madeleine, my dog, likes that too, unfortunately. I thought the Judith Viorst book was appropriate since it is almost Halloween. Peter Pan and Curious George were just to add some variety. I do not feel much of an attachment to them, though Peter Pan has my cousin’s childish handwriting scrolled across the back which is pretty cool. I added Your Personal Penguin because I LOVE Sandra Boynton and Penguins. I had been saving it for the perfect woman, but I am thinking that Isabella is just that. Not what I expected, but even better I suppose. The Thinks You Can Think encourages imagination and has fun pictures. The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders is full of short poems because kids should be introduced to fun poetry early.
The Digging-est Dog was mine as a child. I remember being in bed and falling asleep to my grandmother reading it. My name is written on the inside, in huge, fumbling, and insecure kid letters. I loved the dog in the book. He was a good dog gone bad. He had been kept unfairly cooped up and when he was free he just let loose and dug up the entire city to everyone’s dismay. I like that this dog was misunderstood, yelled at, and then understood/redeemed. They found a way to make his digging useful so that everyone was happy and that dog never had to go back to being in a cage again. There are a lot of adults who could learn from this book.
So, that’s it. 5 lbs of brilliant, life-changing literature for a tiny little girl who is growing older and bigger each and every day. I hope she enjoys chewing on them, falling asleep midway through them, and pointing out all the colorful animals in them while Rusty or Ann Marie try to read the actual text to her. Once these are devoured there are many more to come.
