Campfire Song Stories

To commemorate ten years since her daughter Karis died, Debra Kornfield chose six stories they had imagined together during long days in the hospital to combine into one volume called Campfire Song Stories. Karis's quirky sense of humor may have been lost to readers of Debra's memoir, Karis: All I See Is Grace. Campfire Song Stories will help balance the true but inadequate perspective of Karis as a resilient warrior, faithful to God and loving toward others through long suffering. Certainly, her love for the ridiculous contributed to her resilience. Ten years after her death, Debra celebrates this other side of Karis's personality in a commemorative volume which offers hours of pleasure to children and to their parents. The storylines are based on favorite silly songs from Karis's childhood, embellished by the delightful illustrations of five young artists and with scannable links to the songs as Karis and Debra "corrupted" them and eleven-year-old Madelyn England sings them. "The Little Skunk's Hole" becomes a parable, "Black Socks" a comedy, "Ten Chartreuse Buzzards" a farce, and "Oh, the Horse" a fable. "Ten Chartreuse Buzzards" was the most challenging artistically, and I think you'll agree that Aderyn did an amazing job of giving each buzzard a personality. Aderyn can draw absolutely anything, and I already have another book in mind for her talents. Lucy Sams' choice of style for "Black Socks" will make you laugh even before you read the story.Though significantly toned down from the actual event, "Ten Little Ducks," a prank, took its inspiration from the creativity of mischief-makers at the University of Notre Dame when Karis was a student there. My daughter Valerie, also a Notre Dame alum, helped her friend Megan Foxwell place ten rambunctious ducks and the geese who joined the party on Notre Dame's campus, no easy feat. Domers will recognize each building, from the log cabin to the cathedral and the Golden Dome, the main administration building. A word of explanation about the dancers: each year, one of the campus dorms is rewarded for their success in competitions with the privilege of holding a dance in the Golden Dome. Imagine getting all dressed up for this very special event and then encountering ... yes, ducks and geese, pooping and wreaking havoc. A memory-maker for sure.The book concludes with a sweet lullaby, Skinnamarinky Dinky Dink, about a penguin family, of course, since we live in Pittsburgh. The twelve-year-old artist for this tale, Clara Ying, created pictures so charming that this story alone is worth the price of the book.