Welcome Summer!

I know summer doesn't officially begin until June 21st, but at the Stewart home, summer started this past weekend. Our celebrations began on Friday which was our Independent Studies Award and Field Day. Emily won a ribbon for a writing contest she entered, but the best part of her day was playing around with her friends in survivor style games like twister, pizza box stacking, and the chicken maze. And she rounded the day out by attending a birthday party at the local YMCA.

 

Saturday found her attending another birthday party, this one at a skating rink. That was followed by an overnight with another friend. While the child was away, the parents did play. Okay, we didn't really play. Bobby spent the day building me upright raspberry gardens and I spent the day weeding the horribly overgrown flower bed.

Sunday afternoon found us grilling for my side of the family. There were plenty of hamburgers, chicken burgers, and hot dogs to go around as well as corn on the cob, watermelon, other assorted fresh fruits, and my mom's potato salad. After lunch, a little t-ball with my three year old nephew made for some entertaining moments.

And wouldn't you know that the two books I chose this week just happened to include hotdogs and baseball.

Home Run by Robert Burleigh and Mike Wimmer is the story of Babe Ruth. Robert told Babe's amazing story in a non rhyming poetic manner as if he were describing a single baseball game. In addition, every other page included facts on vintage style baseball cards. Mike added dimension to the story with some of the most fantastic illustrations I have seen in a while. Illustrations, which I might add, that looked like they were oil paintings.

While this is a picture book, I think it would be best suited to children in third or fourth grade who would be old enough to enjoy the depth of art, baseball stats, and history in this story. And of course, any adult they might like to share with.

Hot Dog - Elenor Roosevelt Throws a Picnic was an equally wonderful book about real people and a real event. It is the story of a picnic thrown by Mrs. Roosevelt in honor of the visiting King and Queen of England. People from all over sent her letters telling how they thought hot dogs were not fit to serve royalty, but Mrs. Roosevelt loved hot dogs and thought there was no better all American picnic food. And I must confess that I thoroughly agree.

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.