Meet Diane Tells His Name and her Dolls

 

A few weeks ago I shared two of the beautiful Tribal Nations Maps about Indigenous women. One of the people shared on them is Diane Tells His Name. Diane has an interesting life story and she makes the most beautiful dolls. As a doll collector from my childhood I have always loved dolls. My sisters and I had a doll collection that was displayed in a curio cabinet in our dining room. Over the years some dolls have been lost or damaged as we each have moved and separated our collections. I still have some and they are now in my china cabinet. I have a love of dolls from different cultures because they share so much about the culture from their features, their clothes and often their stories. Perhaps this is why I was so drawn to Diane and her story. However as I learn more about Diane I find her story even more fascinating.

The Sound of Falling Leaves -- a Mommy Time Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have to admit I do not read that many adult books these days. I am always reading my review pile and lately they seem to be middle grade or young adult books. But I jumped at the opportunity to review this new novel by Lisa Carter. I love mysteries and it is one. I love some romance--it's in there. And I love God and yes religion plays a part as well. This book is right up my alley. It is The Sound of Falling Leaves. I have to say it has been hard to wait for this week and Friday to share this book with you. I loved it that much! This week is the Blog Tour for the book so I had to wait.

Review of Stories of the Saints -- a Book to Celebrate All Saints Day

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

I grew up Protestant and did not learn about saints. We now go to an Episcopal church which is still Protestant but recognizes the saints. Plus Steve is Catholic so he wants Hazel to know about the saints. With All Saints Day coming up I thought it was the perfect time to share today's book, Stories of the Saints by Carey Wallace and illustrated by Nick Thornborrow. 

Dorktales -- a Funny Podcast Series for Families

 

Disclosure: I was paid a nominal sum for sharing and reviewing these podcasts with you. All opinions are my own.

In our world today we have just about everything at our fingertips. We can give our kids our smart phones or tablets to entertain them. Kids today are glued to the television or some form of technology. When Hazel was young we started her at a Waldorf school. One of the things I loved about the Waldorf philosophy was the no technology rule. They actually took it even further for the younger kids. They encouraged storytelling without books or with wordless books. The philosophy believed that preschool kids' bodies were developing so fast at that time that the body should be allowed to do its growing without the burden of trying to work to learn letters and words. The art of storytelling seems to be gone especially during this pandemic. However storytelling is important for our kids' development. From stories kids learn virtues and good character especially from stories that demonstrate it. Kids will often copy the behavior they see or hear about. This is why we turn to fairy tales over and over. The basic tales have good overcoming evil over and over again. The honest, kind, good people are rewarded while the dishonest and cheaters are punished or lose. 

The ABCs of Black History--Upcoming book to teach young children about Black History!

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Last week I did our last Black Lives Matter Series post and said I was going to focus on Native Americans but this book passed my way and I have to share it with you. This book is coming out in December 8, 2020. The book is The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez and illustrated by Lauren Semmer.