News / Life / Clark County Life

Check It Out: April books delight, include more than pranks

By Jan Johnston

Published: March 31, 2019, 6:02am

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No tricks, dear readers, April 1 is the 91st day of the year with 274 days remaining until the end of the year. Best known for its association with practical jokes and pranks, I’m here to tell you that the first day of April is so much more than whoopee cushions and exploding cigars. If your birthday happens to be April 1, you already know how important this day is. For the rest of us, though, perhaps it’s time to move beyond April Fools’ Day shenanigans and celebrate the beginning of April for other reasons. I say this even though I’ve always appreciated Mark Twain’s take on the first day of April: “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.” Touch?.

Searching through the library’s catalog for April-related items, it didn’t take long to find an eclectic mix of titles. If you want to read a book with “April” in its title — and you aren’t picky about the book’s contents — you can treat yourself with “April Lady,” “April Morning,” “An Aegean April,” “The Ides of April,” “April Twilights, And Other Poems,” and “April Blood: Florence and the Plot Against the Medici.” Well, that’s quite the reading list. I decided, however, to be a bit more selective for this column, so all of the items listed below have something to do with April even if “April” is not in the title. Really. I wouldn’t trick you.

“April’s Kittens,” by Clare Turlay Newberry.

I adore Clare Newberry’s cat drawings, and this sweet picture book is one of my favorites. Written and illustrated in the 1940s, “April’s Kittens” (winner of a Caldecott Honor) is just as charming today as when it first came out nearly eighty years ago. April is a little girl whose cat, Sheba, has had a litter of three kittens. April’s dad says that they are strictly a one-cat household, but how can April choose just one kitty when they’re all so wonderful? Although this book doesn’t have anything to do with the month of April, it qualifies for my list because, hello, it’s titled “April’s Kittens,” plus it’s insanely cute. Enough said.

“Clash of Crowns: William the Conqueror, Richard Lionheart, and Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Story of Bloodshed, Betrayal, and Revenge,” by Mary Sperling McAuliffe.

Yeah, this title is radically different from “April’s Kittens,” but it secures a spot on my list because Eleanor of Aquitaine died on April 1, 1204. Bummer for Eleanor but woo-hoo for me. If you didn’t know this, Eleanor was quite the powerful figure during the Middle Ages; throw in William the Conqueror and Richard the Lionheart and — bam! — you have one heck of a story. My takeaways from “Clash of Crowns”? Be grateful we don’t live in the 12th century, and hey, it’s OK to be common (as in, not royal).

“Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill,” by Sonia Purnell.

Born Clementine Ogilvy Hozier on April 1, 1885, Clementine first met Winston Churchill at a ball in 1904. Four years later they married, and the rest, they say, is history. This engaging biography offers readers a view into that history, profiling the Churchills’ private and political lives while imparting the powerful influence that Clementine had on her husband. If Winston Churchill was larger than life, Clementine made sure he lived up to those expectations, offering support, guidance and protection to one of the most compelling figures of the 20th century. It wasn’t easy, however. Winston was what you might call high maintenance — ambitious, moody, demanding — and without Clementine’s guiding hand (Winston called her his “rock”) who knows how things may have unfolded for Britain and the rest of the world.

“Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs,” by Ken Kocienda.

April 1, 1976: That’s the day my parents and I moved into our home in Nevada — big deal for me. It’s also the day that Apple Computer was officially founded — big deal for history. Thinking back to 1976, life seemed perfectly fine without computers. Now fast forward to 2019. If my computer goes down — at work or at home — I’m uncomfortable, bereft, even. Oh, how the world has changed. Check out this book written by a former engineer and designer at Apple to learn about Apple’s humble beginnings and how they evolved into a multibillion dollar company.

“Enchanted April,” DVD, directed by Mike Newell.

“To those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine. Small medieval Italian castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let furnished for the month of April.” This is the reason four very different English women travel from London to Italy in this lovely film set during the 1920s. Despite their varied backgrounds and diverse reasons for going to Italy, the surroundings and the season bring them together in unexpected ways. The film is based on the book “The Enchanted April” by Elizabeth von Arnim, and the library has multiple copies of each.

“Hoax: A History of Deception: 5,000 Years of Fakes, Forgeries and Fallacies,” by Ian Tattersall and Peter N. Nevraumont.

Despite my best intentions to make this list fool-free, the “dark side” of April 1st is strangely compelling. No one enjoys being the fool, but if someone else is playing the part, well, give us the story and don’t leave out the details. That’s precisely what authors Tattersall and Nevraumont do in “Hoax: A History of Deception.” From well-known untruths — “documented” sightings of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster (apologies to believers) — to more underground notions — people can survive on air and sunshine alone (no apologies to anyone, no way) — “Hoax” should satisfy the April Fools’ Day in all of us.

Jan Johnston is the collection development coordinator for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Email her at readingforfun@fvrl.org.

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