October is Pumpkin Patch Month and every year I help my friends at Bettencourt Family Farms welcome children who come to pick out a special pumpkin for a class project. And, every year I treat myself to a new pumpkin-themed book. I’m happy to share my new seasonal favorite on Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture […]
Field Trips
Rainbow Weaver – Perfect Picture Book Friday
RAINBOW WEAVER – Perfect Picture Book Friday Hi Friends, grab your passport and Spanish dictionary– I’m linking up with Perfect Picture Book Friday with a book set in a very special Guatemalan location. Title: Rainbow Weaver Tejedora del Arcoiris Written by: Linda Elovitz Marshall Illustrated by: Elisa Chavarri Translated by: Eida de la Vega Published […]
Hey, Hey, Hay! Perfect Picture Book Friday
Hi Friends, Don’t you love this time of year? Everything is so fresh and green. My daily drive takes me through the countryside and I’ve been watching the hay grow, and grow, and grow! Today I’m joining Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Friday to share a perfect book that’s all about hay! Title: Hey, […]
International Book Giving Day
Today is International Book Giving Day and I decided to go international this year. I’m packing up and taking these books to the El Faro Library in Nicaragua. As a bonus, I won the grand prize from the Multicultural Children’s Book Day twitter party! This diverse collection of books will got to […]
Lost!
Lost? Then you need a map! Lucy in the City by Julie Dillemuth (author) and Laura Wood (illustrator) Magination Press Lucy and her raccoon family head out into the night in search of dinner. Lucy is so busy licking the jar of peanut butter that she doesn’t hear her father say “Time to go!” She […]
C is for Cities
I live in rural America but love to visit cities to get my fill of museums, theaters, restaurants, and shops. Today I am sharing a great book for those who love the excitement of being in the city. 50 Cities of the U.S.A. written and researched by Gabrielle Balkan Illustrated by Sol Linero Wide […]
Forest World by Margarita Engle – a Field Trip review #ownvoices #diversekidlit
There’s always reason to celebrate when a new book by U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate and author Margarita Engle is released. We are doubly fortunate this week because two new books have become available! Forest World (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) is her latest middle grade verse novel which follows the journey Cuban-born but U.S. raised Edver […]
Total Eclipse Field Trip – where will you be?
I think most people in the continental United States will be taking a field trip on Monday, August 21st. Of course, everyone will be looking up (with protective eye gear) at the solar eclipse. (poster made by Rainbow Symphony) Yes, I’ll be one of the multitude heading to the total eclipse band in Central Oregon […]
Twelve ways to make summer last
According to my calendar (and Google), summer began on June 20th and will end on September 22nd. This means, by my calculations, that today should be considered midsummer. When I was a child, school always began after Labor Day. Around here, many schools will be starting this week with temperatures in the 100’s! It just […]
N is for Nicaragua and the library we built #atozblogchallenge
Welcome to today’s A to Z Blog Challenge Post. This year I am writing about Library Love and today I’d like to share a library near and dear to my heart. When you step away from your normal routine, amazing things can happen. Last year a friend invited me to go on a woman’s retreat […]
E is for Egypt #atozchallenge
Welcome to Day 5 of the #AtoZchallenge where I am exploring the library world in alphabetical order. E is for Egypt One of the mysteries of the ancient world centers around the Royal Library in the port city of Alexandria, Egypt. It is believed that scholar Demetrious of Phalerum, convinced Ptolemy I Soter (a […]
Field Trip Friday – book review and a visit to the jail
I normally read and review kid lit but at least once a month I enjoy reading and sharing an adult book with my book club. Carmen, my November co-hostess, and I decided to include a field trip with our selection: Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2015) Based on a […]
Field Trip – Feeling Fallish
It doesn’t seem possible that October is over. I have been traveling most of the month and I am happy to announce that I experienced my first real fall. Fall in Southern California is marked by high temperatures and hot winds known as the Santa Anas. This increases the risk of fire so we pray […]
Field Trip Notes: Staycation Edition
Looking back over my calendar I realized that I didn’t travel at all during the month of June. I am always going somewhere so this seemed really odd. I guess you could call it a stay-cation. First of all, the Kings River water was released from the dam. Since we have been in a drought […]
Y is for Yawk Yawk and You!
Welcome to Day Y of the A to Z Blog Challenge. The Yawk Yawk of the Australian Indigenous Aboriginal culture are among the most interesting of the world’s mermaids. Aboriginal art prints by Leslie Nawirridj in the traditional style of the Kunwinjku Aboriginal people of the Northern Territory of Australia. Yawk Yawk is an […]