Gung Hay Fat Choy!

 

吉星高照 (jí xīng gāo zhào) Smiles of fortune

Very soon we'll celebrate Chinese New Year. These poems are from a lovely new book in the library,
Julie Andrews' Treasury for all Seasons: Poems and Songs to Celebrate the Year.

 阖家欢乐 (hé jiā huān lè) Felicity of the whole family 

I hope you celebrate the Year of the Snake and wish you a year of happiness, health, and prosperity!

Keats treat...

Lucky indeed are we who still have a chance to catch the Ezra Jack Keats retrospective at The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.

Just like our little guy here discovering the magic of a first snow storm, I was enchanted  by this exhibit. A self-taught artist, Keat's collage work and color palette bursts with the crispness and vitality of a snowy day. 

Before you head over, read this fascinating New York Times article. The exhibit runs through February 24, 2013.

Zip back to the library and place a hold on all the Ezra Jack Keats books and have your own Keats-athon! Why don't you walk around your neighborhood and make a painting about what YOU see?!

Friday finishes...

~EPISODE TWENTY-SEVEN~

     I don't have time to tell you about the wonderful party. You'll have to use your imagination to picture clowns and elephants and seals and lions and a bearded woman and headless woman and monkeys and chimps and every person and creature determined to give the beloved twins the greatest time of their eleven years, even if in their hearts they knew it was not only a birthday bash but a farewell party....

     ...Nancy stroked the place on her arm where the wolf had scratched her. The house with a picket fence and two parents with their twins no longer seemed so desirable. Wasn't a circus the perfect home for a girl who was, at least for the present, part wolf? And besides, she had promised the wolves to speak out for them. "Why not?" she said...

     ....I won't say it was the end of all their adventures, for Nancy and Joe were an adventurous pair, but it brings to a close the Exquisite Corpse Adventures- evil conquered, family united, and friends who lived...

"Take twenty top kids' authors and illustrators. Give them free rein to take turns creating a zany progressive story. What could possibly happen next?"

Monday begins...

BEFORE YOU CONSIDER READING "Who Could That Be at This Hour?" ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS:

1. Are you curious about what is happening in a seaside town that is no longer by the sea?
2. Do you want to know more about a stolen item that wasn't stolen at all? 
3. Do you really thing that's any of your business? Why? What kind of person are you? Are you Sure?
4. Who is that standing behind you?

Alas, as always with Lemony Snicket, they are all the wrong questions.....

The holidays draw near...

Whew! We escaped the worst of the winter rains this weekend in Marin County. Still, a rainy day
is awfully nice for sitting at home at the kitchen table with a STACK of library books and a cup of hot chocolate and a lazy afternoon of crafting holiday cards and presents.

Oh come let us adore Ed Emberly and his clever drawing books. Here are a few sweet designs from  his Big Red Drawing Book.

And for grown-ups who keep art journals or scrapbooks, Emberley's designs are fantastic fodder for doodling ideas and page graphics. Take a look at the bead garland designs. Even just the simple shapes would look great on a journal page.


Rejoice all those who celebrate Hanukah! I love The Crafty Crow's website of ideas for Hanukkah crafts.

Dancing Hanukkah Characters from The Creative Jewish Mom

Save a nice hot crispy latke for me and don't forget the applesauce....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Image from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Here's hoping everyone's Thanksgiving is swanky.

Elliott Erwitt, Snoopy through the window of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 1988

Before we settle in to watch the Macy's Day Parade, here's a little poem to read at the Thanksgiving table. It's from a classic book of children's poetry and I love the illustrations sprinkled throughout the book. Click on the poem to discover the book and then check it out and take it home! 

 I give thanks for YOU dear reader and this blog and books and reading and free public libraries and poetry and parades. xoxo Miss Kitty

And the winner is....

It's a landslide win! The cutest dog costume  IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE goes to....

this little guy! 

 

Pinterest

You know Miss Kitty is a sucker for dogs, so here, dear reader, are a few of my favorite picture books with dog illustrations. Click on the illustration to place a hold on each title, grab your library card and a leash...good boy! Good girl!