To Admire

I've been thinking a lot about an entry about picture books that another student in my class wrote last week. I decided to add on to her thoughts for this week's entry, I really liked the topic she brought up. She said that no matter who you are, you can always find something from a picture book that you appreciate, which is a statement that I really and truly admire.

Winnie the Pooh books have really always been a part of me. From the necklace of him and Tigger I had as a kid that I am wearing right now, to my Winnie the Pooh calender, and to just reading his books. This "silly ol' bear" has always been by my side. And what I admire about A. A. Milne's books most, is that no matter what age you are, you can always learn something new and exciting from reading just one poem, or one chapter. It makes me feel so safe, knowing that if I lose my necklace, or I finish my calender, the books will never grow old, and I'll never ever grow tired of them.

Another example I have of picture books is the book Pink, by Nan Gregory. Pink is a beautiful picture book that almost made me cry the first time I read it to my sister. It really made me think about how many other books there are out there that can touch any one's heart. Pink has a great story line, that fits the interest of a young reader, and provokes the mind healthily for a reader my age. Pink is the story of young Vivi, whose father is a truck driver and her mother who seems to not have a job at all. Their family doesn't necessarily have all the money in the World. Walking around town one day, Vivi spots a beautiful bride doll, glistening pink. She saves up enough money to buy the beautiful doll, only to find that one of richer girls in town has already snatched it away, as if it had only cost a penny.

To my younger sister, she sees the richer girl as a meanie. The bully. The mean girl in school. And to her, she doesn't understand why it's so hard for Vivi to buy the doll, and so easy for the rich girl to. But to me, it brings up much thought and conflict, about how these things really do happen in life. These topics are very serious and important to be reminded of. And it takes a lot of courage to bring up such conflicts in a picture book. Especially one called Pink. Which any young child wants to pick up, just from the title.

I admire Nan Gregory's courage and hope to learn more from her and others about finding deeper meaning in picture books. Because they aren't only for 5 year olds. They are for everyone.

Quotes

First thing I want to say, I'm out in Hillsdale, and as I mentioned a few blogs ago, this is where I can get really into my reading. Last year, I finished two of the Twilight books in the one week I was here with my family. Yep. Two Twilight books.

Now back to my entry

No matter what book I am in the middle of reading, there will always be one that I keep to the side, in case I forget my current book, am in the mood for a new theme, or just want to read it. Currently, my "second book" is Without Feathers by Woody Allen. I'm really enjoying this book. It's hysterical, and from all the stress I'm under right now, I love being able to have a book that will make me laugh.

Another reason I am really liking this book, is because my father always seems to be recommending books to me, and most of the time, to be honest, I never actually come through to reading them. Maybe because I think they're old, or I just won't like them. But over this past break, in my grandmothers apartment, my father picked up Without Feathers and just started reading it to me. And for once I decided to give it a chance. I decided not to "judge a book by it's cover."

Because it doesn't matter anymore that the book has a white cover, and small red letters. It doesn't matter that the title doesn't make any sense. It matters that the words inside the book, beyond the cover, are what I'm really enjoying.

And what I'm thinking about most right now, is how much I learned from a saying that everyone on Earth must hear once or twice a day. And how much it's ignored. How not that many people really take the time to find the hidden meaning of "don't judge a book by it's cover." And is it the same way with other quotes? Are all of these other sayings just being ignored, are they just useless words that have some how been put into a sentence? I hope everyone will find their own hidden meaning for sayings someday, and then we can learn from them, and they can learn from us.

Stargirls

I want to be a Stargirl. I want to sign my name with a little yellow star and a blue girl with a triangle dress. I want to "wash my mind." I want to have a wagon that keeps track of my emotions. I want my wagon to always be full. And I want not to be embarrassed when my wagon is empty. I want to be fearless, I want to be Stargirl.

I feel that everyone needs a Stargirl, wants a Stargirl, and is a Stargirl. Everyone has the potential to be a Stargirl, everyone has the courage, everyone just has to find it.

But what would happen if everyone was a Stargirl? Everyone got to be a hero? A fantasy? A perfection? Then no one would really be a Stargirl. It would have to be the person who decides NOT to be a Stargirl that truly is the Stargirl. Or maybe the Moongirl? Or the Sungirl?

What is a Stargirl anyway? Or who? Or maybe where? Is there a Stargirl in this World? In this town, in this school, in this home, or that home? Or is there no such thing? Maybe we're just girls, or boys, or women, or men. And all we can do is wait for a Stargirl to come along. Or for one of us to step up and anounce that they are the Stargirl. But what if a Stargirl doesn't show up? And no one breaks away and becomes the Stargirl. And all we are, are people. Who don't know what to do.

Maybe it's better not to have a Stargirl. Maybe no one needs her. Or maybe we do. A little.