Friday, April 27, 2012

Location! Location! Location!

I've gotten off my schedule this week, but I don't think any of you is married to my blog schedule, so I will just feel the freedom to change it up every now and then.  Soon, there will be more literature-related blog posts, but I am so excited about what happened today!

I decided to overcome my fear and take a look at the magical spot I have reserved (in my mind only) for Once Upon a Storybook.  It has been available since November 2011, and I have seen the inside twice.  It is PERFECT for my needs--almost like it was made just for me :-)  I haven't gone to see the space in awhile because my projected opening date keeps getting extended farther and farther out.  Although I am praying the spot will stay available for me, it just doesn't seem like that's likely for so long.

Below you will see some pictures of this darling spot.  And if you look carefully, you will see a lease sign in the window!  It is still available!  So, if you are the praying sort, please ask the Lord to hold it for me. 

Someday, where it says "Sugar Press," it will say "Once Upon a Storybook"!
That little parking spot in front of the door is just for you!

You can see Sugar Press on the right . . . on the left are many other darling shops!  Wouldn't you want to shop here?
The outside is darling with the little gable window that will always be filled with great displays.  Inside is even more amazing!  The cash wrap area is already built in, with white beadboard and a beautiful wood countertop.  On the other side of the cash wrap area is where I will have my storytime corner.  My friend and professional children's illustrator, Priscilla Burris, has offered to make a mural for me.  I know just what I want it to look like: a huge shade tree with lots of animals around the trunk, peeking in to listen at storytime.  The main wall on the left will be all white bookshelves, and there will be some shelving and display tables in the middle.  There will be children's beanbags, a small white picnic table, and two padded benches--plenty of seating for moms and kids. 

One of my favorite things about this shop is that, although it appears small (which is really what I want), behind the wall in the back is a room, perfect for a craft and party room!  I knew that wherever I leased, I would put one in, but in this location, it is here already! 

So, here it is, the beginnings of what Once Upon a Storybook will look like.  I hope you will soon be able to come visit me at Plaza Lafayette, on the corner of Newport and Irvine Blvds in Tustin!
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

First steps

Norm and I have talked about owning a business since the first year we were married. We dreamed outloud about "Sweetie's," a 50's diner that would be walking distance from a high school--the perfect hangout. On a trip to the Bay Area, I got motivated to look into drive-through coffee shops. Nevermind that I was homeschooling full time and that I don't drink coffee! (This was pre-Starbucks days.) Then, it was a Dream Dinners franchise. We almost put money down on that one!

Why didn't we pursue any of these options? Mainly, the timing wasn't right. Norm also believed we should be involved in something that used both of our interests, experiences, and passions. Wouldn't it be great if we could find something we would both love, perhaps in education, where making money would be the goal but feel like a hobby!

In December 2011, my position was eliminated at LearningRx, a cognitive training company that works with students with learning issues (another franchise that we researched with some seriousness). After leaving a job I had loved, I knew I wouldn't be satisfied to just "have a job." It was time for me to reevaluate and determine what God had for the second half of my life!

Children's literature has always been my passion (see the first blog entry, April 15, 2012). When I was homeschooling, I did dream of owning a bookstore or working in children's publishing. When my friend, Lori, recently suggested how much fun it would be to own a used children's bookstore, my heart started racing--of course! A children's bookstore! It's the perfect time! It utilizes Norm's business experience (he's a CFO, nominated of OC CFO of the Year last year!) and My biggest passion.

And the more I think about it, research it, write about it, discuss it, the more I know this is the best way for me to accomplish my professional goals.

Next Thursday--the where and when of opening my bookstore Pin It

Monday, April 23, 2012

Are Fairy Tales Important?

I have spent most of my adult life reading fairy tales.  Sometimes it’s the escapism, sometimes it’s the predictability, sometimes it’s the romance that draws me to these timeless stories. 

Fairy tales are seeing a great resurgence in children’s literature.  It is fun to see what many consider “the same old stories” relived, reworked, and reillustrated for a new generation of young (and old!) readers. 

But, still, why should fairy tales be a part of our literary diets?  Do young children really need the predictable, often stereotypical events and characters in fairy tales? 

I love the philosophy of educator E.D. Hirsch, who argues that students need to understand a core curriculum of information so that everyone can communicate and fully participate in democratic life.  His Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know is a primer of the basic information that everyone should know, and he contends, “To be culturally literate is to possess the basic information needed to thrive in the modern world” (Hirsch, Cultural Literacy, xiii). I mention this not because everyone should run out and buy Hirsch’s book (although it is worth it!), but because I truly believe the concept that we all need a basic foundation to ensure that we have a fair playing field for education, jobs, and democracy.

Literacy? Education? Employment? Democracy?  What does all this have to do with fairy tales???

Fairy tales are typically the first types of stories to which children are introduced—especially before the last couple of generations when picture- and storybooks for children began to see a huge development.  Children are drawn to elements in fairy tales that make them “safe,” or predictable.  That familiar conclusion to every fairy tale, “and they lived happily ever after” is second only in recognizability to that “once upon a time” introduction.  We all recognize that young children need security and predictability--stories provide that in a way that real life cannot always do.  Children quickly learn that no matter how dire the circumstances (think Hansel and Gretel), the good will win out in the end and the evil will pay the price.

Children need to be familiar with fairy tales because so much of more advanced literature is based on them.  If a student doesn’t know The Three Little Pigs, it will make the experience of hearing Jon Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs a little empty.  Certainly, The Paperbag Princess is an effective story that can stand on its own, but what makes it significant is the way it turns the typical fairy tale on its head—and if you don’t know that typical fairy tale, you won’t get the joke.  The plot of a damsel in distress, a romantic gentleman, a wicked woman, and elements of magic forms the basis for so many stories. 

Teen literature is also connecting with fairy tales these days.  Especially enjoyable are Donna Jo Napoli’s fractured fairy tales—Beast, Bound, and Zel have all been honored with multiple literary awards.  Again, they are enjoyable stories in their own rights, but what makes them powerful literature is the way they play on fairy tale themes and conventions.  Much of the best of new literature for young children, older children, and teens is taking the form of the fairy tale, either literally or in some fractured sense.

The best reason to read fairy tales goes back to my E.D. Hirsch rant.  Fairy tales are a part of our lives, whether we realize it or not.  Just like with Shakespeare (we’ll discuss that another day!), the language and character stereotypes are part of our culture.  “Happily ever after” is discussed in media, although usually in the negative . . . as in There is no “happily ever after.”  But to know that there isn’t a reality like this, a reader must be able to compare it to the fantasy of the fairy tale.  We use expressions like “the Big, Bad Wolf” to signify villains in our society and the “poisoned apple” to represent something that appears innocent but is truly dangerous.  When we make these literary allusions, we are assuming the audience knows to what we are referring.  Children with strong literary backgrounds will be more well educated than those who aren’t familiar with the traditional stories.

So pull out those dusty copies of some beautiful books and introduce them to young and older children, alike!  Fairy tales are the some of the basics that everyone should know and love!  Along with those mentioned above, here are some of my favorites:

Picture books—
The Rough-Faced Girl (Martin); Native American version of Cinderella
The Stinky Cheese Man: And Other Fairly Stupid Tales (Scieszka); fractured fairy tales
Lon Po Po (Young); Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood
Rapunzel (Zelinsky); traditional


Young Adult Literature—
Fairest (Levine); reworked Snow White (appropriate for jr. high readers)
Ella Enchanted (Levine); reworked Cinderella (appropriate for jr high readers)
Cinder (Meyer); reworked Cinderella (Note: I have not read, but the author is reputable; this is her latest work)

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