Oh evil, evil library book sale. I have avoided it the last few years, because I just don’t have space for new books. But I used homeschooling as an excuse to go this year. $20 later I had two enormous bags of books. You can see some of our finds here. There were also some grownup books too (Shopgirl and Unconditional Parenting), and a big bag of books that I’m giving the kids for Christmas (lots of Calvin & Hobbes, and also Adventures in Cartooning, which we just checked out from the library last month, and loved). Oh, and also Sixteen Cows! It was one of the first ones I found, and I actually yelped and said out loud, “Oh! This is why I came here today!” (I know it’s ridiculous that we didn’t own Sixteen Cows, considering how much Zuzu and I are in love with Cowboy Gene.)

Some gems you can see in the photo: Snips and Snails and Walnut Whales is one I had when I was a kid, and it’s got all kinds of great nature crafts. Those Family Creative Workshop books are part of what must have been a fifty-volume series or something (since these barely cover one letter of the alphabet) and have such activities as carving your own walking stick and wine making (now there’s a family activity I can get behind). We’ve already ordered a bunch of supplies to work our way through the Electricity book, which is just what everyone here seems to be into right now, so it’s perfect. And I’m also super-psyched to finally have our own copy of Simms Taback‘s There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly — it’s the best version of the story, and I can’t read it without hearing Cyndi Lauper in my head doing the video version. I love love love Cyndi Lauper. “She’s So Unusual” is definitely one of my desert-island records. And I want her to take me clothes shopping.

Now I have to go clear a bunch of bookshelf space.