Of Thee I Sing, Barack Obama's children's book

Barack Obama has written a picture book. It is titled "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters." I am hoping this book will help revive the picture book industry. After reading the NYT article about the dying world of picture books, I felt pretty discouraged. But, maybe his book will snap people back to their senses and make picture books popular again. Maybe. Cross your fingers.

The illustrations reminded me of Norman Rockwell's art, only more cartoonish. Sasha and Malia are shown, as well as hordes of other children, each holding tools,like paintbrushes and baseball bats, that will help them develop their potential.

Obama pays tribute to great Americans like Billie Holiday, Helen Keller and Abraham Lincoln. His choice of praising Sitting Bull has garnered some criticism, because Sitting Bull resisted the genocide of his people and helped win the Battle of Little Bighorn. I think that's a ridiculous complaint. With Thanksgiving approaching, I can't help but think how little I know about Native American history. I think this book will change how children are educated in this country, bringing light to subjects often ignored.

Babies

I went on a date with my boyfriend to see "Babies" at the Laurelhurst Theater a while ago. He made some joke about how the bar would be full of men, and that all the women would be inside the theater, so entranced by the babies they wouldn't notice their boyfriends missing. He explained the difference between guy action movies and girl action movies. In a guy action movie, someone might yell, "There's a bomb under the Vatican!" In a girl action movie someone might yell, "That baby looks hungry!" The pitcher of beer within his reach kept him complacent, but I still worried he would make a run for it. I wondered how I'd gotten him to say yes to this movie in the first place. Did he think I said "Rabies" and think I was taking him to some kind of horror film about rabid dogs? I snaked my arm around his so he couldn't get away.

We both loved it and I was so pleased. We even had the same favorite baby, the Mongolian one. I would like to see more baby movies. It could be like the 7-up series, but instead of interviewing the same people every seven years, the baby movies could focus on more babies from other countries. If everybody saw "Babies," I think the world would be a happier place.

And, I'm sorry, but I have to brag. Last night my boyfriend and I watched "Before Sunrise." I feel victorious, as if my romantic movies and his gangster movies had a battle, and my movies won.

Spinning gold into picture books

Two picture books, "Willoughby and the Lion" and "Willoughby and the Moon" will bring out the kid in you, even if you happen to be a hideous old grouch who works in a cubicle and has no sense of adventure whatsoever. These books by Greg Foley are riveting! The colors are bold and distinct, just like Foley's writing style. The text and illustrations complement each other very nicely. In addition to being visually appealling, these books offer subtle lessons about friendship and loss and the necessity of escaping from reality. I cannot recommend these books more highly.