Today is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday in many places in the world. We’ve just finished a very adventurous read by Cornelia Funke called, ‘The Thief Lord.” Set in Venice, Italy, this magical tale took us on a whirlwind visit to a mysterious and unknown destination. From Goodreads: Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run [...]
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I have this collection of beautiful red dala horses from Dalarna Sweden. I’ve always wondered why they originated and if there is a folkloric story behind them. The wait is over! Ursula Le Guin, my college english professor, has crafted a brilliant tale about a little girl who goes searching for her brother who has [...]
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Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices was the first Paul Fleischman book we ever read. Since then we have been avid fans. Mr. Fleischman isn’t an author who merely wants us to sit reading his well crafted stories and poems. There always seems to be an invitation to participate, to jump right into the pages [...]
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I lived alone in the woods……. A mile from any neighbor…… in a house which I had built myself on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only…….. Henry David Thoreau Knowing we would be visiting Walden Pond in Concord Massachusetts, I wanted [...]
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When I heard that Brian Selznick was coming out with a new book called Wonderstruck, I was excited beyond belief. In one sitting, we’ve just finished all 600 something pages of Wonderstruck, written and illustrated by Brain Selznick and let me just say it didn’t disappoint. He is a master storyteller entertwining two stories. The [...]
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Roald Dahl Day takes place every September 13th, the celebrated birthday of one of the world’s favorite storytellers. There are celebrations happening all over the world and Jump into a Book is no different. To get started go have a look at some of these very fun activities to not only prepare for your party [...]
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While I was in N.Y.C. I made my usual pilgrimage to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This time, however, I took one of my favorite books along, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. I had always wanted to read this book while inside the museum and this was [...]
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“The Danger Box” by Blue Balliett is a wonderfully fun and quirky mystery by the author of “Chasing Vermeer” and ” The Wright 3″. The Danger Box is her fourth novel where she leaves the art scene of her previous three books behind and plants us firmly in the rural town of Three [...]
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When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest and Illustrated by P.J. Lynch This beautifully illustrated story about a young Eastern European girl who travels across the sea to a new life in America, is one of those tried and true family treasures. Though my children enjoyed the story when they were younger, the [...]
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From the author of Hattie Big Sky, Kirby Larson weaves a brilliant tale about a beautifully created Japanese doll, Miss Kanagawa. Crafted by Master dollmaker Tatsuhiko, Miss Kanagawa was commissioned to be an ambassador of friendship between Japan and the United States. This part of the story is actually based on fact. 58 dolls in [...]
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Valarie is author of the book The Fox Diaries: The year the foxes came to our garden, a mom, writer, crafter and photographer.
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