Poisson d'avril

We're going to Paris!

Ha!  No.  But we are reading about Paris during the month of April here at bookstogether.  I'm putting together a list of our favorite Parisian-themed picture books (there are quite a few); please comment with yours, and I'll add them to the list.

My favorite picture book about Paris is probably this one, the first in the This is... series by Miroslav Sasek (1959; reiussed by Rizzoli in 2004).  I love all of the Sasek books (we've read Paris, Rome, London, New York, and Venice):  the distinctive and delightful illustrations, the particular details of place.  For Paris, I especially like the cats; the concierge ("She is sort of a guardian angel, and there is one for many houses in Paris"); the Bird Market; the Metro (with ticket); the Louvre (with Mona)--I could go on, but I'm not really leaving anything out.  If you're planning a trip to Paris with your kids (or without them!), this should be the first book you read together.  Then Madeline.  After that, you tell me!

The Andersons Go To Williamsburg--2008

We (the Andersons) drove to Williamsburg early Sunday and came back Monday afternoon.  It was a short trip, but we all had a wonderful time (more about that later).  Even the car ride was smooth.  Milly slept a lot of the way there; the rest of us listened to the first half of The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis; terrific performance by Levar Burton (Listening Library, 2005).  I think we identified with the Weird Watsons (minus "official juvenile delinquent" big brother Byron).  There's dad Daniel, who likes to "cut up;" mom Wilona, who never got used to the cold in Michigan; middle brother Kenny, the narrator; and his little sister Joetta, sleeping in the backseat.  Our favorite chapters were about Kenny and how he became friends with Rufus (we love Rufus); but it's the family and especially the sibling relationships that are at the heart of The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963.

We decided not to listen to the second half of the book on the way home after it became obvious that the Watsons were driving not just to Birmingham, but to the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on a Sunday morning, 1963 (I know, I should have suspected it from the start.  I think the book is even dedicated to the four little girls, but I was listening to the audio version which doesn't include the dedication).  Anyway, I didn't think Leo was ready to hear it, but I'm going to make myself read the rest of it tonight.  Highly recommended.

[And Elijah of Buxton next.  I think the structure of EoB, the digressive first half and direct second, is similar to TWGTB-1963's; this time I'll be prepared.]

Going to Philadelphia

Our family is going to Philadelphia this weekend:  Axel (my husband) is giving a talk at the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, and the kids and I are tagging along.  Not to the conference, thankfully (sorry, Axel):  we'll be visiting the historic area.  Leo, my second-grader, likes colonial and revolutionary American history, so he's particularly excited about the trip.  He and I have been reading about the people who lived in Philadelphia (mostly about Benjamin Franklin) and the events that took place there during that period (the signing of the Declaration of Independence).  What he really wants to see, of course, is the Liberty Bell; that, and buy a replica of it (n.b, there are a lot of children's books about saving the Liberty Bell).  Favorite Philadelphia books will be in this space on Monday.