Ordinary is Extraordinary

I find that the most ordinary events like attending a mother daughter pool party, having family over for a cook out, or finding a rabbit in the weedy flower bed is cause for celebration. Even making homemade granola in preparation for Farmers' Market brings joy. I don't always remember, but I try really hard to appreciate all the moments in each week because each moment is a blessing.

 
My ability to go to the local library, come home armed to the teeth with children's books, and my opportunity to share what I read with others is also a blessing. The fact that each of you tune in to share in my week and my literary ramblings is most amazing.  I ask myself if it gets any better then connecting with readers all over the globe that I might never have had contact with otherwise. I think not.

So this week as I looked over my massive reading pile, I was drawn to three books in particular. The first was a beautiful Jan Brett book called The Turnip. The badger family find a enormous turnip which they wish to harvest for winter, but they can't seem to pull it out of the ground. Neighbors and friends keep trying to help them pull the turnip out, but to no avail. Eventually the turnip is is y6anked front he ground by a homeless rooster. Or is it? I guess you will just have to read The Turnip for yourself to find out.

The next book I read was Pirates On the Farm. Yes, I know there is a vegetable/farm theme going on. Just chalk it up to my excitement about farmers' market season. Any how, this book is a delightful and funny story of a group of pirates who buy a farm and attempt to fit in. Told from the point of view of the neighbor child, it is also a tale of making new friends and celebrating differences. This book is definitely worth checking out.

And the last book I read was one I have seen the cover of on many other book blogs. An intriguing cover that draws you in and makes you want to know just what is going on in-between the front and back covers. It is called The Night Gardener. First of all, I have to tell you about the truly magnificent, extraordinarily spectacular art work in this book. It is old timey in feel. Something classic that you will want to cherish for years to come. And the story, it is a bit mysterious, but happy and shiny at the same time. This book is written by the Fan brothers,Terry and Eric, and I don't know how they came up with this beautiful collection of pictures and words, but it is definitely a book to be cherished and shared.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by and join the Literacy Musings Monday Blog Hop where you will find other great blogs, or my personal website, Fun With Aileen, where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own early grade Fern Valley chapter book series and my Quack and Daisy picture book series. And finally, you can find me on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days. 

  

A Busy Day And A Gluten Free Friend

This past week was the normal kind of busy with an orthodontist appointment, school shopping, and farm market; but Saturday was extra busy because on top of market, we went to the fair. I sure was tired at the end of the day, however, it was the kind of tired you don't mind because it was so much fun.

 

But previous to the fair fun, that morning during the market, I was talking to one of my vendor friends, and she mentioned she was on a gluten free diet. Thankfully there are many options for those who need to go gluten-free. I even noticed that Aldi stores now have a small line of gluten free products.

Amazingly, when I picked out books on Friday, they happened to be about a busy day and a gluten free birthday party. Who knew that was exactly what I would experience the next day. The busy day book I  chose was by Loren Long, and it was called Otis's Busy Day.

Otis is a tractor and he lives and works on a farm where he does many things. One of my favorite things he did in this story was to make a new friend. Simply written and smartly illustrated, this book and the other Otis books are great for beginning readers.

The gluten free book I happened to choose was A Gluten-Free Birthday For Me. It is the story of a small girl who was having a birthday party. Since she has to eat gluten-free, her mother made a special gluten free cake. The party was going well until it was time for dessert. One boy who also needed a gluten free diet felt sad and told her he couldn't have cake. She reassuresd him he could and the party ended on a very happy note. At the end of the story, the author also listed several web sites with gluten free resources.

  
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, the soon to be released Cooking In Fern Valley (fall 2015) and my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.