Library Books

Each Tuesday is Library Day at school for both the boys. Ethan's latest trend is to bring home I Spy books. Those are fun and we look at them together in the mornings before I take him to afternoon kindergarten.

Owen, just like the second graders I used to teach, is really into bringing home the absolute biggest fattest books he can find. This doesn't bother me because I know that the books he reads in class are developmentally appropriate, and we have zillions of second grade level books here at the house.

Last week he brought home a gigantic book on World War II. Not quite sure why that would be available for school children, but I do understand the cool feeling a kid has from carrying around a really huge book. I personally never carried huge books around, but I do remember in 5th grade checking out the exact same book over and over again during my library time. I believe it was called The Strawberry Girl and I have no clue who the author was. I never read it, not even one word, but I checked it out time and again because I loved the crinkly plastic cover protector on it. It was in mint condition, no tears or rips because obviously no one else had checked it out, and it made a nice crinkly sound. The pages had that "old book" smell. And I liked the inside cover even more, because it was decorated with strawberries from margin to margin. I kept it on the corner of my desk. I just might look into finding a copy of it and reading it someday.

Well, anyway, I picked the kids up from school today and checked their backpacks as usual for any homework assignments, notes, etc. My conversation with Owen went like this:

"Oh, it was Library Day today. Your backpack is heavy. I see you got another huge book. What's it called?"

"I dunno."

"Well, what's it about?" (I looked at the cover and saw that it said The Americas. A history book. Boring. (but I didn't say that to Owen).

Then very matter of factly, with a hint of a "You might be interested in this book mom" tone in his voice he said,
"But it has a naked lady in it."

I couldn't help but giggle just a little little bit. Every kid discovers those books. This was a history book with topless Native Americans (who actually looked more like chubby naked Europeans with lily white skin, that's just how old this book was).

I said something like, "Yep, those are Native Americans. It looks like those particular women didn't wear shirts." I tried to have an "Oh, big deal" kind of attitude about it.

I asked Owen if that's why he checked that book out. Of course he said no, and then asked if he could have a snack.