Doesn’t it seem as though there may be entire worlds that exist underground? In today’s a-z challenge I thought I’d look down, underground. In Fresno, you actually can visit an underground world, the Forestiere Underground Gardens. Baldassare Forestiere was an Italian immigrant to Central California. Between 1906 and 1946, Forestiere created and built a large […]
Places
R is for raising readers…
I never grow tired of watching a child learn to read. It is an amazing process that has determined the course of my life. There’s so much we can do to help raise readers. Here are a few suggestions: 1. Read to your children. This is simple advice but the most important. 2. Let your […]
O is for Olvera Street
This has been a week to celebrate the art of Leo Politi! Olvera Street is in the center of downtown Los Angeles. In fact, it is in the area where the City of Los Angeles was first established. Olvera Street is a tourist location – that is why it was created. It may be a […]
N is for Name
In The Name Jar, a picture book written and beautifully illustrated by Yangsook Choi, a Korean girl has a special name, Unhei. Her parents even consulted a name master when choosing her name. When Unhei and her family prepare to leave S. Korea, her grandmother gives her a wooden “chop” which has her name in Korean […]
M is for Missions
Growing up in California, the missions were a part of life. We stopped and visited if we were traveling through one of the mission cities. Like all Californian fourth grade students, I wrote a report and made a model of a mission. This tradition continues in many schools to this day. And, most schools have […]