Monday Musings
Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen is one of the wonders of modern writing. She has written and published over 300 books, most — but not all — for children (of all ages). She is a poet and a master of many genres. She is a mentor and teacher to many. One of the keys to the prolific nature…
Read MoreFinding the Value of X
Don’t worry, I’m not going to wax mathematical, and particularly not algebraic. But really, what is the value of X in our language? You may have wondered, when I began this alphabetical journey, what I would do with X . I admit I wondered, as well. It’s a problem that I’m sure most alphabetographers struggle…
Read MoreWater. A Post After Earth Day with Book Recommendations
Water. Its presence is essential to life, and yet we treat it as if it were nothing, an easily-found, easily-restored, rightfully-ours commodity. We do this at our peril. I want to share three picture books today, each by a writing friend and colleague, each with an important message for us about water. In Water…
Read MoreVistas, Vantage Points, Viewpoints, and Vision
I live on the prairie. I grew up here. The vastness of the prairie gives me a sense of freedom and possibility. Not everyone sees that vastness in the same way. Many people driving through our province think the prairie is just one boring stretch of nothing. I can understand that viewpoint, although I don’t…
Read MoreUp in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner — Book Recommendation
Title: Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt Author: Kate Messner Illustrator: Christopher Silas Neal Publisher: San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2015 Genre: Picture book, fiction (with facts strewn through it like seeds sprinkled on dirt) Audience Age: 4 to 8 Topics: Gardening, time with Nana, what’s under the ground, ecology Opening Sentences: Up…
Read MoreThe Tuskegee Airmen Legacy Project — Michelle Y. Green
Most of us have at least heard of the Tuskegee Airmen — 994 African American men who served with valor in World War II, as pilots, bombardiers, navigators and ground crew. Although it is hard to fathom now, before World War II, no African American had been a pilot with the United States military. No…
Read MoreSarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay — Book Recommendation
Title: Sarah’s Key Author: Tatiana de Rosnay Publisher: New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007 Genre: Adult fiction Audience Age: 16 and up Themes/Topics: Holocaust, France’s role in deportation of Jews during World War II, Vélodrome d’Hiver roundup, truth, fear, justice Opening Sentences: The girl was the first to hear the loud pounding on the door.…
Read MoreRambling (the physical, not the verbal, variety)
Come with me on a ramble — See? The roses are out, and here and there, as yet unseen blooms hide in the wind-tangled grass. Come with me on a ramble — hidden joys await us. ~ Photo by Raymond Stilborn, poem by Beth Stilborn The first day of spring seems a good day to…
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