The only downside: we were super busy throughout the festival, which meant less picture taking and more “Gah! Did I leave (insert necessary book/decoration/foodstuff) in the car?!” Oh well, doggone.

Thankfully, the children of Winona Park Elementary picked up our slack.

You see, a few days before the festival, our storyteller Curtis went to Winona Park to perform for the first graders. Clearly, they were quite taken — and we’ve got the thank you note showcase to prove it!

Curtis, enthralled audience, purple stage, thanks. Pretty standard and adorable.

It took me a while to decipher “uspe shle,” which was my bad. But y’all — “Remember t.”  I think.

This student really captured the candy corn of Curtis’ eyes.

It’s a shame Curtis caused Mazzy stress, but it looks like she had a good, loving time overall.

I really like how on the front cover here (right) the student captured the enormous bird haunting the proceedings. Curtis’s affinity for spinach (pictured, right) is particularly evident in the size of his forearms (also pictured, left).

Here’s the interior:

So, just to be clear, this student mentioned “love” not one, not two, but THREE enthusiastic times. Well done, Curtis.

Finally, I think it’s great that they’ve started giving the kids LSD to really “experience” the event.

Thanks, Winona Park! Great work, Curtis!

Years ago Stanley had the misfortune of being flattened by a bulletin board.  He’s made the best of his situation for decades and traveled around the world by envelope.

As someone who has had the pleasure of buying a lot of plane tickets lately, I have to say, I’m a tad envious.

Really, the Flat Stanley Project is a teaching tool for young students to learn about correspondence (and awesome places like The Wren’s Nest and a cauldron full of boiled peanuts).  Last week, Lain and I each received a Flat Stanley and a delightful hand-written letter from two first grade students in Illinois.

As you may have guessed, we have taken our responsibilities very seriously.  The four of us have been all over the place, having a grand old time — even suburbia.

Well, that was probably the least grand part.

Are  you looking for a good place to visit with your Flat Stanley?  Might I suggest The Wren’s Nest?  I assure you, should you arrive at our Spring Break (Woo!) Storytelling Extravaganza this week with Stanley in tow, he will be treated like a (paper) king.

For example, one of my favorite books when I was little (I’m very tall now) was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  Check out the review!  You’re right, J.D. Age 7, it is funny to see food falling from the sky!

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food was also a favorite (apparently I only liked books about food) and boy, does Kevin S. capture the magic! Pants ripping does a favorite character make, I tell you what.

The only problem with this goldmine?  No Brer Rabbit stories!  As the Spaghetti reviewers would say, what the heck?!

Dear reader, let’s change this — together.

The Wren’s Nest is looking for reviews of Brer Rabbit stories and books from children ages 9 and under.

For their trouble, we’ll send them a Wren’s Nest t-shirt AND feature their review on our website.  In short, we will make them both stylish and famous.  Pretty good, right?

You can send reviews via email to me at amelia@wrensnestonline.com, or just mail the whole shebang all old-fashioned-like to the Nest.  Pictures not only appreciated but cherished forever and always.

(FATHER and YOUNG SON have been chatting with AMELIA and LAIN about Song of the South and their tour.  FATHER and YOUNG SON prepare to leave.)

FATHER: (to YOUNG SON) Say thank you and goodbye!

YOUNG SON: Thank you!

FATHER: (gestures towards AMELIA) And don’t forget Miss Amelia!

YOUNG SON: (maintains his gaze on LAIN, speaks quietly) Thank you, Miss eemererrahh.

FATHER: (points at AMELIA)  No, no!  Her!

YOUNG SON: (terrified wide eyes) —–

–

Flawless!   But seriously, do people have children for any reason other than to laugh at them?

Previously: The Wren’s Nest Possibly Under New Old Ownership

The Howard School visited today, and brought a hearty amount of awesomeness in the form of 21 second graders (we think).  They were a hoot.

Nannie and Jeri gave them a tour of the Wren’s Nest, Donald gave them a performance of the Brer Rabbit stories, and I provided them with a mess of Brer Lion t-shirts.  Lain sat around and put his feet up.

In return, the kids performed their own versions of the Brer Rabbit stories on our stage.

The children had crafted papier-mâché masks of various characters and “acted along” as their teachers read from The Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit.

Here’s one of the masks, up close and personal.

Below is Brer Rabbit (and family–you can understand the need for poetic license when you have 21 fidgety players) stumbling upon the tar baby.

Pretty convincing, if I do say so.

My favorite part of the performances were when the students, instructed to repeat after their teacher, would boisterously yell stage directions.  For example:

TEACHER: (with repeat-after-me emphasis) And then Brer Fox said, puffing up his chest, “I’m–”

2-3 CHILDREN: (with passion) PUFFING UP HIS CHEST!

TEACHER: (chuckling) I’m going to cook you in a stew!

1 CHILD: (timidly) I’m going to cook you in a stew?

I loved it.  Thanks for a great day, Howard School!

As usual, we’re here to highlight the best and the bravest of our latest batch of fan mail.  Or, more accurately, Nannie and Josie‘s fan mail.  No one appreciates the people behind the desks.  Sigh.

Onwards!

I’ve been saying the Wren’s Nest is totally awesome for a while, but foxes with smiley faced tees really drive the point home.

Garrett played it cool for a while there, but then BAM!  We like you too, Garrett.

I wish everyone would finish their letters to us this way.  You’re welcome, friend, you’re so very very welcome.

This one is my favorite and, unfortunately, the hardest to read.  Here’s what it says:

The STROYIS funny. Thank you. Baer Fox. Tar Baby. Brer Rabbit. Brer Baer. Brer Turtle. 100 Years. Uncle Remes. Mr. Harris. Josie. Dear Red nest. Nannie.

An abstract poem?  Many short and important statements?  A total disregard for punctuation?  I don’t know!  But I love it!

(Except to say “look at this!” — there. Done.)

The other is children. Sure they’re adorable and full of life, but they’re also small, sticky, and often unable to read.

What this means for us are people who are easy to lose track of, ready to touch, pet, and sit on all sorts of things that have been painstakingly preserved in order that people should never sit on them again.

To be fair, it may not entirely be the fault of the children in scenarios like these, and some blame is certainly owed to the adults who bring ‘em over. I mean, ask 11-year-olds what they think of when you say “museum” (as Lain and I did last week) and you get answers like “boring”, “quiet”, and “you can’t touch anything”.

Perhaps it’s because the Wren’s Nest, this Nation’s Most Exciting House Museum (trademark pending) blows those first two stereotypes out of the water, children and adults alike forget the third.

(You would be amazed at how many people try to use this bathroom, despite multiple signs telling them it’s really, truly, not an option.)

Now, don’t get me wrong– kids are our bread and butter, and we like them a lot. But heavens, when you see one about to leap into a 150-year old chair or pee on an antique, your opinion changes in a flash.

And that’s why I’m happy to report that there are currently 50 children running around and having a grand old time — outside.

(Imani’s reaction to this photo: “I want to see my pants.”)

She is the greatest.

Unfortunately, not much has changed in the last 24 hours.

Due to a busy workday at job #2, I didn’t get a chance to check the Wren’s Nest blog yesterday (sacrilege, I know) and didn’t realize Lain had left the camera at home.

Thus prepared for a day of picture captioning and blogging, I now find myself without the camera, head filled with captions-to-be. Le sigh.

Luckily, Imani is here to keep me on task. Between searching through my purse (“so, so funny”) and watching Bugs Bunny (Imani’s current favorite here) we’re managing to salvage this picture-free day. Phew!

But not all of the Wren’s Nest staff was so lucky.

I thus present to you: Imani’s missing bio.

Imani has been alive for three years and has already lived a fuller life than anyone you know. When Imani’s not busy fetching the mail or making us laugh with her trademark combination of excitement and incredulity, she can often be found curled up on a card table, fast asleep. Imani doesn’t know what the 80s are and Brer Rabbit “is her buddy”.

Imani chooses Microsoft Paint over email, thank you.

And… exhale. I feel so much better now.