teacherninja

Carnival of the Elitist Bastards VII

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Is up at the always thoughtful Cafe Philos. A great collection of articles to peruse.

Thanks Paul!

The Penderwicks

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:02:00 +0000

The Penderwicks and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall are delightful little books any lover of Anne of Green Gables would love. I'm sure kids that go for one will eat up the other.

However.

I hate to say it, but I disagree with Betsy Bird and her pronouncement that the second book is better than the first. She doesn't have a problem with the predictability of the story.

"When you judge a book written with a child audience in mind, familiar tropes are standard fare. What's important is how well the author plays with them. J.K. Rowling, after all, was not the first author to write about a kid going off to a school for magic. She just happened to write it best. Likewise, Birdsall isn't the first writer I've seen to come up with a storyline that involves matchmaking and the like, but she writes so bloody well that I doubt any child, no matter how jaded, is going to mind if they suspect where the plot is headed."

Yes, but there's a difference between using familiar tropes and telegraphing a plot so far ahead that you think, no, she must be playing with me? Then you get to the expected ending, hoping for some twist and no, it's just as expected. Nothing new, nothing interesting, just...there.

The characters are great, the writing lovely. There are lighter-than-air moments that Birdsall is a master at concocting. But the first is definitely meatier than the second. In the first book you actually worry about the girls' young friend. In the second their worrying seems annoyingly silly because you know exactly what's going to happen.

The girls' father is a wise and witty character in the first book. In the second he's such a dream come true as to not be believed. He gives speeches every daughter probably yearns to hear, but it's so over-the-top perfection that it's not to be believed.

I highly recommend The Penderwicks. I'm sure, if you enjoy the first one, you'll go on to the sequel. You won't be disappointed exactly, but it's hardly as good as the original.

Black Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:31:00 +0000

Sounds ominous, no?

It means today is the day many retailers hope to get into the "black," or show a profit for the year.

It is not, however, the busiest shopping day of the year. No, my friends, we procrastinate too much for that. Usually the Saturday before Christmas is the busiest. Black Friday is in the top 5 or 10, though. I know because I've worked retail in a big mall. Close to the big holiday, the people are dazed and shuffling, ready to buy anything you put into their hands. It freaks me out because they look like they are straight out of Dawn of the Dead.

Welcome American Elitists

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:32:00 +0000

Did you read Andy Borowitz's jokey little satire of Obama's "elitist" speaking style in The Huffington Post last week? I mean, yes, it was funny, but painfully true.

The economic crisis we're facing has gotten me thinking about Americans views of money and education. We are totally okay with our neighbor--our equal in every respect--making more money than we do. It's the American Dream, right? Given the right set of circumstances any of us can work hard, get lucky and do well for ourselves. That does not cause spiteful fits of jealousy in the populace--it's actually encouraged.

But if that same neighbor--again, our equal in other respects--is smarter than we are, things change. Americans, it seems to me, cannot stand the intellectual. Jealousy ensues. We start calling them uppity, out-of-touch, and elitist.

In high school, the stereotype goes, you can belong to certain pre-defined groups. The jocks and rich kids being the most popular. Creative types are iffy, but if it's popular music you play you might make it. But strive for academic achievement and treat your good grades as anything other than a gosh durn fluke, then you are, of course, a nerd.

Nerds may have gotten a slight bit of rise in social status, I think, due to the rising popularity and financial incentives of computers, but I could be wrong on this.

Yet there is no doubt that while people say they want their kids to get a good education a good job, they mean education as a means to an end--not something to flash around and enjoy for it's own sake. It's exactly the wrong take on things. I don't know what needs to be done to get us over this blinkered thinking, but we need to. I guess the first thing to do is continue educating ourselves and not feel weird about it.

The biologist PZ Myers recently spoke at a university symposium and had this to say: "And really, people, tune in to your local universities — these kinds of events are going on all the time, and they're often open to the public — you can get a marvelous education for free just by watching for the public seminars that university departments put on. We're the opposite of elitist, we welcome everyone who wants to learn."

Welcome! Join the elitist bastards!

Thanks

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:41:00 +0000

I am thankful first and foremost for having the most amazing partner in crime ever known. When I told my parents I was going to marry her they were amazed...that she'd have me. I'm also thankful for our delightful daughter who makes me see the world in new ways every day. My parents are pretty cool, too, as is the rest of my family. How did I get so lucky?

And a thousand thank yous to my regular commenters, including juggling frogs, mahilly, podblack, toni, Nancy from My Oyster, Diana from Decatur, Naturegeek (go Nerdfighters!), Mary Lee, Kathy from Library Stew, Joel (thanks for the revolution), Ms-Teacher, Paul Bogush, kiri8, Doug Johnson (Da Man!), Justin Ashworth, tracy from leading from the heart, all the the Elitist Bastards, and my new pal shannon. You will find most of them in my blogroll. They all rock and are the reason I keep tapping away.

A toast to you all! Have a good one.

(image ccJosephH)

Comment Challenge Wrap-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:21:00 +0000

Don't go away! It's been great having you here. I've gotten to see so many cool new blogs, like the hilarious and funky Bookie Wookie, that one kills. You too? I know, that's been one of the best things about this comment challenge. The names of some of these blogs are great. One of the architects of the comment challenge, Lee Wind, has the wonderful I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read? For the most part, I'm out of the loop on YA fiction and was delighted to see there is a gay YA trend. About a decade ago a friend and I seriously considered opening an under-21 night spot for gay teens in Atlanta. What a great blog discovery. Namaste, Lee.

This challenge also reminds me of my absolutely favorite commenter, Carolyn from Juggling Frogs. We have a shared interest in David Allen's Getting Things Done and parenting in general. she was the first person that I didn't know personally to comment on my blog and has always had the kindest words. More overdue thanks to you, Carolyn.

I kept index cards next to me and marked off the comments as I went. I have 123 jotted down. The problem comes in travelling between work and school. I know I left some off, but I was never in this for prizes or anything. I'm just dang busy right now and was happy to come across a challenge in which I got to show my appreciation to some of my favorite blogs. I didn't realize how great it would be getting more comments myself and that I would discover even more and interesting blogs. I t also brought up some interesting discussions on keeping "balance" in your life and how we read and react to blogs and such.

So don't stop commenting. Not just for me, but for all the wonderful bloggers in your feed reader. Keep the conversation going...

(image cc by tarotastic)

More On Ninjas

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:19:00 +0000

Thanks to Fuse #8 for the link on Ninja Cowboy Bear.

Still too miserable to post much, but I think this guy, Benji, does ninjas justice.

No, the bear could never beat the ninja. What were they thinking?

Blah

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Sick. Only two days of school this week so I am not calling in sick but ughhh. Throat burns, nose is running like a marathoner and my doctor's office is booked up.

Still commenting on your blogs, though.

Just might not be blogging for a few. Need to use the next couple of days to catch up on grad school work and house cleaning.

Oh, here's something funny. Got an email today from the principal that the district is sending in a bunch of painters to repaint all the classrooms while we're out for the break. You could tell she was trying hard to put a positive spin on it, but we're still left with one day's notice to take down all the posters and pull all the furniture four feet away from the walls. So I'm guessing tomorrow will be pretty crazy.

Wish me luck.

Ninjas In the News

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:44:00 +0000

I didn't even know there was a "Ninja chic" look.

And don't forget, December 5th is Day of the Ninja!

And just what the heck is this?

Commment Challenge Update

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:20:00 +0000

Last time I mentioned all the blogs I'd been commenting on. This time I'd like to mention all of the people that have spent time in my neck of the woods and taken the time to comment--some of them quite lengthy and post-worthy in their own right!

BookMoot had the longest and insightful comment to my post wondering what you thought of the letter from my US Rep. on media specialist funding. Read it, it's great.

Next up is PodBlack Cat for her thoughtful comments on the previous post, Great Minds Think Alike. I love it!

I've also gotten amazing comments from Kyle at The Boy Reader; many from my favorite local media specialist blogger Kathy at Library Stew; my new writer buddy Kim Kasch; my good blogger buddy MS Teacher; my new favorite blog writer, the always hilarious Librarian Girl; the all-knowing all-wise Doug Johnson who doesn't have to bother with long comments since he's probably already thought, written and presented on whatever it is I just came up with; Nancy and Kim at the lovely (and new to me) Bees Knees Reads; Melissa from Book Nut (among others) that went straight into my reader; the magical, creative Bella Enchanted; Carol over at the aptly named Carol's Corner; Minerva66 at Book Advice; some cool dude named Shannon at a la gauche; Kim Baker at Wagging Tales; my new hero Ms. Yingling Reads; Christine at The Book Bench; Natasha at Maw Books Blog; my blogger friend, the super cool Mary Lee from A Year of Reading; Mindy from the beautiful propernoun.net; Jen Funk Weber from Needle and Thread; a poke in the door from one Ms. Bird from Fuse #8; and the awesome Esme from Planet Esme.

Of course I can't forget about Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect who I've been reading for a while and I first heard about the challenge from. She is awesome.

Kudos to MotherReader and Lee Wind at the wonderfully named I'm Here. I'm Queer. What Hell do I read? for setting this whole thing up. It started out as a "maybe this might be fun" kinda thing into a multiple "wow..." moment for me.

Yes, there's still a week to go. But I'm hoping it never really ends

Thanks guys.

PS I'm sure I missed somebpdy and I apologize but I'll be doing another, similar roundup in a week or so.

Great Minds Think Alike

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:46:00 +0000

By sheer coincidence (I swear!) yesterday Stephen Krashen sent out some remarks in his e-newsletter about a study he and Joanne Ujiie did regarding the Newbery Problem:

Anita Silvey ("Has the Newbery lost its way?" October 2008) notes

that current Newbery winners, as compared to winners in the 1990's,
are not popular among children. Our research confirms that current
award winners are not popular: We found that Newbery and Caldecott
award winners and runner-ups for 2003 and 2004 were far less likely to
be checked out of Southern California public libraries than young
reader books on bestseller lists.

Prize-winning books were not particularly popular before the 1990's,
however. Linda Lamme, in a study published in 1976, reported that the
middle school children she studied “read few Caldecott or Newbery
medal winning books and few books on a standard list of good
literature …. Only in the sixth grade was even 5 percent of their
reading in medal winning books ….". Lamme also found that those who
read more "quality" books did not read any better.

...
We did a statistical analysis of this data and confirmed that
prize-winners had a lower than average rank on the popularity lists
for 24 of the 25 years studied.

...

So again I ask, what's the point of the awards anyway? And I'm not just talking about Newberys here. I mean awards in general. Oscars, Emmys, Teachers of the Year. Who really cares?

Just askin'. Thanks.

Questioning Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:21:00 +0000

Before the comment challenge ends, I thought I'd throw out a controversial idea--giving up on awards.

Anita Silvey had a great shot across the bow early last month with her "Has the Newbery Lost Its Way?" article in the School Library Journal.

I agree to an extent, but then I started thinking about the books she calls "good" picks. Bud, Not Buddy; A Single Shard; The Tale of Desperdeaux; Out of the Dust; Number the Stars; Holes; Maniac McGee; The Giver.

Excellent and popular books all. But wouldn't they be just as popular without that shiny sticker? She bemoans the jilting of Charlotte's Web in 1952. That thing is always selling.

So who needs the Newbery, anyway? Who needs any award anyway?

Yes, there are popular, good books with awards. Yes there are unpopular, good books with awards. There are also popular crappy books with awards...

Sorry. And remember those nutty "Children's Choice Awards" in the spring? Who put those out? They were either no duh picks like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or they were complete head-scratchers.

I'm not seeing the point of these or any awards, frankly. Think about those goofy Oscars. Alfred Hitchcock never won one. He's considered by many to be one of the best and his film are continually popular. It's not sad that he never got one--it was never needed.

I guess that's the only good thing about these awards. It's great for arguments. Someone should do a book like Alternate Oscars for the Newberys. Show the winners and other worthy books from each year with alternate picks when needed. It'd be fun.

Many will say there is a bump in sales due to these awards. That may be true on occasion, but Silvey's article points out the lackluster sales for many winners with little popular appeal.

No, I say we don't need them at all. Lord of the Rings and Titaninc would be doing just as well, thank you very much, and Cimarron would still only be rented out by film students.

How to tell the good books from the bad ones? That's what we have critics and bloggers and reviewers like Anita Silvey for! Oh, and don't forget the kids. They have something to say about this stuff as well...

Frazz On Book Banning

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:40:00 +0000

I keep saying, ban all the books then we'll get those little buggers reading!

Frazz seems to agree. (Check out site for rest of the comic.)

Frazz free online library at comics.com. - Comics.com via kwout

(tip of the history tome to Tony Doyle on LM_Net)

The Magician's Book

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:56:00 +0000

The Magician's Book by my favorite Salon and sometimes NYT book reviewer, Laura Miller. Books Dads has a contest and a giveaway. Me? Heck yeah I'll plug 'em for a free book. Heck yeah.

Don't worry, I'll pass it on to one of you guys if I win.

My US Rep. On Media Specialists

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:36:00 +0000

"Dear Mrs. S_____:

I apologize if this letter does not answer your specific concerns, but I want to share the same text with all of those who contacted me about H.R. 2864, a Federal bill to require that all public schools have at least one media specialist on staff. I have heard from a great number of people who are interested in this issue, and everyone seems to have a great deal of passion. My hope is that this letter can help you to direct that passion in ways that will help you to reach your goals.

In response to my opposition to H.R. 2864, I received dozens of heartfelt explanations from media specialists about the roles that they perform and the value that they bring to our schools. I received hearty endorsements from other local teachers who agreed that media specialists are performing a vital role. I even gathered a few letters from parents talking about the very positive role that media specialists have in their children's lives. I was delighted to read all of these letters, and they are a wonderful testimony to the commitment and success of media specialists. But after reading all of these letters, my question is the same as it was before: why does the Federal government need to require schools to hire you?

Do you believe that if you shared these same letters with your principal, he or she would not want to seek out the funds to hire an additional media specialist? If you shared these letters with the county, could you not convince those administrators-as you have tried to convince me-that your school system would be more effective with the addition of new media specialists? If you submitted these letters to your state representatives and state senators-and even the State School Superintendent and the Governor- do you not think that you could convince them of the merits of your cause?

I ask these questions only because all of the aforementioned officials have both the privilege and responsibility to direct the education of Georgia's children. As a Federal representative in Washington, D.C., I have neither.

I do not question for a minute the value of the work that you do-but neither do I question the value of the English teachers, the science teachers, the art teachers or the band directors. I am sure that you understand that H.R. 2864-the legislation that we are talking about that creates a federal law requiring local schools to hire media specialists-does not provide a single additional penny to the schools to pay for that mandate. Does your school have extra money? Is it obvious to you what-or who-would be cut from your current school budget to pay for this new Federal mandate of hiring media specialists? I promise you that it is not obvious to me. These are very tough choices, and the local officials mentioned above are entrusted to work with you to make them.

In a few of the more passionate letters that I received, your media specialist colleagues questioned my intelligence and my understanding (among other things) in numerous "colorful" ways. I take no offense because I have long accepted that "passion" as just a part of my job; however, the point that they make is well-taken: Washington is much too far away and much too disconnected from local schools to be entrusted with the education of our children. Principals, and county administrators, state representatives and senators, and school superintendants and governors have been given this responsibility for a very good reason.

I will always believe that our children are better served by those who are closest too them, and I will continue to vote "no" on those pieces of legislation that seek to remove educational decisions from parents and schools and transfer those decisions to Washington, D.C.

Again, that you for caring enough to write to me. I appreciate the work that you do, and I wish you great success if you continue your efforts to implement this proposal at the state and local level.

Sincerely,

John Linder

Member of Congress"

Any thoughts on this kind of legislation? Leave your comments!

(photo cc Kevin Steele)

Ms. Yingling: Made of Awesome

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:41:00 +0000

Since getting involved in this comment challenge, I've been introduced to some awesome bloggers but my favorite so far is Ms. Yingling from Westerville, Ohio (near my old stomping grounds). Her students love her! That is quite an accomplishment in a middle school, let me tell you. And check out this amazing story! She's made of awesome. A true ninja. I want to be just like her when I grow up, except for maybe the all the plaid. And the singing--I'm not much of a singer. Ok, I'll never be that awesome, but she's inspiring, no? That reading all the fiction in the entire library thing is just cool. She's been reading every single book in the fiction section since starting there. She is now up to the "Ts". Rock on, Ms. Yingling.

Teacher Gifting

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:18:00 +0000

One of the more popular posts I had my first year of blogging was one I did last fall about gift ideas for teachers--probably because of the comment thread on that one. Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect just reminded me of that with her recent post promoting buying books for the holidays.

Yes, of course, books! Especially classroom books. The ones Tricia mentioned are awesome. You can pick up a few from the school's book fair and not only will you be giving the classroom the gift of books, but contributing to the fund-raising efforts of the media center.

Office supplies! You can never have enough dry erase markers, sticky notes, index cards, file folders or printer paper.

Things that go away! This includes gift cards and food. If you're not sure about what books or supplies to buy or are short on time, gift cards to book stores or office supply places are always great. And who doesn't love baked goods? Yummy, cheap, easy and best of all, they disappear.

Nothing! Nothing is good. Don't feel this whole teacher gift thing is something you have to do. Carolyn at juggling frogs reminded me that just a nice note from the parents and/or the student make one of the best gifts.

The original point was to steer people away from giving teachers yet another cheesy candy-filled mug, chintzy holiday ornament, or ugly holiday sweater (you know the ones I mean)...

(gift image cc thomas hawk, sweaters unattributed)

Fair Use: New Rules

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:12:00 +0000

Over at the American University's Center for Social Media, they have the new document for download that every teacher and media specialist has been needing. The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy.

Here is a great post about it with many informative links from the NCTE Inbox Blog.

"Ever find yourself asking questions like these:

Can I play “The Telltale Head” episode of The Simpsonsin class as part of my unit on Poe?
Is it okay to include a clip from The News Hour with Jim Lehrer in my ReadWriteThink lesson plan?
I want to show a screen capture from a video game in my conference presentation. Is that okay?
Can a student use the chorus from Dire Straits’ "Romeo and Juliet" in a PowerPoint presentation on the play?
The class made a video adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book. Can we post it online?"

The answers, by the way, are yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

Joyce Valenza has more, including video.

And of course Doug Johnson weighs in, pointing out a great quote from the document that will make you want to read more: "We don’t know of any lawsuit actually brought by an American media company against an educator over the use of media in the educational process. (p.17)"

$500 Fine for School Librarian

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:57:00 +0000

You just gotta give me a break. Seen this yet? High school librarian and father proudly displays his daughter's first graphic novel, a novelization of a Shakespeare play for crying out loud, and is hit with an ethics code violation. Bureaucracies, I tell you! He was giving it away, so there was no personal gain! I mean who wouldn't mention it, especially when it's a Shakespeare comic--that's just the kind of stuff school librarians love to push. Too bad he couldn't have gotten a lawyer for the case.

Here's the Amazon link. Maybe she'll sell a few more copies and help her dad pay off the fine.

Sheesh.

Steve Jenkins on Science

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:17:00 +0000

Man he's good! If you don't already have the I.N.K. (Interesting Non-fiction for Kids) blog on your reader, here's an excellent example of why you should. Now, yes, an argument could be made that there's not really one definitive scientific method, but the diagram does get the basic idea across. You certainly need a testable hypothesis and that hypothesis has to be falsifiable. It's also a good idea to share your results so that others can benefit from your work, but not needed in every day science. Like when you lose stuff. Where's the TV remote, you ask yourself. Maybe it's stuck in the couch. Now you have a hpothesis that is testable. You look in the couch. If it's there, great; if not it's time to revise your hypothesis; and so on.

But isn't it a lovely post? I told him in the comments that I only wish he could turn it into a picture book for grown ups! I guess that's why we have blogs...

Check out his amazing author/illustrator site!

Moldy Books

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Is this a common problem? I realize as a future media specialist that books get old and often need repair. Pages get torn or scribbled on. But what do you do when the physical building has problems? Would dehumidifiers work for this? Is this stuff I'll learn in my SLM program or am I on my own with these issues?

And what about critters?

Ew.

Ok, now I'm getting the creeps.

(photo CC Celeste on flickr)

Comments! It's All About Comments!

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:55:00 +0000

So after reading this, I thought, sure why not? How hard can it be? Harder than I thought, mostly on the weekends ironically enough. This past weekend I was in grad school class all day Saturday, then busy playing with my daughter and doing stuff around the house so My Lovely Bride could get caught up for parent conference week (yes it can be good having two teachers in the house, but it can be a challenge when things like conference week over lap).

But I've done it--a minimum of five comments a day. Some long, yesterday's mostly short. A couple even longer than my typical postings.

I've noticed a bump in comments around here as well and have even added a few new blogs to my reader because of them, so I think the plan is working. Thanks!

I've commented on I.N.K., Practically Paradise, 7Impossible Things, Miss Rumphius, Fuse #8, Read Roger, Library Stew, book moot, Year of Reading, Wanderings, Ms_Teacher, School Library Media Blog, For Whom the Bell..., propernoun.net, 100 Scope Notes, Needle&Thread and of course Lee Wind and MotherReader.

Whew.

Five days down and sixteen more to go. I'll either have a new habit or be so sick of sign-ins and those sucky "word verification" forms that you'll never hear from me again.

So far it's leaning towards habit, so there's hope...

Best Illustrated Books Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:41:00 +0000

Wow, I need to quit looking at my email today if I want to get any work done. Look at this gorgeous collection from the NYT. My daughter and I recently enjoyed The Black Book of Colors from the library and Wave is already a favorite and an excellent gift.

John Leonard Has Died

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:38:00 +0000

I loved that guy. A true champion of the written word and wonderful cultural critic. Here's an appreciation. I especially love the quote below.

“My whole life I have been waving the names of writers, as if we needed rescue,” Mr. Leonard said. “From these writers, for almost 50 years, I have received narrative, witness, companionship, sanctuary, shock and steely strangeness; good advice, bad news, deep chords, hurtful discrepancy and amazing grace. At an average of five books a week, not counting all those sighed at and nibbled on before they go to the Strand, I will read 13,000. Then I’m dead. Thirteen thousand in a lifetime.”

Obama's Day with Flat Stanley

noreply@blogger.com (Teacherninja) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:47:00 +0000

Check out the whole story here at Fuse #8. She even has a pdf of the actual letter from then (mid October!) Senator Obama.

Some kids did that old tried and true lesson where they sent a hand made "Flat Stanley" to someone so he can have more adventures. This whole class of third graders sent theirs off to various celebrities but only one got a reply. Here's the newspaper article: Obama's Letter Was Answer to Little Boy's Request.

How cool is that?

(photo cc petitshoo, flickr)