My Owl Soulmate & Collecting Wonder

What's New Daniel by Micha Archer (Picture Book)

I love the Daniel books! Archer has a knack for encouraging her readers to look for the extraordinary in everyday moments simply by observing each moment and connecting to them through our senses. Her illustrations are phenomenal and incredibly vibrant with layers and layers of beauty.

Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel (Early Reader)

I am one of the few people who simply does not get the Frog and Toad books. The illustrations are magical, but I feel pretty meh about the stories. 

Owl at Home, however, nearly moved me to tears. I found both myself and loved ones in these short stories. And the stories so eerily resonated with my own feelings! How does an Early Reader book know me so well??? I know others feel the same way I do, because this book was a recommendation from a dear patron. She knew the "Tear-Water Tea" story by heart. That particular story is poetry at its finest. 

"Upstairs and Downstairs" was both a metaphor for SO much and also like looking into the mind of my dog. "The Guest," which is the first story, gave me goosebumps because it so perfectly describes a situation I find myself mired in at this very moment. There was a flicker of peace for me when Owl said goodbye to the unwanted guest, Winter. "Owl made a new fire in the fireplace. The room became warm again. The snow melted away. The hard, green ice turned back into soft pea soup. Owl sat down in his chair and quietly finished his supper." 

Wow, I am totally gobsmacked by this book. I will definitely be picking up more books by Arnold Lobel.

with a warble and a trill

I just finished my latest painted papers collage.  I painted lots of paper with colors that currently resonate with me - butter yellow (pretty much always a favorite), metallic yellow, gold, pink, and reds were all calling my name - and without any plan at all started to tear them up and move them around until an idea formed.  Naturally, two birds appeared, but their personalities were a mystery until the very end.  It was a joy to make, and I am pleased with these two beauties.  I experienced a lot of peace while making this, and I think it comes through.

This was the moment in the journey when the top bird finally figured out who they wanted to be.  If you're singing The Littlest Birds by The Be Good Tanyas, you are not alone.  I've had that song going the whole way through this project.

There's always a moment during a project when I look around my office and wonder what in holy tarnation happened.  Thankfully I've never mixed up my coffee/tea with my glue/paint cups.  

summer, survival, and roadkill

The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson (Juvenile Fiction)

If you're looking for a summer vacation that involves going to a camp that's no longer in use and in danger of being turned into condos, meeting family members you never knew existed, and looking for treasure, look no further! This was just the summer vacation I needed in February! Ryanna's maternal grandparents reach out to her at the beginning of the summer and invite her to join them at their camp, which hasn't been used as a camp since the 1990s. Ryanna is excited to learn more about her mom, who passed away when she was a toddler, so she agrees. She has no idea her mother's siblings and their children all meet at this camp every summer for family time, relaxation, and fun. Nor does she realize that the camp is in danger of being turned into condos! She also stumbles upon a fun treasure hunt her mom created when she was Ryanna's age that helps Ryanna feel closer to her mom. It's a light read full of mystery, adventure, and connection. 

How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd (Juvenile Fiction)

You won't be able to put this Hatchet readalike down! Raymond's mom and dad are constantly leaving him alone. Once, they left him alone so long, he was placed in a group home, which was a horrible experience. When his mom and dad leave him alone this time, he vows he is NOT going back to the group home. So he sets up camp with his dog, Rosie behind his middle school. He forages food from the dumpster, learns different tricks to stay warm, alive, and fed from a Boy Scouts book, and makes friends who will eventually help him understand he is loved, wanted, and worthy of a safe place to call home. Along the way, Raymond befriends a wild coyote, two stellar kids, and an older man who rescues Rosie during a moment of peril. This book will stir up tremendous empathy in the reader, and you won't be able to rest until you know Raymond and Rosie are safe. 

The Decomposition of Jack by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb (Juvenile Fiction)

Jack's mom is a roadkill scientist (probably not her official job title). Her job is all about scraping animals off the road, taking them home to her roadkill garden, and documenting all the exciting things that happen during their decay. Because Jack helps his mom with her research, he knows a lot about his mom's job and uses many, many metaphors of the different stages of decomposition to ponder the feelings he has about his mom and dad's divorce and middle school drama. Jack's internal dialogue with himself about all his angst is really beautiful. He takes all that beautiful language and turns it into something special when he gives his earth science report on cougars. Cougars you ask?? Yes, cougars! Jack's world centers around his mom's job, so it's no wonder he becomes so entranced by a cougar spotting in the backyard of his Tennessee home. A LIVE cougar spotting. This beautifully written book has both unusual themes (roadkill and cougars) and relatable themes (divorce, fitting in, friendship, self-confidence, etc.). Included in the back is bonus information about both roadkill and cougars.

squishy squirrel diner

I think we're supposed to be upset by this, but the bird feeder is so perfectly squirrel-shaped.  My only concern is one day he may eat so much, he won't be able to squeeze himself out anymore.  I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. 

blooming

I am done with one collage but still sealing it, and another collage is only a couple hours away from the sealing journey.  There is almost enough excitement in our house to produce electricity.  I have been spending a lot of time in my completely trashed office wading through papers and glue.  Whenever I've needed a moment of down time, I've been taking breaks with my latest zen piece, which bloomed almost instantly.  Unfortunately, it required some deadheading since one of the colors wasn't playing nice.  But thankfully the red wanted to provide all the support, so I let it.  It's kind of a metaphor for tough times and negative self-talk.  I only hope my blooms are half this vibrant as I start to bloom again.

It's currently residing in its hoop and for sale on Etsy.

dog joy

We have about a half dozen fountains in and around our neighborhood that the dogs love to flop and sometimes cavort in.  Each spring we excitedly await the fountains coming to life again.  Last weekend it happened!  The dog joy was off the charts.

sad trains and some reviews

It has been particularly busy for me.  I have been:

* Working on my first art showing.

* Wrapping up the coursework for the class I'm taking this semester (writing my first and hopefully last schema).

* Still in extreme limbo with work in every way imaginable, which has been depleting a lot of my energy and time.

* Giving what may be my last programs, which has been an emotional roller coaster.  I already get all the feels toward the end of a season, because kids grow up so fast and go from singing songs with me at storytime one day to driving away to college the next.  But with the extra uncertainty and the extra long break for the organizational change, I find myself just barely holding back the water works each time we sing our goodbye train song.  Though we're all singing, "We'll say goodbye til' next time, see you soon choo choo," inside I'm singing, please don't forget to visit me at the library this summer 😭😭😭.  I would say you've never heard such a sad choo choo in you life, but thankfully my choo choos are drowned out by kids who are blissfully unaware of how fast they grow up.  I'm pretty sure I remember time moving particularly slowly sometimes when I was a kid.

* Revisiting my stomach problems of the past.  Apparently SIBO just keeps coming back???  And sometimes it means something else???

* Still managing to enjoy this beautiful spring we're having here with lots of reading on our front porch. We bought new chairs for the porch with footrests.  It's the perfect way to procrastinate anything related to adulting and sometimes fall asleep.

I feel like the books I've read so far in 2024 have been particularly good.  Really, I'm almost overwhelmed by them.  I made a commitment a few years back to write reviews for all 4 & 5 star books I read.  It was an easy commitment until this year.  Now, when I pick up a book and get a few pages in, I feel the flush of both excitement and exasperation.  "Another good book?  How dare you immediately ensnare me in the first few pages and rob what little sleep I'm already getting!"  And yes, if this sounds like bragging, you're totally right.  

Here are a few reviews:

Scurry by Mac Smith (Juvenile Graphic Novel)

  

Intense dystopian world ruled by animals due to humans being wiped out by human wars. Survival is of utmost importance but friendships, allies, and helping one another stay alive and avoid the killers of the forest (hawks, wolves, and cats) are equally important. The artwork is incredibly bleak but also atmospheric and rich. It's a dystopian world that makes you feel just as cold, terrified, and determined to survive as the characters. Included in the back is a list of characters (so many but easy to remember thanks to complex characters), discussion guide, and activity guide. If there's an illustrator who makes you want to drop everything in your life to create art and tiny worlds centered around life's biggest themes, Mac Smith is it.

Awesome Orange Birthday by Mitali Banerjee Ruths and illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel (Juvenile Fiction - Transitional Chapter Book)

This book is so much fun! Priya has a knack for organization, planning parties, making DIY crafts, and caring for others and animals. I love how this book was organized. There was a character map at the beginning, an additional map of the neighborhood, all kinds of lists, and cute touches everywhere, including illustrations of washi tape. I also appreciate how self-aware Priya is! She has a great grasp of her strengths and weaknesses and strives to work with them rather than against them. I am so excited to read more in this series and hear what kids think about Priya's life!

Lucille Ball Had No Eyebrows? by Dan Gutman

It looks like the Who Was/Is series has a serious competitor! I'm super impressed with this book. The back-and-forth interview style with two "kids" sharing information and asking questions is such a clever idea. This style tastefully and appropriately exposes how ridiculous some of the ideas were during the early twentieth century. While I love the Who Was/Is series, it doesn't shine a light on historical events with a modern lens/perspective. This book is also written well, filled with lots of juicy information, and still contains the biography essentials: timeline and main life events. My only gripe is that it's missing a page listing extra reading recommendations. There's only a tiny nudge to look up YouTube videos about Lucille Ball. It's only a small gripe though. I can't wait to read more books in this series!

Nose Butts

A delightful moment from the delightful book, The Big Book of Butts.  Would you ever live in someone's nose butt?