Sophie's Favorite Things

One of Sophie's favorite things (besides ice cream and chicken burritos) is a good book. Her favorite, for the moment, is Woodpecker Forest by Tejima. She came across it at her old co-op, and we don't own it, so I just keep checking it out from the library. It's free, I can barely store all of her books as it is, and I figure she'll get bored of it soon enough and move on to another.

It's by a Japanese author that has been translated. Being Japanese, it's a very quiet, understated story about a woodpecker and his growth into an adult woodpecker, ultimately moving out on his own. The book is illustrated in equally simple manner with subtle colors, and it almost looks like it was carved into wood then hand-painted.

What makes it funny is Sophia's very American take on it. She's somehow taken a simple story about a bird and made it into an action movie.

Here's how it invariably goes when I read her the book. The italics are Sophie's chiming in.

In the middle of a faraway forest it is almost spring. The warm wind carries the sound of pecking through the trees. PECK! PECK! PECK! PECK!

Up in a tall tree, a mother and father woodpecker take turns making a hole for their nest. This is where they will raise their family. THERE'S PAPA! AND THERE'S MOMMY!

They find ants and other insects in old stumps. EEW! YUCKY! I don't like eating ants, do you Mommy? LOOK! THERE'S THE STUMP! That's Papa on the tree stump!

The forest echoes with the sounds of their pecking and the voices of the young birds. PECK! PECK! PECK! PECK!

Soon the chirping of cicadas begins. [Note: I didn't know how to pronounce cicadas at first and did it incorrectly.] Sophie: It's "si-KAH-duhs, Mommy." Me: "No, baby, I looked it up and it's "si-KAY-duhs." [Now we go back-and-forth every time several times about the correct pronunciation. I can already see that the teens are gonna be bad.]

The baby woodpeckers grown bigger every day. [Sophia pointing to the picture of the three baby woodpeckers:] LOOK! THERE'S ME! And that's Lida and that's Sophie Lee.

The time comes for the young woodpeckers to try their wings. With his parents calling, the bravest of the three flies out of the nest. [Sophia really getting excited now:) LOOK! HE'S FLYING! HE'S FLYING! THAT'S ME!

The young bird clings to a big tree and waits for his father to feed him. All day he clings to the tree. HE'S ON THE TREE! HE'S GONNA WAIT THERE FOR HIS PAPA!

When the moon rises and the owls begin to hoot, the bravest young woodpecker is afraid. [Imitating an owl:] WHO! WHO! WHO! HE'S SO SCARY! [Meaning, actually, that the woodpecker is so scared.] I'm not afraid. Giovanni is scared of the dark. Remember, Mommy? Giovanni was sooo scared of the dark in Mexico. I'm not afraid of the dark. . . [This is about where I usually ignore her and continue to read.]

A hollow tree full of woodpecker holes seems to stare at him. It's dark now, Mommy. He's so scary.

A strange sound fills the forest. [Silence at last. Sophia's listening for the strange sound.]

It's as if all of the woodpecker trees in the forest are laughing. [Big fake laughter]HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The young woodpecker calls out for his parents. MOMMYYYYYYYY!

Then he hears the sound of wild pecking close by. PECK! PECK! PECK! PECK! Look - la luna! [Sophia pointing to the picture of the moon]

He things he sees his father, huge against the sky. All the trees are silent. PAPAAAAAA!!!!

At daybreak, his father appears out of the mist. His papa came back!

The young bird's wings grow stronger. He learns from his parents how to hunt for food, and not to be frightened of hollow trees. I'm not afraid of trees. Remember Giovanni, in Mexico? He was afraid of the dark.

When snow falls on the mountains, it is time for the young woodpecker to live on his own. LOOK! Snow! Snow is so cold. I was in the snow once when I was a baby. It's so cold. Ice cream is cold. [This is about where I start reading over her.]

In the middle of the cold winter night, he awakens and sees the forest glittering under the full moon.
LOOK! LA LUNA!

A dead tree covered with snow seems to stare at him, but he isn't afraid. He remembers the first night away from the nest. And remembers the way his father filled the whole night sky. Those are stars, Mommy.

Over the woodpecker's forest the stars are shining.

From far away comes the hoot of an owl. YAAAAAYYYY! THE WOODPECKER'S NOT AFRAID!!!


Honestly, I don't know how she can take such a quietly serene book and turn it into a action-packed thriller, but she manages.

Maybe she has a future in Hollywood, you know, if the astronaut or pirate thing don't work out.