Books for all

Over the life of this blog we have talked a lot about books and what they mean to both Golden and I … and this post will be no different. For those that follow me on Twitter, and why wouldn’t you with gems like this …..

….  you might have seen that I have been chosen as the Mighty Little Library’s honorary librarian of September. Now the Mighty Little Library is a free book loan and exchange box that’s been up since say July in Oneonta, Alabama. 

The little library even has a light on the inside for you nighttime readers who need your fix but wanna do so in your jammies. All the library asks is that if you borrow a book and love it keep it or return it to find your next love. If you decide to keep it bring back another one that someone else might get to enjoy. 

   

It has children books, adult themed books, mysteries, science fiction and even some comic books and magazines. It’s awesome and fantastic and a great way to try out a new book without spending extra monies at the store. There's even a notebook where you can request specific kind of books guys! I mean honestly! How cool is that! 

So when I was named Honorary Librarian of September I started thinking about the kind of books I’d stock it with. But the key to a library like this is it can’t just be books that you love or books that you grew up with. Sure those have their place but one really has to stop and think about the area that the library is in, the people who would be frequenting the library and books that would appeal to them. Like Oneonta is a very Hispanic heavy community. Many languages are going on in that town at any given moment in any store. So my first donation to the Mighty Little Library was some Spanish language books that I thought would be interesting. Cause that was lacking in the library and the people that stock it were asking for some. 

I chose the following books: 

Spanish Short Stories for Beginners: 20 Captivating Short Stories to Learn Spanish & Grow Your Vocabulary the Fun Way! Which I picked cause it sounded like a good book with a few different stories that those just learning the language might enjoy as well as those who speak it well. I mean it’s 20 short stories what’s not to love about that?! That’s 20 books in a single book guys .  . . . I mean no brainer right!?

Yo no soy tu perfecta hija Mexicana by Erika Sanchez (translation “I am not your perfect Mexican daughter”) which I got after reading a review about how compelling the story was and how it captivated them. I also thought it might be a story a little girl in the town of Oneonta might need to read right now. Heck a parent of that little girl might need to read it to.

 

Juliet Respira Profundo by Gabby Rivera (translation: “Juliet takes a breath”) which I bought after watching a video with the writer talking about the book. It just sounded like a fun read and well if that’s not what this library is about then I don’t wanna know.

My second set of donations were brand new copies of my all time favorite book series “My Teacher Is an Alien” a 4 part books series that frankly made me want to write as a child. God Bless Bruce Coville and his amazing brain. Each book in the series is told from the point of view of one of the “main” characters, and while the stories pick up exactly where the last book left off they are all stand alone stories but to read only one is a disservice to you as the reader.  These books were imaginative, funny, and really made me think as a kid that A. we weren’t alone and B. it’s embarrassing what we are doing if we think about others who may be watching. It’s a fantastic book series that tackles bullies, kids needing to use their voice, adults needing to listed to their voice, and just how amazing this planet could be in the hands of people that aren’t humans. I re read this series often, usually when I’m in a funk and need to be reminded that the world could be a better place or when I just need an escape in to this world with Peter, Susan and Duncan. It always amazes me that no matter when I read it it seems to fit the time period that I’m living in and that my friends is what “timeless” is all about.

 I love thinking about the things that I’d put in this library and donating to it. I also love that it’s a thing. I can’t tell you how much I would have loved having a library like this as a child that I could walk up to browse and return to often with no need for a card or a ride to the actual library. The Mightly Little Library was born during the Covid Shutdown which incidentally resulted in the shutting down of schools and thus cutting kids off from their books sources (let’s face it not everyone has several bookshelf's full of books to browse). I would encourage you to follow the library and support them in anyway you can by donating books or just RT their posts as they try to provide a little inspiration, encouragement and love into the world.

Here’s to you Mighty’s Little Library may your pages never get dog eared! Next time I'll talk about more adult themed books that meant something to me cause let's face it this blog is nothing else but a depository of book lists for the young and young at heart! 

Marcy

  

Other posts that might interest ya about reading from this Blog ..... 

 https://saywhatmg.blogspot.com/2020/03/aitah.html

 https://saywhatmg.blogspot.com/2019/11/thankfulness-challenge-favorite.html

 https://saywhatmg.blogspot.com/2014/09/ill-read-what-i-want-to.html

 https://saywhatmg.blogspot.com/2014/11/thankfulness-challenge-day-10.html

  

 

 

Thankfulness Challenge – Favorite Childhood Books

As a kid, I loved being read to, I loved reading on my own, I loved everything about reading. From the smell of a freshly opened book, going to the book store or library and browsing the shelves looking for that perfect book, and finishing one just to start another. My favorite day of the year was the Scholastic Book Fair I would get so excited when they’d pass out the order forms and when my mom and I would sit down to fill it out. I would save my money all year long for that one order form. No matter what I did or how much I saved it was never enough but mom would always come through. 

My nephew came out of the womb wanting to read. He’d sit on the couch book in his lap flipping the pages and making up the best stories that never existed. I only wish I had pulled out a camera and recorded them. A lot of times I couldn’t understand what he was saying but he was so enthusiastic about it I loved every second of it. One year he was determined to read the most books in his class and get as many AR reader points (or some jazz like that) in a single year. That was a fun year. See they had to read a book, tell their teacher they read it and then take a test on what he read. His score would result in points. I loved suggesting books, helping him find others, reading them with him so he’d have someone to talk to about it before taking the tests.

So just like with the video games post I thought I’d share some of the books that he and I bonded over when he was a child incase you are looking for some Christmas ideas prior to Black Friday shopping. 

 

http://www.littlegoldenbooks.com/

Little Golden Books. I love the Little Golden Books series, I have a ton of Little Golden Books on my shelves. I like the original books like Tootle, The Little Red Caboose, The Shy Little Kitten, The Fire Engine Book and also love the Sesame Street, Disney versions that came out. Like the Monster and the End of this Book featuring Grover, and a few years ago they released “Everything I need to know I learned from a Little Golden Book” which I got for Christmas from several family members. For the record don't bring me some weak ass Little Golden Book without the gold foil spine all that will do is piss me off. 

My all time favorite Little Golden Book was and will always be The Poky Little Puppy, which by the way was the on billionth LGB printed in 1986. It’s my all time favorite book from my childhood. As a matter of fact whenever a friend has a baby I give them this book as part of my baby gift. That book is all kinds of brilliant. It’s five little puppies who dig a whole under the fence and explore the world around them only to get in trouble when they get home. They do this several times throughout the book and the way they see the world and things around them was brilliantly done. A great way to talk to kids about consequences of actions that kind of thing.

https://www.berenstainbears.com/
The Berenstain Bears. There is a Berenstain Bear Book for literally every occasion. God Bless Stan and Jan Berenstain. The hours of enjoyment that the books have given me are too high to count. From having a Messy Room, to Bad Habits, to telling the Truth, to having a new Baby, table manners, trouble at school, going to a doctor for the first time, dealing with bullys,  learning how to deal with strangers, and mom getting a new job, and moving and going to the dentist, going to school for the first time. Literally every single thing has a Berenstain Book to give to a kid to make their situation a little easier to deal with.

Literally anything by Dr. Seuss. I loved the play on words, the fact that he could make up this world in his head and it all worked at the end of the day. I love that there is a book that people have started giving for graduation gifts, Oh The Places You go. So many fantastic stories, and of course I love me some How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Horton Hears a Who, There’s a Wocket in my Pocket, Oh The Thinks you can Think, and I wish That I had Duck Feet. So many great options you can’t go wrong with any of this books. 

Pierre – or as we called it, “I don’t care, my names Pierre” My mom gave me this book cause I had gotten into a habit of saying I don’t care. The book is all about a little boy who answers everything by saying I don’t Care and the consequences of it from it. At one point he is asked if a Lion could eat his mom (or something like that) and he says I don’t care and the Lion eats his mom. It was quite traumatic at the time. I love that book.

You can’t go wrong with any book on this list much less any other book on the planet. Reading is important no matter the book just the aspect of giving an actual book and even better reading the actual book with the recipient.

Marcy

@beaslma