Do you have any grandchildren that are in the process of being potty trained?  Or recently trained? Then possibly, that grandchild might enjoy the book Who’s in the Bathroom by Jeanne Willis.  (It’s good for pre-school age through first grade.)

In this book, two children are standing in line to use a public bathroom.  The line is moving exceedingly slow and it is taking them FOREVER and they needed to go to the bathroom really, really bad.

Who’s in the bathroom?
We’d all like to know.
And why are they being so terribly slow?
We’re all getting desperate. It’s our turn to go!

The children imagine all sorts of zany reasons why it’s taking so long.  Could it be a whale, a rat, a penguin, or the shepherd who is using a sheep as a toilet brush? Of course, there is potty humor.  But tasteful potty humor (in my humble opinion)  — if potty humor can be tasteful. (However, there is a slight chance that some people might be offended by the book . . .  Make sure you read it before you buy it.)

I’m thinking that this would be a fun gift to give a grandchild who is in the process of being potty trained or who was recently potty trained.  It would be fun to give the book and some ruffly panties to a granddaughter or some Spiderman BVDs to a grandson.

Because I enjoyed reading The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt, I decided that I would read First Boy.  And over all, I enjoyed this book more than The Wednesday Wars.

Cooper Jewett is the main character.  He lives with his grandparents because his parents died in a car crash shortly after he was born.  Then, his grandfather passes away (his grandmother had passed away earlier) leaving Cooper an orphan.  An orphan responsible for a New Hampshire dairy farm.

A local politician wants Cooper’s help on the campaign trail.  The Senator believes that Cooper can help him become the next president of the United States. Then there are suspicious black sedans lurking around.  Then his small barn burns down.  Cooper struggles to do his homework and do all of the chores on the farm.

Theft, kidnapping, and car chases.  And the President of the United States wants to talk with him. Suspense abounds in this book.  It is a definite page-turner-I-gotta-know-what-happens kind of book.

I only have one complaint about the book.  Some of the emotions that the author attributes to the fourteen-year-old main character seem to be rather juvenile.  Emotions that seem to be more normal for a nine or ten-year-old boy. But, I think this would not be something that a young person would think while reading the book.

Recommend this book to your grandchildren that are in the sixth grade — or above.  I think know that they will enjoy reading it.

I just finished a great Newbery Honor Book called Wednesday Wars.  It’s by Gary Schmidt.

While his Catholic and Jewish classmates attend their religious instruction, Holling Hoodhood (who is the main character of the book and is the only Presbyterian in his seventh grade class) is stuck staying with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, on Wednesday afternoons.  And because Mrs. Baker is forced to stay at school because of this one lone student, Holling is positive she hates his guts.  His belief is reinforced when she makes him read Shakespeare.

The author deftly weaves in writing about the angst of growing up, the turbulent 1960s, the Vietnam war, and the timeless wisdom of Shakespeare into a tale of a likable kid in his seventh grade year at school.  Holling gets into many predicaments (being late to the New York Yankee’s baseball game, getting hit by a school bus, being a slow runner) and Mrs. Baker comes flying in like a super hero to solve all of his problems.  Well, most of them. (Mmmmm. . . none of my school teachers were involved in my life — or any other student for that matter — like Mrs. Baker is involved in Holling’s life . . .)

This book will keep your grandchildren engrossed — even if they might happen to be girls and even if the book is about a boy.  It will even hold grandma’s attention if she reads it.  (It kept me happily occupied while riding to and fro on public transportation.)

I only have one beef about the book.  And that’s the incident with the rats and the cream puffs.  The delaying of the eating of the cream puffs seemed too contrived to me.  While the thread of the rat incidences runs through the tapestry of this story, this one thread seems to be flawed.  But did it stop me from reading?  Not in the least!  I instantly forgave the author (well, I forgave him after thinking about it for three minutes) and continued reading.

This would be a good book to give as a birthday present to a grandchild.  Or, you can have a ‘virtual’ book club with your grandchildren and read this book.

If you are in a book club yourself, this would be a fun book to discuss with adults — and especially discuss the use of Shakespeare’s words and themes in the story. (Using the phrase ‘pied ninnies’ sure wants to roll off my tongue lately . . .)

Wednesday Wars.  Try it.  You’ll like it.

(And I’ll give a big Symphony creamy-milk-chocolate-almond-and-toffee-bits one-half pound bar to the first reader who can tell me what the last two sentences refer to.)

Lanette, from Salt Lake City, Utah, shared some of her ideas of what she does to develop a strong relationship with her grandchildren. She writes:

“I want to be known as the “Book Grandma”. Reading has always been important in my life and I have a love of reading. I wanted my grandchildren to love to read, too, so I started a book giving tradition at Christmas time.

“I enjoy looking for books that fit their interests. Or, sometimes I search for books that will help them develop a new interest or that will broaden their exposure to new things. One year I found some fun bug books that came with small plastic bugs. They were just perfect for my 4 year old grandsons. I also found a cook book for my 6 year old granddaughter and we have had a lot of fun trying the recipes in that book. I also made her an apron to wear when she cooks.

“It seems that my grandchildren get so many toys that it is hard to give them something that they don’t already have. That is why I started my book giving tradition for Christmas.”

She continues with another suggestion:

“Since some of my grandchildren live across the country, I have had to come up with things to keep us connected to each other. I e-mail my older grandchildren so that I am able to find out what is going on in their lives. Sometimes I put a joke in my e-mails and then scroll down and add the answer. Sometimes they e-mail me jokes, too.”

Thanks, Lanette, for sharing your ideas! I love the idea of putting jokes in an e-mail and making your grandchildren scroll down the message to find the answer. What a great idea — and one that is easy to do.

If you’re not sure what might be a good book to give for Christmas (or any other time), almost ANY Newbery Medal winner would be a good choice. You can click here to see a list of their books.

Enjoy
Digi-Gram