Happy August!

Here we've rolled right into a new month, and hardly noticed.  It's been the battle of a scary something--high fevers and a sore throat; not at all a fun time for a sweet eleven year old who would much rather be at soccer camp.  She's been on the couch, in better moments reading some of her favorite standby books.  She shared an excerpt from The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  I'm a big fan.  I am also a big fan of The Giving Tree (by Shel Silverstein)... and of my 11-year old.  Which is why this little book blurb hit home--in a funny but frightening sort of way.

"There was this book Dad used to read to me every night called "The Giving Tree."  It was a really good book, but the back of it had a picture of the author, this guy named Shel Silverstein.  But Shel Silverstein looks more like a burglar or a pirate than a guy who should be writing books for kids.

Dad must have known that picture kind of freaked me out, because one night after I got out of bed, Dad said 

'If you get out of bed again tonight, you'll probably run into Shel Siverstein in the hallway.'"

Did anyone else ever wonder why a talented author of childrens books would choose a picture that makes you think ex-con?

(carry on.)