Aileen Stewart's Blog, page 18
February 22, 2016
An Uncommon February
For those of you who are familiar with Ohio weather in February, you know it is usually cold, snowy, and extremely dreary. But this past week we have had an uncommonly mild week. So mild in fact, that on Saturday it was almost seventy. That also happened to be the day of the Richland Public Health Department's Winter Walk for Health. They were sponsoring the walk at three separate locations and we chose to walk at Malabar Farms the former home of Louis Bromfield.
We walked the one mile Doris Duke Trail and had the unexpected pleasure of being the only hikers on that particular trail. We took our time. We took pictures. We enjoyed nature and each other. And quite possible, Emily heard a Who.
We had an uncommonly good time on our uncommonly warm February walk. And it just so happens, that I also read an uncommonly good book as well. A book titled This Is The Rope by Jacqueline Woodson. I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Woodson last May at the Hudson Children's Book Festival, and I wish I had read this book previously so I could have told her how much I enjoyed it.
It is the story of one family's migration from South Carolina to New York and a piece of old rope that ties the generations together. Ms. Woodson expertly weaves a tale of the many uses of the piece of rope, a tale that starts with a new mother and ends when that same woman is a grandmother. It is a story I heartily recommend for children of all ages.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Drop by the Literacy Musings Monday blog hop where you will find other great literary blogs. 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
We walked the one mile Doris Duke Trail and had the unexpected pleasure of being the only hikers on that particular trail. We took our time. We took pictures. We enjoyed nature and each other. And quite possible, Emily heard a Who.
We had an uncommonly good time on our uncommonly warm February walk. And it just so happens, that I also read an uncommonly good book as well. A book titled This Is The Rope by Jacqueline Woodson. I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Woodson last May at the Hudson Children's Book Festival, and I wish I had read this book previously so I could have told her how much I enjoyed it.
It is the story of one family's migration from South Carolina to New York and a piece of old rope that ties the generations together. Ms. Woodson expertly weaves a tale of the many uses of the piece of rope, a tale that starts with a new mother and ends when that same woman is a grandmother. It is a story I heartily recommend for children of all ages.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Drop by the Literacy Musings Monday blog hop where you will find other great literary blogs. 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
February 15, 2016
Life and Books
Life is like the tide with ebb and flow. Some weeks are restful with not much going on and others are chock full of busy and interesting events. This past week was one of those busy weeks. Emily attended not one, but two pizza birthday parties. We also attended Cook Book Club where the theme was casseroles. She chose to make our family's version of goulash and I made bread pudding out of a box of stale yeast donuts. I wasn't sure how well bread pudding would go across, but much to my surprise, the dish was empty when I went to retrieve it.
In addition, I had a book signing at a local store downtown. My friend Connie, who owns the local Avon store Connie's Place, hosted a children's day resplendent with balloons, face painting, and a cookie decorating station run by Emily. While the children waited their turn to have their faces painted, I read to them from Quack and Daisy.
During our school week, we started a new unit in Social Studies about going West. Emily was pretty excited about the fact that I found a fun online game called Wetward Trail for her to play. So it only seemed appropriate to read a book from my library pile called Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails by the esteemed blue board creator at the SCBWI, Verla Kay.
Told in beautifully flowing rhyme, the story follows a family of three on their long journey west. Through hardships including foul weather, rocky mountains, and parched land, they forged on until they found their own promise land. Although this book is over fifteen years old, it is well worth the search.
Another great book about traveling west is a book titled, Apples To Oregon - Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains, that I reviewed two years ago. Apples to Oregon is a terribly funny story of the pioneers traveling there and the cargo they brought. Even the title is funny claiming to be slightly true. So if you want a bit of history told in a fun manner, you really need to check out this realistic fictional piece!
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Drop by the Literacy Musings Monday blog hop where you will find other great literary blogs. 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
In addition, I had a book signing at a local store downtown. My friend Connie, who owns the local Avon store Connie's Place, hosted a children's day resplendent with balloons, face painting, and a cookie decorating station run by Emily. While the children waited their turn to have their faces painted, I read to them from Quack and Daisy.
During our school week, we started a new unit in Social Studies about going West. Emily was pretty excited about the fact that I found a fun online game called Wetward Trail for her to play. So it only seemed appropriate to read a book from my library pile called Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails by the esteemed blue board creator at the SCBWI, Verla Kay.
Told in beautifully flowing rhyme, the story follows a family of three on their long journey west. Through hardships including foul weather, rocky mountains, and parched land, they forged on until they found their own promise land. Although this book is over fifteen years old, it is well worth the search.
Another great book about traveling west is a book titled, Apples To Oregon - Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains, that I reviewed two years ago. Apples to Oregon is a terribly funny story of the pioneers traveling there and the cargo they brought. Even the title is funny claiming to be slightly true. So if you want a bit of history told in a fun manner, you really need to check out this realistic fictional piece!
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Drop by the Literacy Musings Monday blog hop where you will find other great literary blogs. 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
Life is like the tide with ebb and flow. Some weeks are r...
Life is like the tide with ebb and flow. Some weeks are restful with not much going on and others are chock full of busy and interesting events. This past week was one of those busy weeks. Emily attended not one, but two pizza birthday parties. We also attended Cook Book Club where the theme was casseroles. She chose to make our family's version of goulash and I made bread pudding out of a box of stale yeast donuts. I wasn't sure how well bread pudding would go across, but much to my surprise, the dish was empty when I went to retrieve it.
In addition, I had a book signing at a local store downtown. My friend Connie, who owns the local Avon store Connie's Place, hosted a children's day resplendent with balloons, face painting, and a cookie decorating station run by Emily. While the children waited their turn to have their faces painted, I read to them from Quack and Daisy.
During our school week, we started a new unit in Social Studies about going West. Emily was pretty excited about the fact that I found a fun online game called Wetward Trail for her to play. So it only seemed appropriate to read a book from my library pile called Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails by the esteemed blue board creator at the SCBWI, Verla Kay.
Told in beautifully flowing rhyme, the story follows a family of three on their long journey west. Through hardships including foul weather, rocky mountains, and parched land, they forged on until they found their own promise land. Although this book is over fifteen years old, it is well worth the search.
Another great book about traveling west is a book titled, Apples To Oregon - Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains, that I reviewed two years ago. Apples to Oregon is a terribly funny story of the pioneers traveling there and the cargo they brought. Even the title is funny claiming to be slightly true. So if you want a bit of history told in a fun manner, you really need to check out this realistic fictional piece!
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Drop by the Literacy Musings Monday blog hop where you will find other great literary blogs. 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
In addition, I had a book signing at a local store downtown. My friend Connie, who owns the local Avon store Connie's Place, hosted a children's day resplendent with balloons, face painting, and a cookie decorating station run by Emily. While the children waited their turn to have their faces painted, I read to them from Quack and Daisy.
During our school week, we started a new unit in Social Studies about going West. Emily was pretty excited about the fact that I found a fun online game called Wetward Trail for her to play. So it only seemed appropriate to read a book from my library pile called Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails by the esteemed blue board creator at the SCBWI, Verla Kay.
Told in beautifully flowing rhyme, the story follows a family of three on their long journey west. Through hardships including foul weather, rocky mountains, and parched land, they forged on until they found their own promise land. Although this book is over fifteen years old, it is well worth the search.
Another great book about traveling west is a book titled, Apples To Oregon - Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains, that I reviewed two years ago. Apples to Oregon is a terribly funny story of the pioneers traveling there and the cargo they brought. Even the title is funny claiming to be slightly true. So if you want a bit of history told in a fun manner, you really need to check out this realistic fictional piece!
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Drop by the Literacy Musings Monday blog hop where you will find other great literary blogs. 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
February 8, 2016
It's Time For The Valentiny Contest.
Kudos to the lovely and talented Susanna Leonard Hill and her most excellent contests for writers. This week she is hosting the Valentiny Contest where each participant has been instructed to write a valentine story for children under the age of twelve in 214 words or less.
And believe it or not, my word count came out to 214 exactly! So as instructed, here is my entry for the contest. I hope you all enjoy.
Grumpy’s Secret Valentine
Grumpy Bear hammered ferociously and stepped back to look at his progress. He didn’t smile, but he did look satisfied with the sign he had just nailed to his fence. It read__ KEEP OUT!
Grumpy Bear, whose real name was Harold, hadn’t always been grumpy. At one time he had been cheerful. That was, until his true love Genevieve moved away. Her father had been offered a job beyond the mountain and that was the last Harold ever saw her.
As days passed, he became grumpier and grumpier. He became so grumpy that even the mail man tried to avoid him, which wasn’t difficult since he never received any mail.
But one day that changed. The mailman stared in amazement at a pretty pink envelope smelling of roses. It was addressed to Harold. The astounded mailman slowly walked to the gate and held it out.
Harold was equally surprised. Gently, he pulled out a heart shaped Valentine. It was signed__Your Secret Admirer. Harold blinked and looked around. Just then he saw Genevieve walking down the street.
She told him she was the new teacher and would be living just around the corner. Harold’s face lit up with a smile that went from ear to ear. After that, no one ever called him Grumpy again.
Love and Chocolate
It's almost Valentine's Day and that means an extra helping of love and chocolate. It also means our local library's annual Chocolate Lovers Bake Off. Emily and I are both super excited to enter this year. For Emily, deciding what she wanted to enter came easily because our recent television viewing choice has been episodes of Cupcake Wars on Netflix. She mentioned chocolate cupcakes with strawberry filling and chocolate frosting. I mentioned chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cheesecake filling, chocolate frosting, and a mini peanut butter cup on top. She wasn't sure which she wanted to make, so we decided she would do a practice run and send them to work with my husband. And here is a great cooking tip: If you have a hand held apple corer, it also works great for coring cupcakes!
Both turned out exceptionally well and everyone at my husband's work place agreed. Emily decided she wanted to enter her original choice with strawberry filling, so I am going to enter the peanut butter cheesecake filled ones as well as double chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Even if we don't win, it will have been a totally delicious experience!
Since it is almost Valentine's Day, it is definitely time for some wonderful love related books. One of my favorite is Hugs and Kisses by Christophe Loupy. In this story, Hugs the puppy sets out early one morning while his family is still sleeping because he has something he needs to find out. The kind farm animals along the way help him with his requests and when he returns to the barn and his family he finds the answer for which he was looking! I don't want to give away what he was looking for because it is an integral part of the story, and you may have to buy a copy through a third party Amazon vendor since it is an older book, but it is well worth it.
For those of you who have small children, some great board book choices are Guess How Much I Love You and I Love You With All My Heart. Both of these books are a bit older as well, but Guess How Much I Love You has become a classic and is still going strong with it's wonderful illustrations and it's compelling story of the love between a father and his child.
And last but not least, in honor of our filled cupcakes, a book about filled donuts and a favorite from our younger years, Minnie and Moo - The Case of The Missing Jelly Donut. When Emily was in First Grade, the Minnie and Moo series was one of her all time favorites. Sometimes quite smart and sometimes not, Minnie and Moo always kept up laughing with their antics as they tried to solve each new dilemma. In this story, Minnie's jelly donut is missing and Moo is sure it has been stolen. They set out to catch the culprit but in the end find out it has been nearby all along.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
Both turned out exceptionally well and everyone at my husband's work place agreed. Emily decided she wanted to enter her original choice with strawberry filling, so I am going to enter the peanut butter cheesecake filled ones as well as double chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Even if we don't win, it will have been a totally delicious experience!
Since it is almost Valentine's Day, it is definitely time for some wonderful love related books. One of my favorite is Hugs and Kisses by Christophe Loupy. In this story, Hugs the puppy sets out early one morning while his family is still sleeping because he has something he needs to find out. The kind farm animals along the way help him with his requests and when he returns to the barn and his family he finds the answer for which he was looking! I don't want to give away what he was looking for because it is an integral part of the story, and you may have to buy a copy through a third party Amazon vendor since it is an older book, but it is well worth it.
For those of you who have small children, some great board book choices are Guess How Much I Love You and I Love You With All My Heart. Both of these books are a bit older as well, but Guess How Much I Love You has become a classic and is still going strong with it's wonderful illustrations and it's compelling story of the love between a father and his child.
And last but not least, in honor of our filled cupcakes, a book about filled donuts and a favorite from our younger years, Minnie and Moo - The Case of The Missing Jelly Donut. When Emily was in First Grade, the Minnie and Moo series was one of her all time favorites. Sometimes quite smart and sometimes not, Minnie and Moo always kept up laughing with their antics as they tried to solve each new dilemma. In this story, Minnie's jelly donut is missing and Moo is sure it has been stolen. They set out to catch the culprit but in the end find out it has been nearby all along.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
February 1, 2016
Something New Bookwise!
This week was a pretty relaxing week and the only thing I really did out of the ordinary was to attend a meeting at the Health department this past Friday. It was a meeting about what is allowed or not allowed at a Farmer's Market. It was a good meeting and I gained answers to some questions I had been pondering. I and some of my vendors need to tweak our baked good labels a little bit; but other then that, I think it is safe to say we are ODA compliant.
This week I also did something a little out of the ordinary literarily speaking. I started listening to an audio chapter book titled, The Map Trap. I am only on chapter seven of this fabulous book by Andrew Clements, but already I am riveted to the drama unfolding as the narrator expertly helps the pictures in my mind come to life. It is the story of boy named Alton who is obsessed with maps. His map obsession comes honestly and from before his birth when his parents chose his name from a location on a map. The story of his naming seemed to inspire his relatives to send him maps or map related gifts, thus promoting a love for maps and the different information maps could hold.
As Alton grows, he not only continues to collect maps and wear map related clothing, he also starts to draw maps. Not ordinary maps. But maps like what he thinks the brain of his new teacher contains. When they disappear from Alton's cubby, he realizes that if they fall into the wrong hands, people may not understand and feelings will be hurt.
I can hardly wait for the next chapter to see how Alton goes about trying to recover his stolen maps, and I suggest you rush over to your local library and see if they have a copy you and your young readers can listen too. And if that isn't an option, I'm sure a hardback copy will have to suffice.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
This week I also did something a little out of the ordinary literarily speaking. I started listening to an audio chapter book titled, The Map Trap. I am only on chapter seven of this fabulous book by Andrew Clements, but already I am riveted to the drama unfolding as the narrator expertly helps the pictures in my mind come to life. It is the story of boy named Alton who is obsessed with maps. His map obsession comes honestly and from before his birth when his parents chose his name from a location on a map. The story of his naming seemed to inspire his relatives to send him maps or map related gifts, thus promoting a love for maps and the different information maps could hold.
As Alton grows, he not only continues to collect maps and wear map related clothing, he also starts to draw maps. Not ordinary maps. But maps like what he thinks the brain of his new teacher contains. When they disappear from Alton's cubby, he realizes that if they fall into the wrong hands, people may not understand and feelings will be hurt.
I can hardly wait for the next chapter to see how Alton goes about trying to recover his stolen maps, and I suggest you rush over to your local library and see if they have a copy you and your young readers can listen too. And if that isn't an option, I'm sure a hardback copy will have to suffice.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
This week was a pretty relaxing week and the only thing I...
This week was a pretty relaxing week and the only thing I really did out of the ordinary was to attend a meeting at the Health department this past Friday. It was a meeting about what is allowed or not allowed at a Farmer's Market. It was a good meeting and I gained answers to some questions I had been pondering. I and some of my vendors need to tweak our baked good labels a little bit; but other then that, I think it is safe to say we are ODA compliant.
This week I also did something a little out of the ordinary literarily speaking. I started listening to an audio chapter book titled, The Map Trap. I am only on chapter seven of this fabulous book by Andrew Clements, but already I am riveted to the drama unfolding as the narrator expertly helps the pictures in my mind come to life. It is the story of boy named Alton who is obsessed with maps. His map obsession comes honestly and from before his birth when his parents chose his name from a location on a map. The story of his naming seemed to inspire his relatives to send him maps or map related gifts, thus promoting a love for maps and the different information maps could hold.
As Alton grows, he not only continues to collect maps and wear map related clothing, he also starts to draw maps. Not ordinary maps. But maps like what he thinks the brain of his new teacher contains. When they disappear from Alton's cubby, he realizes that if they fall into the wrong hands, people may not understand and feelings will be hurt.
I can hardly wait for the next chapter to see how Alton goes about trying to recover his stolen maps, and I suggest you rush over to your local library and see if they have a copy you and your young readers can listen too. And if that isn't an option, I'm sure a hardback copy will have to suffice.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
This week I also did something a little out of the ordinary literarily speaking. I started listening to an audio chapter book titled, The Map Trap. I am only on chapter seven of this fabulous book by Andrew Clements, but already I am riveted to the drama unfolding as the narrator expertly helps the pictures in my mind come to life. It is the story of boy named Alton who is obsessed with maps. His map obsession comes honestly and from before his birth when his parents chose his name from a location on a map. The story of his naming seemed to inspire his relatives to send him maps or map related gifts, thus promoting a love for maps and the different information maps could hold.
As Alton grows, he not only continues to collect maps and wear map related clothing, he also starts to draw maps. Not ordinary maps. But maps like what he thinks the brain of his new teacher contains. When they disappear from Alton's cubby, he realizes that if they fall into the wrong hands, people may not understand and feelings will be hurt.
I can hardly wait for the next chapter to see how Alton goes about trying to recover his stolen maps, and I suggest you rush over to your local library and see if they have a copy you and your young readers can listen too. And if that isn't an option, I'm sure a hardback copy will have to suffice.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
January 25, 2016
Busy, Birthdays, and Books
This past week found me very busy schooling, taking my mom to an eye appointment, and getting ready for not one, but two birthday parties. Why was I planning two birthday parties for my daughter you ask. Simply because circumstances dictated it. My daughter has a friend in the neighborhood whom she adores, but who is two years younger then all of her other friends. She also has two local friends who don't know any of her schools friends, and she has one school friend who eats gluten free.
Are you following so far? Emily really wanted to have chocolate cake for her birthday, but that wouldn't work for the gluten free friend. She also didn't know how well her younger friend would get along with the large group of older girls, especially when she wouldn't know any of them and they would all know each other.
So, I hosted a small cozy birthday party on Friday for our neighbor and the other two local girls. We ordered pizza, had cake, had ice-cream, and had party punch. The girls all played, had a fabulous time, and we didn't have to worry about who could eat what.
On Saturday we had the big, loud, and rambunctious party which included her cousin, the girls from her former class, and girls from her current home-school class. We played bingo and hot potato. We had an ice-cream sundae bar with tons of toppings including gluten free cookies. And, they played hide and seek all over the house.
Therefore, when I looked through my pile of books to decide what to review this week, I decided to read A Tale of Two Beasts in honor of two parties. This book wasn't quite what I expected, but it was a wonderful read. The authors premise is that every story has two sides, and then there is the truth. The book is actually split into two parts to go with this premise. The first half of the story is told from the point of view of a girl, and the second half is told from the point of view of a beast. Each has a different perspective which makes this book fun, entertaining, and perfect for discussion with children. It seems to only be available used on Amazon, but it is showing up on B&N although there is no cover photo. Either way, it is worth the search.
In addition to parties and beasts, there was a whole lot of snow going on in parts of the country. I know many of my East coast friends were being hammered with the storm of the year. This prompted me to read a second book called Perfect Snow in honor of the situation. It is the story of two boys who are excited to see it has snowed out although not enough to cause school to be canceled. They eagerly await recess, but what they do with the snow is totally different. In the end, they combine their passions and create a frigid good time for all the children .
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
Are you following so far? Emily really wanted to have chocolate cake for her birthday, but that wouldn't work for the gluten free friend. She also didn't know how well her younger friend would get along with the large group of older girls, especially when she wouldn't know any of them and they would all know each other.So, I hosted a small cozy birthday party on Friday for our neighbor and the other two local girls. We ordered pizza, had cake, had ice-cream, and had party punch. The girls all played, had a fabulous time, and we didn't have to worry about who could eat what.
On Saturday we had the big, loud, and rambunctious party which included her cousin, the girls from her former class, and girls from her current home-school class. We played bingo and hot potato. We had an ice-cream sundae bar with tons of toppings including gluten free cookies. And, they played hide and seek all over the house.
Therefore, when I looked through my pile of books to decide what to review this week, I decided to read A Tale of Two Beasts in honor of two parties. This book wasn't quite what I expected, but it was a wonderful read. The authors premise is that every story has two sides, and then there is the truth. The book is actually split into two parts to go with this premise. The first half of the story is told from the point of view of a girl, and the second half is told from the point of view of a beast. Each has a different perspective which makes this book fun, entertaining, and perfect for discussion with children. It seems to only be available used on Amazon, but it is showing up on B&N although there is no cover photo. Either way, it is worth the search.
In addition to parties and beasts, there was a whole lot of snow going on in parts of the country. I know many of my East coast friends were being hammered with the storm of the year. This prompted me to read a second book called Perfect Snow in honor of the situation. It is the story of two boys who are excited to see it has snowed out although not enough to cause school to be canceled. They eagerly await recess, but what they do with the snow is totally different. In the end, they combine their passions and create a frigid good time for all the children .
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
January 18, 2016
Soup With Friends and James To The Rescue
This week was a typical Ohio week with the temps at 15 degrees one day and 40 the next. One of the cold days happened to be this past Tuesday which was our Cook Book Club day, and the theme was soup. I took Cheesy ham and potato soup and Emily took blueberry muffins. Nothing much else of interest went on except the day Emily asked me to make her a snack platter with cheese, crackers, fruit, and veggies. I must have been board because I even broke out the cookie cutter and got fancy with the cheese.
Even though this past week was just an ordinary week, sharing hot soup on a cold day with friends was fun. Just like reading James to the Rescue was fun. James to the Rescue by Elise Broach is a wonderful early chapter book about friends. It is about a family of beetles that reminded me of the borrowers. They spend their days collecting things from the home they share with a human family and avoiding the perils of the baby with the large spoon. But one day as Marvin beetle, his father, uncle, and cousin are on a routine collection mission, his uncle gets hurt. Marvin has become friends with the older son of the house, James; and is forced to seek out his help despite the reluctance of his other family members.
James does indeed come to the rescue as the title implies but what Marvin does to repay his kindness is fun ans surprising and will not be told by me. After all, you don't want me to spoil the story do you? The only thing about this story that threw me for a few minutes was its use of present tense verbs. This is not a bad thing, just different from the past tense verb usage to which I am accustomed.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
Even though this past week was just an ordinary week, sharing hot soup on a cold day with friends was fun. Just like reading James to the Rescue was fun. James to the Rescue by Elise Broach is a wonderful early chapter book about friends. It is about a family of beetles that reminded me of the borrowers. They spend their days collecting things from the home they share with a human family and avoiding the perils of the baby with the large spoon. But one day as Marvin beetle, his father, uncle, and cousin are on a routine collection mission, his uncle gets hurt. Marvin has become friends with the older son of the house, James; and is forced to seek out his help despite the reluctance of his other family members.
James does indeed come to the rescue as the title implies but what Marvin does to repay his kindness is fun ans surprising and will not be told by me. After all, you don't want me to spoil the story do you? The only thing about this story that threw me for a few minutes was its use of present tense verbs. This is not a bad thing, just different from the past tense verb usage to which I am accustomed.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
January 11, 2016
January Flurries
The past few months here in Ohio have been a little out of the ordinary. November and December usually find us knee deep in snow and cold, but this winter has been exceptionally warm. January, however, is about to bring us some cold weather and flurries, so I am breaking out the woolly socks. January also brings a flurry of activity since we have lots of family birthdays including my daughter Emily's. Through the years I have hosted themed birthday parties for her as well as having made a parcel of fun cakes. January, it turns out is also a great time to take a trip down memory lane.
For her first birthday I used a picture from a coloring book to copy for the cake.
Then There was the Dora The Explorer year where I glued wiggly eyes on star candles I found and used a little cut out of Dora that came off of something we must have purchased Emily.
The Strawberry Shortcake year. Where as you can see my cake is a little lopsided because my writing skills are much better then my cake cutting skills.
The Jungle Theme which turned out to be my most ambitious year. The hubby brought me home lots of large cardboard and paper from work and I transformed out living room into the jungle/savanna. It's amazing what you can do with a little paint, paper, and cardboard. I hid fake diamond rings in the diamond mine and I gave the kids flashlights to find them. They also had to dig for crocodiles in the stream at the bottom of the waterfall. And of course we can forget the little red bean bags I made to feed the lion.
Next came the Barbie year followed by the spring themed year where I again made use of cardboard and paint.
The dog year was more fun with cardboard. Now that I look back, I think I have a thing for using cardboard.
And then there was the beach party year.
Birthday number nine was a Lisa Frank Birthday, and by birthday number nine I was starting to get a little tired and I__ dare I say it? I purchase cupcakes.
Last year we didn't have a party because Bobby had to travel to Japan for work. Instead, Emily and I had a birthday celebration at her favorite restaurant, The Olive Garden.
So many great birthday celebrations, but I'm not sure how ambitious I will be this year. Time will tell.
January also brought me a new book to review called Little Miss Grubby Toes Steps On A Bee. I received a copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review, and I had mixed feelings about it. I love the illustrations by Mark Wayne Adams who happens to be one of my favorite illustrators, I love the concept of letting children know that parents make rules to keep their children safe and not to spoil their fun, and I love the character who has been nick-named by her father. But what I'm not sure about is the way the author "breaks the fourth wall". I have always been told by my editors that breaking the fourth wall (otherwise known as speaking directly to the reader or audience) is to be avoided. Not everyone in the industry shares this opinion, so I guess it boils down to how well it is done and if the reader thinks the story flows smoothly or not. For me personally, when the author asked the reader things like do we think Little Miss Grubby Toes should take her shoes off when her feet are hot, seems pushy. Messages in children's books are wonderful, but they should be subtle allowing the child reading to think about what is going on in the story and to form an opinion.
Despite the breaking of the fourth wall, I was happy to see the author generate excitement at the end of the story where he gives a clue about Little Miss Grubby Toes' real name which is never mentioned in the book. How he leaves the reader with one letter of the name and promises a new clue and new letter in each forthcoming book in the series is brilliant marketing and gives the reader something to look forward to.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
For her first birthday I used a picture from a coloring book to copy for the cake.
Then There was the Dora The Explorer year where I glued wiggly eyes on star candles I found and used a little cut out of Dora that came off of something we must have purchased Emily.
The Strawberry Shortcake year. Where as you can see my cake is a little lopsided because my writing skills are much better then my cake cutting skills.
The Jungle Theme which turned out to be my most ambitious year. The hubby brought me home lots of large cardboard and paper from work and I transformed out living room into the jungle/savanna. It's amazing what you can do with a little paint, paper, and cardboard. I hid fake diamond rings in the diamond mine and I gave the kids flashlights to find them. They also had to dig for crocodiles in the stream at the bottom of the waterfall. And of course we can forget the little red bean bags I made to feed the lion.
Next came the Barbie year followed by the spring themed year where I again made use of cardboard and paint.
The dog year was more fun with cardboard. Now that I look back, I think I have a thing for using cardboard.
And then there was the beach party year.
Birthday number nine was a Lisa Frank Birthday, and by birthday number nine I was starting to get a little tired and I__ dare I say it? I purchase cupcakes.
Last year we didn't have a party because Bobby had to travel to Japan for work. Instead, Emily and I had a birthday celebration at her favorite restaurant, The Olive Garden.
So many great birthday celebrations, but I'm not sure how ambitious I will be this year. Time will tell.
January also brought me a new book to review called Little Miss Grubby Toes Steps On A Bee. I received a copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review, and I had mixed feelings about it. I love the illustrations by Mark Wayne Adams who happens to be one of my favorite illustrators, I love the concept of letting children know that parents make rules to keep their children safe and not to spoil their fun, and I love the character who has been nick-named by her father. But what I'm not sure about is the way the author "breaks the fourth wall". I have always been told by my editors that breaking the fourth wall (otherwise known as speaking directly to the reader or audience) is to be avoided. Not everyone in the industry shares this opinion, so I guess it boils down to how well it is done and if the reader thinks the story flows smoothly or not. For me personally, when the author asked the reader things like do we think Little Miss Grubby Toes should take her shoes off when her feet are hot, seems pushy. Messages in children's books are wonderful, but they should be subtle allowing the child reading to think about what is going on in the story and to form an opinion.
Despite the breaking of the fourth wall, I was happy to see the author generate excitement at the end of the story where he gives a clue about Little Miss Grubby Toes' real name which is never mentioned in the book. How he leaves the reader with one letter of the name and promises a new clue and new letter in each forthcoming book in the series is brilliant marketing and gives the reader something to look forward to.
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley, and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.
