Filling the Library Bag

There has been some reading going on in this sick household! In read-alouds we breezed through the last half of Little Town on the Prairie and are now enjoying an encore visit with Farmer Boy. John has alternated military history with a little Grisham to lighten things up, and I lapped up my wonderful What the Land Already Knows all too quickly. But a real treat awaited me in my next choice, Gail Godwin's Evensong. I remember reading the first book she wrote about her character Margaret Bonner, Father Melancholy's Daughter, several years ago, but I don't remember the thorough absorption and enjoyment I've found in Evensong. It helped that it is set in my beloved Western NC, so while penned up indoors, I got to wander the mountains and waterfalls that I love.

Joshua has alternated spending time with Ramona and Calvin and Hobbes.

But the pages we may revisit the most often were found in A Hole is to Dig, suggested by the wonderful Angry Chicken. Not sure how I missed this book-- of course we know Maurice Sendak, whose illustrations are at their most charming, and Ruth Krauss' husband penned Harold and the Purple Crayon, which I never read as a child and discovered delightedly with Joshua just a couple of years ago. (Why did I not copy all those index cards made my my future-teacher college roommates when they took children's literature? Why?) But this book, this book has already given us all so many smiles. I'll be ordering our own copy, and exploring more of Ruth's work.

This is a specific gift the blogging world has given me, a constantly growing list of books for us to explore with our boys. I'm thankful for so many passionate parents and readers who share their reviews and impressions to fill our library bag.