Saturday, October 10, 2015

Book list for September 2015

Hark! A Vagrant. Kate Beaton.* I saw this on the shelf and snatched it up before anyone else could. I've enjoyed the comics online and was so convinced that everyone in the world would want to check this out from the library as soon as they saw it.  What's not to love about comics that are history jokes!?

The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love. Jill Conner Browne. I hadn't read this in years, and noticed it after it somehow wound up in a spot on the self with our Bibles. Evelyn liked the colors.  It was just like a fun chat with a total stranger you relate to.  And it's funny.  It's just good silly fun, and I liked it a lot. 

Teach Your Children Well. Madeline Levine.* I checked this out during Evelyn's first week of school.  I knew she would be fine and so did every other adult in her life, but it was hard to know how the transition would go--especially when she kept insisting she didn't like school (but only when we were trying to get her to go to bed earlier or stop playing so she could put on her shoes to leave for school).  Her fantastic coloring skills went downhill, her handwriting became nearly illegible, and if I didn't know better I think she completely forgot how to count.  I knew it was normal since her mind was so full of learning all the new routines and rules at school, but it freaked me out a little.  Evelyn does everything in her own time and she doubles down if she thinks you're going to try to rush her or slow her down.  I wanted a reminder about focusing on the important parts of parenting and this seemed like a good book for it.

And it was.  Levine talks a lot about realistic expectations, understanding your kid's personality and learning style, emphasizing values like a love of learning and kindness.  And calming down (that part's for the parents).  A lot of it is stuff that people already somewhat know, but it's hard to remind yourself when other people are talking about their kids' accomplishments and asking you about yours.  It's always well-intentioned, and genuine, but I'm quick to feel defensive because well, raising her is a big deal and I always worry that we're not doing as great a job as she deserves. But Evelyn's loved and supported, which is really the best foundation we can give her, educationally or otherwise.

And: I read some bound volumes of some comics. They were okay.  I don't even remember the titles, but they were about Batwoman and Captain Marvel.  Every now and then I read comics and then I remember that I don't want to read comics for another couple of months or years.