Read, Write, Repeat.

In December, I shared a clip of my youngest playing piano at her school concert. To be fair, I am now posting a video of my oldest who sings with the a cappella group at her high school.

The group is co-ed and sings a wide variety of songs. But this clip features just the ladies of the Edgetones delivering a heartfelt tribute to teen singing sensation Justin Bieber. They’ve even copied his iconic fashion sense. Why did they choose to sing a Justin song? It was to honor their director who, it seems, has said he is, let us just say, not fond of Justin Bieber.

Be that as it may, I think you’ll agree that the Lady Edgetones rock this song. They’re all awesome, but because you’re reading my blog, I feel compelled to point out that my daughter has a brief solo later in the song. She’s the one with a black ponytail wearing a turquoise hooded sweatshirt and black pants. (And, because it’s my blog, she’s shown front and center in the video thumbnail below.)

So without further ado:

Now for a note from our sponsor.

If you’ve never seen the real Justin Bieber (and my guess is some of my blog readers have not) then just to stay culturally informed and hip to the trends of the times, you can seem him singing this exact same song in this video clip. You’ll notice that he’s not wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses here, but rest assured, he certainly has in the past. Note the reaction of the teen girls in the audience to his every nuance.

And, to show how steeped Mr. Bieber has become in our collective consciousness, the fine folks at “Glee” also covered this song last year.

Sam Evans was singing the song hoping to entice Quinn Fabray to stay with him and not go back to her first love, Finn Hudson. Since then, Quinn has dated Finn, gotten mono, been broken up with by Finn, gotten accepted into Yale, gotten into a car accident while texting and driving and is now — while in a wheelchair — showing just a bit of interest in Artie and Joe.

And Sam? He’s moved away, moved back, worked as a stripper, joined the synchronized swim team and is now trying to get together with Mercedes. What can I say? It’s “Glee.”

Anyway, Sam’s version of the song — which I think is a bit nicer than Justin’s — is here.

There. Now you can successfully engage any tween or teen — or me for that matter — in conversation for at least a few moments longer than you otherwise might have been able to.

You’re welcome.

Well, the gifts are open, and the wrapping paper has been mostly cleared away. So here are the books that found their way under several trees this year.

- One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin.
- Nowhere Girl by A.J. Paquette.
- Spaceheadz (the first two books in the series) by Jon Scieszka.
- Beryl: A Pig’s Tale by Jane Simmons.
- Mental Floss The Book: The Greatest Lists in the History of Listory.
- Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep and Enough Wool to Save the Planet by Catherine Friend.
- The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food and Love by Kristin Kimball.
- Twelve Days of Christmas in Wisconsin by Erin Eitter Kono.

What books did you give or receive this year?

I hope you have a happy, peaceful holiday season, no matter how you choose to celebrate.

Here is my contribution to the holiday cheer. This is my daughter, Sonia, playing piano at her school concert.

This was her first-ever “public” performance. Her piece? “Jolly Old St. Nicholas.”

When you’re a lifelong book nerd like I am, it’s nice to have a resource to turn to about nonbook-related subjects — like math.

For me, my go-to math resource is always my sister, Dr. Pamela Wells, shown here on the left. She regularly responds to frantic math questions related to my children’s homework or something I have to do for work.

One of my favorite memories is of a time I called her in a panic and described what I needed to figure out. She listened patiently and then said, “Oh, you want a weighted rolling average.”

Which, of course, is exactly what I wanted. I just didn’t know it.

Even if Pam weren’t my sister, she’d still be someone worth consulting about math.

She’s an associate professor of mathematics education at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., where she trains future elementary and middle school teachers. She also works a lot with practicing elementary and middle school teachers and their students. She has published articles in a variety of journals, including Primus, Teaching Children Mathematics and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Yearbook.

Pam says one of her favorite things to do is “design activities to increase students’ algebraic thinking,” and I’m glad that’s so because I never seem to be able to find the time.

Besides being a math expert, Pam is a fine cook, so she was the obvious choice to review a new children’s book about math and food, Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds by Ann McCallum (Charlesbridge, 2011).

As you’ll see, she was more than up for the challenge. Take it away, Pam!

When I ask my college students who are studying to be elementary teachers to describe math, I often get comments like, “Boring.” Or, “Lots of numbers and formulas I have to memorize.”

My goal in the courses I teach is to broaden my students’ view of mathematics so that they can see the beauty, creativity and usefulness of mathematics in their everyday lives. When they go out to teach elementary school children, I want them to pass along a sense of wonder that comes from searching for patterns and a seeing how many things that happen in life are related to mathematics.

After reading this book, I plan to use it with my students as an engaging way to combine math and cooking.

The book introduces children and their families to a variety of interesting mathematics through family-friendly recipes. For example, children can make tangram cookies and then play with their food before eating it! Tangrams (a seven-piece geometric puzzle based on an ancient Chinese puzzle) are quite addicting, so it is a good thing that the book provides a lot of ideas for puzzles to create with your cookie tangrams.

In another recipe, children gain experiences with patterns by creating Fibonacci snack sticks. Fibonacci, a famous Italian mathematician who lived in the 1700s, is known for a pattern of numbers he created that can be continued forever. I’m not going to tell you more about the pattern here, since that would spoil your enjoyment of the book. I will say, however, that you need to look carefully at the illustrations in the book to see what is going on with all the rabbits!

For each recipe, the author also provides a Math Appeteaser to continue families’ mathematical explorations.

So, pull out your apron, put on your thinking cap, and get ready to whip up some yummy snacks and whet your mathematical appetite at the same time.

If you’d like to learn even more about some of the mathematics introduced in Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds, check out the books listed below. They are family friendly, and many have activities for families to do together.

To go along with Fibonacci Snack Sticks (which are shown to the right by Pam’s neighborhood friends Caden, Ethan and Adelyn):

• Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D’agnese (Henry Holt & Co., 2010).
• Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson (Gibbs Smith, 2002).

To go along with Fraction Chips:

• The Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Fractions Book by Jerry Palotta (Scholastic, 1999)

To go along with Tangram Cookies:

• Three Pigs, One Wolf, and Seven Magic Shapes by Grace Maccarone (Scholastic Press, 1997).
• Grandfather Tang’s Story by Ann Tompert (Crown Publishers, 1990).

To go along with Brownie Tesselations (which Adelyn is getting ready to create):

• A Cloak for the Dreamer by Aileen Friedman (Scholastic Press, 1994).

To go along with Pizza Pi:

• Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander (Charlesbridge, 1999).

To go along with Probability Trail Mix:

• It’s Probably Penny by Loreen Leedy (Henry Holt & Co., 2007).

Happy reading! And, happy eating!

And if you’d like to learn more about the many math books Ann McCallum has written, visit her website.

Thanks, Pam! If you ever have a comma crisis and need urgent advice, I’m your woman.

Of all the members of my family, my cat, Vince, has the easiest schedule this summer.

I mean, just look at him over there on the right. He’s not working, going to summer camp or running errands. He doesn’t even pick up after himself.

While the rest of us rush around, Vince sleeps in a sunbeam or gazes out the window. The only time he shows any enthusiasm is when he thinks we ought to feed him.

It doesn’t seem fair, does it?

So, I decided to put Vince on his own version of a summer reading program. After all, he’d grudgingly reviewed cat-related books for my blog before. (You can read his takes on Where is Catkin, Frankie Works the Night Shift and Raj, the Bookstore Tiger).

Asking him to review one title this summer didn’t seem too taxing.

And goodness knows I could use the break.

In the past, I’ve succeeded in getting Vince to review books by casually leaving them around the house where I knew he’d see them.

This time, I was more direct.

I put I Am Tama, Lucky Cat (Peachtree, 2011), a Japanese folktale by Wendy Henrichs and Yoshiko Jaeggi, in front of Vince’s nose and told him to make himself useful and to make it snappy.

He ignored me and snuggled into his sunbeam.

I threatened to cut off his supply of cat treats and switch him back to dry food. But he was unimpressed.

Finally, Vince relented.

He left the following review on my computer and promptly went back to sleep. Same sunbeam, different angle.

Take it away, Vince.

This book is about a cat named Tama. He lives in Japan where he is doted on by a poor Buddhist monk.

Doted on.

The monk lets Tama come in out of the cold, shares what little food he has, admires Tama’s beautiful orange-and-black markings and is happy to have the cat simply sit by him. Tama’s mere presence is enough to make the monk happy.

He never expects Tama do extra things like book reviews.

But anyhow … Tama is grateful for the monk’s care. And he wants to help the temple, which is old and run-down. Like any self-respecting cat, he catches a mouse now and then. But one day, he does something much more important.

A samurai warlord seeks shelter under a temple tree during a storm. Tama raises his right paw and welcomes him. The samurai is impressed and comes forward to greet the cat. As he does, the branch of the tree he was standing under is struck by lightning and falls, landing right where the samurai had been just a few seconds before.

It’s a near miss. And, the samurai — intelligent man that he is — recognizes that Tama’s friendliness saved his life. He thanks the cat by repairing the temple and making sure the monk, the worshippers and the cat have everything they need to be comfortable for the rest of their lives.

And, of course, Tama’s actions result in cats like him being linked to good fortune throughout Japan. You’ve probably seen a replica of Tama if you’ve ever visited a restaurant or shop that has a cat figurine with one paw raised displayed on its counter.

And, for the record, I’m not as lazy as the owner of this blog would have you believe. I’d be happy to catch a mouse if I ever saw one inside the house. And if a samurai warlord was stuck in the rain, I’d invite him inside. The right opportunity just hasn’t presented itself yet.

But now, I’ll be ready when it does.

If you’re looking for other reviews of this book, here are three to consider. Of course, I can’t endorse them fully. They are written by humans, after all. But sometimes, a cat just has to work with what’s available.

• Evie Bookish.
• Quixotic Magpie.
• Aelia Reads.

Thanks, Vince!

Editor’s note: You can learn more about illustrator Yoshiko Jaeggi by visiting her website.
You can learn more about author Wendy Henrichs by visiting her website.

I smiled and thought, “That’s my girl!”

There were lots of reasons I admired my aunt, Faye Clow, who died in February.

She was smart. Stylish. A world-traveler. An actress. An artist. And, a great gift-giver.

But, perhaps what I admired most about Faye was her love of books. As a kid who loved the library, I was so impressed that she actually worked in one every day. And, I remember visiting her and being astounded by the number of books in her home. (After she passed away, we counted. She had more than 1,500 books in her two-bedroom condo. Now, that’s my kind of person.)

In fact, two of my all-time favorites — Bridge to Terabithia and The Westing Game — were presents from her.

A lifelong love of libraries

Faye worked at the Moline, Illinois, library and then became director of the Bettendorf, Iowa, library. During her 30 years there, she expanded the library’s physical space, added new staff and upgraded its technology. She also served in numerous community leadership roles, including a term as president of the Bettendorf Rotary Club, president of Quad-City Arts and president of the board of public television station, WQPT.

She even hosted “About Books” on WVIK, 90.3 FM where she interviewed authors and shared her love of literature with an audience far beyond those who walked through the library doors.

An unexpected gift

After Faye’s death, I found something she wrote mixed in with her other papers. I don’t know why she wrote it, but I was very happy to have it, because it articulates why — in an age of computers, e-readers, gaming systems and social media — libraries still matter.

Faye’s ode to libraries

I believe in public libraries.

Yes, I believe in public libraries. They were a haven for me as a child. They are a free resource every day for countless people. They nurture reading. They are a fundamental ingredient of this democracy.

I couldn’t agree more.

So when my family was clearing out Faye’s condo, there was one item I especially wanted. I took it home and posted it by my computer.

It will never have much monetary value. But to me, it’s priceless.

In honor of Faye’s life, a 1.5-acre greenspace on the library’s Learning Campus will be named “Faye’s Field.” It will include rain gardens, native grasses and trees, a pavilion for concerts and programs, and grass berms for natural seating.

Once the space is finished, I plan to sit on one of the berms with a book and think of her.

And if you’re ever in Bettendorf, Iowa, I hope you’ll do the same.

When I was a child, my sister and I spent our summers reading.

Sometimes, we’d hop on the city bus and go to the main library, but mostly we’d walk to Congress Park – a rundown playground near our house with monkey bars that would be deemed unsafe by today’s standards. 

There, we’d wait for the bookmobile to chug its way around the corner. Once it arrived, we’d check out as many books as we could carry, stagger home, and start reading. I don’t remember being especially discriminating. If the book had two covers and pages inside, it was all right by me.

Once we had each read our books, we’d swap stacks and begin again. But in a day or two were were always back — waiting for the bookmobile.

We were such frequent visitors, the bookmobile librarian didn’t think we actually could have read the books were were claiming on our summer reading club sheets.

But after she’d quizzed us and realized we truly had, she became concerned and wanted to speak to our mother about getting us adult library cards instead of our children’s versions. We obviously weren’t being sufficiently challenged.

I still remember my mother’s response.

“It won’t make any difference,” she said. “They’ll read the adult books just as fast.”

And she was right.

When I became a parent myself, in another city, I was thrilled to live near a bookmobile stop — also by a park as it happens — and giddily took my daughters. (One even followed in my footsteps by completing her reading sheet on the third day of summer vacation.)

They came home with stacks of books, but I usually left empty-handed. The bookmobile was big on cookbooks and romance novels for adults, which, while nice, weren’t my preferred subject matter.

Then I found out I could request books that the bookmobile would have on hand the next time it stopped. Bingo! I’d hit paydirt.

Once, I was even interviewed by a newspaper reporter who was getting citizen input on whether my suburb needed its own library. I said no, because we had the bookmobile.

Now, we are getting a lovely library within biking distance from my house. And I cannot lie. I am excited. I’m sure I will want to move in once it opens.

But I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the brightly colored, diesel-fueled bookmobiles that fed my need to read as a child.

So in that spirt, I recommend Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile by Gloria Houston (HarperCollins, 2011).

It’s the true story of librarian Dorothy Thomas who started a bookmobile for rural families. And, it’s altogether lovely. From the moving story of Miss Dorothy’s devotion to books to how she shared that passion with her neighbors, young and old, and how that passion influenced their lives, the book exudes nothing but love.

And the illustrations by Susan Condie Lamb are killer.

So check it out when you get the chance. And if it happens to be from your local bookmobile, so much the better.

We held our holiday gift exchange early this year. And, of course, books were involved.

So here are a few photos of the bookish fun. First Rebekah displays three middle-grade favorites — The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., Touch Blue and The Teashop Girls.

And here’s Daniel, who has a scientific bent, with National Geographic’s Satellite Atlas of the World.

Sonia and a friend are reading Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar. Or possibly Wayside School Stories. She got both books.

Even adults got into the fun. Pam showcases the long-lost last opus of Anne of Green Gables author L.M. Montgomery, The Blythes Quoted.

And it couldn’t be the holidays without Harry Potter.  Gwen saw the movie and then revisited the series. Here, she’s reading the second book.

And the best news is, the holidays aren’t even over yet. So more books could still appear.

Which books are you giving or hoping to get this year?

First, a story …

Halloween isn’t even here yet, and the candy wars have already started at my house.

Things began innocently enough. A co-worker gave me a small bag of treats for my youngest daughter. She was thrilled. And very protective of her windfall.

Why?

It seems my oldest daughter had recently eaten some potato chips the youngest thought were hers.

So I wasn’t too surprised when I opened the pantry and found the note in the picture attached to the treat bag.

I wonder what will happen when they each have their own haul from trick-or-treating?

Now, some recommendations …

If your focus is more on books than on candy, here are a few last-minute Halloween recommendations.

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara (Schwartz & Wade, 2007). The title sounds like this might be nonfiction, but in fact it’s a wonderful, fiction picture book about Charlie, a boy who wishes he weren’t the shortest kid in his class.

Beautifully woven into that story line is a class project to guess the number of seeds in three different pumpkins. The book has lots of my favorite things. There’s a classroom setting with a diverse mix of kids, an engaging story and lots of educational hooks  — in this case about pumpkins and math — mixed in along the way. There’s even some nifty pumpkin facts from Charlie and his teacher at the end.

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum (National Geographic Children’s Books, 2009). This book is part of a gorgeous series called Picture the Seasons, which also includes titles about spring, winter and apples plus an upcoming book about summer and the beach. 

This ode to pumpkins for kindergarteners through second-graders covers traditional and unexpected uses for the big, orange fruit with stunning, full-color photography.

And Booklist praised its simple but clever narrative calling it, “Fun, cozy, evocative stuff.”

So get reading before hordes of trick-or-treaters beat down your door. And if there’s any candy you especially want for yourself … be sure to put a note on it.