MOST LOVED DOLL STORIES

My youngest son, Jon, came home after class a couple of days ago and told me that his junior college was having a used book sale.  Before I knew it, he was pulling something out of his backpack and pushing it into my hands.  He looked at me hopefully and said, "Is this a good one, Mom?  I searched and searched  to find a good one for you." I looked down.  It was  THE BEST LOVED DOLL by Rebecca Caudill, with pictures by Elliott Gilbert.  He picked a winner!  Thanks, Jon!

A young girl named Betsy receives a party invitation which reads:

Bring one doll

to the party

this afternoon at four.

Prizes will be given for

the oldest doll,

the best-dressed doll, 

and the doll 

who can do the most things.

Betsy must decide which doll to bring. She has four:  a beautiful bride doll, an antique doll, a wind-up doll who can work a sewing machine, and her favorite - a worn out, rather tattered doll named Jennifer, who sits on Betsy's bed.  Betsy must decide if she'd rather bring a doll that will earn her a prize, or Jennifer.  You'll love what happens and you might even shed a few tears.

Did you have a best-loved doll?  My daughter loved all her dolls - she had baby dolls, paper dolls, "Polly Pockets", china dolls, a "Raggedy Ann", miniatures for her dollhouse, several Barbies, and "Samantha" and "Kirsten" American Girl dolls.  (I hope I'm not leaving someone out!)

This all got me thinking about the many stories involving dolls that my daughter and I read together...Laura Ingalls had a rag doll that she named Charlotte (though her first doll was a corn cob doll) and Sara Crewe had a doll named Emily.  In Beatrix Potter's THE TALE OF TWO BAD MICE, Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca vandalise the dollhouse of Lucinda and Jane.  Remember this vintage Sesame Street short, "Two Little Girls and a Little Dollhouse"? (it's worth a quick watch!) We had a similar experience when our pet rabbit got in my daughter's dollhouse!  

Here are some classic doll books that your daughter is sure to like...did I leave out your favorite?

A IS FOR ANABELLE: A DOLL'S ALPHABET by Tasha Tudor. (4-8)

THE DOLLS' CHRISTMAS by Tasha Tudor (4-8)

THE STORY OF HOLLY AND IVY by Rumer Godden, pictures by Barbara Cooney (5 & up)

MISS HAPPINESS AND MISS FLOWER by Rumer Godden, pictures by Gary Blythe (9-12)

FOUR DOLLS: "IMPUNITY JANE", "FAIRY DOLL", "STORY OF HOLLY AND IVY", AND "CANDY CANE" by Rumer Godden

THE LONELY DOLL Story and Photographs by Dare Wright (4-8)

Shakira New Album "Loca"

Sale el Sol has been released as Shakira's seventh studio album on October 19, 2010. In June 2010, during an interview with Billboard magazine, Shakira announced that her new album would be released in September. She stated in the magazine that "I see it [the new album] as having two currents," she stated. "One is a lot about love and love experiences and emotions. And the other side of it is very joyful, and upbeat." Shakira also revealed that the music on the album would reflect influences from both the Dominican Republic and Colombia. "It’s a little more Latin on one side and a little more rock ‘n roll on the other side," she stated. She later compared her new material to the Oral Fixation era's music, stating that she was "going back to basics" for the record. The album has since been delayed to a November release with the lead single "Loca", her version of the song "Loca con su tiguere" from El Cata, currently due for an early September release. She shot the video for the lead single in Barcelona in August, and is expected to be released sometime in September. Shakira unveiled the official album cover on September 1. Shakira is currently on tour in support of her two most recent albums, in addition to performing a string of older hits.



Very Nice Song and Great Dance from Shakira


In This Page You also can find Shakira Pics from Loca Albums, lets see . . .

The Sun Comes Out
Sexy and Beautiful Shakira
Elegant Dress and Make Up
Shakira Sale El Sol

ART IN SILHOUETTE

by Henry Lawrence Oakley

Silhouettes harken back to the art of Ancient Egypt and Greece, as images painted on tomb walls or pottery.  What today are considered to be traditional profile silhouettes, painted or cut from black paper, were first used in 18th Century portraiture, before the invention of the camera - which led to the end of the silhouette's widespread use for portraits.  But if you've ever been to Main Street, Disneyland, you may have noticed a shop where artists quickly hand-cut portraits in profile. I'm not getting paid to promote Disney, but their interesting and informative (1-minute long) video about this studio and silhouette portraits is worth watching. 

from RHYMES ABOUT THE COUNTRY
by Margaret Chute

Like the quick "click" of a camera shot, or children playing freeze tag, a silhouette captures the image of a moment in time we might otherwise have missed or forgotten. This art makes us stop and admire the lines and curves of the seemingly back-lit, darkened subjects of the scene. Because silhouettes communicate the whimsy and fleeting nature of childhood, I think they are wonderfully employed as illustrations for children's literature -- be it poetry, fantasy, or just a simple story. 


Hans Christian Anderson would often accompany his public story-telling with impromptu designs and small scenes, as he cut them out by hand from paper. Though not specifically silhouette portraits, they were called "paper cuts".

THE AMAZING PAPER CUTTINGS OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON  
by Beth Wagner Brust

Many countries, including China and Turkey, have a history of paper-cutting art.  The French used the term silhouette, after a man by the name of Eteinne de Silhouette, whose very affordable hobby was making cut-out portraits in the profile style; but in Germany, this art was called schernschnitte, which means "scissor cut". 


Starting in the late 19th and early 20th century, some illustrators began using this paper cutting technique for books. Silhouette pictures could easily be printed by blocks that were cheaper to produce and lasted longer than detailed black and white hand drawn illustrations.  Arthur Rackham was one of the earliest illustrators who used silhouette scenes in several of his books.

Modern day children's book illustrators who use paper cuts include DAVID WISNIEWSKI, JAN PIENKOWSKI, CLAY RICE, and NIKKI McCLURE.  (Click on each name to read about their art and books).

Nikki McClure, from The Great Chicken Escape

Clay Rice, The Lonely Shadow

David Wisniewski, The Warrior and the Wise Man

Jan Pienkowski,  from The Thousand Nights and One Night

Source links for more information:
Portrait Silhouettes
History of Paper Cutters
Charles Burns Silhouette Parlour

Heat Blowout

Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 26 points, James added 20 points and a game-high 12 assists — the most ever by a Heat forward, according to STATS LLC — and Miami rolled to its fourth straight win, 129-97 over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

Wade made 12 of 17 shots in just 24 minutes for Miami, which has outscored opponents by 22.8 points per game losing the season-opener in Boston last week.

James Jones hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 for the Heat, who got 15 from Eddie House, 13 from Chris Bosh and 11 from Udonis Haslem.

Kevin Love led Minnesota with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting.

It was Miami's highest-scoring non-overtime game since beating Phoenix 135-129 on March 4, 2009. Minnesota gave up at least 130 points five times last season alone, all in regulation.

Michael Beasley's return to Miami was one that will stay with him for a few days — in the form of a bruised hip.

The former Heat forward left with about 8 minutes remaining until halftime after scoring on a drive, but tumbling awkwardly to the floor and slamming his left side on the hardwood. He scored 11 points, and X-rays were negative.

Sebastian Telfair and Wes Johnson each scored 13 for Minnesota, which stayed with the Heat for much of the first half. Miami's lead was only 50-44 when Wade got free for a dunk with 5 minutes left until halftime, kickstarting what became a 44-22 run over the next 16 minutes.

Nikola Pekovic scored 12 for Minnesota.

Miami shot 58 percent, and to think James wasn't even doing much of the scoring.
He turned down shots in the first half to make extra passes, and his 12 assists were distributed among eight different Heat players. By the time James got his second basket of the night — a layup with 9:12 to play in the third quarter — the Heat were already leading by a comfortable 79-58 margin.

James hit 6 of 8 shots in the third quarter, scoring 14 of his points, then took the fourth quarter off as Miami's reserves completed the runaway.

Even when he wasn't scoring, James was active. Wes Johnson tried to drive for a layup, never knowing that James was lurking from behind in the third quarter, swatting his try out of bounds, then grabbing the ball and twirling it a bit while smiling. He wasn't alone, either — Wade was still grinning a minute after that play was over.

POETRY: "SERIOUS PLAY"

"Play is what we want to do.  Work is what we have to do...poetry is both of those things.  Robert Frost, in fact, defined poetry as 'serious play'.  Poetry is the liveliest use of language, and nobody knows more instinctively how to take delight in that playfulness than children..." (Academy of American Poets - poets.org)


The ancient Greek word for poetry (poesis) is translated "to create".  Like me, maybe you haven't really considered the definition and origin of poetry since that last literature class you took in college.  I found a comprehensive, yet brief and interesting explanation of "WHAT IS POETRY" here.


Poetry, with its rhythm and rhyme, is perfect for reading aloud, and is very easy for children to memorize. It does not always have to rhyme, but it is always about expression and emotion.  Parents and teachers need to search for fun, thoughtful, and creative poems that will set children on the road to appreciating this literary art.  (If you're interested in poetry for babies and toddlers, you can read my earlier post about Mother Goose Rhymes).


There are classic poets, such as Edward Lear, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jane Taylor, A.A. Milne, and Christina Rossetti, whose long-cherished works will help paint wonderful pictures on the canvas of your child's imagination...  

WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND? by Christina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing thro'.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.

We can also introduce our kids to modern poets, including Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein, and Tony Mitton, to name a few.  Jim Trelease comments, from his READ ALOUD HANDBOOK:  

One of poetry's strengths is its brevity. A poem is not a novel or a short story, yet it can be very revealing in its smallness--like one of those see-through Easter eggs. A poem should add up to something, a slice of life. One expert put it this way: "Unless a poem says something to a child, tells him a story, titillates his ego, strikes up a happy recollection, bumps his funny bone--in other words, delights him--he will not be attracted to poetry regardless of the language it uses."

Click here to see and read the Lulu.Poetry list of Greatest Children's Poems Ever Written.

And go to Classic Children's Poems to download free poetry for parents and teachers.

ANTHOLOGIES for ages 4 and up:
THE RANDOM HOUSE BOOK OF POETRY FOR CHILDREN, compiled by Jack Prelutsky.  Illustrations by Arnold Lobel.
TALKING LIKE THE RAIN, compiled by X.J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy.  Illustrations by Jane Dyer.

ELOISE WILKIN'S POEMS TO READ TO THE VERY YOUNG, compiled and illustrated by Eloise Wilkin.

Penelope Cruz Pregnant

Penelope Cruz has confirmed she is pregnant with her first child, putting an end to rumors fueled this week by a photo showing off the star's growing belly. The actress, who recently married 'Eat Pray Love' actor Javier Bardem, is four-and-a-half months pregnant, reps for the pair confirmed to PEOPLE.


Cruz and Bardem did their best to hide the news, but speculation of a pregnancy intensified when during a visit to Los Angeles, she was seen wearing a trench coat that hid her figure.
Then this week, a photo emerged from the set of the latest 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie where she sports a pretty clear baby bump.

Penelope Cruz Party Dresses
In July, a rep for the 36-year-old actress denied reports she was pregnant. Cruz, who is currently filming 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,' the fourth installment in the blockbuster franchise, wed Bardem in early July at a friend's home in the Bahamas in a private ceremony.

Penelope Cruz at Airport

The couple, who starred as former lovers in Woody Allen's 2008 film 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona,' for which Cruz won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, began their relationship in 2007 after 15 years of friendship.

The Beauty of Penelope Cruz