6yo Boy Birthday

Later that same day was Son's 6th birthday, this time at the local pizza-and-play place. He had a great time being the center of attention! And it's great giving him presents, look how appreciative he can be. After all the excitement and cake, the evening was a challenge, but everyone survived.


   

Bowling

This was a birthday party for one of Daughter's friends. It was a madhouse, and so we were a little dismayed when Daughter later said "I want my next birthday party there!" but fortunately it's a long time from now and maybe something else will come up. Both kids had a good time.


  

Hide-n-Seek

This is what hide-and-seek looks like when you're walking down the street and there's not a lot of cover. Of course, one of our home variations of hide-and-seek is Sneaky Hide-and-Seek where the person finding will intentionally overlook the person hiding, allowing Hider to sneak to a new hiding location a few times. I like to think that these less literal interpretations of the game suggest that Imagination is alive and well in both kids.

   

Storyteller (a review)

Storyteller by Edward Myers tells the tale of Jack the Storyteller as he grows up, finds his calling and leaves home to pursue his dream. Adventure ensues. The setting is a fictional small kingdom in the feudal European style --- there are elements of fantasy, such as talking birds and fish, but they are secondary to the ... er ... story. Which is a fairly nice one, all about the power of storytelling and staying true to your beliefs. There's a secondary theme about how a bad king can spoil a kingdom, but since we've more-or-less given up on the whole monarchy thing, this is not especially illuminating to today's youths. Speaking of which, audience-wise, I'm not much of a judge but I'm going to say tweens?

Servicable but not soaring language (though there are some nice bits of song and poetry) and more-or-less believable characters (though some of the situations are a bit of a stretch) mostly serve to support the author's interest in showing off an array of interesting story-telling in different contexts. And we should indulge him in this, since he does a quite enjoyable job of it. As I've mentioned, I'm also intruiged by the idea of storytelling-within-story, though I prefer to see the characters acting out the stories they make up, as in Swallows and Amazons, rather than simply relating the story.

All in all, a book and author I'll keep on my list, though not perhaps in the first circle.

letter home

There's a product called Big Top Cupcake which is a silicon mold for making party-sized "cupcakes" with filling in the center. Daughter asked for and got this for her birthday, and last week she and Son tried it out for the first time. On Friday she told me on the phone, "There's a surprise waiting for you!"

When I'm on the road (so to speak) I like to write a letter home to the kids, trying to be somewhat topical to their lives. I also try to give them a little something to figure out, as in this week's example:

The Year of the Dog (a review)

The Year of the Dog, by Grace Lin, is a slim book with an attractive red cover. It is told in first person, past tense. Pacy, aka Grace, is a Chinese-American going to school, dealing with science fairs and book projects and halloween as well as Chinese meals and festivals. It tells many interesting back-stories through the use of narratives told by family members. It deals with some of the confusions that come of growing up with multiple cultures, trying to fit in where you can, though in a relatively safe, low-key way. It does not particularly fit into my favorite category of story-within-the-story but it's a nice book with likeable characters.

yet another birthday

They come fast and furious. This one for one of Daughter's friends, at
Out of This World, a kid play place nearby. Son loves these scooters
(and I snuck a ride when it was quieter, they're fun!). Also some
blossoms, 'cause who doesn't like trees in bloom?