My Dad loved to tell a story about my cousin who, when he was in first grade, came downstairs one morning, set a copy of Black Beauty on the corner of the kitchen table, and said, “Nobody move that. We’re learning to read today and I’m going to read it when I get home.” Family […]
Keeping Hopes Alive (for writers and others) Read More »
Title: Dragon Dancing Author: Carole Lexa Schaefer Illustrator: Pierr Morgan Publisher: New York, Viking: 2007.
Dragon Dancing – Perfect Picture Book Friday Read More »
And the winner of the giveaway for one copy of Waiting for No One by Beverley Brenna is… (drumroll please)… Lucky Number 13, Julie Hedlund! Congratulations, Julie! Please contact me through the contact form on this blog with your mailing address, and I’ll send the book out to you as soon as possible. For those
Waiting for No One — the WINNER! Read More »
Something writer, actor, arts advocate, literacy advocate Julie Andrews stresses, no matter who she’s talking to — aspiring writers, young people wanting to become involved in the arts, whoever — is that one must do one’s homework, be fully prepared, and be ready to recognize and seize opportunities when they come along. I find it
Seize the Opportunity! Read More »
Although I expect those words can be frustrating to a parent who just wants a child to go to sleep, the words are still something that I think all parents should be glad to hear, because it means the child is reading. Not watching TV, not playing yet another level of a video game, not
Just one more chapter before lights-out? Please? Read More »
Imagine yourself a slave in the Deep South, struggling to survive, struggling to work hard enough to avoid the driver’s lash, then you hear it. A lone voice begins to sing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” To an outsider, the slaves are just singing to keep their spirits up, but you recognize the signal. Tonight will
Music and Words are Powerful Things Read More »
When I was a child, searching for something in my room, I’d eventually say, “I can’t find it!” and Mum would come into my room, say, “Open your big blue eyes…” and she’d quickly find whatever I was looking for. In later years, she would often lament that people don’t really look at things. They
Open your big blue/brown/hazel eyes… Read More »
The book title that caught my eye, and inspired this reflection on writing, is Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. Although the edition I have is the 75th Anniversary Edition, I just bought it and read it for the first time this summer while I was in Walton-on-Thames, England. It says a lot for a book
How Do YOUR Writing Shoes Fit? Read More »
