Kids' Book Roundup

I spent December reading through several kids books: Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs . . . a compilation published by McSweeney's, The Story Girl by L. M. Montgomery, and The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

I got Noisy Outlaws when it was published in 2005 because it was a fundraiser for 826, the series of writing centers started by Dave Eggers, and because it included stories by Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman, and Jon Scieszka. It's a clever book--the stories are accompanied by some amazing artwork, especially by Shelley Dick--and it includes a comic, a crossword puzzle, and even a dust jacket where you can write your own story. There was a contest when the book was published. The stories were all amusing, but Jon Scieszka's stands out: "Each Sold Separately" is a 3-page dialogue written mainly in advertising slogans. ("'I got it,' he says. 'Got what?' says the girl. 'The real thing.' The girl looks in the bag. 'Wow. You just did it. You obeyed your thirst.'")

I was a huge fan of the Anne of Green Gables series when I was younger. A couple of years ago, I visiting Prince Edward Island as part of a Canada/New England cruise and took the Anne tour. Even though it was a rainy day, it is as beautiful as the books make it out to be! We visited both Green Gables and the home where L. M. Montgomery had lived with her grandparents. That's where I picked up The Story Girl, because one of the episodes in the book involves a blue chest that is still at the house. It's not Montgomery's best work, but it was entertaining enough, recounting the summer pursuits of several children on a farm on PEI. The central character, The Story Girl, resembles Anne a bit, but doesn't have her spunk.

The Wizard of Oz was--and still is--one of my favorite movies. Unfortunately, I'd say this is one of the rare instances where the movie is better than the book. But probably because the movie is such a classic and I watched it so many times. But, the book does include episodes that were not in the movie and I was surprised to find characters from Wicked that I thought were the invention of Gregory Maguire. I've had this book forever--since I was two years told--but this was the first time I've read it. I was horrified to find that my two-year-old self had scribbled on just about every chapter-opener page! Luckily, I'd been wise enough not to scribble over any of the words!

I'm down to 30 books from my list of 59 and am celebrating this halfway point by going off-list and reading a book I just received for Christmas: My Life in France by Julia Child. (Yes, I did become interested in reading this only after seeing Julie and Julia!)