Raffi

The Internet has a small-but-healthy movement called, "The Wholesome Meme". It's the idea that things we share, like, spread, upvote, twit, and post don't all have to be sarcastic, cutting, political, negative, or an ironic callback. It's okay for things to be "wholesome" again: kind, simple, sincere, and filled with whimsy, expressing a love for all existence, whispering "it's okay" before having a bite of amazing pie that was given to you out of kindness, and not sold to you for profit. show more Raffi, and in particular Baby Beluga, are my wholesome meme. I never listened to Raffi as a child--it just missed us, I guess. I watched Sesame Street and my parents played Steeleye Span and Simon and Garfunkel-- plenty of wholesome, but not Raffi. Raffi came into my life with my own kids. Baby Beluga is as wholesome as it gets--it's about a whale, but on page 4 you do not hear about the polluting humans or the oil barons or whaling. That's for a different book. It's about simple love between mother and child, but on page 5 you do not see the child resist or ask for reassurance that he will be loved even if he turns out to be a raccoon/republican/gay, or see the painful side of love or cruelty or intolerance. That's for a different book. It's about how wonderful the world and nature are, and on page 6 you do not need to be reminded that nature is competitive, or that nature is sick, or that we are distanced from nature by our ongoing effort to digitize our hearts. Baby Beluga is about bedtime, maybe, bedtime as a nice, warm and gentle time, not a time to have a system or to fight against a system. Those other things are all important to say, and important that we talk about them in children's books too... but this book/song is not that. This poem uplifts, and defines joy as something to be enjoyed for its own sake. It is an unconditional hug. The sun is always there, the stars are your friends, forever and always. The waves roll in and the waves roll out. Good night little whale, good night. show less

I really enjoyed reading this book because of the writing that contains a repetition of certain phrases and the colorful illustrations. First, I liked how the book has a sing-songy nature in its writing because certain phrases repeat. For instance, the phrase "Baby beluga in the deep blue sea, / Swim so wild and you swim so free" appears repeatedly throughout the story, and the readers can continue visualizing the baby whale swimming happily in the ocean. The illustrations were also pleasant show more and colorful to look at, especially the pages that show the family of belugas, penguins, and other sea creatures as well as an eskimo girl in an igloo that sleep peacefully together under the beautiful moonlight. The central message of this book seems to be that having a close, loving relationship with family members and friends bring true delight. show less

Of all the books that I picked out this week, Shake My Sillies Out is my favorite. I love how it rhymes and you can sing it to and with the kids. Sing alongs make things easier to memorize and above all, they're just more fun! I couldn't get this song out of my head!! I was singing it for the rest of the day and I think that's what leaves a memorable impression on the child.

This book was enjoyable to read because of the engaging story plot and beautiful illustrations. First, my curiosity was aroused when each of the mother duck's five ducklings did not return after their trip to the fields. When the fifth duckling did not return, the mother was extremely sad and searched for her children season after season. Later, the mother calls to her children and all return with their own families. I liked how this book creatively shows the maturing of ducklings that show more eventually grow out of their mother's care and make their own families. I also enjoyed looking at the illustrations, especially the few pages that portray the change of seasons from fall to winter and back to spring as the mother duck searches for her children. The main idea of this book seems to be that it is natural and necessary for children to grow up into mature, independent beings. show less