It's Time to Leave Your Sleep...

"Girls and boys, come out to play, the moon doth shine as bright as day; leave your supper, and leave your sleep, and come with your playfellows into the street." ~ Mother Goose 

Margo and I are both excited to tell you about a wonderful book that we received as a gift for Christmas this year. It is an inspiring and fun compilation of music, art, and the written word. Leave Your Sleep by Natalie Merchant and illustrated by Barbara McClintock is a treasure to enjoy. The poetry is magical- written quite a while ago by some very interesting people. Natalie Merchant set their words into her own eclectic style of music, and with illustrations by Barbara McClintock, the book is truly something special. The CD is amazing, and my whole family enjoyed listening to it and reading along. Margo lost herself with a dancing bear, and I couldn't help but fall into a dream listening to Bleezer's Ice-Cream Store. My favorite story (poem) in the book is The Blind Man and The Elephant- you will have to read it for yourself- it's a great one! Margo also liked the story and song The Janitor's Boy- she's been bouncing up and down on the sofa, proclaiming her love, and rowing her way to freedom with an umbrella. Wishing all of you much cheer and happiness in this bright, new year! Happy reading : )  ~ F

Here's a sneak peek into this rich and textured work of art...

Snippet from the introduction by Natalie Merchant:

This collection of songs represents the long conversation I had with my daughter during the first six years of her life. It documents our word-of-mouth tradition in the poems, stories, and songs that I found to delight and teach her- this parade of witches and fearless girls, blind men and elephants, giants and sailors and gypsies, dancing bears, circus ponies, a Chinese princess and a janitor's boy. I tried to show her that speech could be the most delightful toy in her possession and that her mother tongue is rich with musical rhythms and rhymes. With these poems, I gave her parables with lessons on human nature and bits of nonsense to challenge the natural order of things and sharpen her wit...

Natalie Merchant is a musician who for the past thirty years has been recognized as one of America's most gifted singer-songwriters. She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York.

Barbara McClintock is an internationally acclaimed author and illustrator whose books have been named four times to the New York Times best Illustrated Books of the Year list. She lives in Windham, Connecticut. 

We were lucky enough to get to meet with Barbara McClintock at the 2012 UCONN Children's Book Fair. It was amazing to hear her talk about her experiences as an illustrator, and we are excited to let you know that she will be dropping by to chat with us in the month of January, so be sure to check back! 

I am Ebenezer Bleezer, I run BLEEZER'S ICE-CREAM STORE, there are flavors in my freezer you have never seen before, twenty-eight divine creations too delicious to resist, why not do yourself a favor, try the flavors on my list:

COCOA MOCHA MACARONI TAPIOCA SMOKED BOLONEY CHECKERBERRY CHEDDAR CHEW CHICKEN CHERRY HONEYDEW TUTTI-FRUTTI STEWED TOMATO TUNA TACO BAKED POTATO LOBSTER LITCHI LIMA BEAN MOZZERELLA MANGOSTEEN ALMOND HAM MERINGUE SALAMI YAM ANCHOVY PRUNE PASTRAMI SASSAFRAS SOUVLAKI HASH SUKIYAKI SUCCOTASH BUTTER BRICKLE PEPPER PICKLE POMEGRANATE PUMPERNICKLE PEACH PIMENTO PIZZA PLUM PEANUT PUMPKIN BUBBLE GUM AVOCADO BRUSSEL SPROUT PERIWINKLE SAUERKRAUT BROCCOLI BANANA BLUSTER CHOCOLATE CHOP SUEY CLUSTER COTTON CANDY CARROT CUSTARD CAULIFLOWER COLA MUSTARD ONION DUMPLING DOUBLE DIP TURNIP TRUFFLE TRIPLE FLIP GARLIC GUMBO GRAVY GUAVA LENTIL LEMON LIVER LAVA ORANGE OLIVE BAGEL BEET WATERMELON WAFFLE WHEAT

I am Ebenezer Bleezer, I run BLEEZER'S ICE-CREAM STORE, taste a flavor from my freezer, you will surely ask for more, twenty-eight divine creations too delicious to resist, come on do yourself a favor, try the flavors on my list. 



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