It's Cold Outside, But Warm Inside!

Like many of you in in the non-sunshine states, we here in Ohio are experiencing bitter cold. Yesterday the temperature hit negative eight, which meant time for a hot cup of tea poured from the little cast iron tea pot Bobby brought back from Japan. It also meant a nice fire in the fireplace.

 

Sitting in front of the warm fire, it turns out, is a perfect time to read. The first book I read was not only a great chilly day read, it was also perfect for Black History Month. It was a biography of Roberto Clemente the famous baseball player. Although told very simply for children, it was chalk full of interesting tid-bits. The book started when he was a small child living with his family in Puerto Rico and ended with his pre-mature death while on his way to offer humanitarian aide to  Nicaragua after a terrible earthquake.

The life depicted in-between was that of a passionate man who believed in hard work, helping others, and baseball. This book is perfect for children interested in both baseball and history as well as those looking for a good role model.

And since it is so snowy and cold in so much of the country right now, it stands to reason that I also chose a book about snow. It was called the Snow Globe Family and told a fun tale of two families. There is a large family that lives in a large house and on their mantle is a snow globe where an itsy bitsy family lives in an itsy bitsy house. Each family has similarities. Each family wants there to be a big snow so they can go sledding. To find out if these two families get their wishes, you will have to read it for yourselves!

Both books seem to be out of print, but used copies are available, or perhaps you can find them at your local library. Either way, they are both worth searching out.

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.

 

It's Still Cold...

I'm sure you are all aware that it is still EXTREMELY cold out there. So cold, in fact, that last week some unusual visitors showed up at our bird feeder to scavenge for seeds.

There weren't many seeds on the ground, so that afternoon I took a small bowl out and set it underneath the feeder just in case our friends came back. Only one duck came back the next day, but I enjoyed watching him fill his little belly. Unfortunately for him, a tiny squirrel that had helped himself to seeds earlier that morning was in a  less generous mood.

I watched the tiny squirrel hop across the yard, creep up our small tree so he could have a better view, and crawl back down again. What he did next totally took me by surprise though. That little squirrel charged that duck and leapt on him like some kind of a ferocious beast. Needless to say the duck was a bit surprised. Okay, he was a lot surprised. Until then, I had not realized how high a duck could jump straight up into the air. It was one of those moments where you really wish you had camcorder instantly in your hand.

Since school continued to be canceled, Emily and I filled our time with other things like baking rolls and playing boggle. And it goes with our saying that books were read!

In honor of the continued cold and snow, we read a delightful book called The Night The Moon Blew Kisses. Although no longer in print, this book is worth hunting down a used copy or seeing if your library owns it. Short, sweet, and beautifully written, it is the story of a grandmother and her grand-daughter taking a moonlit stroll. The grand-daughter blows the moon kisses and in return, the moon blows some back. The art work reminded me of Vincent Van Gogh's A Starry Night, dark but lovely.

We also read Birthday Pony.  Grandma Aggie bought Jane a Pony for her birthday. Unfortunately, the pony, named Popcorn, has been spoiled for far too long, and Jane can't get him to obey commands. Can lessons in good manners and riding skills help both to learn to enjoy the ride? Emily and I both enjoyed this simple story and think it would be great for kids in first through third.

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, and my soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.