September 24, 2025 By Maria I tried so hard to get this post out last week, but the unexpected arrival of a puppy took up most of my time. Last Monday September 15th, was the birthday anniversary of American children’s book author, Tomie dePaola. I am sure I am not the only one who findsContinue reading “Strega Nona’s Autumn Comfort”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
A Roar to Read About
August 21, 2025 By Maria Most people, including myself, think it’s normal for a kid to cuddle with a toy teddy bear, which is essentially a fierce predator. When my daughter was a toddler, her favorite stuffy was a teddy bear named “Bear-Bear”. Bear-Bear is still sought out for cuddles at bedtime but now isContinue reading “A Roar to Read About”
Unique and Resilient
August 9, 2025 By Maria This is a piece I wrote a couple of years ago regarding my middle child. He is now nine years old, not seven, but he still enjoyed these stories when we revisited them recently. I was actually about to return the books to the library, when my son asked meContinue reading “Unique and Resilient “
Teatime and Closeness
July 24, 2025 By Maria Tea. My family all know that I love tea. I started drinking black tea with milk as a teenager. On a trip to England, I was introduced to British tea and that was the end of that. No more weak Lipton Tea for me ever again. Tea has been myContinue reading “Teatime and Closeness”
Planting Seeds of Kindness
July 17, 2025 By Maria Now that summer is here, all three kids are home and unfortunately, they are not getting along as well as we would like. We have had many talks about kindness and treating others as you wished to be treated, and so on. Thankfully, we are starting to see a shiftContinue reading “Planting Seeds of Kindness”
Boxes of Adventure
May 26, 2025 By Maria What is the box? Is it a device for carrying something? Is it a way to transport something through the mail? Is it used for storage? Treasure? Trash? Maybe you think it belongs in the recycling bin. But my question is, what do your kids think a box is? Well,Continue reading “Boxes of Adventure”
Mystery Books in the Attic
May 8, 2025 By Maria This post is not quite about children’s literature, but more about finding books in odd places. While almost a hundred years old, our home has history and charm with lots of work and sometimes surprises. In one unfinished attic space between two rooms, an abandoned box of books was leftContinue reading “Mystery Books in the Attic”
The Irish Magic of Tomie dePaola
March 18, 2025 By Maria St. Patrick’s day snuck up on me this year. In a busy blur we managed to pick up buttermilk over the weekend and yesterday afternoon, my daughter and I, up to our elbows in flour, kneaded and baked Irish soda bread. We started the day by reading Tomie dePaola’s St.Continue reading “The Irish Magic of Tomie dePaola”
Scales and Scones
December 12, 2024 By Maria On my way out of the library, I always check for a new edition of the free Bookpage magazine. This magazine promotes newly published books. I usually flip through it a few times and then write the books that interest me on an ongoing list. I will either look forContinue reading “Scales and Scones”
The Sensitive Search for Joy
October 24, 2024 By Maria Disclosure: Some links found here are affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase using one of these links, I will receive a small compensation with no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support! We are almost two months into the school year. It feels likeContinue reading “The Sensitive Search for Joy”
More Bookshelves Please 