library theme: snails

The great thing about the public library is that it allows me to do theme weeks. Even with my large collection of picture books, I usually don't have enough books on a single subject to comprise a theme. Eliza is the one who chooses the theme. When she was a young toddler, C. and I would make a note of whatever her current obsession was (usually a specific animal), and the next time I went to the public library, I'd come home with a half dozen or so books on the subject. Now that she's a few months shy of 3 years old, she can outright tell me what she'd like to read about. For the past two weeks, we've been reading picture books starring snails. The slimy buggers wouldn't have been my choice, but this is all about what she wants.

A House for Hermit Crab, Eric Carle

A hermit crab that lives on the ocean floor has outgrown the shell he took for a home. Right away, he finds a larger shell, and the story follows his attempts to improve his home by asking other sea animals to join him.

My daughter grew more excited with each animal addition to the hermit crab's shell and insisted on pointing out each and every one on each page. Although this isn't a book about snails, one page features sea snails, one of whom joins Hermit Crab's posse to clean it of algae.

Although the story sounds odd at first blush (e.g., collecting other animals), the message is a sweet one about friendship and growing up. Hermit Crab always asks for help from other animals gently and respectfully. I don't want to ruin the ending, so I'll just say that it's not about acquisition - it's more about the symbiotic relationship Hermit Crab has with his friends.

This book features some of Carle's best crayon, paint, and collage art - the texture is fantastic.

I was charmed to see this note on the back flap about Eric Carle:

Eric Carle is the creator of many beloved books about animals, birds and insects, but he says that he feels particularly fond of Hermit Crab, the hero of this book. Perhaps this is because he was born in the month of June, under the astrological sign of the Crab. People born under this sign are said to be both creative and sensitive; they love their homes and gardens, and like to withdraw there when the outside world is stressful.

That's so me (I'm a June-born Cancer, too). Maybe that's why I liked Hermit Crab.

Snail Trail, Ruth Brown

Another reason I love the library is that this book is out-of-print. There was but a single copy in the entire city library system, but it was worth calling over to my branch.

Snail Trail begins, "Slimy Snail set out on a trail one bright and sunny morning." The snail and the trail he blazes are illustrated in extreme close-up. It's enough to give anyone squeamish of snails the willies, but kids who adore creepy-crawlies will adore the adventurous snail. Each double-page spread shows the snail going through a tunnel, down a slope, or other tricky maneuvers, which is a great way for younger toddlers to learn prepositions. The final pages zoom out to show the snail's trail in full - silvery slime and all - so that the readers can see where the snail went from a human point of view. This book would be mostly of interest to ages 1 to 3.

This was one of Eliza's two favorites for the week . . .

The Snail and the Whale, Julia Donaldson (written) & Axel Scheffler (illustrated)

. . . which brings me to Eliza's other favorite, The Snail and the Whale. The illustrations are not hyper-realistic like those of Snail Trail - they are cartoonish in the best sense, and the snails are almost charming with their impish grins. Eliza asked to reread this book many times in the course of two weeks and often couldn't contain herself from blurting out what happens on the next pages.

"This is the tale of a tiny snail / And a great big, gray-blue humpback whale," the rhyming story opens. Having an urge to travel and see the world, the snail beseeches the whale for a ride around the world on his tail. The scenes range from icebergs to jungles to grand forests and mountains. The duo have a wonderful time until the whale is in grave danger. It's up to whale's molluscan friend to save the day. Recommended for ages 2-6.

The Secret, Lindsay Barrett George

Can a 30-something mom have a favorite snail picture book? If so, this would be mine.

Mr. Snail has a secret message for Miss Snail. He whispers it to the mouse and off it goes, being "squeaked" to the beetle, "pinched" to the turtle, and "grumbled," "swished," "croaked, "wiggled," "shook," "buzzed," and so on until it reaches Miss Snail. With such a simple story, the text could have been dumbed down in another's hands, but Lindsay Barrett George gives it such charm with her colorful word choices.

What I liked most about this book, however, were the collage illustrations that reminded me a bit of Clare Beaton's Mother Goose Remembers with its bric-à-brac collage except where the latter contains sewing notions, The Secret employs silk flowers and items from nature mingling with ink and paint. The effect is startlingly three dimensional. Recommended for ages 1-4.

The Biggest House in the World, Leo Lionni

Little snail's grandest ambition is to grow up to have the biggest house in the world. To dissuade him, his wise father tells him the story about what happened once upon a time to another snail who dreamt the same. Once that snail figured out how to enlarge his shell, there was no stopping him - eventually his shell became so unwieldy that he could no longer move. Sensitive little ones may be disturbed by the snail's implied death, but the text is vague enough ("slowly faded away") that parents may be able to sidestep this. The snail's being destroyed by his own ambition is certainly sad, but the ending of the book is hopeful. The little snail's life is ahead of him, and he gains a new appreciation for nature and sustainability. For ages 3-6.

The Snail's Spell, Joanne Ryder (written) & Lynne Cherry (illustrated)

"Imagine you are soft and have no bones inside you. Imagine you are grey, the color of smoke," the text invites the reader. A little blonde girl curls up in a garden and pretends to shrink and morph into a snail, seeing the world of the garden from a new perspective. The Snail's Spell differs from other picture books with snails in that it brings up the different body parts of the snail and what they're used for.

My daughter was very quiet and attentive as we read this each time (usually she's animated and has conversations with books). I didn't think it was as big of a hit as The Snail and the Whale, but she enjoyed it in a different way. Her father was amused to see her slithering across the carpet pretending to be a snail. For ages 2-5.

The Snail House, Allan Ahlberg (written) & Gillian Tyler (illustrated)

This horse of a different color is the James and the Giant Peach of picture books. The children's grandmother entertains them with a fantastical story about siblings who shrank so small they were shorter even than a snail's feelers. They move into the snail's shell ("And it was a proper house too, with a door and windows, roof and chimney, table, chairs, three little beds, curtains, and crockery - everything!") where they travel through the garden having little adventures. For ages 3-7.

The Happy Day, Ruth Krauss (written) & Marc Simont (illustrated)

Winter has come, and all the animals are hibernating. When they suddenly wake up and race from their dens and burrows. What has captured their attention? The Happy Day is illustrated almost completely in pencil shades of grey, well-suited to the barrenness of winter, but also imparting a soft charcoal warmth to the animals. This is a short, simple story, and a well-done and subtle one at that. For ages 1-4.

How Many Snails?: A Counting Book, Paul Giganti, Jr. (written) & Donald Crews (illustrated)

Last and also least is How Many Snails?. The text and the illustrations are deathly boring. It tries to be more than just another counting book by asking the child to count only a subset of the items on the page (e.g., "How many clouds were big and fluffy? How many clouds were big and fluffy and gray?"). My daughter's only source of amusement was in pointing out that some of the dogs were wearing necklaces (they looked like pearl chokers). Neither she nor I have a high opinion of this book. I expected much, much better from the illustrator of Freight Train.

As for the snails, there's exactly one double-page spread of them. The book has no more to do with snails than it does clouds, dogs, or cupcakes.

taste of summer

1. "Swallow-Them-All Banana Balls" (Everyday Vegan by Dreena Burton)

These were really easy and fun to make. Apples, dates, banana, coconut, flax meal, almond butter, and corn flakes are rolled into balls between your palms, which are then rolled around in carob powder and/or coconut.

2. Aztec cereal

That's the crunchy yellow breakfast cereal by Erewhon. It has corn, amaranth, apple juice, sea salt, and nothing else. Eliza is crazy for this stuff.

3. ambrosia melon & blueberries

I'm not sure how ambrosia melon is different from cantaloupe, but it was perfectly sweet and delicious. The blueberries were from Stehly Farms Organics in North County and perfect. Blueberries are my favorite fruit of all, but they have been crazy expensive all season so far. Just last week, a tiny container went for $8 or $9 at Whole Foods, but this week they were $2 at the co-op. It looks like Stehly doesn't sell at any of this county's farmers' markets though. Bummer. I'll have to hope the co-op keeps getting a steady crop for weeks (months? I dare not hope) to come.

4. "Quick Lemon-Garlic Quinoa Salad" (Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair)

When I thought about what to do with the red quinoa, this was the first thing that came to mind. I make this salad (with typical quinoa) once a month or so. Most of the ingredients are raw (only the quinoa is cooked) and tastes best chilled or at room temperature, so it does well for lunch box or picnic fare. There was only a subtle flavor difference between the red quinoa and the usual suspect, so I think I prefer the cream-colored quinoa for visual appeal if nothing else (the brown-red quinoa makes it difficult to see the carrots, sunflower seeds, and parsley).

I almost forgot - I substituted Udo's DHA for part of the olive oil and the flavor was still very good. I wouldn't replace more than half since there's nothing like the fruity flavor of quality extra-virgin olive oil.

* * * * *

Fruit is without a doubt my favorite part about summer. I'm miserable when the temperatures rise above 80 (although the 80s sound pretty good compared to the day last summer I was stuck in Escondido the afternoon it hit 115 and the power went off for hours), so fresh fruit is my consolation.

Eliza's favorite fruits of May have been the various melons. Although she vacuums up them all, her favorite is watermelon, or as she says, "waduh-muhmuh." I like melons alright, but I'm really a berry person (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries - in that order). I was thinking that for my monthly dessert, I'd like to make the "Sexy Low-Fat Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberries" from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. They are the cutest things with upside-down raspberries adorning the top and just a trickle of glaze.

crazy fruit

This week's trip to the co-op brought a few new finds.

First, after reading cookbook author Dreena Burton's post about a vegan DHA oil blend, I decided to give it a shot (good timing - my supplements just ran out). Dreena says it tastes "clean," which is good to hear since I have to disguise straight flax oil (such as in the fabulous sesame-miso vinaigrette from La Dolce Vegan!).


Second, I hadn't intended to buy any quinoa (having so much in my pantry), but I've never seen quinoa like this. The "grains" are considerably smaller than typical quinoa and possess an earthy red-brown hue.

Finally, that large green fruit that looks like it's wearing armor is a cherimoya. According to the Wiki article, "The fruit is fleshy and soft, sweet, white in color, with a custard-like texture, which gives it its secondary name, custard apple. Some characterize the flavor as a blend of pineapple, mango and strawberry." I had no idea what it was when I spotted it, but since it was organically grown in local Escondido, I thought the mystery fruit was worth a shot.

Cherimoyas have their own website - who knew? - complete with eating suggestions. Once it's fully ripened (it should get softer like an avocado), I'll cut it in half and we'll all eat half raw and put the rest in the freezer, since the website says it's ice cream-like. Hmm, we'll see. I hope it's Organic-Rice-Divine good and not soy-ice-cream lame.

can't catch me!

"Run, run, fast as you can. Can't catch me... I'm the ginger man." Her chanting would have been more charming if she hadn't been acting it out at the grocery store. No wonder it took me two hours to get out of there.

just my luck

Every time I think of something to post, I've forgotten what that was by the next time I have time alone with the cursed laptop (its AC connection is so wonky that it goes into hibernation mode every 20 seconds to 5 minutes, making composing a simple e-mail difficult).

Kvetch #1: On Tuesday, I spoke with the bike shop manager, who informed me that he could put on a temporary fork. I told him as wonderful as that sounds, we couldn't afford a few hundred dollars at the moment. "Oh, no," he protested, "cost of labor only." I was confused because I was told a few weeks ago that it would cost hundreds by an employee, who was himself confused. We fork over the fork when the permanent part arrives from Timbuktu. He continued, "it will be ready for you within the hour." I was speechless to think that these two months stuck at home could have been avoided for $20.

Although the bike shop is just two blocks away, the errand took nearly two impossibly long hours. Eliza outright refused to hold my hand despite traffic roaring by at 50+ mph. I literally had to carry all 32 pounds of her most of the way there - my back was crying. The way back was even worse as she still refused to hold my hand, but that time, I had a bike to steer in addition to an angry diva. When she wouldn't budge for anything, I had no choice but to sit and stay until she decided to move a few more feet; I couldn't carry her and steer the bike. It was so much easier making trips to the bike shop when I could just plunk her in a mei tai (yes, I know it's technically still possible, but she's so heavy now).

I arrive home exhausted and miserable, but at least the bike was fixed. The car was mine on Wednesday! I wish I could have gone somewhere more exciting, but I needed to make a trip to the co-op, and it was either then or at night. No problem - I was planning to go E's playgroup's craft day on Thursday. Little did I guess that DH would leave for work on his bike Thursday only to return five minutes later . . . with a flat tire! Since he got a flat tire just two days before March's crash, that means he got a flat two of the last five days riding the bike.

I could have gotten the flat fixed Thursday, but I wasn't about to have a repeat of Wednesday afternoon's adventure. So I went back to being housebound for a couple more days.

Kvetch #2: One of the few places we can go within walking distance is music class. DH dropped us off (along with the stroller) in the morning. All was going well in class until Eliza came crashing down on my lap at an angle, literally knocking my kneecap out of its joint!* I shrieked in pain. It was only a mild dislocation, which snapped back immediately, but my reaction frightened Eliza badly. For ten minutes, I held her as tears streamed down her face. I reassured her that I was going to be fine, but she was so shaken that it took some time to calm down.

It took the better part of an hour to limp the mile home.

Can I add a third kvetch? During the composition of this entry, my laptop has hibernated at least a half dozen times. Next post, no kvetching - I have photos of Eliza's aquatic-muffin-duck masterpiece.

* I've had "trick knees" since ever I can remember. It's not a problem I think about much anymore because Southern California's climate means there's never ice to slip on, twisting my leg and knee - what used to be a frequent problem back east only now happens once every year or two.

tantrums

Between our being mostly housebound and her father's long hours at work, Eliza's tantrums have increased in length and intensity these last couple weeks. Most of the time, there's no trigger as far as I can see, and when there is a discernible cause, it's so odd. Here are two examples:

She asked for a pickle. What did I do? I handed her the pickle she had asked for (silly me), which was immediately thrown on the floor and declared "yucky!" She started walking away and was completely indifferent to the pickle's fate until I threw it in the trash. She threw herself on the kitchen floor only to bump her head hard, so her screaming intensified turning her face crimson. Often holding her will help her calm down, but not that day - it made her even more angry. So she screamed herself hoarse for a good 20 minutes on the family room carpet until her throat hurt so much she could only croak. All I could do was sit next to her helplessly - any attempt to make contact infuriated her. When she finally regained her composure, she curled into my lap, nestling her head against my shoulder to read a few books.

One of yesterday's tantrums was set off by Legos. You know the little Lego men? Eliza thought they'd be better off without pants. Great. The only problem is that the pants don't come off, which I tried to explain to no avail - she went off the deep end.

She's a good egg, a wonderful little person, and it makes me sad to see her so frustrated.

spring plans

As it turns out, spring will be more than half over by the time I have the car again, but a couple weeks ago when I was more optimistic, I tinkered with our chart (which lost pretty graphics when I uploaded it to Google).

Eliza only has one "class" at the moment. She has been going to Musical Children since she was 5½ months old - more than 2 years now! She was in a toddler tumbling class for about a year, which was once the highlight of her week, but we dropped it in December when overcrowding (coinciding with a bout of stranger anxiety) took out the fun.

The library's story time might be a good out-of-house activity. Our nearest library is beautiful - the building itself has stained glass windows, and there's a duck pond outside.* We used to go on Wednesday afternoons for more than a year (before I buried myself in library fines). Story time is every Tuesday at 10 for kids 3-6 years old (there is no toddler story time). At 2½, Eliza is tall and willowy, a full head above many 2 years olds, so based on physical appearance alone, no one would suspect she's not yet 3, so the only question is . . . would she sit still for a half hour? C feels it's worth a shot; after all, if Eliza is restless, we could remove ourselves and go to the duck pond - no money lost (it's free) and we only went 2 miles to get there.

Once the weather improves, we can start going again to the aquatic center 1½ miles away, which has a children's aqua playground in 18" deep water.

* I still remember the first time I took Eliza there as an older baby. After I checked out a few books, we sat in the adjacent meadow enjoying the sun while Eliza examined the wildflowers. When I told C about it later that day, he couldn't stop laughing. "So let me get this right. . . . you were nursing your cloth-diapered vegetarian flower child in a meadow. You are a hippie!" How droll. :/




(Photos on right are from her 2nd birthday; in the baby photo, she's 9½ months old.)

still stranded

2½ weeks from today. "You've got to be kidding" was the first thought that came to mind when the bike repair guy updated me as to when the bike part is expected to arrive. He had told me in late March that it had to be ordered from overseas, but he didn't tell me it was at the peak of Mount Everest, which could be the only possible explanation for a single bike part taking more than a month to arrive. I may remain stranded at home on weekdays until May.

The silver lining in all this is that our garden is well-tended, I've had time to catch up on Latin, and Eliza is happy as a clam spending the day reading and playing.