We took our dog to the Puppy Park for the first time this weekend. It is over on I-35 and Riverside – a fenced acre of treed parkland where dogs are allowed to run off-leash. Both the puppy and our two-year old thought it was heaven to run among and be sniffed by all the curious dogs. Kate would call the dogs to her and when they got close she screamed, a combination of fun and terror. I finally had to pick her up and carry her, because worried dog owners kept coming over to see if she was being mauled by their dog. My boys found an old basketball and thought it would be great fun to kick for the dog to retrieve. Kate and I were standing by watching, when someone drop-kicked the basketball in our direction. I saw it coming right toward my face, but there was no time to react. My husband said when it hit, my glasses exploded off my face, in cartoon-like fashion (he could not stop laughing as he described it, over and over.) It ricocheted off my face, and hit Kate. She screamed so loudly that the entire park (dogs and people) came running over to see what had happened. The oldest son ran to get the ball and it was assumed by all that he was the offending kicker. Still reeling, I yelled at him, “Why don’t you look before you kick that thing???!!!, etc, etc, etc…” Turns out, the ball had been kicked by the middle son, who looked calmly on as his older brother got chewed out. Life is always unfair when you are the oldest.

All of this made me think of books about sibling rivalry. I just started a really wonderful one called “Winner of the National Book Award” - A Novel of Fame, Honor and Really Bad Weather by Jincy Willett. I love the note on the inside cover:

Just in case the reader may feel that the title of this book means it actually has been nominated for the National Book Award, let us be clear: This book has not been nominated for or won the National Book Award. It has not been prepared, authorized or endorsed by the National Book Foundation or anyone else associated with the National Book Awards. Which is not to say it may not one day be nominated for said award, or the National Book Critics Circle award, or the Pulitzer. Time will tell.

- The Publisher