Reading in Snatches

I have several books that I've been reading in snatches - they are written in ways that I can easily pick up the book and choose a section to read, then put it down and come back later. These are great books, and I'm enjoying making them last. Plus, it is always nice to have something to pick up and read when you only have ten or fifteen minutes.

Everything I Need To Know I Learned From A Children's Book
edited by Anita Silvey

This is a collection of essays by a wide range of notable people. Each person discusses a book that impacted his or her life. Each entry also contains a selection from the book mentioned, as well as a bit of background information on the book and author. I got this book for Christmas, and every now and then I take it off the shelf and read an essay or two. I'm not going through the book in any particular order, I just read what catches my eye at the time. Highly recommended, especially for anyone who loves children's literature.

Let's Bring Back: An Encyclopedia of Forgotten-Yet-Delightful, Chic, Useful,

Curious, and Otherwise Commendable Things from Times Gone By

by Lesley M.M. Blume 

I am loving this! In the format of an encyclopedia, Blume writes about an array of things that she would like to bring back. It's a fascinating look at history, and it's interesting to me, that many of the things she writes about I have learned of from reading other books. She writes of calling cards, and immediately I was reminded of Laura's pa giving her money to purchase name cards from the printer, and the time she spent deciding on which design to select (Little Town on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder). And, I am personally vowing to start using the term acquaintance more.

(Blume is also the author of several wonderful children's books.)

A Family of Readers: The Book Lover's Guide to Children's and Young Adult Literatureby Roger Sutton and Martha V. Parravano (editors of the The Horn Book Magazine)                                 This book contains so much information! I'm taking my time my reading a library copy, and have just about reached my limit on renewals. Geared toward parents, it covers reading from birth to teens - board books, young adult titles, poetry, nonfiction...this is a book you can easily pick up and simply read the section that pertains to you and the age of your children.

I feel like this quote from the introduction sums it up perfectly, when Sutton calls this a book "for parents who wish their children would be a wee bit more understanding when Mom or Dad is lost in a book." (p. xiii) If I had kids, that's totally the kind I'd want. But seriously, this is a great resource.