Library patron

We had our first snow on Friday, Nov. 12, and that’s the day I was reading a book by Minnesota writer Joyce Sidman. “Before Morning,” c 2017, is a delight to read over and over, and look at the artwork by Beth Krommes. The text is a poem, and each line brings an illustration to life. Spending time with the book brings out the child in me.

The book tells us about snow in a city, where we see the winter life of a father, mother, and child. The second line of the poem, “as we slumber unknowing,” is with the illustration of the family’s home. We are looking in the windows of an apartment. Father is asleep in a chair, holding the book he was reading, and their dog is sleeping on the couch.

The daughter is in her bed with her teddy bear and the kitty sleeping at the foot of the bed. There is a toy airplane on the floor. Going out the door is the mother, dressed in her pilot’s uniform, carrying her bags for air travel. On the small table with a lamp, we see a book about Amelia Earhart, with her picture on the cover.

In a few pages we read “and all that is heavy turn light.” We are looking at a city street where the father is walking with his dog. We also see historical statues — a solder on a horse, a meditative man, and a woman angel with wings. So our tough feelings about a winter snowstorm can turn into wonderful feelings.

Now we are at the airport where the airplane travel chart lists several flights that are DELAYED or CANCELED. We see passengers waiting. Some have their eyes closed. One woman is reading a book. Two pilots are at the window watching the snowplow at work where the airplanes are parked.

Then pages where we see the woman pilot in the story going to her apartment and hugging her daughter. In the background are the cat and dog, a bookshelf, globe, newspaper. No flights took off in this story.

Getting to the end of the book (slowly), we see winter conditions that are delightful. Mother and father are outdoors pulling the sled with their daughter and her dog on it. The last lines of the poem are “delightful … and white.” Lots of people are on sleds enjoying the snow. In the background we see snow geese. They took me to a conversation with my brother, who’s always been the bird expert in our family.

The next winter book I am reading is “A Prairie Boy’s Winter,” by William Kurelek, c 1973. Again, there are no page numbers. The author’s paintings are the illustrations in his book. Each time you turn the page you see the crossover. In this book the text is on the left side and the painting on the right side.

We go into this story with William, his brother, sister, and friends walking to school “on the highway.” The crows in the picture are flying south, and they’ll be back in five months “to announce the end of winter.”

Many of the pages tell about work on the farm when the children help their parents. On the day of the first snowfall, they are sent to “fetch the cows” and bring them to the barn where they will be all winter. Father is busy getting ensilage ready for cattle feed. Ensilage is chopped green corn that is fermented. The painting shows us the cows being led to the barn.

Children play in the snow, too. At recess time at school, they make tunnels and caves with their feet. When they come back in the classroom, the teacher puts their outer clothes by the box stove.

Usually it’s the end of March when the crows return. The last painting is William, John, and Winnie pointing at the crow flying back to this home.

The author lived with his parents on a farm in Manitoba; he grew up in the 1930s. His paintings are in art museums in Canada, the United States, and England. He has written several books — adult books and children’s books.

For a Christmas present, I plan to continue reading children’s books all through December. An idea for you: go to the Children’s Library at Marshall-Lyon County Library and go home with a sack of borrowed books.

Your library is open Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.