Day 9: Overdue Books Edition

Little Jack has not slept great this week, which has meant a couple of things: first, he is sleeping pretty hard during the day and we are having trouble fitting books into his schedule; and second, I am scrambling to get other projects done in a shambling, dreary way (including my growing army of houseplants that I am struggling to keep alive). A BYE every once in a while is just fine (I'd guess it won't be the last). . . and here's the etymology of the term in case you suddenly found yourself curious like I did.

Sandra Boynton Region
10. Tennis Legends vs. 2. Goodnight Train
"Tennis Legends" is one of the longest books left in the tournament, and it has some hold over Jack that has allowed it to overcome two favorites: "Moo, Baa, La La La" and now "Goodnight Train." It doesn't have any fun rhythmic sections (unless you count Zsuzsa Körmöczy) or instructions to hug, kiss, or stretch your arms to the moon and back, but it's still here. And we're both learning a lot about 27 different tennis players (the Williams sisters share a letter).

Dr. Seuss Region
7. How Many Kisses Do You Want? vs. 15 Quiet LOUD
Sometimes the best teams don't win it all because of a fluke: UMBC plays out of their minds for 40 minutes, Derek Anderson tears his ACL, Chris Webber knows how many timeouts Michigan has left (0). Sometimes the book you thought would win gets started 15 seconds before a full-on crying fit, and your son is sleeping every time you try to arrange a rematch. Truth be told, my wife just confided that she was rooting for "Quiet LOUD" anyway: "How Many Kisses Do You Want?" ramps up to so many kisses (1,000,000) that by the end you just feel like a failure."

Beatrix Potter Region
5. Richard Scarry's The Bunny Book vs. 13. Glacier Babies
Richard Scarry was one-man children's book empire, with over 300 titles to his name. "Glacier Babies" is a fun reminder of the place where both my wife and I got engaged and then were subsequently almost pulled out of our tent and eaten by a bear on our honeymoon. She especially liked this book because it gave her yet another excuse to make fun of my L-vocalization, wherein I say: "the baby woof howls at the moon." Nobody knows why I do this, but thankfully "The Bunny Book" is free of woofs.

Shel Silverstein Region
7, Charlie Parker Played Be Bop vs. 2. The Snowy Day
This was a tough match-up. I thought "Charlie Parker Played Be Bop" had a real chance to make it to the Sweet 16, with its repetition and rhythms. But clearly "The Snowy Day" is a smash hit for a reason, and Jack loved it again this time around.

Tomorrow (hopefully). . . 4 more match-ups.