With the last box unpacked, the last of our "stuff" put into the new cabinets, and the house beginning to look "normal" again, I took some time this afternoon to read the latest offering from the Center for Cartoon Studies, THOREAU AT WALDEN by John Porcellino (Hyperion, 2008, already released). Despite the fact that I was an English major, I never read much Thoreau that I can recall. Now I am thinking that I probably did read it but that, because of my youth, it did not speak its clarion call as clearly as it did today. Pursue your own way, march to the beat of your own drummer, sit and watch: all these are "lessons" that come with some experience, I think. They certainly resonate with me now as I sat and watched a line of thunderstorms move across the lake this morning, creating white caps on the usually glassily smooth water. Trees thrashed for a while. Rain rattled the windows making Scout (who shares my hatred of thunder) cuddle up next to me. It was a lovely thing to sit and watch.

Back to the book.




Illustrations take on the tone of Thoreau's texts with muted colors and spare line drawings. Somehow these enhance the simplicity of Thoreau's observations. If teachers wish to take classics such as Thoreau's essays into the classroom, I can think of no better way to do so.

I am in the process of deciding which books accompany me on the week long trip to St. Thomas at the end of the week. I downloaded one book to the Kindle, but there is little in YA that I have not read or that I care to read available in Kindle right now. But I lub me my Kindle and will use it for adult fare for now.

In case you missed this:

Top Ten Challenged Books, 2007


1. “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

2. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence

3. “Olive’s Ocean,” by Kevin Henkes
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language

4. “The Golden Compass,” by Philip Pullman
Reasons: Religious Viewpoint

5. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain
Reasons: Racism

6. “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,

7. “TTYL,” by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

8. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou
Reasons: Sexually Explicit

9. “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie Harris
Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit

10. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group