It is said that March enters like a lion and departs like a lamb.  In my Pacific Northwest neck of the woods, March is definitely leonine, intermittently ROARING with snow, hale, the occasional downpour, and bone-chilling damp.  Still, I like March – primarily because I consider it “writing and reading weather.”  During the day, fueled by caffeine, I try to write and edit.  Before dinner, when my son’s day has wound down, we read.  Here are some books I know we’ll be reading to welcome a gentle and sweet April.

 

March 23, 2009

In celebration of my first book’s release four days ago, we’ll read Before You Were Here, Mi Amor.  My son loves hearing about all the different things that family members did to prepare for a baby’s birth and reading the book has prompted interesting questions about things our family did in anticipation of my son’s arrival.  In this age of “Go, Diego, Go!” and “Dora the Explorer,” among other television shows incorporating Spanish and English, it’s amazing to realize how much Spanish vocabulary our children have easily absorbed.  As we review the Glossary, my son’s eyes light up, knowing he has impressed me with his growing vocabulary.  A child’s brain is most receptive to language at a young age.

 

March 24, 2009

Seattle experienced a surprise snowstorm on the 9^th of March.  On that day, we read the 1999 Caldecott Medal winner, Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin with remarkable, hand colored woodcuts by Mary Azarian.  After, we talked about Wilson Bentley and the fact that no two snowflakes are alike.  Today, we’ll read about another snowstorm and an irrepressible dressmaker’s daughter, Brave Irene in author-illustrator William Steig’s wonderful book.  My son always smiles when Irene’s tenacity is rewarded.

 

March 25, 2009

The middle of the week calls for reliable (please don’t imply dull) favorites. First, the lyrical, rhyming-counting book, Dinner at the Panda Palace by Stephanie Calmenson with hilarious animal guests à la illustrator Nadine Bernard Westcott.  Second, Agent A to Agent Z by author-illustrator Andy Rash because my son loves the hunt through the alphabet of spies, and I, in turn, enjoy a little “Get Smart”-toned humor.

 

March 26, 2009

We celebrate Women’s History Month in March and in honor thereof, we’ll read a book inspired by true facts:  Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Muñoz Ryan with graphite and colored pencil illustrations by Brian Selznick.  Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and former aviatrix Amelia Earhart  (the first woman to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic (1932)) take to the sky in this book about two iconic, pioneering women.  An Author’s Note distinguishes fact from fiction and provides fascinating background information.  Rafael López, the illustrator of my second book, The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred (Charlesbridge, Fall 2010), created a brilliantly colorful landscape for Ryan’s Our California and I always enjoy reading her work.  I also like the idea of introducing Brian Selznick’s work now as I’ve saved a hardcover of Selznick’s uniquely illustrated chapter book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret for reading with my son when he’s older.

 

March 27, 2009

Give me a reason to read the rollicking, zany verse of Theodor Seuss Geisel (a/k/a “Dr. Seuss”) and I’ll gladly take it.  In belated celebration of Dr. Seuss’s 105th birthday, which took place March 2, 2009, we’ll devour some chocolate as we read our perennial favorites: Horton Hatches the Egg, The Sneetches (which imparts an important lesson about prejudice), and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

 

March 28, 2009

Since we’re still layering to keep warm outside, we’ll read “What Will Little Bear Wear” from the collected stories of Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik with charming illustrations by Maurice Sendak.  When my younger sister was a child, she loved having my mother read these stories.  More than thirty years later, “Birthday Soup” and “What Will Little Bear Wear,” among others, continue to delight my son and me.

 

March 29, 2009

We’re always looking for a laugh to ward off Seattle-gray skies and The Moon Is La Luna: Silly Rhymes in English and Spanish by Jay M. Harris, illustrated by Matthew Cordell does just the trick.  The rhymes – with Spanish words included in the English text rhymes – are entertaining and easy for a beginning Spanish reader.  Cordell’s spare, simple illustrations are the perfect accent.

 

March 30, 2009

No week would be good for us without a book that has a focus on numbers – my son loves them.  Presently, that means 365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental with comical illustrations by Joëlle Jolivet.  365 Penguins delivers information about math and our environment in an amusing and innovative way.  We’ll also enjoy the exotic, miniature paintings in author-illustrator Demi’s One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale about a clever and resourceful village girl.  Last, we’ll read How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G. Brian Karas.  This book combines math, science, and a lesson in kindness.  Karas’s illustrations depict a diverse class of students.  I discovered McNamara’s book after looking for other Karas-illustrated books, having become a fan of his work in Diane Stanley’s entertaining Saving Sweetness.

 

March 31, 2009

With a nod to April as National Poetry Month, we’ll read the work of two poets – one English and one American.  First, in belated honor of English poet Mary Howitt’s 210^th birthday (March 12, 1799), we’ll read Caldecott Honor book The Spider and the Fly featuring stunning paintings by Tony DiTerlizzi.  Second, a “realio, trulio” favorite in which two characters “chase[] lions down … stairs” – how appropriate to bid farewell to a lion-like March! – American poet Ogden Nash’s The Tale of Custard the Dragon featuring Belinda, Ink, Blink, Mustard, and Custard.

 

April 1, 2009

Welcome, April: may you be mild, SUNNY, and warm!

About The Author

Samantha grew up on the East coast where she attended Georgetown University Law Center. She practiced law in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Now she and her family reside in the Pacific Northwest where she writes as much as she can and heads outside whenever the sun shines.  Read more about Samantha R. Vamos.

Related posts:

1. THE CAZUELA THAT THE FARM MAIDEN STIRRED by Samantha R. Vamos
2. Before You Were Here, Mi Amor by Samantha R. Vamos
3. Connect with Lauren Bjorkman: Confessions of a Read-a-thon Grinch
4. Connect with Sarah Ockler: Top 10 Reasons Books are Better than TV
5. Unsung Books: HOUSE OF STAIRS