Some Of My Favorite "Secret Stack of Books"

I know, I know, to call a book a "Secret Stack of Book" is grammatically incorrect, but it feels much righter ;-) than saying a "Secret Stack of Books Book". With my comfort in our incorrectness now established, I would like to share some of my most favorite children's authors and books I have had the pleasure to get to know through this nightly ritual.

First and foremost, the one and only ROSEMARY WELLS. Every book she has written has warmed my heart. She makes me feel like a happy, loved little girl. You might know her characters Max and Ruby, but I am especially fond of her characters Yoko and Timothy, who make a stellar appearance in a few of her books.

 And I will forever admire Hazel's amazing mother. She truly is amazing, and knows exactly what to do to protect her daughter and help her feel safe.

Next, Mr. MO WILLEMS. He is awesome! And I am not talking about the Pigeon who wants to drive that blasted bus. My favorite book of his is called "Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed". It is a genius way to tell children that it's ok to do away with limitations rudely imposed by those around us, and that it is more than ok to be yourself and have your own big ideas.

Also, his easy readers "Elephant and Piggie" are a much needed boost to the category of learning-to-read books. They are funny, they have a story that actually makes sense, and the illustrations (as all of his book art) are simple and eye-catching.

Third, KEVIN HENKES. Have you met Chester? or Lilly? They are a force to be reckoned with and I highly recommend being their friend. You will be a little nervous around them for what they might do next, and at the same time you will be forever in love with them. Kind of like me with my 3 year old Joanna :-)

I also love Lilly's Plastic Purple Purse, Lilly's Big Day and Owen. Too bad I don't have those handy right now.


Lastly (but not leastly) for now, I must mention the Buehners. CARALYN and MARK BUEHNER are a local team (Salt Lake City) and have come up with some fun stories. Fanny's Dream is about a farm girl who dreams of meeting the mayor's son and becoming her own kind of Cinderella.

Snowmen at Night makes us wonder about the whereabouts of snowmen while we are not watching. Have you ever wondered why they don't last very long? Other than the physics of matter changing from solid to liquid?

Excuse my blurry pictures. If you are intrigued by any of these picture books, check them out from the library or buy them, and give them a good read. The picture quality is much better in person and the stories are guaranteed to make you happy.

A Redemption From Poor Parenting

Do you ever have the kind of day/month/year when you are certain you have turned out to be a complete failure as a parent? You are so sure you are messing things up, you are mentally preparing yourself for the day when your grownup children will come to you with a mile-long list of complaints and accusations? I can hear it right now in my head: "How could you, mother?!"

That kind of day/month/year comes around my turf often.  I love being a mother, I have great girls, but in those times when I am in the mindset of failure as a parent, their greatness is more a result of... I don't really know...

Anywho, in my preparation for that day of doom when my daughters realize that all along they could have had it better, I am making a list of comebacks. Here's what I have so far:

1. GrownUp Child: Mother, I can't believe you would take me out in public with that hair! Didn't you     know that that's what hairbrushes are for?!
   Me: At least I brought you back home. I could have left you somewhere, you know...

2.  GUC: Why would you wait until 8:30pm to start thinking about what you would make for dinner?! we could have starved to death!
    Me: You didn't.

3. GUC: Do you realize you took me late to school 80% of the time?
    Me: It could have been 81%

4.  GUC: If I a had been you, I would have...
    Me: Don't even go there.

As you can see, my list so far is short and weak. But I have one thing. THE one thing that I know we have done right. I am counting on this one to be a good "so there you go".
Notice I say "we have done right". If I am going to rip myself apart as a parent, I might as well throw my accomplice into the mix. I mean, let's be fair.
I also say "we" because the one thing I am sure we have done right happened to be his idea. It figures.

A few years ago, the hubster decided he wanted to arm himself with a pile of picture books that none of the girls had read before. A SECRET STACK OF BOOKS. Oooh, sounds sneaky, doesn't it?
Since the library has a 3-week loan period, we check out around 20 books at a time so we have a healthy stock of stories to choose from. We pick books that look interesting, bring them home, hide them in our closet and after dinner we pull one out to read together.

We pick them randomly, and without sifting through them too much. The illustrations of the story are the main parameter we use to judge whether the book will be any good or not, we don't really read them ahead, trusting picture books to be appropriate for children.  So the secret stack of books really is secret, because not even we really know the book we will be reading at any given night (unless we've chosen an old favorite).

So picture this: Dinner is over (very late), we pick up (sort of), either Damon or I go get a book from the closet and return to the living room announcing that "It's time for..." at which the girls reply in unison and in a sing-song kind of way:"SECRET STACK OF BOOOOOOKS!"with the pitch going painfully high on the word "boooooks!". Then we all seat on our stain ridden couch for a brief session of togetherness, sponsored by the book of the night. Even our 13 year old still seats and listens along, because there are a few things more intriguing than an unheard story about to be told. Oh, the joy. Something has gone right for a change.

To add to this modest success, after we are done reading and talking about the story, we read two pages of The Book of Mormon as a family with virtually no whining. The advantages of that are countless.

∗Disclaimer: I should make clear before continuing with my account, that although this is meant to be done every night, there are many nights when it just simply doesn't happen. Sometimes it takes us several days to replenish the secret stack once we've read it all.∗ 

So there it is. The truth has come out. I am not perfect. Shocking, I know, but I am counting on a couple of things that I/we have done right to redeem me from the endless torment of poor parenting. The Secret Stack of Books has been heaven sent and I am holding on to it like there is no tomorrow.

When you find yourself in one of those pitiful days/months/years, look for the things you have done right and make sure you keep some sort of record of them, 'cause if you are anything like me, you'll need them later.

How do you keep up with the return dates, you ask? Let me just say that our family has been single handedly financing our little library on late fees alone. But it's worth it, we need this item on the comeback list. And if the children complain about that too, then my comeback would be "you owe me cazillions in late fees, start emptying those pockets".