busiest place in town?

What a busy day. A somewhat rainy Friday afternoon and the library is full of people.

baby bibs

I am on summer vacation, but I seem to have plenty to do. Part of it is self-inflicted because I want to feel like I am doing something with all my time. And really, when I am not working it is a good chance to get some projects done. So one of my goals is to complete 10 baby bibs. Then when I need a baby gift I have something to pull out of my box to add to a children's book or two. These are two baby bibs I made this spring...so when I get done with my ten (I have five finished already) I will have a dozen. The bibs aren't hard to make if you have sewing experience. The thing that takes the longest is the binding. If you like to sew you can look at this link on my sister's blog and get the directions to make them yourself.

Do you have any summer projects?

The Mountain Between Us

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin is the book I stayed up until midnight reading the other night. I had gotten to a part where I really wanted to know what happened and didn't want to skip ahead just to find out what happened. The story is about Ben Payne and Ashley Knox. Ben and Ashley want to get home, but it is January in Utah, and there is a winter storm. Ben finds a pilot with a charter plane that will fly them out. After the plane crashes, Ben has to figure out how to survive and get out of there. At first, the story reminded me of The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, but as I continued reading it is really more about Ben's life. Not my favorite book by Martin, but it was a good story, and I would recommend it. It would be a good book to read with a book club as well.

love

Saving Sarah Cain is a great movie based on a novel written by Beverly Lewis. It is a story about love and forgiveness that could make you cry. I watched it over a year ago and then I watched it again last Friday. It might be one of those movies that I will watch every year or so.

some quotes from the picture book Love is a Good Thing to Feel by Barbara Joose
"Love is a good thing to feel. It makes a party in your heart." and "Loving someone is like a maraschino cherry. It makes everything just a little bit better." and a card made by Clair

Children's Book Week

May 10-16 is Children's Book Week. Even if you don't have children, these are some books you might enjoy reading.All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan is a fantastic picture book. I happened upon this book when I was teaching fourth grade in California, and then my friend gave it to me for my birthday. The illustrations are painted by Mike Wimmer. Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan is a novel. Ryan writes about Naomi who lives in California and doesn't have a perfect family. She wishes things were different but finds some contentment in the way life is. Journey by Patricia MacLachlan is the story of a boy named Journey and his sister Cat. MacLachlan weaves together the story of Journey, his sister, his grandparents, and his absent mother. The characters are strong and believable. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan is a book I could read over and over again. If you have only watched the movie, you are missing the strength of the story that MacLachlan conveys in words.

Actually, I would recommend any novel that MacLachlan has written. She does a great job of telling stories and making the characters believable.

Do you have any favorite children's novels that appeal to adults as well as children?

Listen

Listen by Rene Gutteridge is a novel I read back in March. It is about a small community, Marlo, where someone is eavesdropping on private conversations and putting them online for the entire town to read. It causes all sorts of problems between friends and neighbors and no one is sure if they can trust their friends. A captivating story that makes you think about the power of words. This is not a lighthearted novel like some of other Gutteridge's books, but definitely worth reading. This would have been a great book to read and discuss with my book club.