Sturdy for Common Things

Reading Together: An Awesome Book

Regardless of age, I think everyone should read An Awesome Book by Dallas Clayton. I believe it is an important book and believe in Dallas Clayton’s An Awesome World Foundation, where every book he sells, he gives one away to promote literacy.

Awesome Book Tour from Dallas Clayton on Vimeo.

Whenever you have a free moment today or over the weekend, take a moment to read An Awesome Book in it’s entirety here. Read it by yourself, read it to your kids, read it to your nephew, read it to your dog. Read and share. Dream. Believe.

It’s awesome.

How To Write A Sentence

When I first heard this interview on NPR, I was intrigued by author Stanley Fish’s take on what he calls “the art of the sentence”. I will be the first to admit I’m not the most proficient writer, but I love to read and was quite taken by his concepts. While at work the same day, my husband also heard the article and ordered  two copies of the book, How To Write A Sentence and How To Read One by Stanley Fish, one for his best friend Mike and one for our house. Read More

Reading Together: Moon Plane

This week we’re reading Moon Plane by Peter McCarty. LBD’s Uncle Mike recently received his pilot’s license and when I saw Moon Plane at the library, I thought it would be a good story to read with her as we are all incredibly proud of his accomplishment.

The second reason I was drawn to this book was the illustrations. The illustrations are illuminating. They are simple and muted and absolutely alluring. Here are a few of my favorites… Read More

Reading Together: Growing Vegetable Soup

The book LBD and I have been reading this week is Lois Elhert’s Growing Vegetable Soup. Lois Ehlert is another wonderful author and illustrator. The story is short with dramatic colors and pictures,  perfect for a quick read before bedtime. (You know those nights when bedtime is done in light speed? When you already have a glass of wine poured, waiting for you until the little one is fast asleep… The shorter the story, the better.) Read More

Freedom

After our move from New York City to Ludington when I was pregnant I read quite frequently. During that time, I read Franzen’s famed novel The Corrections which I enjoyed, but it left me… for lack of a better word.. sad. He’s an incredible writer. I would go back and re-read paragraphs and pages I was awestruck by this guy’s talent. After all the hype including his Time Magazine cover feature as I was eager to read his latest production, Freedom. Read More

Reading Together: Toot & Puddle

I use to read Toot & Puddle by Holly Hobbie to my stortytime kids back in the day. This week, I decided to check it out at the library for LBD.  The book is about Toot, who is compelled to travel, and his friend Puddle, who prefers the comforts of home. Toot decides to leave their home in Woodcock Pocket to see the world, and the reader follows both Toot and Puddle through a year of their friendship, together and apart, at home and afar. Read More

Reading Together: My Garden

In effort to brighten up the drab and gray February day, we’ve been reading My Garden by Kevin Henkes. I’ve always been a fan of Henkes and when I first came across this book last year, LBD was merely a burgeoning bump in my belly. Nonetheless, I knew it would be a story I’d share with my daughter. The book is of a girl helping her mother in her garden, daydreaming about a garden of her very own. A garden unlike any ordinary garden. Naturally, when I read this book 7-months pregnant,  I began do a bit of daydreaming of my own. Of working in a garden, a little girl next to me, digging in a plot of dirt for her own musing. What would we be planting? Snapdragons and climbing cucumbers? Arugula? Sunflowers? And hollyhocks? What will she look like? What will she be like? What is her favorite color? Would we eat peanut butter banana sandwiches for lunch? Will I be a good mother? Will she love me?

As I read her this book, I think of that fictional day and that the answers to the majority of those questions are still unknown. She looks at me, blue, blue eyes and smiles. My heart grows. She can’t say it, but this answer I know.

I couldn’t pick one favorite line, so I picked couple:

“In my garden, the flowers could change color just by my thinking about it– pink, blue, green, purple. Even patterns.”

and

“At night, the morning glories would stay open, shining like stars, and the strawberries would glow like lanterns.”

Looking forward to Keven Henkes’ latest, Little White Rabbit.

Story Time

I can’t remember the first time I became aware of my love of reading. It’s always been apart of me and my mom is the one to thank. She would read to me daily and once I learned to read on my own, she made sure I always had a new book to read. She’s an avid reader and now I am one in the same.

Naturally, I read to my daughter now.

Right after graduating from college, I worked in the Barnes & Noble in the children’s department as Miss Becca, the story time lady. I loved this job.  In the mornings, I would read picture books to toddlers and in the afternoon I would assist young readers and mothers of young readers in finding new books, a matchmaker introducing story characters as potential new best friends.

Ever since that job a many, many years ago I’ve enjoyed Amy Krouse Rosenththal’s books. Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons is a current favorite at our house this week. To sum it up, it’s a book that explains morals through the universal language of cookies. The illustrations of the animals along with the text are hilarious.

Favorite line: “Modest means you don’t run around telling everyone you make the best cookies, even if you know it to be true.”

As an aficionado in cookie, I wish this book was around when I was little. Maybe I would have learned a thing or two.

*Image from Amazon.com