(If you are having trouble seeing the pictures, click to go directly to The Pithy Python)



Some lucky family at the school auction bought these panels, copies of a portion of our library mural by Elaine Clayton. As my late mother-in-law always said, "Enjoy them in good health, darlings!"

This week in the library:

6 year old, at the computer catalog: How do you spell "apocalypse"?
Adult volunteer: Do you want help finding a book?
6 year old: No, I just want to type it and find it myself.

Me, giving an art history talk to 4th/5th graders: "Here is a Madonna and child from the 13th century..."
Several children exclaim: "That doesn't look like Madonna!"
So I had to explain the difference.
Just like the old George Carlin lecture:
"JFK: The Man AND the Airport."

I gave a booktalk featuring high-interest science books to a group of 5th and 6th grade boys. We had a hearty discussion after I shared the book Parasites, with speculation about the disgusting effects of pinworms and tapeworms. One boy helpfully added that his father, as a pediatrician, had seen a kid with such a bad case of pinworms that... well, I cut off the discussion and the boys spontaneously passed around the hand sanitizer. We went on to talk about maggots, leeches, and self-exploding ants with great gusto.

And, for the last couple of weeks I have shared three short videos (Share With Care, Your Photo Fate, Think Before You Post) with 5th and 6th grade students, focusing on cybersafety and ethical online behavior. Our discussions were by turns serious and hilarious. I did emphasize that my concern is mostly about protecting one's privacy and not hurting or embarrassing others or oneself, and not so much about the creepy stalkers one hears about. One thing that lightened the discussion: I told these students that, in past years, I had implied that only kids and teens put inappropriate pictures online, forwarded bad stuff or otherwise generated embarrassing or hurtful junk. This year, I was able to cite a number of adults who have suffered consequences from online misbehavior:

• The Federal judge in Montanta who sent out a disgusting racist joke about President Obama
• The AFLAC guy who tweeted appalling jokes following the Japanese tsunami
• Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, whose photo smoking marijuana was posted on someone else's Facebook page
• The U.S. Congressman who unzipped his pants, took a photo and sent it out on Twitter. After their gasps, and some knowing nods, I ask if anyone remembers his name. The shrieks of laughter when I said "Anthony Weiner" helped mitigate an otherwise depressing topic.

I'm off next week for spring break. On my reading pile:
Laurel Snyder, Bigger Than a Bread Box.
Jennifer Holm, The Trouble with May Amelia.
Candace Fleming, Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart.
Irene Latham, Leaving Gee's Bend.
Eugene Yelchin, Breaking Stalin's Nose.
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Jefferson's Sons.
I can't wait!