Living Seoul

If you were not aware…it’s Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week. (Each morning at work my friend and I tell each other what quirky holiday it is, what day in history, famous people’s birthdays, etc. This web site is my main resource.) Today we talked about the books we loved from our childhood.

My favorite “series” books were definitely The Berenstain Bears and Little Critter. The two series are pretty similar, both involved families of animals that wear human clothes and talk. The family consists of a mom, dad, brother and sister. And there’s probably a grandma in the picture, too. There’s always a problem/situation and solution/lesson and everyone is happy. Kinda like an animal/children’s book version of Full House. These crazy animals…the cover illustrations make me LOL.

As a really, really little kid I loved Eric Carle books. The Very Hungry Caterpillar was obviously awesome and inspired at least one class project in kindergarten. The illustrations were beautiful; I’d love to have some Eric Carle artwork at home.

I liked the Madeline books…though really I cared much more for the style of illustration and setting of the book. The stories were just okay. Apparently a common misconception about the series is that the girls are at an orphanage. How sad, they’re really just at boarding school.

Strega Nona was so important! My Dad used to love to read it to us since it took place in Italy. I think by the time I was seven I had most of it memorized. I even brought it to school to “share” with the class. For some reason we used to discuss to shortcomings of Big Anthony a lot. I think my parents were probably just trying to reinforce his failure and dopiness, haha.

“Bubble, bubble pasta pot. Boil me some pasta nice and hot. I’m hungry and it’s time to sup. Boil me enough pasta to fill me up.” -Strega Nona

Miss Nelson Is Missing was a favorite. I loved the pictures of Viola Swamp. She was 100% more interesting than Miss Nelson. I always feared a substitute as horrible as Swamp.

I don’t know if it was just me, but I LOVED illustrations of food as a kid. My sister and I used to try to imagine what everything would be made out of if the world consisted of food. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs was surely a winner because of all this. I specifically remember pictures of pancakes being airlifted or something. It would have been ridiculous to go to the town of Chewandswallow. I never saw the movie they made–I just don’t think it could live up to what I want it to be. Apparently they made a sequel to the book called Pickles To Pittsburgh. I’m skeptical.

I don’t like poetry at all but as a kid I loved the Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein books of poems…New Kid On The Block, Something BIG Has Been Here, Where The Sidewalk Ends, A Light In The Attic, Falling Up. Geez, the new kid was so scary and mean looking.

This was one of my absolute favorite poems. As a six-year-old I thought it was hilarious.

“I Wonder Why Dad Is So Thoroughly Mad”

I wonder why Dad is so thoroughly mad,
I can’t understand it at all,
unless it’s the bee still afloat in his tea
or his underwear, pinned to the wall.

Perhaps it’s the dye on his favorite tie,
or the mousetrap that snapped in his shoe,
or the pipefull of gum that he found with his thumb,
or the toilet, sealed tightly with glue.

It can’t be the bread crumbled up in his bed,
or the slugs someone left in the hall,
I wonder why Dad is so thoroughly mad,
I can’t understand it at all.

Oh, and for longer books I loved Roald Dahl (Matilda, The BFG) and Louis Sachar (Sideways Stories From Wayside School).

Those are my selections.

Today I took a nap before going to the gym, then during my sleep I dreamed that I went to the gym. I got there wearing flip flops, a very loose nightgown and my robe. I didn’t think there was anything strange about it when I first got there. Then I noticed that the machines were all moved around. I went to my normal spot but it was the wrong machine. I noticed someone I knew…I suddenly got embarrassed because of who they were…someone I had been very close to. I got on the machine and started running and realized I was wearing a robe and was about to trip on it. I took it off and worried my nightgown would leave me exposed and unsupported. It was so AWKWARD. I don’t remember the rest. Maybe I’m having some unresolved awkward feelings in my life right now. Or maybe I just feel subconsciously self-conscious at the gym. I love weird dreams.