February 2010

  • Little Night

    By sarajean on 2/26/10 9:46pm
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    This is the most adorable, wonderful children’s story I have come across in 2010 yet! I cannot praise Little Night by Yuri Morales enough. I won’t even proclaim to know anything about Mexican mythology or culture other than minimal aspects, but I do know a magical story when I see one. This may simply be the perfect children’s book.

    First off, the basic story is exceedingly simple and utterly beautiful. Mother Sky is getting her little girl, Little Night, ready for her nightly ritual. It’s the exact same ritual that millions of families likely go through every single night with their own children, including a calming bath, getting dressed, having a snack, hair-combing, and the like. And like many children, Little Night is delightfully mischievous, dashing around and delaying the routine by hiding from Mother Sky prior to each individual activity.

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  • A Charlie Brown Valentine

    By sarajean on 2/3/10 1:25am
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    Oh, Charlie Brown! Do you know anyone who’s more unlucky—more filled with the “Charlie Browniest luck in the world”—than the poor balding block head created by Charles M. Schulz? Having been a little red-haired girl, I used to giggle over ol’ Chuck’s attempts at telling his little red-haired girl his feelings for her at Valentine’s Day. Of course, we all know that, like with most other things in the poor boy’s world, the confession was doomed from the start!

    (You have to wonder why we love Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. Sure, they’re funny—but don’t you pity the title character more than you enjoy him falling on his back every time Lucy tries to make him kick a football? Just sayin’.)

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