The early days of each season are happy with anticipation. The beginning of summer unfolds like pages from my favorite children’s books. My eight-year-old has been out of school for almost one week now, and the less hurried pace has been welcome. I’ve had a little time to daydream this week . . . time to […]
Category Archives: Children’s Book Moments
As a little girl, I had to fight back tears when I found a note in my lunchbox from Mama. The elementary school I attended—which in hindsight was quite nurturing—felt cold in comparison to the warmth of her love, felt unsafe in comparison to the haven of home. Glimpses of heaven still make me cry: […]
The earth laughs in flowers. – Ralph Waldo Emerson At the end of a long day, after I tuck my littlest son into his bed, he begins to laugh. At first, it is funny “pretend” laughter because he is self-aware of how irresistible his toddler charms are at prolonging bedtime. Looking at his squinched […]
Winter battled with spring this month. Sleet bowed my daffodils’ heads just as they donned their yellow bonnets. The delicate pear blossoms froze, along with my Texas tulips. Nevertheless, spring is now victorious! The perennials are waking up everywhere, with fresh green foliage and the promise of beautiful flowers. The following is a list of […]
Some stories end with a moral, but I should begin mine with one: Always be willing to read/edit a book your friend or loved one has written. I read my father-in-law’s novel, set in Tasmania, over a year ago, and because of our literary bond, he decided to take me (along with my husband and […]
Snuggled beside my grandmother, I would listen, mesmerized, as the black and white tigers on the page raced round and round a tree until they just melted . . . into butter! Do you remember this story? Written by Helen Bannerman, it was first published under a different title in 1899. The black and white pictures […]
Here are some of the things my PawPaw taught me: Never go to bed angry. He told me he and Grammy sometimes stayed up all night, but they never broke this rule. Working crossword puzzles keeps the mind sharp. Get a job! This was his advice to me when I went to college. He said […]
“Many waters cannot quench love . . . .” —Song of Solomon 8:7 (NKJV) * “Valentine’s Day at the Laundromat,” my aunt’s folksong hums from the CD player, and though I’m not literally in a laundromat on this day of love, the dryer is rumbling in the background. I started a load of laundry after […]
Brooke Bullman introduced me to the idea of soul home. “Where,” she asks, “is your soul home?” My husband had an unexpected response. He chose the restaurant, Jason’s Deli. Our family giggled at his answer, teasing him. But, when I asked him to explain, he said we were always happy there—food and smiles in abundance. […]
The same God who brought you the good old days will bring you the good new days.” I read this bit of wisdom in a book by John Claypool when I was a teenager, and I’m still quoting it to myself today. The New Year is beginning, and although I feel a twinge of excitement […]
A Children's Book World 