Dust Devil Days and Sun Songs: The Books of Byrd Baylor

This morning I totally started the day right. I ran around outside in my red hood and checked out the purple crocuses and papas biking with their daughters at daybreak.  When I came home my roommates were cooking me breakfast--coffee, poached eggs, and asparagus with Japanese mayonnaise. Just to be sweet! I was feeling really lucky, like the simplest things were parties. Counting blessings and celebrating the simple are Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall's favorite pastimes, and I reread these three stellar picture books this morning in honor of my especially good mood.

What a sappy post this is!

*Elizabeth

RULE NUMBER 8

The shape
of the rock
is up to you.
(There is a girl in Alaska
who only likes flat rocks.
Don't ask me why.
I like them lumpy.)



The thing to remember
about shapes
is this:
Any rock
looks good
with a hundred other rocks
around it on a hill.
But
if your rock
is going to be special
it should look good
by itself
in the bathtub.

---

The way to start a day
is this--
Go outside
and face the east
and greet the sun
with some kind of
blessing
or chant
or song
that you  made yourself
and keep for early morning.
The way to make the song is this--
Don't try to think
what words to use
until
you're standing there
alone.

---

I put
myself
in charge.
I choose
my own.

Last year
I gave myself
one hundred and eight
celebrations--
besides the ones
that they close school for.

I cannot get by
with only a few.



Friend, I'll tell you
how it works.

I keep a notebook
and I write the date
and then I write about
the celebration.

---