Walk and Read

My library system does this really cool thing where we put up picture books at parks around the county for families to read while they go for a walk.

It looks a little like this:



Before this year I think the signs were put up at a park or two over the weekend at the beginning of spring and there would be a party for folks to attend. 

Because of the pandemic the lead person in charge of the project, which is called Walk and Read, decided to change things up a bit. And I'm also on the committee now! We've been putting up the stories at two different parks each month and plan to keep going through October. At each park we put up two stories so patrons can read one story when they walk in one direction, and when they turn around, they can read another story going the opposite way.

It's been a lot of fun putting the stories together, and I've enjoyed all the park hopping.

I have two desks in my office - a built-in desk that goes the entire length of one wall and my Grandpa's desk, which sits in the middle of the room. I've been using my Grandpa's desk for the project and it's been a lovely and inviting mess to walk into each day I start work.

We chop up two copies of each book and paste them on poster board with decorative paper. Another person laminates all the signs and then we tape them to foam board before putting them in real estate sign holders. Then, after two weeks, we disassemble the boards and put up new books at a different park. Easy as pie and lots of fun. I know a few patrons who have been park hopping too, following the stories across the county.

wild dogs

The wild dogs in my neighborhood have started to take over the playgrounds.

The slide is the only place that's safe from their curiosity.

Around and Around and Around

I just finished an embroidery piece! I've been chugging along on this piece for several months now, picking it up whenever I needed a bit of peace. Nothing but peace and happiness went into this. I can't say I'll do spirals again anytime soon, but they were fun to do, and I didn't have to undo and redo very many of them. I used thread from my bits and pieces bin, and I pretty much used the colors until I ran out of them. I also used only one stitch, my favorite split stitch. A split stitch is very handy for curves! 

I'm including the drawing I did to test out whether I liked making spirals or not. I had to stop myself from continuing it. Drawing spirals is just as much fun as sewing them!

Favorite June Reads

My library reopened a little over a week ago, which was good news for me because I had run out of physical books some time ago and was on the last few ebooks and eaudio books on my digital list. One thing I haven't been able to read since March have been picture books. Those just don't exist in digital format and it's really not the same in the few cases that they do. As soon as the library opened I placed holds on both my personal and professional library cards and also Robert's. We have a limit of 30 items per card, and that's just not enough for me right now. I've been spending a large amount of time since the reopening surrounded by picture books and drinking lots of tea. It's really one of the best ways to spend time. Like lots of other libraries, my library has been quarantining books for 72 hours, and lovingly cleaning each book before it enters my home has gone from this sporadic thing I did to part of the reading routine. Here are my June favorites - enjoy!

Alphabreaths by Christopher Willard and illustrated by Daniel Rechtschaffen (Picture Book)

Great for picking a couple breathing exercises at a time or mixing them in with some yoga. The instructions for each exercise are simple, beautifully illustrated, and a lot of fun to try. Favorites include alligator breath, cake breath, gratitude breath, teddy bear breath, and voice breath.

Nana Akua Goes to School by Tricia Elam Walker and illustrated by April Harrison (Picture Book)

The story is heartwarming and inspirational. To take an insecurity in oneself/family and turn it into this beautiful thing that can connect others gives me such a feeling of hope. The illustrations are some of the best I've ever seen. I've never picked up a book so many times. Each time I pick it up I feel like I'm a part of its story and completely lose myself in its powerful message and illustrations.

Green on Green by Dianne White and illustrated by Felicita Sala (Picture Book)

A sing-songy book about all seasons. The illustrations are lovely, the words are easy to read and understand, and there are so many opportunities to talk about colors and how we experience the seasons with our families. I can't wait to read it at storytime.