Children's Lit Spotlight: Chicks and Salsa

Some time ago, I promised that I would post from time to time about great children's books. I have composed several such posts in my head but have never gotten around to any of them. Last night before bed, one of the books my kids picked out to read jumped out at me as a post.

Chicks and Salsa by Aaron Reynolds

This book is not an old children's classic; it was published in 2005, so many of my readers have probably never run across it. The illustrations, done in watercolors by Paulette Bogan are rich and humorous and tell the story on their own. The illustrations are important because they draw in even the youngest "reader". Bronwen and Ian, both too young to read, love looking through books without anyone reading to them, as long as the illustrations provide their own feast.
The premise of the book is one that appeals to me as a foodie. It also would be a great one if you were trying to get your kids interested in trying new foods, in growing food to eat in your garden, or in helping you make dinner.
The hens on Nuthatcher farm have gotten tired of their same old food. The rooster decides that he needs to solve this problem and begins to watch cooking shows through the window of Mrs. Nuthatcher's kitchen. He comes back to the hens with a plan--chips and salsa! That night, as the Nuthatchers sleep, the chickens pick tomatoes and cilantro for their salsa. The fever is catching, and soon the other animals are asking the rooster what they should eat. They return to the garden to find the ingredients for guacamole and nachos.
My favorite line of the book is:
"As everyone knows, when a passion for southwestern cuisine takes hold of farm animals, and so many sumptuous, spicy, savory scents collide in the barnyard air, it can only lead to one thing . . . Fiesta!"
But the animals' plans for enchiladas come to a screeching halt when they discover that the garden has been completely picked over for Mrs. Nuthatcher's county fair tamales. I won't tell you the ending--but let's just say that the rooster doesn't give up.
At the back of the book, there are recipes for Hog Wild Nachos, Quackamole, and Rooster's Roasted Salsa so that you can host a fiesta of your own.
My kids do not get tired of this book and I do not get tired of reading it to them, which is always a sign of a great book. Check it out at your local library, pick it up on Amazon.com, or watch for it at your school's book fair (I think that's where we found ours.) Get ready to read it over and over, and to have your children request Mexican food!

Seeing Through Temptations

If you've never read C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, I highly, highly recommend that you do so now. These books, written for children and youth, are just as enjoyable to me now as they were when I first read them 27 years ago. They are so full of Christian symbolism, the conflict of good vs. evil, and they tell a great story.
Kimball just finished reading the series and we decided to check out some of the books on CD from our library to enjoy on a recent road trip. It made me want to reread the books immediately, even though my list of "to-read" books right now is very long.
One particular scene in The Magician's Nephew stood out to me. Aslan has sent the boy, Diggory, to get an apple from the tree of youth. If planted in Narnia, this apple would protect the land from evil for a long time. The gate to enter the garden where the tree grows gives specific instructions that the fruit is not to be taken for one's self; that the thief who steals it for himself will find "their hearts desire and despair." As Diggory plucks the fruit and prepares to leave the garden and return to Aslan, the Witch, Empress Jadis, comes to tempt him. She first tells him what the fruit will do for him if he eats of it--"Eat it, and you and I will both live forever and be King and Queen of this whole world."
When Diggory declines, saying that he'd just as soon not live on after those he loves have died, she changes tactics. She reminds Diggory of his sick and dying mother, "Do you not see, Fool, that one bite of that apple would heal her? We are here by ourselves and the Lion is far away. Use your Magic and go back to your own world. A minute later, you can be at your Mother's bedside, giving her the fruit. . . . Soon she will be quite well again. All will be well again. Your home will be happy again. You will be like other boys." OOOOO, isn't she crafty? Jadis knew that the one thing Diggory wanted most was to have his mother be healed and to return to "normal life."
Diggory is able to shake off her seductive words when something she says in her silky, sweet voice exposes her. She tells him to leave his friend, Polly, behind in Narnia, so that no one need ever know about his treachery. "The meanness of the suggestion that he should leave Polly behind suddenly made all the other things the Witch had been saying to him sound false and hollow." He realizes that the Witch really is looking out for herself--if Diggory fulfills his task given him by Aslan, he will be protecting Narnia from her, and preventing her from ruling in treachery.
As he leaves the witch to finish his errand, her words change from sweet sophistry to derision, "Go then, Fools, . . . think of me, boy, when you lie old and weak and dying, and remember how you threw away the chance of endless youth! It won't be offered you again."
Just like Diggory, we are constantly called upon to face the temptations of evil. Often, they are subtle and disguised in sweet, silky voices. Satan is constantly striving to pull us away from that which is good, from the things that will bless our lives and the lives of others. He whispers to us that we needn't heed what God has told us.
Thankfully, we are not without the ability to discern this craftiness as evil. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance," (John 14:26). God has given us the Holy Ghost to teach us right from wrong and to help us discern.
The Book of Mormon teaches, "For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." (Moroni 7:16)
In the end, after Aslan has planted the tree in Narnia, he plucks an apple from the new tree and gives it to Diggory. The apple heals his mother, although it does not give the endless youth that the witch has promised. This reminded me how much we need to trust the Lord that He has a plan for us that is better than any that we could come up with on our own. If we are obedient to him, he "doth immediately bless" us (Mosiah 2:24), more abundantly than our small mortal minds can imagine.
I am so grateful that we have been given this gift, the Holy Ghost, so that we may see through the temptations of the devil and choose the good.

Bedtime Books

Inspired by Ian's favorite book this week, Goodnight Lulu by Paulette Bogan, I have decided to feature my favorite children's books that deal with kids at bedtime who don't want to comply. 
Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban
Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems
Froggy Goes to Bed by Jonathan London
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen
Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps by Cynthia Rylant

I'm sure that there are others that we are forgetting, but there are a few on the theme to get your started. Feel free to comment with your favorite books about kids who are clever at staying up/popping up out of bed.

"Richer than I you can never be. . .

I had a mother who read to me."--Strickland Gillilan

I have always loved great children's literature. I come by it honestly. From my babyhood, my mother read wonderful books to me. She says that by the time I was walking, I would follow her around with a book, begging her to read. She'd wash a few dishes, then read me a book. Finish the dishes, another book. Put in some laundry, read me a book. I was a bookworm as a one year old, and I think that it is not just because she read to me, but also because she cared enough to find high quality, well written and illustrated books. All children's books are not created equally--there are plenty out there that are complete junk.
I remember when I was in eighth or ninth grade my parents started talking about moving the family to somewhere more affordable (they fixed on St. George, Utah) so that my dad could quit his job as a salesman and open a children's bookstore. It was my dad's middle age crisis dream--he was afraid that his job should be making the world a better place, and he wasn't sure that selling guitars and drums to rock stars really qualified for that. (I think that raising six children was his contribution to improving the world.) This children's bookstore dream came before the big box Barnes and Noble or Borders and long before Amazon.com forced many small, independent bookstores to close down. When I saw You've Got Mail, The Shop Around the Corner reminded me of the children's bookstore that they dreamed of.
I have done my best to instill the love of reading in my children by using the same method that my mother did--by filling our home with beautiful, well-written books, and by making them accessible to my kids. They have bookshelves in their bedrooms that are overflowing with books. We read a lot together (although I will admit that I used to spend more time reading to them five years ago when I only had two kids. The upside is that now Kimball will read aloud to them as well--and he does great voices!) We are all passionate about books around here, and there's nothing that I love to see more than finding one or more of my kids reading quietly, wrapped up in the story unfolding. Even the boys who can't read yet will sit and "read" for ages, because they have so many of their books memorized by now that it's almost as enjoyable as being read to. (Last week, they took all their pillows and blankets and big stack of books into the refrigerator box that is still here and made a "book cave." Aren't they cute?)
So, because I love children's lit and because I want to share that with you, I have a new section on the sidebar of my blog, entitled, "Fall in Love with Children's Lit." Go check it out. I've made a link for each book so that you can easily get them on Amazon if you are so inclined. Or go to the local library. I will be adding books regularly and will also try to post sometimes featuring specific authors, illustrators, or series that we enjoy. One of the great things about quality children's literature is that you as a parent (or aunt, uncle, babysitter) can enjoy it as well.
Feel free to comment here about your favorites that aren't on my list yet. I just made this list in a few minutes tonight and it is by no means comprehensive--it is a work in progress.
Now, if I can just find where I put my book, I'll curl up for a few minutes before bedtime. Happy reading!