Book Review: The Little White Horse

After my first baby died, I read a book which gave me great comfort. A few years later, I searched back through my journal, trying to find the name and author of this book, but to my surprise I hadn’t recorded it. Years went by, and I continued to search for the book, occasionally sending…

NaNoWriMo is Here!

It’s November, and you know what that means.  It’s NaNoWriMo!  National Novel Writing Month is the time when people abandon sane schedules, spouses, entertainment, sleep, and sometimes even food in favor of writing like crazy for an entire month.  And the reward is... the satisfaction of having reached your goal of 50,000 words (and a…

The Wee Free Men

Book Review: The Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett Nine-year-old Tiffany Aching lives on the Chalk, a warm, hilly, green grassland in an alternate world that reminds me of the lowlands of Scotland. Tiffany thinks of herself as normal: she’s part of a typical, loving family with daily chores to do, like making cheese and…

Beep, Beep!

One of the things I love about children is that they are endlessly imaginative. Today my grandson and I took a cardboard box, some tape, and a pillow, and we made a car. We had a glorious time racing around the house. He pushed the bolt in the center of the steering wheel, saying “Beep!…

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, published in 1939, was one of James Thurber’s most famous stories.  Considered a masterpiece, it has made its mark on our society and even our language.  It is the story of a little man who spends his time in heroic daydreams when in real life he is dominated by…

Saving Mr. Banks

Last night we saw the movie Saving Mr. Banks.  This well written and superbly acted movie was deeply moving, and oh, so poignant.  It tells the story of how after twenty years of pleading, and after he and his staff despaired of being able to work with this complex, crusty, immovable Australian woman, Walt Disney…

The Best Gift

In my work as a reading tutor at the elementary school, one thing becomes very clear:  children who are read to at home become good readers.  The wonderful world of books is opened to them, their eyes are wide, and they are eager to learn what is within the pages.  Children who are not read…

The Magic of Christmas

Recently, someone asked, ‘What do Santa and reindeer have to do with the birth of Christ?”  Well, maybe on the surface, not much.  But let me explain.  The whole Santa thing may be just a game we play with our children, but it’s a fun game, and what it represents is related very strongly to…

The Friendly Giant

When I was leaving the elementary school today after tutoring, a group of kids burst out of one of the portable classrooms and ran down the sidewalk.  They were all carrying recorders.  Some were playing snatches of Carol of the Bells.  They were all excited, chattering, jumping over the cracks in the sidewalk, and just…

My Favorite Bears

Teddy bears hold a special place in my heart.  I still have my first bear, now quite blind and scruffy in his old age.  But he's a kind, wise grandfatherly bear who presides over my large assortment of stuffed animals.  My youngest sister has an even larger collection.  We both have a tendency to give…