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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

What I'm Reading


"What ineffable twaddle!" I cried, slapping the magazine down on the table; "I never read such rubbish in my life."
Twaddle. A favorite word among Charlotte Mason-ites. The above quote is on page 17 of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet. A week ago, I started reading Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes book. After watching the Sherlock and Elementary, I needed to read the book that started it all.

I'm fascinated by Doyle's range of knowledge. One bit of information that - as a school teacher who writes on white boards daily - struck me as particularly interesting is: "When a man writes on a wall, his instinct leads him to write above the level of his own eyes." (page 28) It's true. When I write something on the board, I start writing at forehead level!

In addition to Doyle, some of the other books I'm reading are BOB Books (my 3 year old is especially enjoying the Rhyming box because of the trio of rhyming puzzles that go with each book), Robinson Crusoe (with my students), Macbeth for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series, with my students), Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and - last night - The Poky Little Puppy.

I LOVE The Poky Little Puppy. I had forgotten how much I loved it. I love it so much that when my very very tired daughter fell asleep with three pages to go, I continued reading aloud to the end.

What is it about this book that I find so endearing? The illustrations; the repetition; the innocence; rice pudding; a "greatly displeased" mother-dog we never see who is firm but loving; the phrase "roly-poly, pell-mell, tumble-bumble" - the only real way to describe how puppies go downhill; chocolate custard; second and third chances; strawberry shortcake; forgiveness; a dog who can write (the mother-dog makes signs); the book's portrayal of motherhood; the way the mother-dog slaves away in the kitchen to make her children good things to eat; the way the puppies go down the hill "roly-poly, pell-mell, tumble-bumble" - which is the only real way to describe how puppies move.

1 comment:

  1. I just saw you linked up on my Wednesdays with Words post, I'm sorry I missed it until now. I like the disdain for twaddle I hear in Holmes' voice I hear in your quote. Thanks for linking in!

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