psocoptera (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
psocoptera) wrote2012-09-06 03:36 pm
psocoptera) wrote2012-09-06 03:36 pm
help request: book recs for Junie
When Grammie died, we read "Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs" over and over. (Thanks again to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
allecto for the recommendation.) I went to the library today and browsed the "trauma shelf" (you know, Mommy's cancer, Grandpa's Alzheimers, Dad's restraining order, etc) but couldn't find anything that seemed appropriate. There are plenty of books about *moving*, which all assume that you have been lovingly preparing your child for this event for weeks or even months, your child is nervous, and now it's the big day and don't worry all your stuff got packed up into boxes and it's coming with you! Which honestly sort of made me want to hit something. There were books about living in a shelter or being homeless, but despite news reports we're not exactly homeless either. There were books about fire *safety* but that sort of seems like giving a book on contraception to a kid with a new sibling. I asked a librarian* for help and she found me a book in the regular children's section called "It's Moving Day" by Pamela Hickman about various animals finding new homes, some of them unexpectedly because they had to flee predators, which seems like a great place to start, but Junie is just three, she's very literal, something that really specifically told the story of a family who had a fire at their house would probably be more meaningful for her.
So: librarians, educators, people who just like doing research: please find me a suggestion for a book for Junie.
*The awesome librarian helping me was the info desk librarian; just as we were wrapping up the children's librarian came along - my past experience with her is that she's kind of ancient and not altogether with it and I try to avoid asking her anything, but the info desk librarian seemed very hopeful that she might know the collection better, so I asked. She was very puzzled. "Moving? and fires? Together? What? What do you mean all the moving books are about intentional moves? Of course they are..." One of those "this poor person is going to feel bad in thirty seconds when she puts it together" moments, but I may have snapped at her slightly when I said that if I came up with anything good I would buy the library a copy. Sigh.
allecto for the recommendation.) I went to the library today and browsed the "trauma shelf" (you know, Mommy's cancer, Grandpa's Alzheimers, Dad's restraining order, etc) but couldn't find anything that seemed appropriate. There are plenty of books about *moving*, which all assume that you have been lovingly preparing your child for this event for weeks or even months, your child is nervous, and now it's the big day and don't worry all your stuff got packed up into boxes and it's coming with you! Which honestly sort of made me want to hit something. There were books about living in a shelter or being homeless, but despite news reports we're not exactly homeless either. There were books about fire *safety* but that sort of seems like giving a book on contraception to a kid with a new sibling. I asked a librarian* for help and she found me a book in the regular children's section called "It's Moving Day" by Pamela Hickman about various animals finding new homes, some of them unexpectedly because they had to flee predators, which seems like a great place to start, but Junie is just three, she's very literal, something that really specifically told the story of a family who had a fire at their house would probably be more meaningful for her. So: librarians, educators, people who just like doing research: please find me a suggestion for a book for Junie.
*The awesome librarian helping me was the info desk librarian; just as we were wrapping up the children's librarian came along - my past experience with her is that she's kind of ancient and not altogether with it and I try to avoid asking her anything, but the info desk librarian seemed very hopeful that she might know the collection better, so I asked. She was very puzzled. "Moving? and fires? Together? What? What do you mean all the moving books are about intentional moves? Of course they are..." One of those "this poor person is going to feel bad in thirty seconds when she puts it together" moments, but I may have snapped at her slightly when I said that if I came up with anything good I would buy the library a copy. Sigh.