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If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond

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If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond

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When I was a kid, I found myself going back to this book over and over again. In the story, a young girl finds herself at the whim of a little piglet, who appears in her kitchen window one day. Each demand the piglet makes leads to another. The illustrations that are done by Felicia Bond depict the chaos the pig creates as she dashes about the house, seeking amusement wherever she can find it. At one point, she manages to move around large pieces of furniture in an elaborate arrangement for a spontaneous photo, and at another, she tears apart the girl's room in search of a special outfit to wear.

As an adult who has recently been diagnosed with ADHD, this book has taken on a whole new meaning for me. The pig is easily distracted and unable to complete one task, and I wonder if this was something I related to as a child without realizing why. I think my younger self appreciated the adorable chaos that the pig represented in the story.

Some folks might be familiar with a similar book by this author If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.

Revisiting picture books I read when I was a child is incredibly fun. I remember having such a massive collection of them, always rereading my favorites over and over. As a librarian, being able to share the artistry of a good picture book is something I look forward to. Whether I'm doing it through a simple recommendation to a parent or if I'm ever so lucky to conduct a storytime, I'm excited to share my love of picture books.

Here is the link to the official website, where you can find activities and information on the other books in this series.

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The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon, illustrated by Garth Williams

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The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon, illustrated by Garth Williams

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I believe I checked this book out of my school’s library one million and a hundred times (which is totally not an exaggeration, I promise). The Cricket in Times Square came out way before I was born, but the years in between our births did not stop me from identifying it as my favorite book in elementary school. For those unfamiliar with the book, it follows the story of a cricket named Chester who has found himself stranded in a subway station in Times Square. He is discovered by a boy named Mario who is working at his family’s newsstand. Chester befriends two others, Tucker the mouse and Harry the cat. The story follows themes of friendship as well as finding one’s way home.

My mother raised me to be a lover and companion to all animals, and I believe that this book reinforced that in me. I can recall when I was about six years old, I kept a small pot of dirt where I would collect worms. Each received a gentle kiss before being placed into the dirt (I’m sorry if that grosses anyone out!). I’m sure you can see the connection between myself and Mario, the boy who keeps Chester in a matchbox as a pet.

Books can teach and inspire, and I want to be the kind of librarian that guides children to books that will do just that for them. Taking an interest they have and nurturing it allows it to grow and blossom into something totally amazing. It can become something that they are so passionate about that they do incredible things with it or even start a career.

I wanted to draw some attention to this post from the Asian American Project, where they identify some racist content within the book.

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Because of Winn-Dixie will always hold a special place in my heart. It reinforced my love for animals and instilled in me the belief that they can be true companions and even family members, helping us through our toughest moments. I can confirm that I read this book at least ten times, but it was probably more than that.

Opal, the main character, was in an incredibly similar situation to my own at the time I was reading it. Her mother had left her and her father behind, and she’s moved to a new town where she feels incredibly lonely. After adopting a stray dog, named Winn-Dixie after the grocery store Opal finds him in, things begin to change for her. She begins to make friends around her new town with the help of Winn-Dixie.

I was definitely a touchstone reader for this book, and it makes me think of how important it is for other young readers to find their touchstone books too. This was a book that I deeply loved for so many reasons, and I want to help someone else find the book that matches their heart.

This book won the John Newbery Medal back in 2001.

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A Sarah Dessen novel typically follows the same sort of linear story along with similar female protagonists. I wouldn’t say her writing is profound or entirely unique in its style, but her books are easy-to-read representations of real issues that teens face. Along with that, they usually had sweet little love stories mixed in, which was one of the things about them that I really liked. I was seriously obsessed with them as I inched into my teen years. In this particular story, the main character, Colie, is disliked by most people in her school due to previously being overweight. Losing weight did nothing to change the minds of her classmates, and Colie feels like she belongs nowhere and is without a friend. As someone who moved around a lot as a kid, having to make new friends constantly could be very difficult. And like any kid, I experienced harsh judgments from my peers over things that I could not control.

As I said before, these weren't groundbreaking books and they all followed a similar formula. With that said, I still really enjoyed them! I want other readers to feel the freedom to read whatever it is that brings them joy.

I was today years old when I discovered that there is a Sarah Dessen Wiki. Here is the page for this book.

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In my sophomore year of high school, I had to write a paper on this book. Sylvia Plath was a figure I was slowly circling around, only having read a couple of poems by her for English classes. This would be an entire novel, particularly one that is said to reveal many true aspects of Plath’s own life.

At this point in my own life, I was struggling with a mental illness that would go untreated until after I graduated high school. I latched onto The Bell Jar tightly. I admit that due to my age and most likely the environment that I was in, I did romanticize the book a little too much, but still, in its own way that’s what helped me through that part of high school. It was validation and acceptance for me.

I love that books can validate us in who we are and in the struggles we go through. Sometimes they are the only things that can. I've spoken before about how I want to help readers find books that match their hearts, and this was another book that matched mine.

Here is a link to one of the very first poems I read by Sylvia Plath, and still one of my favorites.

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With this Stephen King novel, I began to develop a taste for reading material that was both horrifying and disgusting. I would go on to read authors like Clive Barker and Bentley Little, who have both created terrifically disturbing stories.

The story itself is convoluted, in a way, with lots of hidden backstories about the creature that the book is named after. King does not hesitate when describing the violent deaths of children throughout the story. At the age of 15, I felt as if a whole new territory had been opened up for me. I haven’t picked up a King book in quite some time, but I will always appreciate both the book and the author who officially turned me on to the horror genre.

I won't lie when I say that I would love to turn every patron I help in my librarian career on to horror novels (if they weren't already into them!). I'm excited thinking about all of the folks that I will meet who are also interested in the genre, and even better, the folks who are just getting into it!

I found this article online that talks about the monster that torments the children from the book.

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Personal essays were never really my thing, but on a whim, I borrowed this book from my local library. The author is honest and open about her mental illness throughout each essay she writes. She’s funny and smart and offers up such an accepting space within the pages. For me, this was incredibly validating and reminded me that no one is alone and we all are dealing with our own baggage.

Perusing my library was the reason I picked up this book, and I think going into my career, I would love to encourage others to try reading something new or outside of their regular genre. I had never read an entire collection of essays before, but once I had, I actually read several more.

Melissa Broder runs a Twitter account under the same name.

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Within this slow-going novel, Stevens, the main character, is a butler for a very wealthy man. Stevens is dedicated to his job and doesn’t make time for really anything else in life. He ignores the romantic attentions of another maid in the house, despite their mutual attraction to each other. His employer is suspected of assisting the Nazis during the war, and Stevens speculates by the end if he’s wasted his whole life.

I’m sure I share similar fears with others about wasting one’s life and feeling unfulfilled. I think that this book was a reminder to make sure that I enjoy the time I spend here on earth and try to exist with as few doubts as possible.

Books can be beautifully sad like this one was, and it really affects the core of a person. I want people to engage with books like these even though they can seem rather dismal and dark. I want to show readers that there is value in the sad stories.

I enjoyed this article which connects with some of the things I had to say here.

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I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

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I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

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I initially watched the movie adaptation of this novel and loved it so much that I just had to read the book as well. The book is just as fantastic, unsettling, and even a little sad. I think the importance I place on this book is similar to the last book I wrote about, The Remains of the Day. The main character in this book is regretting not doing more with his life. This regret runs so deep that he creates a fantasy in his head about a girl he didn’t have the nerve to talk to at a bar when he was younger.

I strongly encourage folks to read the book after watching the movie!!! There are so many films that were adapted from books that are so good and hold so much more value than the movies. I know that as a librarian I will encourage patrons to do this.

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This book was handed off to me by a friend who most commonly reads smut novels. I was a little nervous to take it from her, but she insisted that it was my kind of book. It was a solid recommendation on her part because the book was exactly what I wanted to read.

Sam is a bit of an outsider at the college she attends. Amongst the students, there is a group of bubbly, rich women who waltz about in adorable twee dresses while calling each other “Bunny”. Although Sam despises them, she finds herself absorbed into their little group, even going as far as adopting their style of dress. I don’t want to spoil too much because the twist in the book isn’t as shocking. Things do get weird.

What stands out to me with this book is the intense feelings of loneliness that permeate the pages. Sam only has one friend at the beginning of the novel, who in the end we discover isn’t even real. The group of women she enters into are nothing like her and no matter what she does, she will never be one of them.

I love that this was a recommendation from a friend with radically different tastes in books from myself. I'm reminded of how much I love to give book recs to people and then to hear back that they really enjoyed the book! I lend books out left and right on a daily basis. I don't care if I've known you for an hour, I'm happy to lend you one of my books!