Have you seen the Barbie Movie yet? For my birthday this year, Hazel and I went to a matinee. I also decided to try to make a Barbie cake for myself. It is hard to hear some of the criticism of the movie from people who refuse to see it. For example, Rex Huppke's column in USA Today shares many of the things said about the movie. Now being a liberal and having many liberal friends, I have many friends who have different opinions. But I am going to begin by sharing a bit of my own background.
What did you dream of when you were a child? I dreamed I would be an inventor and have a huge mansion with all sorts of inventions to not have to do the cleaning, chores, cooking, etc. Of course, I also told my parents I would have some crazy number of kids 10, 20, or more and they could come help me take care of them all. Dreaming is such an important part of childhood. Today I am sharing a fun new multicultural book that helps get kids' imagination flowing. The book is Someday, Maybe by Diana Murray and illustrated by Jessica Gibson. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Over the next few weeks, I am going to share with you some fun picture books. Today's focuses on a boy who experiences growing pains, but also is curious about the tree he helped plant the previous day. It is such a sweet book. The book is Growing Pains by Alison McLennan and Melissa Johns. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Today I am going to share a new middle school/young adult novel that takes a look at a different life than I am used to. It has been sitting on my shelf for awhile. When my life changed in April, I got behind reading my middle grades and young adult (as well as adult) books. This book is perfect for an Earth Day theme as well as just an adventure lover or explorer. It is Northwind by Gary Paulsen. It is recommended for ages 10 to 14.
This past week I turned 52. Fifty-two is not one of the benchmark years. I turned 50 in the summer of 2020. It was when we were afraid to be indoors with too many people and were still wearing masks often. Yet it was one of my best birthdays ever. My sister came for the day and she and Hazel made a delicious meal topped off with a homemade birthday cake. They did all the planning, the shopping, the cooking and the cleaning. They even decorated our patio for the party. Yes, we ate outside. My sister works with newborns and their moms in a hospital setting and has taken being cautious to a new level. She wore her mask whenever she was in our house. It was truly the perfect birthday for me because I didn't have to do anything. It was small, intimate and simple. It certainly wasn't the ball my girlfriend went to for one of her friends who turned 50 this year. My girlfriend and many guests caught Covid from the ball. My girlfriend who is a nurse on a Covid unit in a local hospital. My girlfriend whose kids got Covid last summer and her oldest was truly sick for weeks. He could barely move off the couch, and she didn't get it. But she went to a 50th birthday ball and got it. No, my 50th was simple and fun and perfect and best of all we didn't get sick from the celebration!
What do you do when something doesn't go your way? It could be something small or something big. How do you model dealing with disappointments for your kids? Today I am going to share a picture book that teaches this. It is Somewhere, Right Now by Kerry Docherty and illustrated by Suzie Mason. It is recommended for ages 3 to 5.
As a former teacher and someone who has volunteered and worked at my daughter's school, I know there is always that child that thinks outside the box and sees the world in a different way. The child does not want to do anything wrong and probably does not even think he or she is doing something wrong but drives the teacher crazy. Today's book is for all those kids out there and for the adults in their lives! The book is Meow Is Not a Cat by Kelly Tills and illustrated by Max Saladrigas. It is recommended for ages 4+.
As Hazel is in middle school now, I am finding the novels about middle school interesting. Middle school is such a hard time for most kids. It is a time when they are truly trying to find their place in the world. They struggle to be heard and to be seen as well as to not stick out. Today I am sharing a book about that struggle. It is Dear Student by Elly Swartz.
How do you feel about life changes? Whether it is a new job, a new home, a new relationship, or other change, it can be hard, scary and also a good thing. Now think about how change feels to kids. Today I get to share with you a new picture book about change. It is Bear and the Whisper of the Wind by Marianne Dubuc. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Have you ever had one of those bad days? You know when you think the world is against you? We all have them--even kids. Today I get to share with you a book for young readers that deals with just that! It is the fourth book in the Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess Series. The book is These Shoes Are Made for Dancing by Deedee Cummings and illustrated by Charlene Mosley. The series is recommended for ages 4 to 8. (To see my reviews of some more of Deedee Cummings' books, click here.)
We are continuing our celebration of Native American Heritage Month with a middle grades novel today. This novel delves into Native American life but it also has important messages for everyone to learn. It is such an interesting story and has fascinating characters. The book is The Brave by James Bird.
Today I am sharing Barbara Dee's newest novel. Barbara's novel seem to always capture the emotions and actions of middle school students. This one is no different. It is Violets Are Blue. It is recommended for grades 4 to 8.
Today I get to share a new middle grades that is perfectly eerie and haunted with a special All Souls Day celebration. It has a boy who witnesses his mother being abused by her boyfriend and he runs away to a graveyard. It is coming out today just in time for the spooky month of October! It is set in the United Kingdom. It is called The Hideaway by Pam Smy.
Remember back in June of 2020 when all over Facebook and social media white people were looking for ways to learn more about what it is like to be Black in America? We wanted book recommendations. We were asking our Black friends for information. We wanted to stand with them. We wanted to support them. Black Lives Matter protests were happening everywhere. And now a bit more than a year later it seems to have died down. Like we often do we have moved on but that does not mean there isn't still a reason to be concerned for or support Black people. It does not mean we shouldn't be looking for ways to better understand what it truly is like to be Black in America. Today I am sharing a wonderful book full of one Black, Christian man's life experience. This book is full of humor, truth and life. It is I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt.
Last week I shared a bit about what is happening in my life. Things have gone down hill since with my father. There has been a break-through Covid case in the staff of his facility. When I went to visit him we found out and he had a black eye when I saw him. Today we are waiting to hear the results of tests at the hospital after a nighttime fall and hitting his head. I have been so full of worry, anger, and shame. I felt my emotions getting to me and couldn't pull myself up. My depression was seeping back to a point I wasn't sure I could fight on my own. Then I picked up the book I'm sharing today and having just read a few chapters as well as the introduction and foreword my entire mood shifted. I didn't feel like I was falling into despair any more. I remembered to trust God. The book is It's On the Way by Lisa Osteen Comes. And before I tell you about it I want to say to Lisa, thank you! Your words truly are making a difference in my life.
With the start of school it seems appropriate to share these two picture books today. Both came out yesterday!! Each one reminds me of messages when sending Hazel off to school especially when she was young, so that is why I say it is the perfect time for them. Today's is Hazel's first day of school for the year. The first book is Born to Sparkle: A Story About Achieving Your Dreams by Megan Bomgaars and illustrated by Pete Olczyk. This book is recommended for ages 5 to 8 and although not multicultural per say Megan has Down Syndrome. I'll share more about her below.
Life has been tough. The past 18 months have been tough on everyone with Covid. However the last month especially has had its own toughness for me. About nine years ago my parents sat Steve and I down at Christmas to let us know my father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. It was caught pretty early. He asked us not to tell Hazel. Fast forward to about six summers ago when my father was discussing his Alzheimer's Disease openly at the dinner table with Hazel there. It was the first time she was hearing he had it. He had forgotten we hadn't told her. He was still doing all right. Then about four years ago he started a slow decline. My parents moved from the house my grandparents (my dad's parents) built on Cape Cod to a 62 and over condo building. The house was becoming too much for them to handle. My sisters and I took over the care of the house and rent it out for much of the summer. We use it for holidays and off-season vacations mostly. We
Having been the youngest sister of three I know the struggle it is to watch older siblings be good at things and to wonder why I wasn't and what I was good at. Today I'm sharing a multicultural book about just this and needless to say I related to it!! The book is Bella's Recipe for Success by Ana Siqueira and illustrated by Geraldine Rodriguez.
Do you have siblings? Where do you fall in the order? I am the youngest of three girls. I went through my elementary school being called my middle sister's name and then in middle school one of the art teachers kept calling out my oldest sister's name for an end of the quarter review and when he finally used our last name I realized he meant me. He had never taken the time to learn my first name and my oldest sister is truly an artist so he remembered her. (She earned a degree in art.) So I can completely relate to today's book. The book is Kyle's Little Sister by BonHyung Jeong. It is a graphic novel for middle school ages (age 8-12).
