Friday Snippets
Over at the RIF blog, Carol Rasco reminds us that it’s cherry-blossom season, rather a bittersweet time this year with all Japan is suffering. There’s a new book out by Andrea Zimmerman I’m keen to read, about Eliza Scidmore, the woman responsible for bringing the cherry trees to Washington, DC: Eliza’s Cherry Trees: Japan’s Gift to America (illustrated by Ju-Hong Chen). I spent quite a bit of time in DC during my college years and I have marveled at those lovely pink avenues in spring.
Your comments on last week’s Rillabooks posts have greatly informed our library list this week: thanks to you, we’ve enjoyed Not a Stick, Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat (a whimsical retro delight), and Cowboy & Octopus. About that latter: Rilla and I read it together curled up in my bed. When I got to the bit where Cowboy tells Octopus what he truly thinks of Octopus’s hat—his opinion is a wee bit scatological, you understand—I heard a peal of laughter from down the hall. Seems Rose and Beanie had been listening in all the way from their room. I think you know a book’s a success when it sucks in an audience from rooms away.
(Thank you to Joann, Cate, and Ellie for the suggestions!)
Other Rilla-reading:
• My Naughty Little Sister, chapter 1 (thanks, Kathryn)
• Scott finished reading her My Father’s Dragon
• Grumpy Bird several more times
Hannah says:
Oh, the cherry blossom trees! When the kids and I did a unit study on Japan (my only real Unit Study to date) we had a blast learning about the cherry blossom trees. Later I taught a co-op class on Japan, and one of the girls’ favorite activities was making their own cherry blossom trees out of branches found in my yard and little wads of pink tissue paper. Maybe Rilla would enjoy that … and I must look up that book, since as you know I have my own Eliza …
On March 25, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Nancy Piccione says:
Melissa, I just have to say how much we are enjoying all your Rilla book suggestions that we’ve had from the library, even though our youngest is almost 8. I just remembered a book, Chickens to the Rescue, that was a constant companion of said 7yo when he was 4. There is a sequel, Pigs to the Rescue. I volunteer at the school library, and both books are a huge hit during read-aloud times, even to the bigger grades.
On March 29, 2011 at 9:34 am