Musings from Meowville

I learned of “We’re All Different But We’re All Kitty Cats: First Day of School” after writing “Bullying in Arizona: 11 Who Took a Stand” for Raising Arizona Kids Magazine. The book by Peter J. Goodman features illustrations by Nicolás Milano. It’s written for children ages 3 & up, and published by dreamBIG Press in Washington, DC.

DreamBIG books are meant to “bring adults and kids together” for conversations about “important social issues” early in children’s development. The “We’re All Different But We’re Kitty Cats” series addresses “topics that relate to developing social and emotional skills.” Each book ends with questions designed to jumpstart child/parent dialogue.

I was most impressed by its treatment of children’s emotional lives. When a mother cat in Meowville asks her son Carlos whether he’s excited about the first day of school, he tells her he’s nervous. “It’s okay to be nervous,” she tells him — showing that she’s both listening to his concerns and respecting his feelings.

Once Carlos gets to school, he joins fellow kitties in Miss Bobsie’s class. The teacher starts by asking students to “say your name and tell us two things about yourself.” Miss Bobsie goes first, sharing that she likes to wear funky glasses and that her favorite color is green.

Dylan has a bushy tail and likes playing tennis. Allie has yellow eyes and like having tea parties. There’s a class clown named Sammy, a kitty who likes scooters (he needs a helmet) and another who plays dress up with her friend Marla. Vinny has several sibs and a fondness for football.

Carlos tells the class he likes books, but hesitates before sharing his second fact. “I have no fur,” says Carlos. The class laughs. Carlos cries. We never see how the teacher reacts, but a pair of little girl cats discuss the episode while walking home. One says she feels bad and another adds that they “didn’t mean to make him cry.”

When they see Vinny bullying Carlos, Flo and Marla intervene — illustrating the concept of being an “upstander” rather than a bystander. Carlos gets home safely and talks with his mom about the day’s events. She points out his many special qualities, saying “One day you’ll see how special you are.”

The next day, Carlos returns to school — where he’s lauded by the class for knowing the full alphabet. We all want our kids to be smart, and hope they’ll never feel tempted to dummy themselves down to fit in with peers. In this sense, I suppose, what transpires during alphabet lessons reinforces something lots of parents value.

Still, one of my college-age children — inspired to explore the book by its striking cover design and illustrations — felt this segment of the story lacked realism. When classmates are bullies, she reminded me, showing your smarts rarely compels their conversion. In the end, the book’s resolution feels too easy and swift.

But like all books, we needn’t agree with every word to find their value. Both the book’s illustrations and plot points make intriguing topics of conversation — and it’s a perfectly enjoyable choice for parents of preschoolers who favor simple storytelling over morality tales. I was pleased as a cat owner to find “fun facts about kitty cats” noted on one of the book’s final pages.

The book series website features bullying prevention and humane education resources, games and activities for children, and tips for parents and teachers. While kids may return again and again to the book’s pages, I suspect plenty of parents will find the website a more valuable tool.

I’ll be watching for future titles in the “We’re All Different But We’re All Kitty Cats” series, which will tackle empathy, illness and loss, independence, making and losing friends, confidence and more.

“A Trip to the Big City,” the second title in the series, is scheduled for Spring 2013 release. Its cover shows seven kitty cats, including Carlos, standing amidst the bright lights of Broadway (with a sign for the musical “Cats” in the background).

Though I was dismayed to see the “First Day of School” kitty cats wearing backpacks slung over a single shoulder, I’m happy to share the author’s assurance that “No kitty cats were harmed or feelings hurt while making this book.”

— Lynn

Coming up: Best art books for kids, Dance meets bullying prevention, The fine art of literacy, Generations joined by art

Broadway meets breast cancer

After enjoying a little nap one afternoon, our daughter Lizabeth shared some suprising news. The cat, who’s taken to sleeping atop her baby blue blanket, snores. Seems no lullabies are required when you’re a fluffy feline. But babies of the human variety sometimes need a little help in the sleep department. It’s Broadway to the rescue with a new collection of tunes called “Over the Moon,” which features lovely lullaby fare that’s soothing for the little ones and plenty enjoyable for the grown-ups who love them.

The tall white bookshelves in Lizabeth’s room are filled with play scripts, mementos of dance and theater days, and CDs featuring Broadway cast recordings she grew up listening to by day and night. Ask about her favorite “lullabies” and she’ll recount songs from beloved Broadway productions. I’m pretty sure she fell asleep to “Next to Normal” almost every night during high school. Seems showtunes and good writing can make just about anything more bearable.

A newly-released book and CD set called “Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project” benefits breast cancer research (Photo courtesy of Easton Studio Press)

So I was delighted to discover that “Over the Moon” includes “First Sonogram” featuring music by Tom Kitt. Other selections include “It Takes All Kinds” (with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim), “I Love You” (with music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez) and “Lucky” (with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz). The names are plenty familiar to folks who’ve seen “Avenue Q,” “Into the Woods” or “Wicked.” The book is designed by Barbara Aronica-Buck, and music on the CD is produced by Matt Pierson.

The double CD, which features 26 songs, is actually titled “Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project.” A companion hard-cover book with the same name features lyrics and illustrations for 17 of the lullabies, and soon there’ll be a documentary recounting their creation as part of a collaborative effort to move the fight against breast cancer forward. Notes at the back of the book share bios for “Over the Moon” participants, many including thoughts about ways breast cancer has touched the contributors’ own lives.

A trio of Gluckmans (10-year-old Tillie and 8-year-olds Keegan and Zi) make their recording debut with “The Man Who Invented Ice Cream” by Charles Strouse and Sammy Cahn — dedicating it to “their Bubbe and Gama, both breast cancer survivors; their Aunt Linda, a breast cancer surgeon; and their Great Grandmother Tillie, who lost her battle with the disease before they could ever meet her.” Other vocalists include Brain d’Arcy James, Audra McDonald, Kelli O’Hara, Sutton Foster, Stephanie Bast, Raul Esparza, Nikki M. James and many more.

Listen with your baby or just enjoy in bubble bath mode

The collection is sweet, soothing and sentimental. Also filled with humor and delightful musical interludes featuring everything from piano and guitar to cello and accordian. Buy it for your baby if you have one. But try it with a bubble bath if you don’t, because there’s plenty for wistful parents of older children to enjoy in its nods to nostalgia and all things growing up together. Get the book too so you can enjoy the forward written by mother-daughter writing team Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton.

Also illustrations by a diverse gathering of exceptional artists. Think R. Gregorie Christie, who’s been commissioned by the MTA “Arts in Transit” program in NYC to create an image for display in subway cars. Neil Waldman, whose work was chosen for a United Nations “International Year of Peace” poster. Gary Zamschick, whose work has been exhibited at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Also Beowulf Boritt, set designer for “The Scottsboro Boys,” “Rock of Ages” and more. Cover design is by Jules Feiffer, who illustrated “The Phantom Tollbooth” plus a recent work by daughter Kate Feiffer called “No Go Sleep.”

The book’s most inspiring pages feature a pair of prefaces by women whose lives have been forever changed by breast cancer. Jodi Gluckman writes of stirring cookie batter with her grandmother, grateful for time shared before cancer took her grandmother’s life. Kate Dawson writes of her cousin Jill, who lost her life to cancer while still a young mother. Dawson learned, after conceiving the “Over the Moon” project and bringing it to life with Gluckman, that Jill’s favorite gift to new mothers was a CD of lullabies. Remember these women, and remarkable women in your own life, as you listen to “Over the Moon” with your little ones. Time is fleeting, and music helps us remember just how much each moment matters.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to learn about Public Interest Projects (fiscal sponsor for “Over the Moon”), here to learn about the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and here to learn about the Young Survival Coalition (the “Over the Moon” project benefits both non-profits). “Over the Moon” is also available in e-book format.

Coming up: A day at “Camp Broadway”