It's late Sunday afternoon and I am in the office. I came in to find my missing Midwinter file, but no such luck. Hopefully it is somewhere in my mess at home. I still don't feel settled in because each time I go to the islands I bring home two big suitcases full of stuff and have to reposition everything I had unpacked and put away the last time. And, I need more bookcases as I have more boxes of books coming and I haven't opened several that already came I need a bigger home office!

I started opening boxes of new books and got so excited about the cool board books that came in. I had to stop and "play" with Katie Davis' Who Hops?: Quien salta? The full page simple and bold illustrations of different animals are wonderful for little ones. The book is not a tiny board book so it is best explored sitting down. It first goes through the things that hop: frogs, rabbits, kangaroos, cows. Wait a minute! Cows? The page where it says no they don't is a hoot as it shows a bluish purple cow imagining what she would look like hopping - quite funny. Also goes through flying, slithering, and swimming. Since it is English/Spanish I am learning a few new words as I interact with this book. Can't wait to share this one with my grandkids. Harcourt is coming out with some really cool early childhood titles in board book format, including my beloved Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh. How can you not love a group of mice out witting a hungry snake? I have these little critters stuffed. Well, I should say had as I have lost a few to grandbabies who got a hold of them and wouldn't let go. Also have a board book copy of I Went Walking:Sali de paseo by Sue Williams. The "I went walking. What did you see?" text works beautifully for parents and little ones to read together. The use of "I saw a .... looking at me" each time makes this perfect for little ones to "read" alone as they can readily memorize it.

Can't you tell I am teaching a Materials for Early Childhood course this semester?

On the YA side, I am holding a copy of Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block, one of my all time favorite YA authors. The cover is absolutely gorgeous with a woman's form topped by a butterfly, with a skull where the feet should be. It is a short 116 pages, but I know it will be intense - all of Block's books are. My favorite, Baby Bebop is out of print. :-(

All for today. They just announced the library closes in 30 minutes so I want to get out of here before then. I was in here Friday night after it closed - kinda creepy.