zirconium

Virtual: Hena Khan's Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. While I prefer picture books on paper, I do like checking them out (so to speak) via my library's online lending program, especially when said program recommends books to me that might not otherwise show up on my radar, like this one. It's a beautiful book, and I now want to look up the other books the author and artist have produced.

Physical: Elisabeth Kushner's The Purim Superhero, illustrated by Mike Byrne. This one was brought to my attention by someone on my Twitter feed, who pointed to an essay expressing disappointment with PJ Library's decision to make it an opt-in selection (rather than an automatic delivery, as all its other selections have been) because the dads in the story are gay. I didn't save the link to that column, but these comments are in a like vein, and Keshet reports that subscribers opted in in droves.

This Tablet article covers a lot about what I like about the book, including the line that made me stop and sniffle: the hero of the story is feeling pressured to choose a superhero costume for Purim, even though, left to his own devices, he would rather be an alien.

"Max said I need to pick a superhero."

"Is Max your boss?" Abba said.

"All the boys are going to be superheroes," said Nate.

"You know," Abby said, "not all boys have to be the same thing."

Max thought about how most kids had a mom and dad, not a Daddy and an Abba.

"Abba?" Nate asked. "Do you ever just want to be like everybody else?"

Do you ever just want to be like everybody else? Oh. Oh, my heart.

Also? The cast includes a dad who sews and a woman rabbi. Yes!

* QUILTBAG celebration at the poetree comm all week long. See here for how the week is being organized.

* This week's writers' challenge at the comm "to write a poem about the longest day or longest night. It can be about the activities of the day, time itself, waiting, or anything else connected to the topic."

* Tina Nguyen has compiled a showcase of five-line poems posted during May 2012. I am honored to have one of my pieces included in it.