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The Poppy Lady

Have you ever received a handmade tissue-paper poppy in exchange for a donation to the American Legion outside of a store on Memorial or Veteran’s Day? Have you ever stopped to wonder, “Where did that practice come from?” The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans, by Barbara Elizabeth Walsh, paintings by [...]

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Summer Fun Ahead: a Picture Book Tour

We have some big plans for the summer, which Emily will share tomorrow.  For today, here are some great picture books that tie in with some of the themes we’re going to explore.  Such as TRAVEL The Not-for-Parents Travel Book, Lonely Planet Publications, 2011, 207 pages.  Age/interest level: 6-up. Australians are probably the greatest travelers [...]

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Steaming into Sunset: an Interview with Sherri Rinker

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (see our review here) hurled Sherri Rinker’s star into the picture-book firmament.  Accepted by the first publisher she submitted it to, the cheerful tale of five construction vehicles settling down for the night went on to become one of the top-selling picture books of 2011.  Now the same talented team (Sherri [...]

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Hail and Farewell, Part 2: Russell Hoban

As noted in last Tuesday’s post, I encountered Maurice Sendak when I was myself a child.  My acquaintance with Russell Hoban had to wait until I had children of my own, and we met over that classic childhood dilemma: going to bed and staying there.  Bedtime for Frances, published in 1960, introduced a self-willed, imaginative, [...]

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A Novel in Verse and Verse in a Novel

We’re rounding out our Poetry Month coverage with three books for middle-graders: Gone Fishing: a Novel in Verse, by Tamera Will Wissinger, illustrated by Matthew Cordell.  Houghton Mifflin, 2013, 120 pages.  Age/interest level: 6-up. The night before, Sam and his dad hunted night crawlers: Grass slick/ Worms thick/ tiptoe near and grab them quick. (Tercet [...]

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Inspiring (very) young artists

God is a God of words and pictures. He has revealed Himself to us through words in Scripture and visually in creation, and made us in his image to reflect his beauty both ways. Some folks love words, some are gifted in pictures, a few are talented at both, and others excel through other means [...]

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Poetry Anthologies

A good poetry anthology is like going to a friend’s house with a basket, and being told, “Oh, you must read this one, and this one, and THIS one is my favorite!” as the bounty overflows.  Going to another friend’s house with another basket will introduce you to some of the same treasures, but different ones [...]

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Waxing Poetic: a pop quiz and some homework from the teacher

It’s National Poetry Month! Who cares, right? Well, YOU should care. Not because it’s “National Poetry Month,” per se, but because poetry is worth enjoying and learning more about. Why? Well, for one, Scripture is full of poetry–and not merely in the Psalms, either. Poetry is often an expression of deep, intimate emotion or experience, [...]

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Final Four (Plus One)

This post should have gone up during March Madness, but even if the NCAA tournament is over this weekend, the NBA has few months to run.  And we have new basketball books, from the history of the game to the joy of playing! H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination, by Christopher Meyer.  Edgemont, 2012, [...]

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Tricksters and Fools

It’s a great honor for me to be joining Redeemed Reader! The only thing more fun than reading a great book is sharing it with someone else, so to start off, here’s a collection suitable for April Fool’s Day. Trickster tales are known in almost every culture, with many variations and retellings. The book of [...]

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10 Gardening Books: a Librarian’s List

I’m honored to be contributing to Redeemed Reader! It seems fitting to start off with a “Librarian’s List” of sorts. Megan and I called these “Weekly Round-ups” on Literaritea; essentially it’s a list of great books on a similar topic, often ranging in age/reading level, with one general introduction. Our Easter list last week was [...]

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