rained in
first things i heard this morning: startlingly loud thunder clap. scurrying of three-year-old feet. a soft little hand starting stroking my face. "it's alright mommy. the thunder not hurt you. the thunder go away. it's alright. don't be scared mommy. you're alright." nice, soft kiss. feet scurrying away.
eve is terrified of thunder. or any loud, sudden noise. she comes running, buries her head in my lap and whimpers. but when i am asleep (or trying to pretend i'm asleep just a little longer) she becomes the fearless protector, comforting ruthie and me until i'm upright and mentally capable of being the mom again.
the rain and thunder are coming down hard, which means we'll be spending the day inside reading a lot of books and going a little crazy. but, i am excited to get a chance to curl up and read this book with the girls:
i picked this up from a street vendor in cambridge, ma, on our boston trip in may. i loved the lithographed illustrations immediately and so bought it before looking at more than one page.
this strange little book is set back in the puritan masschusettes colony. it is full of "thees" "thines" and "dosts," fantastic illustrations, a defiant girl, a thieving native, and a heroic mutt of a dog.
my favorite pages:
like most of my favorite children's books, this was published in the 50s (1952). in addition to the illustration and design of the era, i love the way the social context of the 50s is often reflected in these innocent books. it makes me wonder what the children's books of the early 2000s will say about our society 50 years from now. but, the girls and i won't think of that while we're reading today, we'll just be taking notes on the bonnets, the aprons and the cloaks so we can be accurate as we play dress up after.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007 at 07:31AM
Reader Comments (3)
I wish I was at home right now reading books with thee and the children.
That book is awesome. One of the perks of life in the East is old stuff.
Imagine the dialogue in children's books about our day that are published 200 years from now:
Madison said to her father, "Wuzzup, dad? Y dont u let me have that piz-uppy?"
Her father answered, "Y do u want a puppy?"
Madison thought, and responded, "Cuz he's CUTE! Geez!"
Then, it being Sunday morning, the family turned on the television to watch an episode of "That's So Raven".
Sounds like you are getting the rain that I wish was actually happening here. They keep saying its going to rain and it doesn't. The problem with owning a house, you have to water. I loved the comments from Chip and Michael! Imagine a big smile and laughter!