Book Crimes and Free Gorillas

 I went to jail last night.

The warden's words:

"It's a book crime. 

Didn't you read the fine print 

when you signed up for your library card?

Accumulate too many overdue books, 

we lock you up." 

I woke up feverish, 

confessed all to my amused hubby, 

who reassured me it was all a dream, 

and the police have more important things 

to worry about than avid readers.  

It must have been my subconscious brewing. 

I've been dealing with escaped zoo animals lately. 

These are my Goodnight Gorilla Nesting Puppets.

Our nesting dolls were such a hit 

that I tried some for the birthday boy 

based on one of his top books:

Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann. 

I sketched some simple animals inspired from the book, 

trying for an arched stacking shape.

The bases are of sturdy felt.

Fabric scraps are cut to mimic the sketches:

(a soft gray flannel face for gorilla, 

patterned triangular pieces for armadillo's armor, 

green grass to contrast elephant's limbs).  

I top-stitched the big pieces, added touches
(fringed scraps for giraffe's and lion's mane and tail,
flannel patches for giraffe, mouse's stickie-outie ears, hyena's spotty pattern)

and embroidered faces.

Then, with right sides facing each other, tails and ears tucked in,
I sewed them together, turned them right side out

and pop! 

Standing, stacking puppets. 

My mom suggested I tie the banana to the mouse. 

Genius!

The result? A slew of escaped zoo animals that stack from small to big.

My little gorilla is thrilled.

Dog-Ears or Dust-Jackets?

I'm taking a poll.

Dog-ears or Dust-jackets?

How does your bookshelf grow?

Underlined and circled
Annotated pages
And flimsy spines
All stacked
In comfortable piles?
Loved as a comfortable pillow,
Fawned over in times of want?

Or

Rows of pretty, unsullied maids
Standing erectly at attention
Starched snowy frocks within
To be
Devoured with the eyes
But only handled by kid gloves?



I did not know bending corners was a book crime until I stumbled across it in a blog recently.
Who knew? Apparently I have been defiling my books and did not know it.
I was about to whisper words of apology to each tattered volume
when I got to thinking.

Would you rather be loved or left alone?

As an author would you want your book high on a shelf
or read so many times the cover had to be patched back on with duct tape?



Just curious.

I like to think books are glad of being loved
rather than forgotten on the shelves, or worse, never read for fear of spoilage.

[A note to my favorite librarian:
Please do not revoke my library card or forbid the shadow of my blasphemous self to ever cross the threshold of your fine establishment again for the confessions in this post.
I do take tender care of my library books and keep my pages unbent, personal book preferences aside.]