Drat that four-hour commute.

Oh, how I wish I were attending this event in an hour: "Leaps and Bounds, Fits and Starts: The Evolution of a Children's Book Writer," with Neil Gaiman and Shaun Tan.

Or this one, on Saturday: Coraline, Sandman, Books, and Imagination: A Conversation with Neil Gaiman."

Mr. G, your big shiny brain always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside -- except when it's in New York.


Well... okay. Even when it's in New York.

National Poetry Month -- pip, pip!

We're celebrating National Poetry Month!

Silly poems and serious poems, sunny poems and sad poems, scary poems and every other kind of poem can be found in the many anthologies we carry in our poetry section. To give you a sampling, we've each chosen our favorite from a collection you can find there.

"Snails" from Polka-Bats and Octopus Slacks by Calef Brown
selected by Miruna

It never fails, those pesky snails
are always in the pudding.
Lousy guests, those nasty pests,
they're always up to something.

I've tried like mad to find their nest
but snails are smart I must confess.
The trails they leave can fool the best,
and snails are good at hiding.

Oh well, at least they don't make threats,
they don't eat meat,
they don't place bets,
they almost always pay their debts,
and never puff on cigarettes.
I think I'll keep those snails as pets
and feed them lots of pudding.

"Table Manners" from The Goops and How to Be Them by Gilette Burgess
selected by Katie

The Goops they lick their fingers
And the Goops they lick their knives
They spill their broth on the tablecloth --
Oh, they lead disgusting lives!

The Goops they talk while eating
And loud and fast they chew
And that is why I'm glad that I
Am not a Goop -- are you?

"in Just-" by e.e. cummings from Favorite Poems Old and New (edited by Helen Ferris)
selected by Michelle

in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman
whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come
running from
marbles and
piracies and it's
spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer
old balloonman
whistles far and wee
and bettyandisabel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it's
spring
and
the
goat-footed

balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee

"Spring and Fall" by Gerard Manley Hopkins
selected by book buyer Donna

Margaret, are you grieving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leaves, like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you will weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sorrow's springs are the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What héart héard of, ghóst guéssed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.

"The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear from Poetry Speaks to Children (edited by Elise Paschen) -- read and hear three other poems from this collection at NPR
selected by merch buyer Ellen

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

"Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

"Twinkletoes" from When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne
selected by Bethany

When the sun
Shines through the leaves of the apple-tree,
When the sun
Makes shadows of the leaves of the apple-tree,
Then I pass
On the grass
From one leaf to another,
From one leaf to its brother,
Tip-toe, tip-toe!
Here I go!

"Poor Potatoes Underground" from Ride a Purple Pelican by Jack Prelutsky
selected by Rachel

Poor potatoes underground
never get to look around,
do not have a chance to see
butterfly or bumblebee.

Poor potatoes never look
at the fishes in the brook,
never see the sunny skies --
what a waste of all those eyes!

"It's a Dog-Dust Day" by Janeen Brian inspired by "A Break Away" by Tom Roberts, from Side by Side: New Poems Inspired by Art from Around the World (edited by Jan Greenberg)
selected by general manager Bindy

It's a dog-dust day.
Sky clamps the brown land in blue heat.
Hawks swing lazy circles
near an archway of tall eucalyptus.

It's a dog-dust day
on the sheep-filled track;
woolly animals hemmed in by crouching dogs
sloe-eyed, sharp-eared, firecrackers when need be.

It's a dog-dust day.
Stockmen shuffle the mob along
with cracks of cries and whistles that split the air.
Then the scent of water, a tumble,

and the sudden leap of a dream-startled sheep
and the mob explodes, scatters, bounds over
fences where none exist!

A break away!

A confusion of bleating and bustling that chokes the track
and a stockman swerves his horse and swipes his hat,
on that shattered, scattered,
dog-dust day.

"Olf" from Dutch Sneakers and Flea Keepers by Calef Brown
selected by Anne

Olf is a terrible pirate,
with a rabbit instead of a parrot.
He couldn't afford
the usual sword,
so he has to get by with a carrot.

Olf makes a racket
wherever he goes.
Screaming "Shiver me fingers!"
and "Off with your nose!"

His leg has no peg,
and his beard isn't blue,
but Olf is a pirate.
I'm frightened,
aren't you?

You can also celebrate by visiting fellow blogs The Miss Rumphius Effect and Poetry for Children, which explore poetry in children's literature all year long. The "30 Poets in 30 Days" feature at GottaBook offers a never before published poem by a great children's poet every day in April. And don't forget to bring in a poem this Thursday, April 30, for Poem in Your Pocket Day! Not only will you get one of the CG staff's favorite poems in exchange, but you'll get 10% off your purchase!

Poem in Your Pocket Day

Celebrate the second annual Poem in Your Pocket Day here with us at Curious George! On April 30th, for the close of National Poetry Month, just select a poem you love and carry it in your pocket to share with friends, schoolmates, co-workers. Then come to the store with your poem and get 10% off your purchase!

Mary Ann Hoberman Was Here!

Last weekend we were very pleased to have Mary Ann Hoberman, the current Children's Poet Laureate, read and sign here in the store! Everyone present had a great time listening to the bouncy rhythms and rhymes of her witty, sometimes tongue-twisting poetry. If you missed out, though, don't worry--we took a video, which you can watch below, or also on our Facebook page! Don't forget to stop by the store, too, because we still have signed copies of several of her excellent books.

What Rachel Wants to Buy This Week - Episode 6

Hello, all! Did you miss me when I didn't post last week? I missed you, and shopping. But now I'm back, and the springtime weather here in Boston makes me crave toys that are just as fun outside as inside!


Recycling Truck by Green Toys
$26.95
Located upstairs, on the game wall

Not only is this awesome green truck an excellent, sturdy toy, but it's also made entirely of recycled plastic! It has different compartments for bottles, cans and paper, catering to all the recycling needs of your toy room (or driveway, or sandbox). It's always a bonus when buying a really fun toy truck actually benefits the environment!

Middle Eastern Master Builder Set by Haba
$26.95
Located upstairs, on the game wall

Regular blocks can get boring, even with a vivid architectural imagination--which is why I really want to spice up my building block life with this beautiful set. Including domes, arches, steps and other unusual shapes, this 50-piece set is perfect for adding a little zing to a boring block construction.


And for even more excitement, we've got an accessory pack of 6 colored glass blocks also made by Haba. That's definitely something I haven't seen before, and it's all I can do to keep from opening the boxes and making a block sculpture right here in the store.

Children's Book Week

In just a few weeks, from May 11th through the 17th, Children's Book Week kicks off! Sponsored by the Children's Book Council, (a non-profit trade association for children's publishers), the events span the country, concluding in our very own Copley Square. Particulars of the events should be announced shortly, but the most exciting night will be Tuesday's Children's Choice Book Awards.

Kids and teens can vote for their favorite book, author and illustrator right here, until May 3rd. Who do you think will win? Any contest that pits Stephenie Meyer, Jeff Kinney, and Rick Riordan against each other should be fun to watch! (I'll admit, I was surprised when Stephenie Meyer's Twilight championed over Harry Potter at Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, though not surprised when there was hubbub over it).

Katie's picture book picks this week

Two gorgeous new nonfiction books have won my heart, since they feature two of my most beloved subjects: dance and the redwood forest. (Not simultaneously -- although it is fun to dance in the forest, as long as you don't trip on a root or step on a banana slug.) I've been a dancer since I was reading picture books the first time, and I lived in the incomparable Pacific Northwest for six awesome years, so I'm tempted to feel as though these books were made just for me! They're so great, though, that I won't try to keep them to myself.

In celebration of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater's 50th Anniversary comes Valerie Gadstone's A Young Dancer: The Life of an Ailey Student. Like my worn copy of the ballet classic A Very Young Dancer by Jill Krementz, Gadstone's photographic dance memoir is actually not her own memoir, but that of thirteen-year-old Iman Bright. Iman describes her jam-packed, but passion-filled, schedule of school, violin practice, dance classes, rehearsals, and performances. Behind-the-scenes photographs taken in the studio and in the wings accompany Iman's words to give readers an understanding of life at this prestigious dance academy. The Alvin Ailey company will be performing in Boston at the Opera House from April 28th through May 3rd -- if you go, you might see me there! They'll also teach a children's dance workshop at the Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club on Wednesday, April 29; non-member prince is $10.

Redwoods by Jason Chin is a daring kind of nonfiction, managing a neat balance of metanarrative, nonfiction, and fantasy in the interplay between its informative text and breathtaking art. While the text presents straightforward facts about the redwood forest and its inhabitants, the illustrations tell a completely different, although intimately related, narrative. A boy riding the subway in New York City discovers a book called Redwoods (funnily enough, by Jason Chin) laying next to him on the seat. As he reads, imagery from the book comes to life around him, Jumanji-style (i.e. knights appear in nearby seats when he reads that redwood forests have been growing since medieval times). After the boy has come to the text's conclusion -- which finds him rappelling up an old-growth redwood surrounded by the wildlife he's been reading about -- he sits down for a rest and lays the book aside. Again, in true Jumanji fashion, it's only a matter of time before the book-within-the-book finds a new adventurer.

Branching out a little... (groan) Fuse #8 (of SLJ) linked to the blog of author/illustrator Carin Berger. Ever since the book club several of us CG staffers belong to voted The Little Yellow Leaf our Mock Caldecott Award winner, I've been looking forward to the next project from this talented artist. From the shots of Forever Friends-in-progress she's posted, I can't wait! Check out this breathtaking -- and not even quite finished -- image of a bird swooping down among blossoms to give a bunny a berry. Swoon.

By the way, have you ever tried cut paper illustration, a la Ms. Berger, Molly Bang, Leo Lionni, Eric Carle, or Steve Jenkins? It's not an undertaking for the faint of heart! It is a lot of fun, and many well-respected artists use the medium, even though it may not be what you think of first when you think "fine art" or "illustration." Nikki McClure, famous for her cut-paper art, has just illustrated her first picture book, All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant. If you'd like to give it a whirl, we have plenty of books and kits on paper art or discovering new art techniques.

Of course, whatever your passions are, we can help you find a great book or toy to help you explore them!

Oh, give me a home where the wild things roam....

"You guys look like you have a wild rumpus all the time!": just another reason why the Hut loves Barack Obama. If you haven't seen the video yet, check out the Huffington Post's account of Easter Egg Roll Monday, when our President, exhibiting excellent taste, read Where the Wild Things Are to a crowd of thousands of thrilled children and their families. (Make sure you roar along at the appropriate places.)

Nobody got video of the First Lady and the First Grandma reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?

Blueberries for All!

As Katie found out from PW this weekend, the dispute over Blueberries for Sal has been settled, and this gorgeous classic is already back in, in all its delicious white and blue glory. You can find Sal and the little bear snacking away on berries on our features table or shelved with McCloskey's other classic New England picture books, including Make Way for Ducklings, Time of Wonder, and Lentil. Hooray!

Another long-awaited berry bonanza has also arrived: Neil Gaiman's newest picture book, Blueberry Girl, illustrated by Charles Vess. Well I remember Katie's anticipation for this title as far back as December...so I'll leave any commentary to her, but suffice it to say, it is really lovely, and truly shows the scope of Gaiman's writing.

What Rachel Wants to Buy This Week - Episode 5

It's no surprise to anyone who knows me that I love bright colors, happy faces, and anything cute. That's why this week, I'm back in the baby room wanting to buy something that I should be too old for--but I'm totally not.

Stack Flap 'N Tumble by Yookidoo
Ages 9mo+
$26.95
Located in the baby room

This fantastic set of stacking blocks is one of the cutest baby toys I've ever seen. Not only does this toy have colored balls with cute faces that fall through the center of the blocks, but it also has leaves that flap like feathers, bits to twist and turn, and with the addition of some AA batteries it even plays music! This adorable contraption could keep any baby (and also me) entertained for hours.

That's it for this week, but if you're dying for more recommendations from me, check out our Easter/Passover Roundup post!