Poetry Friday - This New Year

  It's Poetry Friday, and Tricia Stohr-Hunt is hosting HERE at The Miss Rumphius Effect with a look and a poem for a treasure from the past. Thanks for hosting, Tricia! 

  

          I'm worrying, and preparing, then thinking. These coming days will be challenging and sad. Yet, here I am, planning to play a part in making a bright future for my grandchildren. I will not quit! Here comes the rest of the new year!

Glad To Start Again or

I thought I was

 

Mozart helps me nestle--

contented for this new beginning,

after a loving holiday.

But gray skies appear

beyond my sunshiny days.

It’s like sleet spits at all our windows.

My own brain clouds

with “Why? Who could? Who would?

And, then “How will they suffer the loss?”

Along with keeping busy with mindless dusting,

I wonder why again.  

I sit at my laptop,

fingers tapping.

Searching for the latest news,

though I can’t know if lists and actions

will help. Still, I do not stop!

Yes, it’s still sunny outside,

so I go to rake a few more leaves,

look for fallen branches after yesterday’s wind,

talk to my neighbor.

Quiet voices wing in from down the sidewalk.

“Hey, great to see you; how ya doing?”

The other neighbor’s dog barks, so I know

Someone is walking around there, too. 

A flicker flies, and sparrows twitter.

Nature brings some solace,

before lunch.

Then, I remember again.

                    Linda Baie © 

Monday Reading - Lots to Share!

           

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow!

     My mind all week has been mostly on California and the hope that the fires will begin to lessen, the people and animals will make it out somehow, keeping hope for survival and renewal. I hope you and yours, if affected, will be okay. 

       A turtle plays an essential role in this mystery because it likes to draw. See there! It's even on the cover. Friendship grows from a museum theft as young Rami and new friend Veda's big mission is to solve the mystery. Rami's mother works for the museum and is a suspect! Then, a ghost appears to Rami as he hangs out in the museum while his mother works. He names her "Blue," and she plays a part in the answer to all of Rami's worries, which will make readers smile. Jasmine Warga again has written a lovely story, this time that's both a romance and a mystery, with a young boy who needs a friend and finds one. He tells how it all went, his worries, and his triumphs. I enjoyed it very much. Kudos to Matt Rockefeller for the illustrations he added, including the cover.

Thanks to Mia Wenjen for my copy!

         I am fortunate to have received a copy of this book from author Mia Wenjen, who blogs at PragmaticMom.com. It was published by Red Comet Press last October. 

         In this recent time as the Supreme Court considers the case of TikTok and Freedom of the Press, Mia writes of another case for free speech. It is the inspiring account of a young man named Simon Tam who realized that not only could he ignore racism and the words that came with it, but he could also take them as his own! He formed a band, named it The Slants (a word demeaning Asians) and applied for a patent to protect it. His patent was denied, but he did not stop fighting for it. He took the fight over an eight-year period all the way to the Supreme Court and won! The story is told as the lyrics from the band's hit song, "From the Heart", about that fight is included part by part in Victor Bizar Gómez's excellent larger-than-life illustrations. 

         An intro to the book includes inspiring words by Simon Tam, including: "So, it's true stories do matter, but who tells them matters, too. Tell your story, sing your songs, and don't be afraid to make some trouble." There is more in the back matter, including others who have fought anti-Asian Racism, sources, and letters from Mia Wenjen and Simon Tam. 

              This is from the nineties, but I've always enjoyed Tony Johnston's books. It's a funny "re-mix" of 'The Princess And The Pea", telling the tale of a cowgirl looking for a loving partner, who MUST be a real cowboy. Warren Ludwig's illustrations fill the pages with grand colors of western scenes. 

            Kyo Maclear's stories bring magic into one's mind and this new one is no different, but a warm story of a grandson who visits his grandfather, taking time together to talk about the "ghosts" in his grandfather's garden. There are scenes that will brighten your day as you, too, remember other ghosts you know. You'll need to read the book to "see" Katty Maurey's illustrations that add to the magic of Kyo Maclear's words.   

          Lisl H. Detlefsen writes of her family's long-standing "nana rolls" made first by her great-grandmother, but she remembers, too, all the ways they were cherished as gifts, for holidays, just to remind someone of home. In this story, she shares about a visit with her grandson, called "Little Pickle," to teach him how to make those beloved "nana rolls." All the process is shown in colorful spreads by David Soman, often showing their work and explaining the contrast with the baking of long ago. For example, now the ingredients come from the grocery. Then, they first had to gather eggs and milk the cow, then stoke the woodstove until the heat was just right. I loved that this Nana's Nana did it "By guess and by gosh." The story travels through the years, with even pages showing the isolation during the Pandemic, a time when many started baking. Other pages tell of the variety of breads people make, most with the same ingredients. They include Soman's wonderful double-page spread of seven kinds, including "nana rolls". There is a long afterward by the author and the recipe! 

           This came out in the 1980s, and has brief descriptions of the immigrant experiences of families, adults and an emphasis on the children's lives. Freedman also explains how the photos came to be. Though it was illegal for children to work under the age of fourteen, most did to help their families. One example is a boy who rose at 4 am, raced to a bakery, delivered orders for several hours, then raced off to school, then back to deliver more after. He was paid $1.75 weekly. The photos are poignant, starting with the first experiences at Ellis Island and showing numerous "jobs" that children did. I enjoyed it, though I knew some of it because I have visited Ellis Island. Sadly, libraries may not carry it anymore, though it's still available to order. 

Now Reading! I have an advanced copy of Pam Jenoff's Last Twilight in Paris, and am just starting The Squad by Christine Soontornvat 

Poetry Friday - Finding Old Things

        It's Poetry Friday, and Kat Apel is hosting HERE at Kats Whiskers with a poem to read, then laugh, meow and bark.   Thanks for hosting, Kat! 

   

           I've been organizing and cleaning out the last of Christmas things. This time, it's a paper bag full of past Christmas cards, some blank ones, address stickers, various holiday stickers and some old holiday quotes I like. Also, placed there last year from another box of old family papers, I added a group of newspaper clippings, all appearing to be from the Kansas City Star, 1948. I think they're from my maternal grandmother because of other things in the box. I found one lovely poem, not about the holiday itself, but about winter, which we in Denver had a big taste of this week! We had a very dry December, and this snow, while not a huge amount, felt truly heaven-sent. I posted on FB that I was positive the trees were dancing.

         On the fronts and backs of these clippings were also ads, and you might like to see a few of those prices! Of course, salaries 77 years ago were much smaller, yet they are still surprising!

Enjoy! 

my side yard

        I researched Anobel Armour and found three books, and the picture books were illustrated by Bill and Bernard Martin, whom I recognize. I couldn't find a photo of any of the books! 

Wishing you all a lovely week ahead, weather-wise or otherwise! I want also to show my concern for those who are losing homes and lives in the terrible California fires. 

Monday Reading - Beginning A New Year

          

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! I've been reading various things lately, trying to catch up with magazine articles. Now I have two books going, one from the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery list (It's almost time for the awards!) and one that will be published later in the month, an ARC from Publisher's Weekly. They are A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga (imagination plus!) and Pam Jenoff's Last Twilight in Paris (intriguing so far, connecting in history from the Nazis in Paris to a future time). The holidays were wonderful with family and friends making merry! I hope all of you had a great time, however you celebrated!

       Happy New Year wishes to everyone!

Thanks to Candlewick Press
for my copy!

               This is such a sweet story that I read it very fast, but this time of year is busy so I'm just now sharing about it. Middle school boy Evan keeps to himself much of the time, has a few friends, but mainly on the bus ride home. He feels he doesn't fit much of anywhere, even at home with a mother who hardly speaks to him and a father immersed in carving wood creations, which make a lot of money. There are no money worries, but in this boy's life, loneliness worries until a border collie who seems to know the boy needs "something" starts following Evan and even joins him when he's running. Yet, like many stories, it gets complicated. Evan gains some better friends, and then the dog, after being gone for a while, arrives, clearly on a mission involving an abusive dog breeder. Added to that problem, a new "girl" friend enters Evan's life. She's witty but is on crutches, something to do with one of her legs. It's somewhat awkward on the bus when she joins right in! Not only do Dog (Yes, he really does "Answer to Dog") and Evan help each other, he helps the family, too. Hautman alternates the story-telling, letting both Evan and Dog tell their side of the story, an adventure in love and loss and, yes, also, hope and growing up. It's wonderful to be able to journey along! 

                  

         When you grew up, or perhaps when one of your parents grew up, was there a 'family' table that people treasured, making many memories there, at mealtimes, at big gatherings, or the regular ones? It seems to be what many remember! This book, written by  Wiley Blevins, raised in West Virginia, and Winsome Bingham, who immigrated as a child from Jamaica to the U.S. South, shows the joys and sorrows that happen around one table. For a long time at the table, a coal-mining family sits and eats, dyes Easter eggs, sews, and laughs, living their lives. Though they aren't rich with money, they are rich with love. Then, coal mines begin to close, and still, the bills arrive. The family must leave their home–and the table. 

         Later, a second family, driving home, spot a table (see that cover!). The father is a carpenter, brakes fast, and jumps out to examine it, sees that it's a unique piece of wood, well made. The memories begin again, as you can imagine, and one child wonders if sometimes, in the past, another child sat at the table. The table remembers! And Jason Griffin's illustrations show this history with loving expression. There are very personal letters from the authors and Griffin at the end. 

        What a wonderful thing it could be to have students write of personal memories at their tables! My brother uses our grandmother's beautiful round oak table, and he and I, along with our cousins, all have memories of sitting there for holidays or summer visits, doing projects! 

        Lives may vary, but no matter those differences, there is much that is similar within all of us, the love in families, sharing the time together, often around a table! 

 

         I love every book written by Atinuke, and now she and Angela Brooksbank collaborate again as they did on B Is For Baby and other "Baby" books. Here, Atinuke

takes us on a day's journey with a family, father, mother, four children, one a baby, on their way to the city, "L is for Lagos"! They come from a rural area, see "Lazy Lions", and a "Lonely Leopard", are "Lucky" to catch a bus after walking a while. Oh, my, the people and the jungle, then comes the city, which is "Large" and "Loud" as they "Listen". The story, with not many words, is told cleverly, weaving the appropriate "L" words in to tell about this exciting day, as Angela Brooksbank's lushly colored illustrations fill the pages with people and nature and city crowds surrounded by "large" buildings. One double-page spread is one where I Looked and Looked, a market with people selling and preparing and eating. And, the story, the "Last" (my "L" word) message is no matter where, "L is for Love"! 

        On a personal note, I also love the book because L is also for "Linda", my name! 

       It's a re-read, yet I'd forgotten most of it! This is the book that is said to have lifted Agatha Christie into the realm of "best" mystery writer, at least during her time. It also was criticized for breaking the rules of mysteries. You'll see. It's a curious story that will shock!

       Happy Reading! 

Poetry Friday - Fill Them Up

         It's Poetry Friday, and Mary Lee Hahn is hosting HERE at A(nother) Year of Reading.  Until you read her poem, you haven't seen anything, yet! Thanks for hosting, Mary Lee!

        I hope your holiday times have been filled with loving memories! Happy New Year!

  

            My family and I had a lovely holiday, and now it's a new year, when I am most often excited about what that will bring. However, when hearing news of yesterday's horrific tragedy in New Orleans, I am saddened by this beginning, sorry most for those whose loved ones were killed, sorry for those injured, for those who are witnesses, sad for those who now must take care of all of it to investigate, to assess what went terribly wrong. You all know some of those will miss any sort of calmness these coming weeks, maybe all the year. I am sad for everyone who had to hear this news. 

            I tried to write about it and it felt somehow that I was pre-empting those who were there and most affected. So, I have a box full of words, went to it, wanting to write something to start 2025. It's one of those prompts that one rarely knows what will emerge, but I had fun with it, a kind of day-dreaming about the subject. I'm sure that "THEY" will hold dreams for good times in 2025, too! You'll see!

                                                     Pet Bowl Stock photos by Vecteezy

Bowls-Defined

 

Bowls full-fill our lives,

 

Emptied by the hungry:

             Soup-slurpers

             Cereal-crunchers

             Tea-tasters,

Used by the organizers:

            Key-keepers

            Coin-savers

            Shell-collectors

Savored by the cooks:

           Sugar-sweeteners

           Cake-mixers

           Salt-pinchers

Chomped by the pets:

          Dog-lappers

          Fish-swimmers

          Cat-munchers

Created by the artists

         Wheel-turners

         Clay-bakers

         Pine needle weavers

Variety is the spice of life

         and bowls.

           Linda Baie ©