Blog – Sibling Library

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Remember way back at the beginning of 2024 when I said it was my intention to do a watch through of Disney movies and write my thoughts, maybe some history, and experiences revisiting these animated classics? Yeah…I ignored it too until there were about three days left in the year. New Year’s Resolutions…am I right?

In all seriousness, I didn’t exactly give a timeline for when I would complete this, so I’m right on track with this first post.

Snow White premiered on December 21, 1937 at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles. Leading up to its release, this film was being referred to as Disney’s folly because no one outside of the Walt Disney Studios believed movie going audiences would sit through a feature length cartoon when they were used to the seven to ten minute shorts that preceded live action films. Boy oh boy, were they ever wrong.

At the time of its release, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs went on to become the highest grossing movie ever. This record held until Gone With the Wind was released in 1939, which is also a year that is referred to as the greatest year for movies of all time. Go check out the list of films that were released that year if you don’t believe me!

The Academy Awards did not yet have any categories for animated films, but knew that this achievement in movie making needed to be recognized. On February 23, 1939, Walt Disney was awarded an honorary Academy Award for Snow White by all the children of the world via Shirley Temple. This award is frequently on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in the awards lobby and features a full size Oscar with seven miniature Oscars to cleverly represent the cast of the film. It really is something to see and the awards lobby is free to peruse if you are in the Presidio and are short on time, go check it out!

To be honest, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has never been my favorite…anything really. It’s not my favorite animated movie, movie soundtrack, Snow White is not my favorite princess, and it’s never been my favorite fairytale. As a film lover, however, I know how important this movie is and cannot deny how amazing an achievement it is. Snow White just isn’t my go to Disney movie. In actuality, I more often requested to watch 1939’s Gulliver’s Travels from rival Fleischer Studios when I was little – that Gabby cracked me up.

Re-watching Snow White reminded me how beautiful this film is and I do love how creepy it is. Audiences at the time, however, may have categorized this film as horror with how freaked out some were by the transformation of the Evil Queen into the wicked hag looking to end the life of the beautiful Snow White. I love the changes to the story that Walt and his team made to make it more concise and add a lot more tension. In the original Grimm telling, the Evil Queen attempted to kill Snow White twice before she brought the poisoned apple. I also very much appreciate that the Disney version of the magic mirror rhymes…he does not in the fairytale.

One thing that was hard for me to watch, and this is more a sign of the times we live in now, is that the dwarfs were only willing to let Snow White stay with them if she would basically be a live in maid/mother. Their initial reaction was not to help her out of the goodness of their hearts, but what she would do for them in return. I wonder if this viewpoint is what contributed to the modern day Disney Studios look at this film and decide they would reimagine it as a live-action film to be released in March of 2025. In any case, I will be interested to see this new telling of the classic tale.

Book Review: Normally This Would Be Cause for Concern

Recently, I have been in a bit of a reading rut. I’ve been having trouble getting in to a book and just sitting and reading for long stretches of time (a big reason I was not able to complete the hefty reading challenge I set for myself last year). However, if I had picked up this book before the end of the year I would have been at least one book closer to my challenge because I am one that LOVES to read books about other people’s lives.

Normally This Would Be Cause for Concern: Tales of Calamity and Unrelenting Awkwardness by Danielle Fishel did not disappoint. Released in 2016, I didn’t come across this book until 2022 because of the new podcast of which the author is a host: Pod Meets World a re-watch podcast of the ABC show Boy Meets World with original cast members which includes Fishel as Topanga.

Boy Meets World is quintessential 90’s TGIF-era and the name Topanga is synonymous with this show. My favorite story she told was her time on MTV’s Say What Karaoke, ahhh nostalgia. However, she stated that there is no video of it on the internet, of course someone realized this could not stand and uploaded video evidence this did in fact happen exactly 23 years ago today (weird coincidence). To refresh your memory, here is Fishel rapping faster than Busta Rhymes.

While Pod Meets World brought me to the book initially, Danielle Fishel kept me there with her humor and charm. This book is so relatable and funny that I ripped through it in a matter of a few hours (perfect to get anyone out of a reading rut). If you are looking for a deep dive into all things Boy Meets World, I recommend listening to Pod Meets World immediately. If you are looking for a collection of stories about a girl figuring out life on her terms, go find this book immediately.

This book was everything my 90’s loving heart wanted and if you are also a child of the 90’s go find this book! As always, let’s read, share, and repeat.

Book Review: The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

It is always a challenge to find the right adjectives to describe a book about the Holocaust. “Enjoyable, good, and entertaining,” feel very wrong to describe a book about the atrocities and crimes of World War II. Yet, I so often feel drawn right into the storylines. Stories like The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, and Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan captivate me and I have never been sure why.

Reflecting on it now, I think it is a combination of several factors.

Historical fiction as a genre often focuses on time periods that included major human struggles–think the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, any war, the Dark Ages. Isn’t it triumph through a challenging time that makes a great story? Aside from the Covid-19 pandemic (which is starting to make its appearance at varying degrees in some new books) it is hard to think of a time in the last century that was more challenging than World War II–particularly the Holocaust. When I was a kid, I used to think that the Holocaust was ancient history. But now, as an adult, I realize that something that happened less than 100 years ago really isn’t that far removed from today.

A common theme among Holocaust literature is finding hope in the darkness and having faith that human nature is inherently good. These ideas are uplifting and optimistic, sending a strong message to the reader that even in the face of pure evil and hatred there is always a choice in how to respond.

I recently read The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel. It follows the story of a girl named Yona who was stolen from her crib as a toddler by a woman from the forest. This woman, named Jerusza, was one with the forest–she was able to communicate with it in ways that sometimes felt magical. She stole Yona from her crib in Berlin, Germany in the 1920s, because she could sense that Yona’s parents were evil and that Yona was destined for greatness.

Doing the math and thinking about historical context, it is easy to predict what Yona’s parents became in Germany 20 years after Yona was taken from them.

Growing up in Jerusza’s care, Yona learned how to survive in the forest. She didn’t just learn how to forage, hunt, and find shelter. She also learned how to listen to the warning signs from the forest to survive from human threats as well. This was a tool that would come in especially handy when Yona more frequently started to come across Jews fleeing into the forest to escape the Nazis.

This story was riveting, emotional, and fascinating. It kept my eyes glued to the page well past my bedtime (which is quite a feat for someone battling the exhaustion that can only be caused by teaching middle school). Yona was a heroine who made you root for her on every page, especially when she finds out more about her parents. She reminded me very much of Kya Clark, the protagonist of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Both are brilliant, self-sufficient women who are perfectly content to be alone, but when they experience human contact, they are forever changed.

Is Yona changed for the better? I highly recommend that you snag a copy of The Forest of Vanishing Stars to find out for yourself.

Free Comic Book Day 2022

After two years of strangeness, it’s time to return to “normal” and celebrate Free Comic Book Day on the first Saturday in May – which also means that it is a very busy weekend in our library because we also have two birthdays and Mothers Day to celebrate.

We are here to help make sure that you get ready for the auspicious occasion with our top picks of this year’s books, but you can find a complete list here.

Megan’s Picks

This book looks interesting, with very minimalistic artwork.

Judging this book by its title because it sounds fun.

Maybe this will help me get into comics more!

Julia’s Picks

Donald Duck comics have a long history for both the Disney Company and the comic industry, I always get excited to see one of these as a Free Comic Book Day offering.

One of the creator’s of Lumberjanes takes on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow…I’m sold!

Love that this one has local interest, as well as a spooky setting.

Katie’s Picks

Doctor Who: the tv series is being rebooted with Tom Holland as the Doctor and it feels like it will be a good entry point since there will be no ties in continuity to the prior story arcs.

I always love to play in the Peter Pan universe and if the cover is to be believed, it looks like The Pan is female (and I don’t mean Mary Martin!) which is very intriguing to me!

I am always seeking a spot of whimsy in my life and words like “Realm” and “Mist” make me think I might just find some whimsy with this book.

What are you excited to read? Need help finding a shop to visit on Free Comic Book Day? Here’s a helpful locator for you.

And I say HEY!

I believe we have talked about our love for Arthur the A-A-R-D-V-A-R-K on the show before. The Arthur books were originally published 45 years ago by Marc Brown. The first installment in the series being called Arthur’s Nose and the little character not being happy with the way his nose looked and considered getting a nose job – he was relatable from the get go!

The idea for Arthur was born out of a conversation with his young son who requested a bedtime story about “a weird animal,” as Browns remembers. This was not the only inspiration the author took from his family and friends. Many of the attributes that showed up on his characters also matched those around him. For instance: Arthur has glasses because Marc Brown’s son has glasses. His favorite character, D.W., takes after his three younger sisters – which is why she is so funny, strong, and “triply lethal” as Brown explained during a virtual event celebrating the end of the series.

The final Arthur book was published early this year. It is called: Believe in Yourself: What We Learned from Arthur. This book is a reflection on the creation of the show and the book series and what makes it so special and enduring. Arthur became a beloved animated show on PBS channels 25 years ago and has proven to be topical, approachable, and all around enjoyable throughout its entire run.

When asked why he thought Arthur and the citizens of Elwood City had such an impact on a whole generation of kids and beyond, Brown said the series always told the truth to kids and is very relatable on many different subjects. Arthur himself is a good friend with a good heart, he learns from his mistakes.

While the original run of books and shows is coming to an end, the Arthur world is not ending. There will be new ways for fans to interact with Arthur. With the changes in technology and how kids get information and content these days, Arthur and his friends will still be helping kids deal with important issues through a series of different platforms such as: public service announcement short videos, podcasts, as well as online games. There is also a live musical in the works that could make its way to the stage in the future.

The newest book is available for purchase now and a marathon of more than 250 episodes leading into the premiere of the last four episodes of season 25 will begin February 16, 2022 and continue until February 21, 2022. The last four episodes have hinted at revealing what REALLY happened to D.W.’s snowball as well as a look at what will happen when the gang grows up.

Here are some viewing suggestions to catch during the marathon on your local PBS station:

Season 1 – Episode 5: Arthur’s Pet Business/D.W. the Copycat – the episode that made us fall in love with D.W.

Season 1 – Episode 22: D.W.’s Snowball Mystery/Team Trouble – where the snowball saga began.

Season 2 – Episode 1: Arthur Meets Mister Rogers/Draw! – gotta love Mr. Rogers.

Season 3 – Episode 11: Double Tibble Trouble/Arthur’s Almost Live Not Real Music Festival – having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card! Also check out the soundtrack that goes with this episode.

Season 4 – Episode 1: D.W.’s Library Card/Arthur’s Big Hit – the episode that made Arthur a well-known meme.

Season 22 – Episode 1: Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone/The Feud – such a special episode about everyone’s favorite third grade teacher.

Whether you are a longtime fan or new to the world of Arthur, there is an episode or a book for you. Now is a perfect time to jump in and enjoy what has been a huge source of entertainment in our house for the last 25 years and will continue to be. Congratulations to Marc Brown and all the creators of the Arthur books and shows over the years and thanks for always making it a wonderful kind of day (as well as a go to Halloween costume, as pictured below).

A Troublesome Book Woman Indeed

“The very existence of libraries affords the best evidence that we may yet have hope for the future of man.” –T.S. Eliot

This quote began my experience with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson and I felt…seen. These last two years have not been easy for anyone and we have all faced our own challenges and struggles along the way. For me, I have had a crisis at work and felt lost and aimless.

My name is Julia, I’m the middle sister of our podcast family, and I’m a children’s librarian. I went from a steady ritual of serving large storytime and after school crowds of excited children and their families to long stretches of time when I talk to no one while I sit at the information desk because people are not coming to the library like they once were. At least they are not at my branch. I have had a HUGE dip in career satisfaction since my main job function has changed to helping people figure out our public computer and printing systems (which is about 75% effective on a good day).

It is so rewarding to find a book that reminds you why you made certain life choices. The main character of this book is one of the traveling librarians of President Roosevelt’s Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project. If she can ride a mule for hours in all types of weather to bring the magic of literacy to her patrons, I can sit on the information desk and patiently wait until I can get back to being an actual children’s librarian again.

Ode to Once Upon a Potty

When I mentioned this book on Chapter 12 of our podcast I decided to write a light hearted blog post about Once Upon a Potty and maybe share an embarrassing picture of me with this book actively potty training – I said it was embarrassing. Librarian, Kristy Isett, described Once Upon a Potty by Alona Frankel in 2009 for the Huntington Daily News as “a book on toilet training to help the child better understand the process; to encourage and motivate him or her to make the developmental leap from diaper to potty.” What I didn’t know was that the author, Alona Frankel had an incredibly hard upbringing in Poland during World War II.

Once Upon a Potty has consistently been added to recommendation lists for teaching kids to be potty trained since its publication in 1984. Heck, I have recently bought replacement copies (both the boy and girl versions) for my library’s collection because they always end up looking just as well loved as my family’s copy at home. In 2014, the Clute Facts named the book a right of passage for motherhood by saying you know you’re a mother when “your child insists that you read ‘Once Upon a Potty’ out loud in the doctor’s waiting room and you do it.”

What captured me as a child wasn’t so much the riveting writing in the book, but the sweet and colorful illustrations (also done by Frankel) that reminded me of It’s a Small World. I tried to remember what I was thinking about when I would repeatedly request my mom read this book to me (including every word on the “and sat” page). I remember feeling really proud of myself when I had the success that Prudence did when she finally correctly used her training potty – which is likely why I had this book in my bedtime rotation before bed.

This book has been a mainstay on library shelves as well, in 1986, the title was mentioned in the Frederick News Post as one for “parents to share with their children” at the library. Alona Frankel originally created this book for her own son to help him with his potty training journey. It was first published in 1975 in Hebrew before it was translated into different languages and sold all over the world in both boy and girl versions.

In my research for this post, I ran across another book written by Frankel called Girl: My Childhood and the Second World War. This is a memoir about her growing up in the midst of Nazi invaded Poland. As a Jewish child, her family worked hard to hide her away from the Nazis. Rather than going to school, Frankel taught herself to read, write, and draw as she lived among farm animals during her seclusion in the name of safety. I look forward to reading this book and one day sharing Once Upon a Potty with a little one learning this important life skill.

Free Comic Book Day 2021 Recommendations

As we talked about in this month’s episode, Free Comic Book Day is taking place on Saturday, August 14, 2021. We will be celebrating at Zeppelin Comics, but many comic book stores and libraries commemorate the occasion with events that center around all things comics.

Ever since it’s debut twenty years ago, the number of free comics that are created for this day every year continues to grow, this year being no exception. For 2021, there are 51 titles that will be available that cover a wide range of ages and readers.

As our special guest, Natasha Curtis, mentioned – it’s ok to judge a comic book by the cover. If the art doesn’t resonate with you it is likely that the comic as a whole won’t either. We here at Sibling Library want to offer you a few recommendations of the comics that are catching our eye this year to maybe help you narrow down your pull list for Free Comic Book Day.

Investigators by John Patrick Green. All-Ages

Katie’s recommendation is this cute all-ages title because she loves a good pun, and this one made her smile.

Stray Dogs by Tony Fleecs, Brad Simpson, Tone Rodriguez, and Trish Forstner. Teen

The art of this book, and this series as a whole, has caught Julia’s attention. Don’t let the cute puppies fool you, this is title is for mature readers as the material is decidedly spine tingling. If you like horror comics, give this one a try.

Tales of a Grownup Nothing by Elizabeth Pich. Mature

Megan finds the subject matter of this one likely relatable and wanting to give this one a try (while she reserves the right to close it whenever she pleases).

Just Beyond Monstrosity by R.L. Stine, Irene Flores, and Julia Totino Tedesco. All-Ages

Bonus recommendation from all of us. Because of nostalgia of our Goosebumps days we definitely are all looking forward to reading this one.

Whether you are a seasoned comic reader or just getting interested in the medium, comics are for everyone and Free Comic Book Day is as well. Check out your local comic book store (check this store locator for your closest one) and also visit your local library, chances are you will be able to find mulitple ways to celebrate this year.

Let’s keep reading, sharing, and repeating.

More Appreciation for Hans Christian Andersen

This name is synonymous with many popular fairy tales, many of which have been turned into beloved movies, stage plays, or even ballets – which also means many generations of readers may or may not know the original stories outside of the theatrical releases. Spoiler alert, Ariel (which is not her name) actually dies at the end of Andersen’s original tale. I’ll wait a moment for that to sink in. You ready?…not yet………………..ok, let’s keep going.

Hans Christian Andersen was born in Denmark in 1805. During his prolific career he wrote more than the fairy tales he is best remembered for, but also plays, travelogues, novels, and poems. In total, Andersen wrote 156 tales that were collected in nine volumes and are still read and loved to this day around the world. Many of his stories can be found by searching for the author’s name on Project Gutenberg’s website.

It is because of our collective fondness for the tales of Andersen that in chapter 11 of our show, we did a dramatic reading of Andersen’s story “Soup from a Sausage Skewer.” As mentioned in the show, none of us had previously read this story. It was chosen with this in mind, as well as how it could be broken up between several readers and the general length of the story as a whole. It has been written that Hans Christian Andersen incorporated many personal experiences into his stories, it would be interesting to hear what influenced him to write this particular tale.

If you want more soup, here is an episode of Hans Christian Andersen: The Fairytaler entitled Soup from a Sausage Peg. More episodes of the series can be found on Youtube.

Much has been written about Hans Christian and even some movies have been made about his life. We want to share some recommendations for further exploration about this prolific writer.

Hans Christian Andersen: His Fairy Tale Life by Hjordis Varmer

The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography by Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen (1952) starring Danny Kaye

The Daydreamer (1966) an animagic film from Rankin/Bass

Until next time, let’s read, share, and repeat!

Come sistahs…we book club!

Ahh…book clubs. Do you belong to any? I used to be terrified of them and the idea of expressing my opinions in a group setting about a book and possibly sounding stupid or being laughed at was enough to make me breakout into cold sweats and keep me from seeking out this type of experience. Luckily for me, however, I found my Goldilocks book club (it’s juuuuuust right).

For the last five-ish years, I have been attending the Lady Legion Book Club hosted by Zeppelin Comics in Benicia, California. Each month we read 1-2 graphic novels and meet the second Thursday of the month for an insightful, respectful, and entertaining conversation about the books, authors, artists, and the deeper meanings behind the works. Lately the meetings have been virtual, but that makes them no less valuable.

This book club has become part of my routine and plans every month. I introduce as many ladies as I can to the club and encourage them to join (including my sisters). This month, however, Katie and I will not be able to attend because of a trip (yay for things beginning to open up again), but we wanted to still offer our recommendations (because this month was a “free” month and everyone is bringing along what they have been reading) through this blog post to share with the book club members as well as anyone who stumbles across our blog. In either case, welcome!

Katie, Megan, and I are going to share our reviews in the next few paragraphs. We want to reiterate that comics are for EVERYONE. Here are some books that we have been loving.

Blacksad: The Collected Stories

By: Juan Diaz Canales

Art by: Juanjo Guarnido

Translated by: Anthya Flores

From Julia: Reading this book was a different experience for me because I read it on a computer in an eBook version. I typically enjoy holding real books, but I am happy to report that the art from this book looked just as beautiful on a screen as it did on paper. It was the art on the cover of the book that originally drew me to the book: a tall, dark cat in a trenchcoat smoking a cigarette – it was giving me big Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon vibes and I was not disappointed! This book is a collection of five stories, plus a couple mini stories, that were translated from the original Spanish publications. Blacksad initially came out in the early 2000’s and was first published in English last year with this collected volume. The stories take place in the 1950’s and there is a lot of political and racial tension that still feels alarmingly relevant today all set against a film noir type style backdrop. Highly recommended in either physical or digital formats – however you can get your eyeballs on this one I think it’s worth making the effort.

The Promised Neverland (series)

By: Kaiu Shirai

Art by: Posuka Demizu

From Julia: This series caught my attention because I was wondering if it was a manga take on the Peter Pan story. It is not, but that did not lessen my enjoyment of this HORROR series. I might be weird, but this children’s librarian really loves creepy stuff and this series so far is checking all the boxes: mystery, gruesome secret, tension, and precocious kids. When the twist was revealed in the first chapter, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor (for real). This series ran from 2016 until 2020. The chapters are collected into 20 volumes – I am getting ready to dive into volume three. Thank you Benicia Public Library for having these books available! Again, making the effort to find these books is well worth it. I also just found out that the first season of the show is available on Netflix, which makes me quite excited and will be checking that out presently – if it’s half as good as the books, it’s going to be a fun ride.

Guerilla Green

By Ophelie Damble

Art by: Cookie Kalkair

From Megan: This was a wonderful birthday gift from Julia! Not only was it super informative about the Guerilla Green movement, but the illustrations were also beautiful. The Guerrilla Green movement has been in existence for centuries and is essentially gardeners practicing civil disobedience. Their motto is to plant food everywhere there is dirt–without waiting for permission from the powers that be. Ophelie Damble’s writing style is witty and sarcastic but also packed full of historical and scientific information. I also love that this is a stand alone book–I don’t have to commit to an entire series which is very overwhelming to me about comic books. That’s not to say that this is the only book out there about the Guerilla Green movement! Damble included many references to other books and resources available to learn more about the history of this movement as well as how to get involved in it.

Covid Chronicles: A Comics Anthology

Edited By Kendra Boileau and Rich Johnson

From Katie: “What can we draw out of this moment, when words fail us?” The first sentence of the introduction to this anthology poignantly captures the mission of this book. It is a collection of short comics curated by Publisher, Graphic Mundi. All created between April 2020 and October 2020 in response to a call for stories. These 60+ comics serve as a sort of time capsule for 2020, covering such topics as isolation, loss, inequality, uncertainty and many others we can all relate to. A portion of the proceeds from this book has been donated to The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) which supports comic book shops, bookstores and their employees who have been impacted by the pandemic. All the comics were donated to this project by their creators. This was a cathartic read for me as we start to see signs of recovery from The virus. I don’t see myself reading it again in the near future but I am comforted to know that years from now I can reach for these pages when words fail to describe the experience that has been this COVID-19.

We hope that you enjoy one, or all, of these recommendations. If you do go out looking for these books, consider either supporting your local library or comic book shop – or a mixture of both. If you have recommendations of your own, please put them in the comments. Let’s keep reading, sharing, and repeating!