I've decided to do book reviews on this blog. Now, I'm not looking to compete with the New York Review of Books or any other high-minded literary fora. While I am not going to claim to be one of those mothers who is so engrossed in the education and development of her baby that I lack even a spare moment before bed to read a book, I do know that my ability to read novels well has really dropped off. A chapter here, two pages there--it's not terribly conducive to picking up the Christ figure symbolism or, indeed, even following the plot too well sometimes.
All of this is a long way of saying that the books I read obsessively are the ones chosen for me by the toddler in my life. And there is a decided qualitative difference in what's on offer, let me tell you. Some children's books are a joy to read, even the 1000th time and even for the adult reading them. Others make me groan inwardly in despair at the thought of transferring the written to the spoken (My First Book of Tractors, which I once described as having been written as if designed to win a boring contest, leaps to mind. Thank heavens the still-not-released-even-though-the-editor- said-end-of-November travel book is still beating it in sales rank, if only slightly.).
I am frankly looking forward to bringing you the best of what we're reading, because children's literature has come a long way from Dick and Jane. I hope to have the chance to start tomorrow with Connery's current favorite, How I Became a Pirate.
Let me give you a sample of what I won't be writing in my reviews. I found this one on Amazon for Pirate and had to read it because I was flummoxed that anyone could give this book one star:
After reading the book once, I threw it away. I beleive the morals in this book are all wrong. First, the boy is on the beach with his parents, the parents aren't paying attention to him so he goes off with some strangers (pirates). FIRST RED FLAG! The strangers (pirates) then teach him how to be foul mouthed and belch. They also teach him that he doesn't have to eat his veggies. I think this book is awful and it should definately not be marketed to preschoolers.
I am at a loss to explain this woman's apparent lack of even the most rudimentary sense of humor. Also, I don't think there is any actual belching, and the swearing doesn't reach much past "landlubbers."
I pledge to try to do better, ye scurvy dogs.