Thursday, June 25th Indigo Bridge Books hosted the 80th birthday party of Eric Carle, famous artist/children's book author extraordinaire. Although Eric was not able to attend, his spirit and style were wildly in the air. It was a wonderful, excitement filled time of story reading and artistic exploration.Kate and Abbey read Eric Carle books on the big rug in the young readers area, our guests were served slices of an enormous chocolate chip cookie decorated with a Hungry Caterpillar [made by The Cookie Company], and young and old were invited to find a place at the craft table to create their own collages out of painted tissue paper---in the Eric Carle fashion.It was a lovely time and very well attended. Keep checking our events page for other fun family activities!
Up through adolescence, everyone loves the story of an individual with an idea so revolutionary, or a passion so profound, that they single-handedly shaped a part of the world around them for a short time.We all see ourselves as that hero on a quest, that mastermind concocting a grand scheme to better the world around us. As we reach adulthood however, we become more cynical, and who can really blame us? Just take a look at the headlines on the news: a few minutes is all it takes to become convinced that our society has become a runaway freight train, too weighed down with its own preoccupations to notice the trouble passing by on all sides.It is easy to forget the potential we each have for great things and the profound impact we have on the people we see every day.Yet there are those individuals who refuse to be overwhelmed or intimidated by the doubt and pessimism surrounding them, step off the train, and exploit the opportunities for growth, revolution, and change that they see all around them.They are the Santiagos, the Wonderwomen, the d'Artagnans of the real world.We loved those fictitious heroes as children; as adults we can discover their counterparts in the real world and maybe inspire ourselves to move beyond some of the cynicism we dwell in, to the better reality that we all have the potential to help create.This week's Staff Picks section is my salute to the explorers, geniuses, and larger-than-life individuals that make all the old stories worth reading and planet Earth a little more hospitable or, at the very least, more interesting.
At Indigo, we all have begun to read a little more deliberately. Our staff meetings are taking on a life of their own: in the first half, we usually discuss general ideas and concerns about the store, but following that, we all have time to talk about the most recent books we've read. It's been a very exciting opportunity to read more and to learn about books throughout the store.
At last week's meeting, my book to read and discuss was Habibi, a novel by Naomi Shihab Nye. I've managed to meet Naomi Nye twice in the past couple of years and both times left astounded by her bold and personal demeanor, her giving spirit, and her passion for life. She has written several books of poetry and a collection of essays, and I don't think she is running out of things to say.
Habibi, directed at kids and young adults, is a very special book. The protagonist, Liyana, is a creative and opinionated fourteen-year-old who finds herself feeling very uprooted when her family moves from their home in St. Louis to a town outside of Jerusalem in her father's home country. She and her little brother, Rafik, are able, for the first time, to spend time with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents on their dad's side of the family.
Surrounded by their boisterous Palestinian family and their Armenian and Jewish neighbors and peers, they face prejudice, violence, and disregard for life. But they also experience instances of extraordinary kindness, beauty, simplicity, and hope. When Liyana befriends an intelligent and compassionate Jewish boy named Omer, her family's ideals are shaken and put to the test. Rich with tradition and surprises, this is a story of the how connected all people are, of how love can triumph over a history of violence. Habibi is not only a pleasure to read, it is a wonderful way to get kids thinking about places that sometimes seem so distant and about people who seem so different.
Naomi has lived much of this story. Like Liyana, she had warm and intelligent parents, a Palestinian father and an American mother, and a widely-admired Arabic grandmother. She has had to confront extreme violence and prejudice and decided that they aren't worth the cost. Today, I read her letter, titled "To Any Would-Be Terrorists," which is posted online at this link: http://godlas.myweb.uga.edu/shihabnye.htmlPiercing, honest, and determined, I couldn't help being profoundly impacted and challenged.
Please read her books, and, most of all, please believe in the hope she places on humanity.
