Archive for category Bookishness
Favorite Children’s Literature
Posted by Bethany in Bloggity Blog, Bookishness on February 9, 2006
So, I found this meme at Semicolon and thought it would be fun! It’s a look into favorite children’s literature. I really had a hard time with this…I love so many children’s books (I guess it comes with motherhood and teaching young children).
And since I’ve read about the Carnival of Children’s Literature, I’ve had children’s literature on the brain.
Name your 3 favourite children’s series.
* The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis)
* Little House on the Prarie (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
* Emily (L.M. Montgomery)
Name your 3 favourite non-series children’s books.
* Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
* The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
* You Are Special (Max Lucado)
Name 3 favourite children’s book characters.
* Jo (Little Women)
* Emily (Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, Emily’s Quest)
* Horton (Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches an Egg) (Don’t you know Horton is pro-life!)
So, if you want to join the meme, let me know. I’d love to go see your favorites!!
Another Carnival of Interest
Posted by Bethany in Bloggity Blog, Bookishness on February 9, 2006
Melissa Wiley, children’s author and blogger at Here in the Bonny Glen, my newest blog-find, is hosting a Carnival of Children’s Literature. I am excited about this carnival and thought it might interest a few of you guys out there in bloggy-world.
So check here for information and get those submissions in!
Horton Hears a Who and the Sanctity of Life
Posted by Bethany in Bookishness, Current Happenings on January 23, 2006

Yeah. I know you think there’s no connection…but give me a second.
I meant to post about Abortion yesterday since it was Sanctity of Life Sunday. Abortion is one of “my topics” if you will. And really, I have no idea why I haven’t posted on it before now.
But here goes. In rememberence of all those who died…because of a choice.
I love Dr. Seuss. I really do. He’s funny. My kids love him. He writes grand children’s books. I can read them over and over and I don’t get tired of them.
Every year, at school, during the first week of March we celebrate Dr. Seuss. We read all of his books, we dress up as characters from the book, we have a parade, we invite guests in to read more of his books (he’s written over fifty), and by the end of the week our tongue is so tied from trying to read Fox in Socks without any mistakes (I think that’s impossible!)
One of my favorite books is Horton Hears a Who. I’ve always liked it. It was one of the first Dr. Seuss books I fell in love with as a teacher. So I usaully start the huge Dr. Suess frenzy by reading that book to my class.
Last year, as I listened to myself read, I almost fell out with a discovery. This book is pro-life. Now, I may be the only person in the world to think this (it wouldn’t be the first time I came up with something so original that no one else got it!). I’ve even read up a bit on Dr. Suess to see if he actually was pro-life. I couldn’t find anything to support my theory.
So…instead of you taking my word for it, I shall share a bit about the book. And then you need to go read it yourself. If you are pro-life you should read this to your kids. Even if Dr. Suess wasn’t, this book can be.
The story is about an elephant named Horton. Horton one day hears a noise and discovers that there is a colony of “Who’s” living on a dust speck that is about to fly into the water. He then rescues the Who’s.
Well, this nasty Kangaroo (I’ve named her Planned Parenthood, but you can give her your own name if you like) and her baby kangaroo think Horton has lost his mind. They are convinced he is trying to save something that does not exist.
Horton goes through great persecution as these wretched kangaroos turn all against Horton…insisting he’s crazy and trying to destroy the dust speck. Because it’s only a dust speck and nothing really, really alive.
Frequently Horton can be heard saying things such as:
I can’t let my very small persons get drowned!
I’ve got to protect them. I’m bigger than they.
Should I put this speck down?…
If I do, these small persons may come to great harm.
I can’t put it down. And I won’t! After all
A person’s a person. No matter how small.
and
Of course I will stick.
I’ll stick by you small folks through thin and through thick.
And while Horton works so hard to defend what he has discovered as a living thing he finds out more and more about “the speck”. Just as pro-lifers defend the unborn the discover more and more about them. Like how early a heartbeat can be found. How soon fingers are developed…
And back to Horton…
And then Planned Parenthood the kangaroo and her crew of followers can be heard making statements like these:
Why that speck is as small as the head of a pin.
A person on that? Why, there never has been.
and they bring the speck to the eagle (ahem. Abortionist) and ask:
Will you kindly get rid of this thing?
In the end of the story Horton does finally convince the kangaroo and the other jungle animals that there really are people on the speck of dust. It has a happy ending. I’m hoping our story will eventually have a happy ending too.
So anyway, maybe I’m nuts…but I saw a lot of connections. Maybe you will too.
And if you are disgusted and saddened…change daily from angry to sad about the safety of our unborn children…then you, like Horton and the animals he finally convinced to care for those to small to take care of themselves and make this promise:
From sun in the summer. From rain when it’s fall-ish,
I’m going to protect them. No matter how small-ish!
Update: January 24: Obviously many others have seen a pro-life message in this book (along with other Dr. Seuss books) as well. Guess I’m not that original after all.