Monday, March 16, 2015

Tea Parties, Books, and Birds.

Last week, as I do every year, I went back to my hometown to visit with the children from the After School Group. This group is very special for several reasons. The first being that it is run by Barb Annon. Miss Barb was not only my 4-H leader when I was young, but she is also the mother of one of my besties from junior high. What is so amazing about that you ask? To which, I would reply their farm. The farm I spent many hours visiting. The farm where I gathered eggs, swung from ropes in the barn, and had a generally good time. The farm that inspired my choice of farm animals for my Fern Valley characters.


The second reason is the children. The children who yell, "She's here. She's here," as they run down the hall announcing my arrival. The children who so eagerly share with me the stories they have written. The children who surprise me every year with something unique. This year's surprise was a recreation of a tea party in the first book of my Fern Valley series. A recreation that included cucumber sandwiches, mint tea, poppy seed muffins, hand made napkin rings, and a mason jar filled with flowers for a centerpiece.


 
 

It was a perfect beginning to the warmer weather we have been experiencing. It also made me want to read some special spring books for this week's review. The first book I read was Have You Heard The Nesting Bird. This book is very multi-faceted in that it describes each bird flitting past the nesting bird and it describes the sound each makes. This was particularly interesting since my husband and I were discussing all the birds we heard outside that morning. It takes you on a bird watching journey past the robin who sits quietly on its nest until its bright blue eggs hatch. And as an added bonus, at the end of the book there are questions and answers which explain why the nesting bird was so quiet compared to the other birds. A great read for the younger children still in the picture book phase and even for those who have graduated to chapter books.


The second book I read was The Gentleman Bug. Gentleman bug is different then the other bugs because he loves to read. Even though other bugs make fun of him for this, he doesn't mind being different. That is until a new ladybug came to town. In an effort to gain her attention, he dresses in a new suit and goes to a party where he hopes to meet her . Unfortunately she pays him no mind and an embarrassing accident sends him running home. Later, he receives an invitation to the library where he meets the new librarian which turns out to be Ladybug. Happily, they become fast friends.


Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, the sequel, Return To Fern Valley, and the soon to be released Cooking In Fern Valley (fall 2015)! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days

14 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous tea party! And thanks for pointing to these two books - I wa watching a blackbird stuffing her beak with nesting materials from our garden this morning - it's definitely tht time of year! And The Gentleman Bug just sounds sweet.

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    1. So glad you found these books of interest Miss Marjorie. And thanks for stopping by and leaving comment love :0)

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  2. How fun! I love your tea party, and the books you chose to read. They seem very well suited for Spring!

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  3. Stopping by from kid lit blog hop. Super selection. We love birds and just saw our first Robin of the spring the other day. Thanks for the book idea. We will have to seek it out.

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    1. So happy to share. Happy bird watching and reading!

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  4. Love your pics of the kids and the tea party. What fun! Great book selection, just right for the season. Stopping by from the Kid Lit Blog Hop.

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving comment love. It was a great tea pray :0)

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  5. My son is Bug-Crazy. Going to have to check out "The Gentleman Bug!" Thanks for sharing on the Kid Lit Blog Hop.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and leaving some comment love. Hope you find it :0)

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  6. Visiting from the KLBH. I love the sound of that Gentleman Bug. What a good lesson. And when my daughter gets a tad older we will have to look for "Have you heard the Nesting Bird." And I love that you're making lasting memories related to books for those kids.

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  7. I did 4H as a child myself. It was such a great experience. Thank you for sharing your recommendations in the Kid Lit Blog Hop.

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