From Author Rebecca Grabill
This Joyful Mess
Mike Mulligan, Guilty As Charged
Am I the only parent who uses the "abridged" bedtime story? What I mean is, I skip parts of longer books. Even shorter books. Like Cat in the Hat - he only spends one page standing on the ball in my version. I just can't take more "cake on the ball on the rake, etc." I abridge quite a bit of Mike Mulligan, too, despite the clever and rhythmic text. But for my purpose here...
See, Flint Can Be Funny! The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
One I read in college and several times since, plus heard the author reading at graduation this past July. This is the story of Kenny and his wacky family who, on a trip from their home in Flint, MI, are in Birmingham, AL at the time of a racially motivated church bombing.
The voice is funny, prone to hyperbole, which one might think...
A Chair for My Mother: Contemporary Fable
First person narration and vibrant illustrations combine to build a believable story that is charmingly told. It’s the story of an urban family of Mother, Grandmother and daughter whose home is destroyed by fire. As they work to rebuild their home, their family bonds both with...
Dirty Dogs - Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
Such a sweet story!
Harry the dog doesn’t like baths so he runs off and gets dirtier and dirtier until he’s no longer a white dog with black spots, but a black dog with white spots. His own family doesn’t even recognize him until he races inside, up the stairs and jumps into, of all places...
A Secret Worth Sharing: The Secret Garden
A book ahead of its times! The ending is so oddly in tune with contemporary thought on happiness and depression, Burnett could have written Burns’ classic self-help tome, Feeling Good. That aside, the timeless story is one of survival and friendship -- two little wretches who grow into healthy, strong, loving young people. Interesting isn’t it that research shows...
Silly Old Bear! Winnie The Pooh by AA Milne
Bump, bump, bump on the back of his head. Winnie Ther Pooh. Haycornes and Heffalumps.
How many times have I read these charming stories to my own kids, skipping whole pages so bedtime doesn’t stretch on until 10pm?
The tone is gentle, paternal (without being didactic). And there’s a lesson to writers...
Lizzie Bordon had an Ax, not a Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Simple, straightforward prose and a moving tale of survival.
The prose is almost poetic in its stripped-down simplicity; it mirrors the thoughts (as I imagine them) of a young boy, yet hints at depth in his character that make me willing to spend almost 200pgs with him and...
A GREAT Book about a Great Girl - The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
(One of my all-time favorite Paterson novels.) Distance brings you nearer.
Paterson uses the third person in this and most of her novels, first person being too egotistical, in her view (some essay/lecture of hers). But the voices of the characters are so vivid, so alive, it could be written in crayon and I’d still
Um, Did You See My Computer Anywhere? The Borrowers by Mary Norton
An adventure-filled story that ends up being a bit of a mystery. Are the borrowers real?
I can see the appeal—what child doesn’t wonder who got off with their pencil stub or favorite toy car? The characters are richly drawn, the details making the little people believable and the whole story credible.
I don’t see the necessity of...
One Bizarre Book: The BFG by Roald Dahl
My first thought: wow! Dahl is on LSD! Which makes sense for an early 80s book (child of the 60s/70s). But no, not psychotropic drugs, just a little Freud and Jung with a dash of Platonic forms. Ok, on to at least one real thought: BFG’s fabulous voice of made-up words, rhythm and bizarre syntax that never muddles meaning. It is so vivid and real, and so surprisingly...
Hi, I’m Rebecca. I write books and I write here at This Joyful Mess to inspire everyone to find JOY in the everyday messes of life. Here you’ll find inspiration, educational resources, and so much more. Please explore and connect. I’d love to hear from you!