Amy Loves Books

In the middle of the city, there is this wall:

Labels: save as draft

Today, in the space of about six hours, I had a chance to meet four bloggers. This morning, I met the beautiful Jane for a few hours in the Atlanta airport. We were joined by Abe, an Atlanta-area blogger.

After lunch, my family and I met up with Emily Jane and Anna at the High museum. The two of them even indulged my kids by joining them in the Toddler Thursday art workshop in the downstairs studio. Afterwards, we saw Van Gogh together.

All in all, I will end 2004 having met seven bloggers in "real life". It is a joy and a blessing to sit and talk with new friends who feel like old friends. Thank you for visiting me.

Arden's Van Gogh impersonation:


Arden's art from the Toddler Thursday studio:

Labels: save as draft

Today, someone found my blog by searching for the string "Mistress Sparkler".

Who is this Mistress Sparkler?, I had to ask myself. And how might I become her?

So, I did my own Google search, and I fear that Mistress Sparkler may be the name of someone or something having to do with bondage. I was too creeped out to look very closely.

Then again, it could be that the anonymous searcher was actually looking for Mrs. Sparkler - from the novel Little Dorrit. (After all, they did click through to some site called Amy Loves Books .)

If so, there may be hope for me. I am not a big fan of Dickens, but I am afraid that I have been known to resemble Mrs. Sparkler on more than one occasion:

"Mrs Sparkler, lying on her sofa, looking through an open window at the opposite side of a narrow street over boxes of mignonette and flowers, was tired of the view.  

Mrs Sparkler, looking at another window where her husband stood in the balcony, was tired of that view.  

Mrs Sparkler, looking at herself in her mourning, was even tired of that view: though, naturally, not so tired of that as of the other two."

From Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

In 1972, my mother took this photograph of me and made it into a Christmas card. In the picture, I am gazing at the figures in the nativity with the wonder and reverence. I am a minister's daughter, and I grew up loving this picture. It seemed to represent everything that was good and pure. In this moment, I was beautiful and innocent.

It was not until a few years ago that I noticed something troubling about my beloved Christmas picture. There, in the lower left hand corner, next to the wise men, is a little red gnome. In front of the manger, there is some sort of red plastic whistle. And the question I ask myself now is this: When my parents proudly took this photograph, was I actually looking at Jesus or was I more interested in a toy gnome?

I used to love this picture because I thought it showed me being sweet, good, and holy. That was before I noticed the toys.

But, I still love this picture. I might even love it more now. I love it because it is so true. This is the real me, and this is the struggle of my life - to keep my eyes off the red whistles and gnomes I find so attractive and focus my heart, mind, and eyes on Christ.

With love and wishes for a beautiful morning.

always,
amy

Labels: save as draft

I expected that the translation of Series of Unfortunate Events from book to film would disappoint me. I was pleasantly surprised.

I'm not a big fan of Jim Carrey, and I was afraid that the tone of the film would be wrong. I have read reviews that complained that the film was either too scary for kids who had not read the books, or not scary enough: turning Count Olaf into a silly caricature of a villain rather than a genuine threat. I would argue that the film captures both the atmosphere and the heart of the books. The novels work because they mix adventure (you believe that the kids are in real danger) with a wicked sense of dark humor. At the same time, there is an underlying hopefulness about the books. Yes; Violet, Klaus, and Sunny have lives that are a series of unfortunate events - but you know that Violet will always find a way to tie up her hair and invent something, or Klaus will have read a book that holds a solution, or Sunny will put her biting ability to good use.

I thought the movie might be entertaining, but I did not expect it to be as emotionally moving as it was. There are not many books or films for children with the message that life will be full of hardship and sadness - but it is always possible, even in the darkest places, to find sanctuary.

Approaching the Reptile Room

Labels: save as draft

When Arden got old enough to comprehend the whole Christmas concept, I had one of those parental ethical crisis moments. What was I going to do about Santa?

This may not be a traumatic decision for every parent - but for me, it carried almost as much stress and emotional baggage as trying to decide whether or not to have my son circumcised. I have enough of a southern, Pentecostal heritage to get nervous around Santa and Halloween. I've known people who did not allow images of Santa on wrapping paper, lest it interfere with the "true meaning of Christmas". Santa never really felt theologically dangerous to me though. I could not see keeping Santa from my kids because the baby Jesus would not be able to compete with the jolly old elf. Instead, my Santa dilemma was rooted in my own childhood.

I don't know when I stopped believing in Santa, but it was early. It was Toys for Tots that made me suspicious. If Santa appeared in every living room with a bag of toys, why did they have Toys for Tots? Did Santa like rich kids better than poor kids? And what about the starving kids? (Growing up among hippies in the seventies, I was always hyper-aware of starving children in the third world. I was the only kid in kindergarten who wore a boycott Nestle button to school). It seemed wrong that Santa was bringing a bunch of toys when there were starving kids. I had serious ethical problems with the whole Santa thing.

It was not just the whole poor kid/rich kid present discrepancy that made me begin to doubt Santa; I was also suspicious of the myriad of Santa's in the various malls. They all looked different. And anyway, shouldn't Santa be making toys so close to Christmas, rather than sitting among fake snow having elf girls take his picture? I made a list of my Santa complaints and brought them before my parents. You're right, they told me. There is no real Santa Claus.

They warned me that other kids did believe in Santa, and so I played along for years. Santa was just a nice story, like Cinderella. It was never a big deal.

Somehow, I wanted to allow my kids an opportunity to believe in Santa without making it a big deal. I did not want to go into any effort to get them to believe in something that they would eventually learn was not true. I did not want to jingle sleigh bells at midnight. I was willing to dispose of cookies and milk, but I was not about to nibble reindeer carrots or do anything else to perpetuate a belief in Santa.

So, I told my kids about Santa. Remembering my own problems with Santa, I adjusted the story slightly to cover the whole Toys for Tots/mall Santa problem. I told them that Santa only brought one present to each child. We buy angel tree gifts each year for kids because their parents don't have money to buy them other gifts, and Santa brings each child one thing. The mall Santas were like angels unaware. They were not really Santa. They were just people pretending to be Santa that the mall paid. Santa was busy making toys. Still, every now and then Santa did stop in just because he loved kids so much - so you never knew. It might actually be Santa.

I told them this story and did not make it a big deal. We don't have any Santa decorations in our house. We don't read Santa books. I figured this would be a good compromise. I'd allow Santa but it would never be a big deal. I expected that in a year or two, they would outgrow the idea and figure it out.

Instead, I have two kids that are completely convinced that Santa is real. My son is in the third grade and he still believes in Santa. My daughter, who is usually very skeptical and analytical, has voiced no suspicions about the reality of Santa Claus. I never wanted them to believe so long. I keep waiting for them to figure it out.

Evidently, I unknowingly told the perfect version of a Santa myth. I covered the objections that get kids to stop believing.

You never know.........

Labels: save as draft

Labels: save as draft

East Point Chemical Spill

umm. yeah. that would be my neighborhood.

and these are words that i spoke this morning:
"look, i just want coffee, and a shower - and then i'll evacuate"

little ms. homeland security in action

Labels: save as draft

Labels: save as draft

there used to be a strip club in atlanta that catered to the rich and famous. my husband would drive past it on his way to work and pray that, somehow, it would get shut down. a few years ago, his prayer was answered.

on saturday, i stopped by an art sale and found a necklace that had been made with a piece of a champagne bottle from the defunct club. it came with a certificate of authenticity signed by a federal marshall. i think it is going to be my favorite necklace.

saturday was a good day:

i ate french toast at the flying biscuit with my beautiful friend roar,

took a picture of a red leaf (in my backyard) that reminded me of the o. henry story i loved as a child,


found a green futon at a yard sale for ten dollars,

sat on the couch under a blanket and read aloud to my kids,

went grocery shopping and had lily tell me (while we were in the produce aisle) that there is a boy she likes at school: "named miles. his name rhymes with smiles. he has hair like the top of a coconut",

wore mittens and a scarf,

and drove around town listening to jane's christmas cd.

i am grateful.

Labels: save as draft

furniture sitting on the side of the road makes me sad.
once, it was good enough for someone's living room. now, it is all broken and rained on and even the garbage truck won't pick it up.

Labels: save as draft

As some of you may recall, being asked for book recommendations by strangers freaks me out. Yesterday, I was in the doctor's office (seeing a new doctor since I have new insurance). I was in the middle of my exam, sitting there awkwardly with just the little white paper sheet dress thing on, when my doctor started asking me about teaching - specifically, how I get my students to read. I told her that I thought finding something that captures their interest is the first step.

I should have known what was coming. She stopped what she was doing, pulled out her note pad, and asked me what books I would recommend for her daughters.

Luckily, I am very fond of children/young adult literature. For about three years I worked as a professional "storytime lady" at Barnes and Noble, and I have been collecting children's literature ever since I was sixteen and fell in love with Chinaberry thanks to a family whose children I would babysit.

After the trauma of the examination-table book recommendation request subsided, it occurred to me that with Christmas drawing near, there may be people who have a child to buy a gift for, who would like to buy a book, but who don't know where to start. I can not recommend Chinaberry
highly enough. I have never been disappointed with anything they recommended. Plus, they are a small, independent company that has a beautiful mission - to provide a resource for affirming, nurturing books for families. It costs a little more than buying from a huge, corporate book seller - but I always feel good about supporting such a lovely business.

If you don't want to browse through all the selections, here are a few of my all-time favorites (all personally tested by me and kid-approved by numerous storytime readings):

For Babies:

My favorite alphabet book (by far) is the bright yellow board book "A" You're Adorable. Based on the classic song, it lists the letters of the alphabet along with adjectives that express love. Beautiful.

For Toddlers:

I was pregnant with my second child when Arden (my first) was only eighteen months old. I wanted a positive book that would help him connect my growing stomach to the baby that would eventually be born. I fell in love with If You Were Born a Kitten, which is full of lush watercolors of different animal babies (from seahorses to kittens to whales) and a brief poetic description of the way that each animal is born. (Elephant babies are born with a halo of hair, snakes slash through their leathery egg with a sharp tooth.) At the end of the book, the book makes a moving transition from all the animals to a human baby. This is a gorgeous book for any family.

For Preschoolers:

No Matter What was one of the books I kept on heavy rotation when I did storytime, because it is one of those rare books that makes both parents and children smile. It tells the story of a grumpy little fox named Small who is having the sort of very bad day that parents of preschoolers know all too well. The parent (named simply "Large") reassures Small that "no matter what", they will always love them. Small tests Large's love by asking "What if I was a bug? What if I was a crocodile?". Large simply repeats the soothing verse, "I'll always love you, no matter what". By the end of the book, Large and Small are snuggling together and looking a stars. It just feels good to read this one; even when, like Small, you are feeling less than lovable.


For Early Elementary Age (or for anyone who loves truly beautiful books):

I looked far and wide to find a book that contained my favorite fairy tale, "The Wild Swans". I was thrilled to discover a collection called Fairy Tales by Berlie Doherty. In my opinion, this is the best book of fairy tales on the market. The illustrations remind me of gilded mosaics, and the fairy tales are told on a level that is true to the original tales without being too dark. I love this book. It is as close to perfect as a children's book can be. This is the book I normally give as a gift.

For Mothers:

One final recommendation - for anyone looking for a book for a wife/sister/etc who either enjoys cooking or has to cook, Chinaberry has a cookbook that they published after collecting recipes from readers. I hate to cook, but even my dislike of the kitchen didn't quell my enthusiasm for this beautiful cookbook. It has some really great recipes, and each page tells a little story about what makes the recipe special. I can't imagine how much someone who actually enjoyed cooking would love this book.

And, since the cookbook is made by Chinaberry, there is a whole section of recipes for stuff like play dough, paste, stamp glue, finger paints, slime, and etc. Way cool.

I love Chinaberry:

My daughter is learning to read. She has started to write notes.
When I grow up, I want to be like her.

Labels: save as draft

I've been collecting little notes of things I need to write about it. My husband tells me I need to write about this, or my friend shakes her head at a story and says," Promiseme that you will put that on your blog". I write myself reminders on Post-It notes. Then, I come home and find myself feeling too mentally drained to write anything coherent or meaningful. I tell myself that I will get to all my yellow sticky notes in two weeks, when Christmas break begins.

In the meantime, here are three snapshots from the last weeks of the semester:

1. Two days into the novel Catcher In The Rye (which I saved for last, as my tenth graders are on semester schedules), I had to be out of class to attend a criminal trial for a student (details below). My substitute was an older man named Mr. Nation. He is retired from the army, and is now an evangelical minister who substitute teaches for extra income. My students tell me that he preached a long sermon against the evil filth that is Catcher In The Rye. He tried to convince them not to read the book, and told them it should not be allowed in the schools.

In the future, I am considering paying this man to come and preach his anti-Catcher sermon whenever I teach the novel. Nothing could have made them want to read it more.

2. Last week, I had to go to criminal court because a student had been arrested in my classroom. I have attended the school's court before - but this was the first time I went downtown to the intimidating halls of the Juvenile Justice Center. I was there for hours, but thankfully, I ended up not having to testify, because he accepted a plea bargain.

While I was there, the student broke away from his parents and approached me. I was nervous; I have felt just awful about the fact that he got in so much trouble while I was in charge. It is one of those things that literally keeps me awake a night, I wonder what I might have done differently. As a result, I was anxious when he started walking towards me, and I readied myself for the blame that I was sure he was going to place on me - the same blame I had already named as my own.

He stood in front of me and held out his hand. I put my hand in his and he shook it. He smiled and said: "Mrs. J, I just want you to know that no matter what happened in your room that day, you will always be my teacher."

3. Also last week - the new vice principal gave all the ninth grade teachers a mandate that we had to cut our failure rate in half by December 17th. Don't teach the curriculum, he said. Slow down your pace. Only give two or three multiple choice options on tests. We all protested - if we don't teach on level, our kids will never pass the No Child Left Behind mandated End of Course Test (EOCT). If we give tow or three multiple choice options on tests, how will they do well on the PSAT, SAT, or any other standardized test they need to take? We were told that the EOCT did not matter as much as the failure rate, and that we should sacrifice standards in favor of ensuring a high passing percentage.

On the last slide of his presentation, he had written the phrase: "Together, We Can Achieve Moore".

I decided not to change anything about my expectations - or the level at which I teach.

Labels: save as draft