Gossamer

Did you ever wonder where your dreams come from? Sometimes dreams seem really bizarre but they also have pieces that are part of your life. This story gives you an insider's view of what happens when you sleep. It is also the story of a young foster child who has suffered from very bad parenting. He is taken under the wing of a very patient, loving grandmotherly woman and her dog, Toby. In addition to her care, much healing work is done by Littlest One guided by Thin Elderly in giving the boy pleasant dreams. Their work is urgent because the Sinisteeds are tantalizing him with nightmares. This Maud Hart Lovelace nominee, Gossamer is written by the Newbery award winning author Lois Lowry and I bet you will be using your dictionary by the end of the book to look up the word gossamer.

One Well - The Story of Water on Earth

Some families are lucky. They can turn on the tap [faucet] for drinking water, to fill a bathtub, wash their car or pet, or water the garden. But other families around the world are less fortunate. One billion people, almost 16 percent of the Earth's population, have to walk more than fifteen minutes to get to the nearest water supply...While the amount of water on Earth is always the same, the distribution of water across the world isn't.

This wonderful picture book by Rochelle Strauss and illustrated by Rosemary Woods is filled with lots of information in a very thoughtful way. Many ages will enjoy this book because the pictures make the text easier to understand. And there are a lot of interesting tidbits related to the overall message of the importance of water including the water cycle, melting polar ice caps, changing habitats, livestock and animals, pollution, usage and access. We all have a part in educating ourselves on the crucial need to be Well Aware.

Did you know that on a summer day, an average-sized birch tree can draw about 80 gallons of water from the soil? That's enough water to fill 2 large bathtubs!

Princess for a Week

Do you ever read the summary or excerpt that is written on the back of the book? At times I don't. Sometimes I want to be entertained and surprised so I don't read it especially if it is a book I am going to read anyway. Well, I didn't read the summary for Princess for a Week by Betty Ren Wright, so I was really surprised just as Roddy was to learn that Princess wasn't a dog like he'd hoped and he'd have to let this girl use his bedroom instead of sharing it with a dog.
Who names their child Princess? And why does she have to be so overly confident? Roddy and his friend Jacob certainly have their hands full with Princess visiting for a week. But you have to admit she does make things interesting and suspenseful. It won't take you long to read this short mystery book filled with full page pencil drawings.

Project Mulberry

Did you ever wonder how silkworms made silk? And how do we get the silk? Julia and Patrick (her next door neighbor) are friends and joined the Wiggle Club. Its real name is Watch-Grow-Give-Live! (WGGL) and now they are partnering up on a project. The three best projects will be chosen to go to the state fair.

In Project Mulberry, the readers follow Julia and Patrick's project from beginning to end. I enjoyed learning some things while reading this book about sericulture and sustainable farming and Korean embroidery. And it was very interesting observing the relationship between the two very different personalities and how they worked together to accomplish something. But the best part wasn't just the great story, it was the conversations the author, Linda Sue Park had with the main character between the chapters.

I highly recommend this book and encourage you to read it, too. It may inspire you to do your own Animal Husbandry or Domestic Arts project!

Book Clubs

Hello dear readers, I know it has been awhile. I have been busy reading grown-up books. I am in a book club with several other women and it is a highlight of my month. You might want to consider starting your own book club. Find others that enjoy reading and decide on a book to read and then meet to talk about the book. You will enjoy books even more because you can share your perspective during discussions and discover new ways of looking at the same story! I have been in this book club for 14 years and we have read a lot of interesting books. We even have a web site where we keep track of all the books we've read—you could do that too! But the fun part is: we have dessert when we are done discussing the book.

Abby Takes a Stand and Phineas L. MacGuire Erupts!

I read two more Maud Hart Lovelace nominees to review for you.

Abby Takes a Stand from The Scraps of Time 1960s, a historical fiction book set in the time of the civil rights movement. Young Abby experiences discrimination first hand at the opening of a new restaurant in a department store. How would you feel if you were handed a flyer to try out a new restaurant and when you arrived and took your place in line — people started saying things like "What is she doing here?" It is just one of the many instances of discrimination against black people in the south. People in the town decide enough is enough and use the nonviolent strategies of another group doing sit-ins in North Carolina. Abby is too young to participate in the actual sit-ins but her mother and her cousin are organizers, so she is active in other ways to promote their cause for equality. This book is a great read and you get to learn about nonviolent protest used during the struggle for desegregation.

Phineas L. MacGuire Erupts! is written for the same age group, grades 3-5. But the younger readers will enjoy this more. Phineas or Mac as he is called, is in 4th grade and his best friend just moved away and he is stuck with another kid (a new student) to work on a science fair project. The book is written in the voice of Mac and even though he is a smart kid—there are a lot of goofy things he comes up with. For instance, this is an alternative science fair project he came up with:

When you drink milk and start laughing, why does the milk automatically squirt out of your nose? Does only milk from a little carton do this? How about milk from a glass? From a plastic cup? If you were drinking from a juice box, would stuff come out your nose, or does juice automatically go straight to your stomach?

You get the idea.