something to warm your heart

The Caiman by Maria Eugenia Manrique and illustrated by Ramon Paris (Picture Book)

Based on a true story, The Caiman is an outrageous and charming book about an alligator named Night who was rescued by a jeweler/watchmaker, José in Venezuela. Night is absolutely precious and gentle as far as alligators go and loves to be sung to. When José passes away, Night is so overcome with grief she stops eating. Only the singing of José's wife draws Night from her grief and helps her eat and live again. A really touching story with cuddly pictures of Night living a spoiled life and enjoying the attention of all her adoring fans. 

Holy hornets!

It has been very busy for me.  I just had a four-program week at work in addition to all the other lovely library things (SO MUCH library happiness I can't stand it), and I am immersed in personal projects galore.  I do not have time to read, but books are my fuel and once I open a good book, I'm completely gone.  I have been reading so many good books!  Don't the books know I don't have time for them to be amazing?  The books aren't listening! 

I recognize I have a problem though.  When Robert asked what I was going to do to celebrate the end of a crazy, crazy week, I told him I was rewarding myself with a trip to a local bookstore.  He didn't even say a word.  That's a good husband, right there.

Here are reviews of just a few of the stellar books I've read in the last couple of weeks.  

Better with Butter By Victoria Piontek (Juvenile Fiction)

Grade Level: 3-7.  Marvel has a lot of anxiety and it's affecting her friendships, grades, and ability to make it through a school day.  One day, while walking home from school, she stumbles upon a group of kids bullying a fainting goat.  Summoning courage that she doesn't think she has, Marvel intervenes and rescues the goat, who has a name tag that reads, Butter.  Butter and Marvel are instant friends and protectors of each other.  

Marvel learns that Butter can be an emotional support animal and begins taking her to school.  With Butter at her side, Marvel is finally able to relax and make friends.  Her anxiety still hums along in the background, but it's manageable.  

Will her principal allow her to keep bringing Butter to school and will Butter's previous owner show up?  I'm not telling!  

I think Piontek does a great job illustrating what it's like to have anxiety.  I have struggled with anxiety my entire life, but I found myself occasionally frustrated with Marvel's inability to take action and get out of her own mind.  I think this demonstrates how beautifully complex Marvel’s character is.  I saw a lot of myself in Marvel (oh how I wish I had an emotional support fainting goat to get me through the tough years!), but I also felt a lot of empathy for her family and classmates who were trying to befriend, love, and support her.  Anxiety is hard, and connecting with those who have anxiety is hard.  Bravo, Piontek for demonstrating both sides so well!  

Though I think goats are stinky and a little obnoxious (I’ve spent some time on a goat farm), I couldn’t resist Butter’s charm.  I was really impressed with how many tricks Marvel taught Butter and how deeply they loved one another.  

After reading this I surrendered to the almighty Google and happily disappeared into the world of fainting goats and their contribution to the world of emotional support animals.  I urge you to do the same.  Especially if you are having a tough day and need the kind of love only a fainting goat can give.  

Bathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty and illustrated by David Roberts (Picture Book)

Holy hornets this is funny!

A family is trying to get their house ready for grandma and their cat keeps mixing up the chore list in the hopes of avoiding a bath.

I know you’re asking, how does the cat mix up the chore list and more importantly, does the cat win? Well, the cover really says everything, but there’s also an illustration of the cat looking all sorts of smug while he’s being rocked instead of bathed. So, you can read this book without sitting on the edge of your seat - the cat wins!

The best moment happens when grandma shows up and she really doesn’t look like she gives a hoot that the housework is done. She’s just thrilled to see everyone.

I found myself wondering if this story is an ode to families pulling together to get things done even when the odds are against them, or rather, when their efforts are continuously foiled by their cat? Is it an ode to cats winning, always, no matter what? Is an ode to a grandma’s love? Or is the whole book just a reason for the illustrator to show the world how amazing he is at creating frantic expressions, especially on the faces of goldfish?

Recycle and Play by Agnes Hsu (Adult Nonfiction)

Recycle and Play captured my heart with the egg carton flower idea. I save a lot of things like lids and paper towel rolls, but now I'll be setting back egg cartons and a few other things after reading this book. The steps are easy to follow, most projects are only two picture-filled pages, and the ideas have many different avenues you can take. For example, I like her rainbow letter idea but may make the rainbow out of something other than paint. The best part of this book is that most of the items needed are ones we normally throw away.

The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey (Adult Fiction)

I got completely lost in Fiona, Dottie, and Viviana’s adventures as Clubmobile Girls. They travel to London, train to become Clubmobile Girls, and make daily treks in their giant truck to support and boost the morale of American troops during WWII. Their journeys were impactful, terrifying, fulfilling, and incredibly immersive. Healey’s ability to create so many memorable characters is remarkable. I would have been thrilled just tagging along with Fiona, Dottie, and Viviana, but I developed connections with other Clubmobile Girls and all of their love interests. A lot of characters can quickly get overwhelming for me, but Healey created the characters and their relationships slowly. It felt like she was making a cake of many tiers and each tier included an additional group of characters. I also enjoyed the author’s note, which listed the larger events and whether they were fact or fiction. I was surprised to discover a lot of it was true. I would recommend this to anyone who loves reading about friendships, WWII, historical fiction, or badass women.

Swale Quotas and Other Oregon Trail Adventures

Go West, Young Man by  B.J. Hollars (Adult Nonfiction)

When I began Go West, Young Man, I was initially most excited to learn more about the Oregon Trail.  However, as I continued to read about B.J. Hollars’ road trip to retrace the Oregon Trail with his six-year-old son, Henry, I found myself enjoying their journey just as much as the history of the Oregon Trail.  Maybe even more!  Though they had a strong connection prior to their journey, B.J. and Henry’s relationship flourishes, and it’s a joy to watch them make memories together. 

Go West, Young Man is the quiet kind of adventure book I most enjoy with lots of humor, interesting stories and encounters with people B.J and Henry meet along the way, and captivating and detailed drawings courtesy of Henry.  B.J. and Henry have a few bumps along the way – a rainstorm that almost carries their tent away, a little bit of car trouble, Henry reaching his “swale quota,” and trying to pack in too many miles each day – but these troubles are nothing compared to the difficulties the pioneers faced.  While writing about the Mormon emigrants, B.J. states, “I’m ashamed to admit that this far into our journey, our idea of ‘prayers being answered’ has generally involved gas stations with slushy machines. Yet for God-fearing emigrants, unanswered prayers could mean a death sentence.”

B.J. and Henry have different perspectives of their experiences, and I think this is what really makes Go West, Young Man stand out.  While Henry isn’t the history buff his dad is, Henry’s wonder shines a light on their journey and illuminates details his father may have missed without him.  B.J.’s observations of Henry’s wonder add another layer to their journey.  At one point, B.J. makes a snarky comment about the beautiful view, which is really just a parking lot filled with truckers, and Henry replies, “’you know…it really is.’”  B.J. writes, “How desperately I wish I could still see the world as he does.  And how embarrassed I am that I can’t.”

B.J. and Henry meet lots of interesting people along the way who take them down backroads and trails and share Oregon Trail stories.  One of my favorite moments happens when B.J. and Henry accidentally stumble upon the descendants of Rebecca Winters while visiting her grave.  Go West, Young Man includes a little bit of the most famous Oregon Trail stories, but it’s a lot of history for one book, and B.J. barely dips a toe in each significant historical moment he writes about (Trail of Tears, the Donner Party, and The Wounded Knee Massacre to name a few), but he provides an abundance of resources in his extensive bibliography for those wanting a deeper dive. 

Near the beginning of their journey, B.J. writes that the Oregon Trail was a wound that is now a scar.  I think books like Go West, Young Man are like the swales along the trail.  By tracing the scar with Henry, B.J. is helping to keep the Oregon Trail a visible reminder of our past. 

Pass the Baby

Last week my brother, Scott and his wife, Kristin, flew in with my nieces, Savannah and Autumn.  We all went to the Lake of the Ozarks to visit with my dad and his partner, Lisa.  It was a wonderful visit.  

I had many laughs flipping through the pictures from the trip and happily favorited several for my blog.  Before I knew it, I had favorited over 30 pictures and videos!  This is far too many for a blog post so I whittled it down some (but not much).  

Scott and the crew flew in late Saturday night and he promptly plopped Savannah in my arms.  If I'm going to be honest, I was hoping to see them hold the baby for awhile before it was my turn.  I wasn't sure what to do or if Savannah could hold up her head.  Or if she would take one look at me and scream in holy terror.  Thankfully, no screaming, only curiosity and acceptance.

She is one of the sweetest, most content babies I've met.  And while I don't know a lot about holding babies, I meet a lot at the library!

When Autumn walked in that night she looked at the couch and said, "this is where you read with me!"  And she was right!  I mostly read with her on our downstairs couch.  So many warm fuzzies with that declaration!

Margo and Josie wanted to know, "WHO DIS??"

Margo and Josie were very gentle.  Josie was curious and Margo was jealous.  To be fair, Margo is the baby in our home.  

Josie and Autumn were instant best friends.  Both Margo and Josie LOVE kids, so we were pretty sure they were going to be super excited to meet Autumn and Savannah.  What we didn't know is that Autumn and Josie's energy levels matched perfectly.  

Originally, Josie and Margo were going to be boarded at the doggie daycare we use, but we got bumped at the last minute.  Thankfully, the owners of the Airbnb granted us an exception and let them join us.  This worked out for the best because Josie and Autumn were inseparable.  

Watching Dad and Lisa meet Savannah for the first time was one of the best moments of my life.  Scott immediately plopped Savannah into my dad's arms just like he did with me the night before, and seeing my dad's face light up makes me tear up with happiness any time I think about it.  

We took a lot of little walks and did a lot of poking around and exploring.  Autumn was always up for anything, anytime, whether she was tired or not.  

Somehow, all the stars aligned and my Aunt Lil was able to drop in and hang out with us.  Prior to the vacation I joked with my coworkers that it was going to be a week of "Pass the Baby," and that's exactly what happened, and Savannah loved everyone, and it was perfect.

We spent some time checking out dad's favorite thrift stores and in this picture, Scott is helping load up a treasure dad found.  The picture makes me think of my childhood, how we were always finding and hauling around treasure.

My favorite moment of the trip was playing Let's Get Talking with everyone - Robert, Dad, Lisa, Scott and his crew.  Dad was not big on playing games growing up, and now that I think about it, Scott usually couldn't sit still long enough to play many games.  Let's Get Talking was the perfect game, and before we knew it, everyone was traveling down memory lane with dad.

Tuesday evening we walked around the castle at Ha Ha Tonka, and Wednesday morning we visited the spring, climbed the stairs and hiked to the Natural Bridge.  Savannah loved everything but fell asleep during the hike.

Savannah lit up anytime she saw her mom, dad, or big sister.  It never grew old to watch her contemplative face break out in a smile whenever she saw one of their faces.  

Thursday Scott, Autumn, Robert, and I went poking around where Scott and I grew up.  We found our old treehouse, which is now just a couple of boards, one of which is slowly being devoured by the poor tree that supported it for so many years.

We saw lots of deer during the trip, but on the hill above grandma and grandpa's house we saw several deer lying down, which was unusual.

Autumn has a wild imagination and the ability to come up with songs and stories on the spot.  Savannah loves everything Autumn comes up with and I even got to hear Savannah chortle during Autumn's crazy fruit song.

My first babysitting attempt ended in disaster, with Savannah crying loud enough to bring the neighbors outside.  Thankfully Scott and Kristin gave me another chance, and Savannah and I had a great time with the other baby in the house - Margo.

During this trip I read with another niece, Harper (we also read together every week) and Autumn joined us.  Because Harper and I were on the second book in a series, Autumn read the entire first book to get caught up with us. 

Autumn promptly finished the second book and then reread both books.  Whenever we had any moment of downtime Autumn would either race around with Josie or curl up with a book.  

Though the trip to the lake was perfect in so many ways, there was one more exciting thing that happened before everyone left.  They all wanted to visit my library!  So we did!  Scott's face in this next picture captures all the wonder I feel when I go to work everyday.  

And the trip couldn't end without passing the baby one more time.  Robert's mom, Audrey, couldn't resist Savannah's charm.

zipping by

One of my favorite things to do is go sledding first thing in the morning before other sledders come out (I think it's one of Robert's favorite things to do too).  We haven't had a ton of snow this winter, but we've been able to go sledding twice now, and one of those days was today!! You never know what March is going to bring.  I'm ready for some thunderstorms and oppressive heat, but I will never say no to snow.  

Last night, as Robert was falling asleep, I told him that I thought this morning was going to be perfect for sledding. He mumbled something, which I'm sure translated to an enthusiastic yes, and we were both up before five, throwing on our coats and hurrying Josie out the door.  Or was it Josie hurrying us out the door?  

Margo currently has a bruised hip due to a really annoying habit of pushing off with her back legs when she thinks she needs to do something faster than Josie.  She has been ordered to rest for the next week, so she stayed home today.  She doesn't like to actually go sledding like Josie does.  She gets her joy from trying to topple Josie and I when we're going downhill.  I love my Margo, but I didn't shed any tears when I left her home this morning.  

Josie and I had several good runs today.  She normally likes to go a few times and do her own thing, but today she wouldn't let me go down the hill without her.  

Today she even went sledding with Robert!  She's Robert's girl, but I'm usually her sledding buddy.  It was such a thrill to see them go zipping by. 

The Death and Life of a Pigeon

Thanks to Apricity Magazine for publishing my poem, The Death and Life of a Pigeon!

The dogs and I usually take different walks every day, but sometimes there's something interesting unfolding, and we keep an eye on it.  Usually it's not as gross as a dead pigeon, but I'm a sucker for decay. 

I used to have a sticker that looked almost exactly like this: