Martine

I adore these Martine board books by Gilbert Delahaye and Marcel Marlier that Muriel is perusing! They feature a little girl named Martine, with guest appearances by various friends and animals. If I'm reading the copyright info correctly I think they were first printed in 1949, though Wikipedia says they were first published in 1954. The illustrations are very sweet and definitely look straight of of the fifties. I especially love the idyllic portrayal of European village life. I am not sure how many books there are in mes premiers Martine (my first Martine). The backs of each book list a different number of titles, from 18-28, on just the 8 or so books we own. According to Wikipedia there are over 50 Martine books, but I think it is including non-board books like this one, which look more like early readers to me. The Martine books can be found translated into English under the name Debbie. They are out of print now, but Alibris and AbeBooks carry a few titles.

The Sea Serpent and Me

Every time we get to the last page of The Sea Serpent and Me Niamh spends the next five minutes thinking about the little girl in the story.

"Mama, I want to go to her house."
"Mama, where is her bed?"
"Mama, I wish I could play with her toys."



Sweet Niamh!

Rome Reading and Watching

We got a lot of books about Rome before our trip to Rome.
This is Rome by M. Sasek-this one was disappointing. We love This is Paris, but Sasek's Rome book is much drier and read more like a guide book than a picture book, for some reason. Even so, I'd say it's worth reading, but probably much better suited for older children.
Rome Antics by David Macaulay-thumbs up from kids and I. Pat wished it was more like his Castle and Cathedral books.
Madeline and the Cats of Rome by John Marciano-thumbs up
Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne-thumbs up from Ro and I (Pat didn't read it, and Niamh wasn't interested)
Ancient Rome and Pompeii by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce--thumbs up from me, though the kids were not super interested.
The Roman Colosseum by Elizabeth Mann--Definitely meant for older kids, so I didn't even attempt this one with the kids, and haven't read it myself.

And then picked up some more while we were in Pompeii!
The Usborne Time Traveller: Rome & Romans-thumbs up
Romans by Katie Daynes-thumbs up
Pompeii by Karen Bally-thumbs up--Rowan adores this book. He was torn between this one and a similar book about Gladiators, but ultimately the people running in terror from the erupting volcano won out over men being forced to fight each other or animals to the death.

Here he is reading it in our apartment in Rome after we got back Tuesday evening. He's so sensitive about some things, it always surprises me when things I think would be scary seem to fascinate him rather than scare him. At any rate, I do think it's a good book. It's a fictionalized account of the time of the eruption through a several people's eyes, and then at the end there is a chapter on how Pompeii was rediscovered, the excavations, treasures that have been found at Pompeii, and a nice map of the city.

We all watched Rick Steve's video clips about Rome. Niamh wasn't so interested, but I think this definitely helped Rowan get more excited about the trip.

I meant to read The Seventh Sinner by Elizabeth Peters and When in Rome by Ngaio Marsh, and also watch Roman Holiday, but got sucked into some other books instead. Not to mention just general craziness limiting free time. I'll get to all three in the next week or so while Rome is still fresh in my mind!

Languages

I received a copy of the GUIDE TO ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE for my birthday. It is full of all sorts of interesting stuff. Here are the languages spoken in Switzerland and the approximate percentages.

German 63.7% (official language)
French 20.4% (official language)
Italian 6.5% (official language)
Serb/Croation 1.5%
Albanian 1.5%
Portuguese 1.2%
Spanish 1.1%
English 1.0%
Romansch 0.5% (national, but not official language)
Others 2.8%

This data is based on the 2000 census.

Preferred Travel Books and Map

My preferred travel books and map.

• Streetwise Maps: First, they are laminated so the kids can't destroy them. They also fold so that they can fit in a back pocket (granted, they do stick out of the pocket.). The subway system is shown directly on the map, so you know exactly where they are going and where the stops are. This was very handy in Barcelona, where some of the stops were linked on the metro map, but in reality they were a block or two apart and separated by a long tunnel. They also have a good street index.
• Time Out: Contains good information on history and the different neighborhoods. It also contains good information on stores as well as activities for kids. An Uncle Pat recommendation.
• Rick Steves: Good at indicting the true highlights. Also provides walking tours that often cover a lot of the sights.

Quadrilateral

Eve gave Rowan a copy of The Greedy Triangle and he has become obsessed with pointing out shapes. He's been screaming "Quadrilateral" multiple times a day due to all of the square sidewalk tiles.

Three Books!

Emily did the evening reading today.

I don't feel too bad now.

I no longer feel bad about reading books intended for teenage girls. If they are good enough for my mother-in-law, they are good enough for me.

A waste of paper, ink, and space

I hate dust jackets. Laws should be enacted to outlaw them. I don't understand why they exist. Are they really necessary? The kids rip them and they end up in pile on a shelf.

I can maybe understand having them on an adult book, but why would anyone think putting them on a book for a toddler is a good idea?

Bumpa Mike?

Niamh has been very interested in The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR for the past few days. She screams "BUMPA!" as soon as she sees this page.

Our first full day in Dublin

After breakfast we took a walk around town. We found a huge toy store that had a brand of trains, Hornby, that I had never heard of. We then walked to the General Post Office and then to Trinity College. We saw the Book of Kells and the old library. Actually, only Emily saw the old library. Before we purchased the tickets to the Book of Kells and the library(one ticket for both), Emily asked if the exhibit was stroller friendly. She was told that it was stroller friendly, so we purchased the tickets. It might be umbrella stroller friendly, especially if it is all folded up and being carried. We have a double decker stroller and I didn't feel like carrying it (and Niamh who was sleeping) up the stays to the old library, so we left after the Book of Kells. According to Emily the old library is really nice.

We went to lunch at Wagamama, which was recommended in both the Rick Steves and Lonely Planet guide books. The food was good and we got lucky with the timing. We were able to walk right in, but there was a huge line by the time we left.

After lunch we got on one of the Hop on/Hop off buses and headed to the Kilmainham Jail. It was a very informative tour, but Niamh became possessed by some sort of three-headed screaming devil so Emily took the kids outside. This is probably the highlight of the trip so far. Niamh continued her screaming on the bus after the tour, so we went back to the hotel for a little while.

Details for the third half of the day will be available soon.

Harry Potter

Emily headed to the bookstore, Payot, this morning to get a copy of the new Harry Potter book. The store was basically empty; just Emily, the employees, and stacks of HP. I was worried that there would be long lines or not enough copies. It seems odd that people in Fairbanks are lining up a week or two early, but there isn't even a line in Lausanne.

We have the UK version, which is shorter and stouter than the US version. Pictures of the kids with the books will be posted later this weekend.