Welcome!
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Rediscovering treasured books
Sunday, April 17, 2022
Happy (Dachshund) Easter!
Friday, April 15, 2022
Egg decorating in different cultures, with a review of Beautiful Eggs.
Board Book
For ages 4 to 6
Scribble, 2021, 978-1950354436
When we think of egg decorating, we usually think of Easter festivities. Many people in countries around the world decorate boiled or blown eggs for this spring celebration. However, in some cultures they decorate eggs for other celebrations. In Mexico pretty eggs also appear on Cinco de Mayo and other festive days.
People have been decorating eggs for centuries, and they have developed all kinds of ways of making eggs beautiful. A great deal of time and effort can be spent on decorating eggs, and some of these creations are so prized that they are put in museums or art galleries.
In the Ukraine they have been creating extremely colorful eggs that are covered with fine and delicate designs for a long time. Red and green dyes are commonly used, and the designs are drawn on using beeswax.
In the Czech Republic Easter eggs are decorated using many dye colors, and straw. When the eggs are complete, there are “Shiny kaleidoscope patterns” all over them.
In Japan they use washi paper to decorate their eggs. The colorful printed papers, that are also use to make origami, are used to cover the eggs.
With gorgeous collage illustrations and informative pieces of text, the illustrator of this board book introduces children and their grownups to seven different eggs decorating traditions. At the back of the book young readers will find a fold out page that children can use as a stencil to make their own drawing of a decorated egg.
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
An omage to Patricia MacLachlan and her book, Sarah Plain and Tall
Sarah Plain and Tall by P.J. Lynch |
Friday, April 8, 2022
Celebrating Library Week, and Poetry Month, with a book that gave me hope
Thursday, April 7, 2022
Celebrating Library week with Lee Bennett Hopkins
From School People edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins |
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Happy Birthday, Richard Peck, author extraordinaire.
Monday, April 4, 2022
Jane Goodall - Scientist, Environmentalist, Writer, and Reader
Illustration by Petra Braun |
When I was a student at the University of Oxford studying zoology, Jane Goodall, the famous primatologist, came to town to sign her latest book at Blackwells, Oxford's most marvelous bookshop. Naturally I went to the signing, and as the line was not too long I was able to have a short talk with Dr. Goodall. She was a very slender, almost fragile, looking lady with a soft voice. She looked at me with her penetrating eyes as I stumbled over my words, blushing furiously "Take a breath," she said smiling and tilting her head slightly to one side. Her words made me laugh, and after that I was able to tell her how the books she, Gerald Durrell, and David Attenborough had written had set me on my current path.
Friday, April 1, 2022
Happy Poetry Month - A review of Classic Poetry
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Please look after this bear.
In the late 1930s-1940s, Michael Bond, author of Paddington Bear, saw Jewish refugee children (Kindertransport children) walking through London's Reading Station, arriving in Britain escaping from the Nazi horrors of Europe.
Mr. Bond, touched by what he saw, recalled those memories 20 years later when he began his story of Paddington Bear. One morning in 1958, he was searching for writing inspiration and simply wrote the words: “Mr. and Mrs. Brown first met Paddington on a railway platform…”
“They all had a label round their neck with their name and address on and a little case or package containing all their treasured possessions,” Bond said in an interview with The Telegraph before his death in 2017. “So Paddington, in a sense, was a refugee, and I do think that there’s no sadder sight than refugees.”
Paddington Bear - known for his blue overcoat, bright red hat, and wearing a simple hand-written tag that says “Please look after this bear. Thank you,” Paddington embodies the appearance of many refugee children. His suitcase is an emblem of his own refugee status.
“We took in some Jewish children who often sat in front of the fire every evening, quietly crying because they had no idea what had happened to their parents, and neither did we at the time. It’s the reason why Paddington arrived with the label around his neck”.
Michael Bond died in 2017 aged 91. The epitaph on his gravestone reads "Please look after this bear. Thank you."
Please look after all the young Bears from all around the world who are having to flee conflict and war.
Shared from @DavidLundin