A Feast of Crows

Tony, a co-worker who is also filed under the heading of my last entry "serendipitous meetings" [more on this later] inspired me to write about Aldous Huxley's children's book The Crows of Pearblossom. Huxley wrote this story for his niece in 1944. This is a very interesting book since it was not only penned by the famous author of A Brave New World but also because of its illustrations.

The Crows of Pearblossom, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, tells the tale of two crows who nest in a cottonwood tree at Pearblossom, with a tenant, Rattlesnake, living below them. This tenancy causes some issue when Rattlesnake comes up to the crows' nest every day and eats however many eggs she hatches that day. Distraught, and accusing her husband of being insensitive to her plight of losing her children, Mrs. Crow (Amelia) suggests that her husband, (Abraham) kill the snake. We he retorts, "Somehow, I don't feel that's a very good idea . . . Your ideas are seldom good," Mrs. Crow angrily tosses the accusation that her husband is afraid. Adamantly he claims is he not and goes to his friend owl in search of an idea to take care of the snake. Together they concoct a scheme of baking two clay eggs and using them as decoys for the snake. Their plan is successful despite Mrs. Crow's misgivings about not killing the snake. Once Mr. Rattlesnake realizes his mistake he so tightly wound around tree branches to help ease his tummyache that he cannot unwind himself. Mrs. Crow proceeds to give him "a very long lecture on the wickedness of eating other people's eggs". There is a happy ending to the tale with Mrs. Crow's abundant brood providing enough diapers that she puts the snake to use as a clothesline to dry them on.

My first instinct with this book that I didn't like it, despite Tony's enthusiasm. I have several reasons for this:

Context: The story itself is dark and filled with the husband and wife insulting each other, bickering crows if you will at every turn, "Abraham, you talk too much. Keep your beak shut and do exactly what I do."/ "Amelia, you talk too much. Keep your beak shut and get out of your nest." The language of the book in this instance is very negative. Also, the vocabulary of the book is very far advanced for the K-3 group, "wickedness", "negelected", "impatient", "vile", "irrigated", etc. Thirdly, there are hidden jokes and adult (not mature) content within the book that the children' won't pick up on. For example, Mr. Crow is portrayed to be a slight crow with striped pants, tiny glasses, and pocket protector, for his job as "assistant manager at the pharmacy" (I'm quoting directly from the book here). And Mr. Owl apologizes to Mr. Crow when he comes to visit because he works the night shift and is in his bedroom slippers. You can ascertain from this fact owls are nocturnal but I don't believe most kindergartenders would pick up on it. I could go on to say what when Mr. Owl and Mr. Crow come to visit Mrs. Crow she is in bed and her hair is in rollers and  Rattlesnake who lives downstairs has argyle socks under his bed and dentures in a cup on his bedside table, implying that he is old. Overall they add a very sardonic humor to the story, especially when coupled with the language but I don't think it's very translatable to this age group that the book is aiming for.

Art: The artwork is brilling on some pages while falling flat on others. On one page Blackall has Mr. Owl and Mr. Crow standing over the chimney waiting for the clay eggs to bake. The entire text of the page is filled within a speech bubble made up with smoke from the chimney. Blackall also does some amazing contrasts with colors such as black and yellow to make the crows stand out. They're drawn with toucan shaped heads and a beady black eye sticking out. Not very kid friendly if you ask me. Furthermore, most of the illustrations use very dull colors and aren't very eye catching for young children.

Overall The Crows of Pearblossom would make a very good art book on someone's coffee table right up there with The Gashcumbly Tinies, but I don't see this book being read very much except by older readers with a very unique sense of humor.

Library Journal does the book justice I think with their review, which you can find here.

[pictures taken from http://blommi.com/the-crows-of-pearblossom-childrens-picture-book-review/]

How Close We Are

It continues to amaze me about the serendipitous encounters of library assistants, archivists, school library media specialists, and librarians new and veteran across the world, particularly the unexpected ones. This past July 4th I was in DC behind the Lincoln Memorial attending a Parks Police Friends & Family get together with a friend from college and her parents. Another family they knew came over and sat with us, the Gallaghers. They had a daughter, Jessica, and all it took was for my friend's mother to point at each of us and say, "Librarian" *pause, pointing to me* "Librarian" and then she walked away, leaving us befuddled finding one our own in a crowd so large. I learned Jessica's backstory throughout the evening. She had just returned from ALA in New Orleans and said that while it was a lovely experience, a lot of the poster sessions were boring and simplified. She spoke of a library from Kentucky who had come to give a presentation about the positive correlation between young adults and food and how this would impact libraries. Jessica seemed to find it obvious that teenagers liked food and couldn't believe the librarians had received funding to come all the way to New Orleans to tell us something we already knew. I thought back at that point back to past visits to my alma mater, where the main campus library was now home to a Starbucks, though there was a second in another dining hall about a five minute walk from the library. I believe there is some merit to studies such as these if anything so we can see how food in the library impacts attendance vs. damage to the materials. In my experience as a library page I saw patrons sneak and blatantly each food in the open in the library. I'm fairly certain we have a policy in the library expressly forbidding food, but people tend to hide in the back of the stacks or in the YA section to eat it.

But I digress...

The more I hung out with Jessica the more I realized that she was a funky, eclectic, and imaginative girl: the best qualities I admire in library ladies. I did also learn that instead of labeling herself an archivist at ALA she wrote "Photo Librarian" on her badge so she wouldn't be badgered by the Archivists exclusively. Her background is in a archives and her past experience includes working as a photo archivist for a Brazilian fashion agency and now she's doing freelance research for authors writing books on LBJ, JFK, and the sex scandal therein.

The rest of the Fourth was spectacular, including the fireworks and how fast we managed to get my friend, her family, my boyfriend, myself, and his Dad out of DC and home (under an hour). I suppose the moral of this blog entry is, you never know when you may be talking to nerd/librarian/archivist/book geek/etc.

We're everywhere, and we're going to stay that way.

Huge News

It is with great pride and excitement that I announce my new position as a Library Assistant for the Ashburn Library in Loudoun County, but also the revitalization of this blog!

My start date is July 7th and I just went through my last shift as a Library Page for the Prince William County Public Library System. Everyone on the circulation, youth services, information, and management staff wished me luck on my journey and it was with a heavy heart that I left them. I don't regret my decision accepting another offer a county away but someday I'd like to return to Prince William County work.

My new position is split between working the Circulation Desk and work the Info Desk for the Youth Services department. Now if only I can remember not to tell patrons to search for a book under the last name of the book's main character instead of the author! There is a possibility that I will be responsible for planning storytimes as well as adult programs. I'm being stationed in the largest library in the county so I'm very excited! It is indeed a new beginning for me and I look forward to jumping in with great vigor!

I have a to-do list and a to-read list a mile long. Here it is abridged:

1. Find out about reciprocal borrowing privileges between Loudoun and Prince William County.
2. Join ALA, PLA, & YALSA again.

My to read list on my book shelf currently consists of the following titles:

1. Laurell K. Hamilton - Hit List
2. Jodi Picoult - Harvesting the Heart
3. Ned Vizzini - It's Kind of a Funny Story
4. Yvonne Woon - Dead Beautiful
5. Sarah Dessen - What Happened to Goodbye

The one thing I will miss the most about working for Prince William County Libraries (besides the wonderful staff I've gotten to know over the last year) is the benefit of being on staff grants me absolutely zero fines and late fees.


As How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying would say, "Onward and Upward!"

Announcement

Due to the overwhelming activities in my life: finding a church, work, finding more work, training for more work, and other things I will be discontinuing my posts of NaPoWriMo's Poem a Day on this blog and all the other social media networks I use. I will continue to write in my dirty green notebook and in time will post the results on my livejournal. Happy writing to everyone else who is participating. Good luck!

Alison's Garden

NaPoWriMo Day 7#

Alison’s Garden

In Alison’s Garden a young boy lies.

His hands are pressed tightly against his eyes.

He counts aloud as seconds pass (one…two…),

his stocking absorbing the grass’s hue.

Alison waits behind a tree nearby.

Her light grey eyes reflect the cloudy sky.

She focuses her mind upon her plan

to try and catch a cricket in her hand.

She concentrates to keep questions at bay

such like those that plagued her nurse every day.

Once Nurse had had enough she bade her, “Go

to the garden and watch the flowers grow.

Some silent meditation will do you good.

Just do not wander off into the wood.”

(three…four…) Alison ceased becoming bored

once she’d unearthed the garden’s treasured store.

Here she could speak freely amongst the birds

and not fear if she had been overheard.

The rocks never minded her queries like,

“What is love?” and “How does the sun alight?”

She thought she heard her mother’s chiming voice

calling to her upon the wind, “Rejoice

my love for every single dawn.

And do not believe those who say you’re wrong.”

Alison oft retold tales from the past

whispered by her ill mother to the last.

By her bedside Alison listened rapt

as her mother unspun yarns so long trapped.

“There was a girl called Alice the Mighty

who lived with your grandparents by the sea.

She loved to sit in her garden and read

And dream of different worlds inside her head.

One day her cat, Dinah, saw a rabbit

and this one had a very nasty habit.

He could never keep time so he was late.

She followed him to the wood (seven…eight…)

She fell down a hidden hole, long and dark.

She grasped for purchase but only felt bark.

She stopped, unlocking a door in the tree.

Oh, my daughter, what worlds there were to see.”

Her mother’s tales comforted Alison

when nights were long after her Mum had gone.

The girl had always thought that she would find

her mother past the world she’d left behind.

A place filled with wonders:  red and white queens,

the most mad tea party you had ever seen,

hatters, mice, Cheshire cats, croquet, glass vials,

singing flowers, changing sizes, and trials.

(nine…ten…) “Here I come!” the white-haired boy cried.

Alison, snapped from her daydreams, replied,

“Cabbot, I’m late!” through the trees she’s running.

The woods were calling and rain was coming.

Library Meeting

My fifth entry for NaPoWriMo was the haikus I posted earlier this week. Here is #6

Library Meeting/Allegro

646 Sewing, clothing, personal living 

Surrounded by women adorned in this year's 

most fashionable glasses, the meeting begins.

You can separate the Adults from the Young Adults

by the elders' preferences for lumberjack flannel and black cardigans.

The young favor argyle and band t-shirts (bravely worn by the

only man in the group). He does not wear glasses.

973 General history of North America; United States

The only article to distinguish the founding matron, 

the fearless leader, of the pages is not what you might think.

No royal purple, no carriage nor demeanor separates her from 

the rest of us, except her Delilah long hair

which she does not cut, to give her strength.

She leads the discussion during this gathering, this mock tea party.

In my opinion, meetings should be conducted only once everyone

has donned a silly hat.

Instead there are colorful lanyards, necklaces, earrings, 

and oversized watches to distract the eye while laboring 

over library standards.

Throughout the suggestions and mandates 

the founding matron listens to all 

with an impartial ear and a patient face.

No hushed tones nor whispers, "Shhhhhh", are heard.

530 Physics

As the meeting continues the pages are separated, for a time,
from the law of the library, entropy.
The library thrives only when patrons come to discover and destroy
the ordered world that we have built for them.
They are agents of chaos in their pursuit of knowledge.
The library mages and pages are the Lords and Ladies of Order,
finding space for the treasured knowledge amidst the cramped shelves
so that it may be perused, purchased or pilfered.

The tallest towers made from books are built every day
and knocked down again by the smallest pairs of hands.

NaPoWriMo Day #3 and #4

Day #3 - I based this poem around a boy I was dating at the time. Our relationship was complicated and felt off in many things, but our passion for alcohol and the sexual tension was not among these things. This is an acrostic for those of you keeping track with poetic form.

In your company (with a bottle of wine)

Whether you tower or kneel before me, with such yearning upon your face, all

I can do is fasten my hand to the banister to prolong the inevitable paralysis. Alas, no

natural remedy exists for lack of equilibrium except the pillars of your arms. Such, div-

ersions cause dizzying divisibility between rationality and desire; circling ever close.

Stricken of sobrietal sense I breathlessly await our collision against the weight of the door.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day #4 - This sonnet was inspired after watching an episode of Heroes and thinking more about the idea of folding 1,000 paper cranes, about what one might wish for, and if a person's faith in this ritual could change overtime.

1,000 paper cranes

I dreamed I made a thousand paper cranes

Wishing that at the end I would find you.

They sat in lines along my windowpane

as vigilant and patient sentries do.

I almost stopped after I folded two,

the appropriate number in my mind.

“Better to have too many than too few,”

I thought, laying them aside intertwined.

At five hundred my floor became confined.

So from the ceiling they hung, swinging low.

The more I made the more they were refined.

My hopes rose as high as the piles could grow.

I woke and swore my faith would not diminish,

but it’s been months since the last crane was finished.