Celebrate with Dr. Seuss

Monday is March 2nd and do you know what that means? Dr. Seuss's birthday! I'm reminding you now so you can use the weekend to make preparations. Here are some fun things to do to celebrate:

*For breakfast--Green Eggs and Ham, of course!

*For reading--go to the library this weekend and bulk up on some of his greaties. (A catalog of Seuss titles here.) Dedicate a big chunk of the day to reading. Cancel everthing else, let your laundry and dishes pile up, make some fun snacks, snuggle up with your kiddoes, and READ!

*For games--Seussville.

Have fun!!

(I wrote more about Dr. Seuss's birthday and all the fun you can have with it here.)

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

"Mr. Hatch was tall and thin and he did not smile. Every morning at 6:30 sharp he would leave his brick house and walk eight blocks to the shoelace factory where he worked. At lunchtime he would sit alone in a corner, eat his cheese and mustard sandwich, and drink a cup of coffee. Sometimes he brought a prune for dessert."

So begins this perfect-for-heart-day story written by Eileen Spinelli (yes, that's the wife of our beloved Jerry Spinelli) and illustrated by Paul Yalowitz. And so begins every day for Mr. Hatch. Just as drab as the last. But on Valentine's Day he receives a candy-filled heart with a card that says "Somebody loves you," and his whole world changes. Mr. Hatch starts to feel differently about himself and begins to interact with those around him. But what will happen when it turns out that the Valentine's Day gift was delivered to Mr. Hatch by mistake? You'll have to read this gem to find out!

(Some great things about this book: First of all, Eileen Spinelli is clever as can be. She had me from that first paragraph. (I mean, come on, who eats a mustard and cheese sandwich?! I had to learn more about this Mr. Hatch...) Secondly, Yalowitz's colored pencil illustrations are wonderful. He uses color perfectly to capture the mood of each scene. For example, the illustration accompanying that first paragraph is full of dull gray tones. We see warmer colors as the story continues. Brilliant.)

Enjoy this read and enjoy your Heart Day!

Valentine's Day Suggestions

I received a request for Valentine's Day book suggestions. I decided now is the best time to do that, so you all have time before the big day to find and read these gems. I actually wrote about several of these last year, so I'm going to send you clicking HERE. Stay tuned for more...

Martin's Big Words

I have a great many books about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They are all wonderful. This, however, is my absolute favorite--Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport, illlustrated by Bryan Collier.

Here's why I love it so:

1. Rappaport has ingeniously juxtaposed her original text with direct quotes from Dr. King's life. For example, after listening to his father preach when he was a young boy, Martin said, "When I grow up, I'm going to get big words, too." I love the way she uses his words and how it makes me feel more connected to him.

2. Collier's art is perfect. I suppose I'm biased because collage happens to be my very favorite medium. Here, Collier has used watercolor and collage to put lifelike images of Dr. King against a background of various textures and images. Like his life and the Civil Rights Movement itself, the illustrations are bold, complex, and multi-layered. I think Collier has captured the feeling of that time beautifully.

If you're looking for great books about Dr. King to read with your child, start with this one. It is geared for young children (I'd say Kindergarten-3rd grade), but it is an inspiring book for all ages.

Snowmen at Night

This year we got a new Christmas book for Blaine--Snowmen at Night by Caralyn and Mark Buehner. The Buehners hail from Salt Lake City and if their name sounds familiar, you have likely read their gem, Fanny's Dream. They have several other wonderful titles as well. I absolutely love the Buehners.

Snowmen at Night is fabulous for so many reasons. First of all, the story is brilliant. It is about a boy who notices that when he makes his snowman, he looks just fine--standing tall, smiling, hat on straight, etc. But the next morning he is drooping just a tad and looks quite dishevelled. The boy concludes that the snowman must go out at night and run around town with all the other snowmen. And so, in clever verse, Caralyn Buehner takes us through those nightly snowmen activities--sledding, throwing snowballs, playing baseball (using snowballs, of course), skating on the pond, and so on. It is hysterical and so imaginative--your child will never look at snowmen the same way again! And, as always, Mark Buehner's pictures are bold and colorful and clever as can be. In this one he even has hidden shapes in every scene for your child to hunt for.

This book is wonderful for all ages. Blaine loves it for its pictures, and your 8 or 9 year-old will still love it for its cleverness. Read it with your family this Christmas!

The Sweet Smell of Christmas

One of my most favorite Christmas books to read every year is The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Patricia M. Scarry. (You should recognize that last name. Her husband, Richard Scarry is one of the all-time GREATS in children's lit. More on him later.) It is illustrated by J.P. Miller, and it is a scratch-and-sniff! Don't you just loooove those? This one tickled me pink as a child, and just looking through it this year made me so nostalgic and so excited for Christmas!

As Christmas approaches, little Bear gets more and more excited with each new scent that fills the air--the minty candy canes, the piney Christmas tree, the chocolaty hot cocoa, the delicious gingerbread cookies... And, of course, you get to (er, um, I mean, your child gets to) scratch and sniff each of these wonderful smells.

I hope you will find this book for your family. For me it brings back so many memories of little girl Christmases--reading it with my mom and then creating those aromas in our very own home!

Toddlers need Christmas books, too (part two)!

Here is another fun one for your little, little ones: My First Christmas Touch and Feel. This is yet another great touch and feel book by Doring Kindersly (remember that the big DK on the cover is always a good sign). This particular one has some super fun and varied textures for your little babe to feel: a Santa cookie's sticky cherry nose, a crafted snowman's fluffy body, the silky ribbon on a present, and more. And I love that most of DK's illustrations are photographs. That makes it so real and recognizable for our babes. So find this one and add it to your collection. You will love it!

Toddlers need Christmas books, too!

You need Christmas books for every age. Here's one that is wonderful for your babes and toddlers. It is called My Peekaboo Fun: Christmas Time. (Yo-Yo Books is the publisher.) I'm a big fan of these Yo-Yo Peekaboo books. (Blaine has one called Learning to Count that is delightful.) Here's why you and your child will love this book:

First of all, simple text: It asks, "Who is walking on top of the roofs at night?" Then, your toddler can answer because a) the 2-page-spread illustration has big, colorful, simple, bright pictures showing the wintry scene and b) every part of that scene is labeled in a good-sized, basic font(cloud, moon, bird, tree, roof, skylight, tower, clock, chimney, sky, smoke, stars, hill, snow). Then, every page has at least one big, sturdy, cardboard flap to open, to reveal something more (peekaboo!).

It's a greatie, I tell ya. And a hint for shoppers: you can often find these Peekaboo books at T.J. Maxx and other similar stores. Enjoy, enjoy!

Christmas is coming!

It's time to get Christmasy. Today's holiday Rainbow Book is an obvious classic. So widely known that I considered not posting it. But then Mr. Cropper told me he has never read it, which led me to wonder if there are others of you out there who haven't read this greatie, or don't own it? (Because you should. It needs to be in your Christmas stack, just under The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and just on top of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.)

Today's book is The Polar Express, written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. (He did Jumanji and Zathura as well, if that helps you get your author-bearings.) Of course there has been a movie since, as with Jumanji and Zathura. Movies are visually amazing of course, but in this case I prefer Van Allsburg's illustrations. The Polar Express, in fact, won the Caldecott medal in 1986. The paintings are large and exquisite; rich in color and detail. They make me want to cozy up by a fire and watch the snow fall down outside. Hot cocoa is involved in that wish, too. That's how good Van Allsburg is at eliciting that wintery, Christmasy feeling.

The story is a gem. In it, a boy boards the Polar Express one winter's night, and rides to the North Pole with scads of other children, clad in their jammies. They sing Christmas carols and drink hot chocolate. The train climbs mountains, crosses the Great Polar Ice Cap, and eventually reaches the North Pole, the streets of which are crowded with Santa's helpers. The boy is chosen to receive the first gift of Christmas and humbly asks for one bell from a reindeer's harness. He slips the bell into his pocket, but when he reaches for it back on the home-bound train, he feels nothing but a hole in his pocket. Devastated, he returns home. But don't you worry. This story has the most happy, magical ending of any story you've ever read. It makes me tear up every year! Please read this book! Please own this book! Please give this book to someone who doesn't! You will love it.

Mrs. Cropper's Favorite Halloween Book

I have a deep and abiding love for The Berenstain Bears--the origin of which I will have to explain one day. For today, suffice it to say that I still love reading these stories, and they now (in my old age) elicit the most fabulously warm memories of my childhood.

The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat is great for so many reasons. First of all, despite the fact that most of us aren't bears that live in a treehouse down a sunny dirt road deep in Bear Country, it is a very relatable story. It tells of Brother and Sister's excitement for the coming holiday, of deciding what to dress up as, of Mama Bear help with the costumes, and of planning activities with friends for the big night. The main plot revolves around a spooky old house--the owner of which is rumored to be quite scary. But Mama and Papa help the kids see that she is as sweet as Halloween candy (lame simile--sorry, couldn't help myself) and as the cubs develop a relationship with her, they also show the rest of their friends how wonderful she is.

As always, very moralistic. And I love it. It is warm. It is sweet. It reminds me of those best days--carving jack-o-lanterns with my siblings, decorating the whole house with my mother, taking photographs in our costumes, running down the sidewalk for the next trick-or-treat, coming home to a nice warm house to dump the loot out of my pillowcase and make trades with my friends, and enjoying the rest of the evening with my mom and dad.

Stan and Jan Berenstain can bring all of those memories out? Amazing.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

It's Almost Halloween!

Tomorrow is the big day! Let me recommend this:

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams and illustrated by Megan Lloyd. (Remember her? She illustrated Too Many Pumpkins.)

This is a fun (and a teensy weensy bit scary (but in a fun way) if you are around 4 years old) little story about a lady who is followed home one night by all sorts of mysterious sounds--like the clopping sound of boots and the wiggling sound of pants. Once she discovers the origin of the sounds she finds a clever way to solve the problem.

What I absolutely love about this story is its repetition. With each new page we discover a new sound, but then also repeat every other sound that the lady is hearing. And as you well know, repetition is crucial to all learning--and especially important for emergent readers. My students LOVED this story, and had a ball making each and every sound on each and every page! Our librarian read this story to my class as well, and she had all sorts of fun props for the children to use (like big boots to clomp, etc.), so you could make this a very interactive story time.

Enjoy!

An Autumn-time Rainbow Book

It's Autumn! It's almost time for Halloween! It's pumpkin time! It's time to read fun holiday books! Today's Rainbow Book is Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White (illustrated by Megan Lloyd).

Rebecca Estelle hates pumpkins. Growing up poor, she had little but pumpkins to eat. No matter how you boil, steam, bake, or mash them, Rebecca Estelle wants nothing to do with them. As she grows up, she lives peacefully in her home with absolutely no pumpkins until one day a pumpkin falls off a truck driving by her house and lands, or rather SPLATS in her yard. Disgusted, Rebecca Estelle cleans up and buries the mess. Oops. As you might guess, Rebecca Estelle ends up growing a ridiculously successful crop of pumpkins. Though she loathes them at first, Rebecca Estelle learns to conquer her distaste as she uses her pumpkins to benefit her whole community.

This story is so much fun and the illustrations are bold, detailed, and fabulous. My second-graders adored this story, and you and your children will too!

Haven't You Heard?

The Dangerous Book for Boys. This reference book first caught my attention several months ago when Taylor read me an article about it from the Wall Street Journal. Originally published in England, where it was wildly popular, the book had now been slightly altered for an American audience, and was gaining popularity here. Last month, it was brought to my attention again in my Children's Lit class. The instructor commented that he was giving it to all his grown sons for Father's Day. What a marvelous idea, I thought. But even if you don't read the WSJ or attend Children's Lit classes, you may have still heard of it. I've seen some talk of it throughout the mighty blogosphere, and noticed that Father's Day weekend, it was on the top 10 bestseller lists at Borders, Barnes&Noble, and Amazon. Sheesh!

Why didn't you recommend this before Father's Day, silly Mrs. Cropper?! My apologies. Truth be told, I was procrastinating. In fact, Blaine and I snuck out the Saturday afternoon before Father's Day only to discover that it was sold out at our local Borders. So Taylor got his gift 2 weeks late, courtesy of Amazon. (By the way, I believe Amazon was inspired by God.) So although this suggestion is too late for Dad's Day 2007, I highly recommend it as a birthday, Christmas, or anytime gift for the men and boys in your life.

After all that babble, let's talk about what this book is all about! The authors, Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden sum it up beautifully on the back cover: "Recapture Sunday afternoons and long summer days. The perfect book for every boy from eight to eighty." Essentially, it's a reference book for boyhood. Page 35--Making a Bow and Arrow. Page 136--Map of the United States. Page 79--Making a Go-Cart. Page 146--The Golden Age of Piracy. Page 171--Skipping Stones. Page 18--How to Play Stickball. Page 39--Understanding Grammar-Part One. Page 250--Role-Playing Games. Page 139--Extraordinary Stories-Part Two: The Wright Brothers. Page 89--Juggling. Page 163--The Declaration of Independence. Page 238--Hunting and Cooking a Rabbit. Page 73--Making Crystals. Are you getting the idea? And it's chalk full of pictures, diagrams, intructions, charts, etc. Taylor's favorite section? Page 21--Building a Treehouse.

My boys love it--and so will yours!

A Gift Book for the Mister

Although I have no idea when I'll be back in a classroom as Mrs. Cropper, I've decided to keep up on my teaching license rather than let it lapse. That means attending workshops and such, which is SUCH a treat. I spent the last 2 days in an incredible children's literature class at our local library. Our instructor is the director of the library here and besides having decades of experience with children's literature, he has a passion for it. He also served on the Caldecott committee in 2000, which is big. (Note: I'll have to do a post describing the process these committees go through to choose Caldecott and Newberry winners. It's fascinating.) Anyway, you can bet that after a whole weekend of this, Mrs. Cropper is feeling rejuvenated and more excited than ever to share her findings. One thing I decided during class yesterday is that we need to have theme weeks on this here blog. So, without furthur ado, I give you...

ERIC CARLE WEEK

Today's Eric Carle book is quite timely. In fact, you have exactly one week to rush out and buy it because I think it makes a most tender gift for the father figures in your life. The book is entitled Mister Seahorse.

Yes, it is all about seahorses, fishies, and other under water creatures. And, of course, it is rich with Carle's watercolor and collage illustrations. He also uses super neat plastic overlays to show the way these creatures camouflage themselves down there in the depths. All of that aside, however, this book is about daddies. And it is sweet and delightful. Here is what Mr. Carle says about Mister Seahorse:
"Dear Friends, In most fish families, after the mother has laid the eggs and the father has fertilized them, the eggs are left on their own. But there are exceptions such as the seahorse, stickleback, tilapia, Kurtus nurseryfish, pipefish, bullhead catfish, and some others. Not only are the eggs cared for by a parent but--surprise--that parent is the father. And this is my story about them. I hope you enjoy my story."

Mrs. Cropper hopes you enjoy it, too! Come back tomorrow for more Eric Carle...

Happy (one day late) Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Well this post was going to be up by yesterday morning (March 2nd, the birthday of Dr. Seuss), but Blaine had a sleepless night followed by a whiny day (mostly Blaine whining, but then I joined in) so...

By yesterday evening I said, "what's the point of writing about Dr. Seuss's birthday now?" But I am the boss of this blog, so we're going to have a belated birthday celebration.

Dr. Seuss's birthday is a hoot at school. We read all sorts of his stuff, make red and white striped hats out of paper, and talk about his life and career. My favorite thing to do on his birthday is to have a read-a-thon (in fact the National Education Association has dubbed March 2nd, "Read Across America Day"). The kids get to bring pillows and blankets and one healthy snack and then we spend the entire morning reading. You'd think they'd get bored or restless, and of course a few kids do (and have to take a walk or two), but for the most part they just plop down with their pretzels and giant stacks of books and read read read! It's such a ball. Do it at home with your kids--they'll die about it.

I learned yesterday that it was not only Dr. Seuss's birthday, but also the 50th birthday of The Cat in the Hat. This classic is a perfect example of why we love Dr. Seuss so much and why his books are so great for emergent readers. His characters and stories are inventive and comical, and the writing is phonetic and simple, yet very clever and memorable. Even all of his nonsense words are completely phonetic, so a child learning to read can use the rules he knows to pronounce them correctly. All the rhyming and repetitiveness is perfect for beginning readers as well. That is the sort of thing that helps them learn "sight words"--those words that don't always make sense phonetically but are frequently used and crucial to reading fluently. Actually, Dr. Seuss didn't just happen to write books that help emergent readers. He wrote The Cat in the Hat in response to a complaint by a man named John Hersey that the reading primers being used in schools (this was 1954) were full of "insipid illustrations" of "abnormally courteous children." Hersey said, “Why should [school primers] not have pictures that widen rather than narrow the associative richness the children give to the words they illustrate — drawings like those of the wonderfully imaginative geniuses among children’s illustrators, Tenniel, Howard Pyle, “Dr. Seuss,” Walt Disney?” Dr. Seuss responded to this challenge by writing a book that came from a 223-word list of vocabulary words for school children. Because the list was so limiting, it took him 9 months to complete. The finished product--The Cat in the Hat.

And of course, Dr. Seuss's books are chock full of life lessons and morals. From friendship to the true meaning of Christmas to learning to try new things, his morals are clear but not sappy, which I find refreshing.

So here's what you've got to do. Read all of the classic Seuss titles with your kids. You know--The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Oh The Places You'll Go, etc. THEN, get to know some of his less commonly known greaties. Our favorites are The Lorax (I'll dedicate an Earth Day post to this poignant and clever story) and The Sneetches (an absolute must read which I'll write about another time). You've also got to check out http://www.seussville.com/. It's got a biography of Dr. Seuss, a list of all of his books, and super fun games for your kids to play.

Enjoy a day with Dr. Seuss and remember to wish him and his cat a Happy Birthday!

This Week's Rainbow Book--George Washington's Teeth

February was my favorite month as a teacher. There's Chinese New Year, Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, the 100th day of the school year, Black History Month, and Presidents' Day. It was so fun to incorporate all of those events into our class discussions, reading, writing, art, etc. But, did you know that February is also National Children's Dental Health Month?! Oh yes, in our classroom we heard from special guest speakers (dental hygenists), celebrated how many teeth we'd lost, and read this week's rainbow book--George Washington's Teeth. I know what you're thinking, "A book about dental hygeine and George Washington? That's perfect for February!" Exactly. And this book is an absolute gem. The authors, Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora (with illustrator Brock Cole) present this absolutely true account of how and when George Washington lost all of his teeth--in verse--and it's hysterical! Kids laugh and laugh--and you will too! Here's a little teaser...

"Poor George had two teeth in his mouth the day the votes came in. The people had a President, but one afraid to grin."

Chandra and Comora include a timeline in the back of the book that tells more of the specific details of President Washington's dreadful dental woes. This comes in especially handy when the children ask, "Is this for real?!" Indeed...poor man. (By the way, the story that George Washington had wooden teeth is as much a legend as the story of him chopping down the cherry tree. His dentures were made of ivory.)

Make sure to read this book! And don't forget to brush your teeth!

Hail to These Books!

Happy Presidents' Day everyone! Here are some of my favorite books on Washington, Lincoln, and all...

So You Want to Be President? is absolutely phenomenal! Judith St. George cleverly presents scads of presidential trivia accompanied by David Small's outstanding and hilarious caricatures of all 43 (42 really, since we had Grover Cleveland twice!) presidents. In fact, Small's illustrations were so good that this book received the Caldecott Medal in 2000. What I love so much about this book is that it's full of fascinating information, and absolutely hysterical at the same time (which makes it popular with both children and adults). We learn everything about our presidents from their children and pets to their musical and athletic talents to their idiosyncrasies and foibles in the office. We hear about John Quincy Adams skinny-dipping in the Potomac River and William Howard Taft bathing in his specially-made extra large bathtub. We learn the pros and cons of being the commander in chief. For example: "Another good thing about being President is that the President has a swimming pool, bowling alley, and movie theater. The President never has to take out the garbage. The President doesn't have to eat yucky vegetables. As a boy, George H. W. Bush had to eat broccoli. When George H. W. Bush grew up, he became President. That was the end of the broccoli!" Well, I've gone on long enough! Read this book! You will laugh out loud!

Lincoln: A photobiography by Russell Freedman is a fabulous read. This Newberry Medal winner is intended for an older audience--I'd say 6th grade and up, and is a really great book for adults. Here are some things I love about this biography: it is comprehensive yet succinct, it is organized in a very reader-friendly way, and it helped me learn many things about President Lincoln that I'd never known before. For example, did you know that he didn't like to be called Abe? And did you know that he struggled with depression for much of his life? The photographs are the icing on the cake. This is an excellent biography of one of our most beloved American Presidents--read it!

A Picture Book of George Washington is one of David A. Adler's (with John and Alexandra Wallner as illustrators in this case) many picture book biographies. They are all excellent. He packs in a lot of content and nice detail, while keeping it simple and enjoyable for a young child (around 3rd grade and up). In fact, Adler does a lot of non-fiction for children, mostly historical. His books are fun to read and a very informative.

Our Country's Presidents by Ann Bausum is a fabulous resource. As a rule, you can count on anything published by National Geographic to be well done, and this is no exception. Two features I particularly love: 1) Besides the several pages of informative text about each president, there is a section of quick facts about each one (including nickname, political party, number of terms, etc.). 2) In typical National Geographic fashion, the book is full of wonderful photographs. I think this would make a great "coffee table" book that would interest the children (about 5th grade and up) in the family as much as the adults.

Enjoy the holiday and make some time to read!

Valentine's Day Selections

Olive, My Love stars Olive the dog (first seen in Olive, The Other Reindeer), a charming character created by Vivian Walsh and illustrated by J. Otto Seibold. When her canine pal Dexter drops an enormous heart on her doorstep, she (not realizing it's for her) goes to great lentgths to return it to him. Endearing characters, vibrant images, and clever writing make this story a heart-day favorite.

I Love You the Purplest by Barbara M. Joosse, Mary Whyte illustrator. This is a great story about a mother who helps her two sons understand that she loves them both equally, but for different reasons. She loves exuberant Max the reddest and quiet Julian the bluest. Together she loves them the purplest. This is a well-crafted story with such a universal lesson. As a side note, my friend Alicia read this book to her 2nd-graders and then, on the last day of school, sent them each home with a special bookmark. Each bookmark was unique, with a photograph of the child, his or her name, and a message from their teacher: "I love you the ____est because..." They loved it, of course. I mention this because I think it's a fantastic idea not only for teachers but for parents. You could do something like this on a Valentine for your child or make something like a bookmark that they would see often and keep forever.

Unlovable (by Dan Yaccarino) may seem like a funny choice for this particular list. I guess you'll just have to trust me! This book is about a little mutt named Alfred without any friends. (In fact, the cat tells him, "You've got the ugliest mug I've ever seen. No one could love you!" Ouch!) After countless insults from the neighborhood animals, Alfred really believes he's unlovable. Then one day a new family moves in next door...

Now I'll be frank with you. I think this book is cute and fun, but I don't find it particularly clever or outstanding. My students, however, ADORED it! They begged me to read it over and over and then would ask to read it during their Reading Workshop time. I'm not sure why they enjoyed it so much, but they did. So--read it to your kids. They'll love it!

Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime. Does it get any more fun than exchanging valentines (or valentimes if you're Junie B.) with your classmates? In yet another greatie from Barbara Park, Junie B. receives a mystery valentine from a secret admirer and then sets out to discover who it is! Reminder: Kids love Junie B. Jones. Girl, boy, doesn't matter. They can't get enough! (Junie B. is perfect up until about 3rd grade. It is one of the best series for readers who are transitioning into chapter books.)

Love & Kisses, Eloise. I post this with some reservation. We Croppers are true-blue Eloise fans. And the real Eloise is written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hillary Knight. They are the ingenious creators of our favorite little girl who lives at the Plaza, and no one else can help us hear her distinctive voice so clearly, nor illustrates her and Nanny so perfectly. However, admittedly Marc Cheshire and Ted Enik do quite a nice job of portraying Eloise and Nanny as they celebrate Valentine's Day by eating extra boxes of chocolate, playing cupid at the hotel, and telling Mr. Salomone to be happy happy happy!


So, have a most wonderful Valentine's Day! I will attempt to read these favorites to Blaine (hopefully they will escape un-torn!) and I hope you will read them too. With red and pink and hearts and flowers and chocolate...I get pretty giddy in February. As Eloise would say, "Ooooooooooooo, I absolutely love Valentine's Day!"