Our Favourite Children's Books

Patti
• The Secret in the Box by W. G. van de Hulst

Denise
• Leo the Magnificat by Ann M. Martin
• Rugby and Rosie by Nan Parson Rossiter
• High-Wire Henry by Mary Calhoun

Rachel
• Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Lois
• Apple Pigs by Ruth Orbach
• Edward the Emu and Edwina the Emu by Sheena Knowles
• The Mitten by Jan Brett
• Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
• The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders by Jack Prelutsky

Sue
• When We Were Very Young by A. A. Milne
• A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer

Tanya
• The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
• Ish by Peter H. Reynolds

Elsa
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
• Just in Time for Christmas by Louise Borden
• Follow Me, The Leader by Dorothea Warren Fox

Julia
• The Baby Sister by Tomie dePaola

Sherri
• Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• Something From Nothing by Phoebe Gilman

Tara
• All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan
• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Hannah
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
• The Island of the Skog by Steven Kellogg
• Random House Book of Poetry for Children selected by Jack Prelutsky

Hi guys!

I hope you're enjoying The Historian. I'm thrilled that I enjoyed it even more the second time around; and I'm really looking forward to discussing it next month. I also happened upon an episode of Cities of the Underground on History that's about Dracula's history. I thought we could watch it at the beginning of the meeting...it includes a trip to Snagov, so we can see what it looks like!

Here are some discussion questions...not sure how much discussion they'll lead to - they're pretty general! But these are the only questions specifically about this book that I could find anywhere!

1. In the "Note to the Reader," the narrator tells us, "There is a final resource to which I have resorted when necessary - the imagination." How does she use this resource in telling her story? Is it a resource to which the other historians in the book resort, as well?

2. The theme of mentors and disciples is an important one in the book. Who are the story's mentors, and in what sense is each a mentor? Who are the book's disciples?

3. Near the end of Chapter 4, Rossi says, "Human history's full of evil deeds, and maybe we ought to think of them with tears, not fascination." Does he follow his own advice? How does his attitude toward history evolve in the course of his own story?

4. In Chapter 5, Paul's friend Massimo asserts that in history, there are no small questions. What does he mean by this and how does this idea inform the book? Do you agree with his statement?

5. Helen and Paul come from very different worlds, although they share a passion for history. How have their upbringings differed? What factors have shaped each?

6. Throughout the book, anyone who finds an antique book with a dragon in the middle is exposed to some kind of danger. What does this danger consist of? Is it an external power, or do the characters bring it upon themselves?

7. Each of the characters is aware of some of the history being made in his or her own times. What are some of these real historical events, and why are they important to the story?

8. At the beginning of Chapter 1, Paul's daughter notes, "I had been raised in a world so sheltered that it makes my adult life in academia look positively adventurous." How does she change as a person in the course of her quest?

9. Helen's history is deeply intertwined with that of Dracula. In what ways are the two characters connectedc? Does she triumph over his legacy, or not?

10. In Chapter 73, Dracula states his credo: "History has taught us that the nature of man is evil, sublimely so." Do the characters and events of the novel prove or disprove this belief?

2011 Schedule

Just because the blog is resurrected and I'm here anyway, I might as well publish the schedule that I had sent out via email. If you can foresee problems with the date that has been assigned to you, please make sure that you switch early enough that it works out for everyone (enough time to pick a book, etc.). Don't forget to be ready to do the Big Reveal during the meeting before the one that you're hosting & leading!

January 21 – Rachel
February 18 – Sue
March 18 – Tanya
April 15 – Julia
May 13 – Tara
June 17 – Lois
July 15 – Patti
August 19 – Elsa
September 16 – Denise
October 21 – Sherri
November 18 – Sarah

Christmas Meeting - Next Monday!

It's been a while, but I am finally responding to the call to resurrect the blog! I just wanted to make sure everyone knows where Patti lives: 412 Sydenham Rd., Dundas, ON L9H 5E2 ... if you're not familiar with the area, just plug that into Google Maps or your GPS, and you should be good! Her phone number is 289-238-8242 in case you get lost :)

This year's assignment is to bring a favourite children's book - either one from your own childhood or one that you've discovered more recently. When's the last time someone read a children's book (or ten) to you while you were enjoying a glass of wine AND not being climbed on? Exactly ... and that's why I'm really looking forward to the experience!

I think that's it for information on our Christmas meeting ... I hope you can all make it!

BEATRICE AND VIRGIL by Yann Martel

Hope to see you Friday night, August 20th at my place (above the funeral home). Let me know if you need directions. dludwig@cogeco.ca or 905-689-6140. Here are some questions to consider:

1.What is Beatice and Virgil about?
2. Why do you thing Martel named both of his characters Henry?
3. Discuss the characters of Beatrice and Virgil. Why might Martel have chosen them to be a donkey and a howler monkely, and why might he have chosen to name them after Dante's guides through heaven and purgatory?
4. What do you think of Henry's original idea for his book? Do you agree with him that the Holocaust needs to be remembered in different ways, beyond the confines of "historical realism"?
5. Close to the start of the book, Henry (the writer) says, "A book is a part of speech. At the heart of mine is an incredibly upsetting event that can survive only in dialogue." (pg 12) What does this mean? How does his comment inform the book we are reading?
6. Describe the role of Flaubert's story," The Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator" plays in the novel.
7. How do you explain Henry's wife's reaction to the taxidermist and his workshop?
8. How do you feel about the play "A 20th Century Shirt"? Could it be performed? What role does it play in the book?
9. WHat moral challenges does Beatrice and Virgil present the reader with? What does it leave you thinking about?
10. How is writing like or unlike taxidermy in this book?
11. What role do Erasmus and Mendelssohn play in the novel?
12. What is the significance of Nowolipki Street?
13. How is Henry changed by the events of the novel? How does this relate to Beatrice and Virgil having "no reason to change" (pg 151) over the course of their play?

Choose Your Own Adventure!

Hi guys!

Remember when we were talking about Choose Your Own Adventure books and wondering if they still existed? Well, there's a wiki site: http://editthis.info/choose_your_own_adventure/. Apparently people can post their own stories here. I haven't had time to check it out...just thought it was cool:)

The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson

I'm looking forward to hosting our next Book Club meeting on July 16. And hoping you'll love this book as much as I did. Sort of perfect for North Country camping. If you manage to sneak some of that in before then...

Here are some discussion questions (I'm hoping they've downloaded okay. That you're able to read any of this at all is, I would think, a Very Positive Sign.)

1. How were you affected by the novel’s prologue? What did you discover about Arthur and Jake in this scene? How did your perceptions of the brothers change throughout the book?

2. How would you answer the questions that conclude the prologue? What accounts for the differences between those who follow the rules, like Arthur, and those who defy them? Which came more easily for you as an adolescent: obedience or defiance?

3. How were Jake and Arthur affected by their family dynamic? Did their mother pamper Jake too much? Did their father favor Arthur because he was easier to manage, or was Jake difficult to manage because of his father’s favoritism?

4. What was the effect of the novel’s timeline? How did it compare to your own experience of the continuum between present moments and memory? What parallels run between Ian’s life and Arthur’s?

5. Discuss the use of the headlines that open each chapter. What do they say about the local and global concerns of humanity? In what way were the headlines timeless, and in what way did they convey the unique attributes of this locale? What headlines would be most significant in marking the chapters of your life?

6. What is the significance of the two time periods in the lives of the characters? How were the Dunn brothers shaped by a youth of economic hardship and the presence of POWs? How was Ian shaped by an era of greater liberation, with television for entertainment and “risqué” music on the radio? What dreams for the future did each of these generations possess?

7. Discuss the nature of love and marriage as described in the novel. What made Jake so irresistible to Laura? What made Dr. Christopherson’s wife choose another man? Was Laura’s appeal strictly physical when she first moved to town? What is the riskiest romantic decision you have made?

8. How are the characters shaped by the novel’s setting? What do the natural surroundings of the town mean to them? What separates those who want to escape from those who bask in the town’s familiarity?

9. Why is Ian so transformed by the “day of the dragonflies” that concludes chapter nine? What did these memories mean to him?

10. Discuss the novel’s title. What does it mean for the characters to reach the other side of the bridge? Could Jake and Arthur ever be free of the wounds they inflicted on each other?

11. Who ultimately was responsible for Jake’s fall from the bridge? Who ultimately paid the price (literally, in terms of his medical bills, and figuratively as well)?

12. How did you react to the knowledge that Ian followed in his father’s footsteps after all? Did he make the right decision?

13. Laura confides in Arthur soon after meeting him, telling him she doesn’t believe that God cares about humanity (Chapter Ten). How would you have responded to her?

14. Discuss the cycles of tragedy conveyed in the Dunn family history, from the death of Arthur’s father to the closing scenes of Carter. How do characters cope with the concepts of fate versus intent? How do they cope with regret?

15. What common threads link the families in this novel to those in Crow Lake? What makes rural landscapes so appropriate for both of these storylines? Do you think people who grow up in cities feel the same passion for them as the characters in these two novels feel for the land?

16. If Matt Morrison, the brilliant and adored older brother in Crow Lake, had wandered into this book, which character do you think he would have had more in common with, Ian or Pete?