The past few weeks my son and I time-traveled back 100+ years and placed ourselves in a general population confronted by such newfangled shockers as – 

– the paintings of Pablo Picasso – 
– a WOMAN in the USA President’s cabinet – 
– Frank Lloyd Wright’s radical approach to home design –

While most of the newfangled ideas of this time frame enjoyed short-lived popularity (we read about hippo farming, teaching science by dance, and I think, our favorite: the coat parachute), Picasso, Perkins, and Wright were game changers –

  
Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973).  We loved 100 Pablo Picassos – an engaging and actually fun introduction to Pablo Picasso and his many distinct painting styles, authored by Mauricio Velasquez de Leon, illustrated by Violet Lemay.  The book has a young person’s vibe to it, while maintaining respectable reference book standards.  It’s in our basket for another read through.

Frances Perkins (1880 – 1965).  The Only Woman in the Photo by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Alexandra Bye.  We learned how the eminently qualified, workers rights advocate Frances Perkins came to be the first woman in a President’s cabinet, serving as Secretary of Labor for FDR (1933 – 1945). A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, which her grandmother Mary Lyon (chemist and educator) had founded (!), Perkins was instigator of groundbreaking workplace and fire safety laws for the state of New York.  As Secretary of Labor,  triumphs included the concept of a minimum wage and the Social Security Act.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867 – 1959).  Thanks to Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids – His Life and Ideas, by Kathleen Thorene-Thomsen, my son and I are starting to recognize signature components of Frank Lloyd Wright houses:  nature driven, organic, long horizontal lines, geometric shapes, and at all times blending into the landscape.  (Note to self:  FLW never built house with basements because he felt that anything stored in a basement should be thrown away.)  The book also references his splendid building commissions, our favorite being the Guggenheim Museum, (the shape based on a common garden snail’s shell). Plans began in 1946, building was completed in late 1959, facing controversy every step of the way. (sigh)

Easy story problem:  Farmer Brown needs a new truck –  

Farmer Brown needs a new vehicle for, you know, farm stuff.  Before he visited local truck dealerships he made a lengthy list of “wants and dislikes”.  Frankly, some of the newfangled vehicle “improvements” make him crazy.  Among other things, he does NOT want to be distracted by information projected onto his windshield and is it too much to ask for a CD player in the cab?  Anyway, Farmer Brown has taken test drives at 6 of the 8 vehicle dealerships within a 10 mile range of his ranch.  What percentage of these dealerships have not yet had the pleasure of dealing with Farmer Brown’s list of “wants and dislikes”?

A)  6%     B)  10%     C)  20%     D)  25%     (answer at bottom of post)

Good old fashioned fiction (nothing newfangled here) – 

Hope was Here, written by Joan Bauer.  This wonderful book made us consider the possibilities of non-traditional  families, diner waitressing as an art, taking action against corrupt politicians.  We both enjoyed the book and were sort of sad to have it end.

The Further Adventures of Miss Petitfour, by Anne Michaels, illustrations by Emma Block.  If possible, this book is more fun than its predecessor, The Adventures of Miss Petitfour.  Clever way with vocabulary, clever story lines, clever cats.  Write more, Ms. Michaels.

Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh.  We heaved a big “oh, brother!” when we learned that members of a school district in Ohio tried to ban this book in 1983, on grounds that the protagonist (Harriet) was a bad role model (spying/talking back/cursing).  Meanwhile, WE are enjoying the many layers of this book, and I am pretty sure that my son can read about spying on neighbors without actually deciding to spy on neighbors.  However, as he is non-verbal, I would sort of be pleased if my son “talked back” or “cursed”. 

Classical Music:  back to the newfangledness  – we listened to music that certainly fell into the “new and NOT improved” category according to critics of the day (late 1800’s – early 1900’s).  Music that Picasso, Frances Perkins, and Frank Lloyd Wright may well have been aware of –

Jeux de Vagues (Play of the Waves) from Claude Debussy’s 3-movement composition of 1904, La Mer.  Initially met with confusion, maybe because there seems to be no introduction or conclusion?  It is as if Debussy has transported us into the middle of a mildly turbulent ocean, capturing in music the movement of  wind and water.  My son and I like listening for the comforting sounds of the harp woven in throughout this piece.

Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major, movement 3. Sergei Prokofiev premiered this piece in 1911 and although there were some who could recognize its brilliance, the general reaction was, “THE IMPERTINENCE!”.  And consider this:  Prokofiev played this piece for a competition, reasoning that the jury would be unable to judge whether he was playing well or not.  My son and I haven’t really got a grasp on this brisk paced, marching, squeaking, tantruming, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink whirlwind.  For us, even 114 years after its premiere, it remains newfangled (but we are intrigued).

Les Bulles de Savon (The Soap Bubbles), from Georges Bizet’s Jeux d’Enfants suite of 1871.  This short, abrupt (soap bubbles popping?), adorable piece for “piano with four hands” sparkles with sassy, clearly discordant tones.  As discordant and sassy as this piece is, it was embraced, not criticized, by its first audiences….maybe because it was part of a suite for (discordant and sassy) children. We love this piece.

Welcome to the best part of my day!
– Jane BH
(story problem answer:  D)  25%)