Hower House Fairy Tale Holiday

Since it's Fairy Tale Friday, I wanted to pass on a holiday destination for those of us in Ohio. The Hower House, an elegant 28-room mansion museum in Akron, Ohio, is decorated for the holidays with a Fairy Tale Theme. I've heard that there's a  Goldilocks and The Three Bears room located on the second floor and been reminded to look out for “The Wolf” in Red Riding Hood's room. I'm going to try to get up there one of these weekends. The Fairy Tale Holiday Tour times are Nov 10 – Dec. 23: Wednesday – Saturday, noon until 3:30 pm with self-guided tours Sunday’s 1 to 4pm. You can visit their website for more information....
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“The Tale of the Three Brothers” by J. K. Rowling

"The Tale of the Three Brothers" by J. K. Rowling I've read most of the Harry Potter series, all but the last one actually, and seen several of the movies, but I've never gotten any further into it. This is a story in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a "wizarding classic" from that world. It tells the story of three brothers who through magic make a bridge that allows them to cross over a dangerous river. Death congratulates the brother, but actually feels cheated out of three victims. He offers to give the brothers prizes for their cleverness. The first asks for a powerful magic wand, the second for the power to bring back the dead, and the third, the youngest, is given a Cloak of Invisibility that will allow him to travel without Death following him. The first two brothers  end up dying quickly. The oldest is killed by another wizard who steals his wand. The second commits suicide when he...
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Mr. Ginger and the Disappearing Fish by Chris Wardle

Mr. Ginger and the Disappearing Fish by Chris Wardle (Suggested Reading Level: Grades 3-6) Yet another environmental change is affecting the animals of Daphne Wood. The ocean currents have changed, causing the fish to move farther from the colony. Also, seagulls have congregated in the area to catch fish from the river, and boy are they noisy. The animals call a meeting to discuss the problem and a few worthy ideas are formed. One expedition headed out on the boat to find fish and one heads down the shore to find a new fishing spot for all the gulls. Mr. Denzel the mole and Sidney the armadillo begin setting up a pond for the colony to farm their own fish, so the problem can be avoided in the future. Mr. Ginger has to be my favorite character this time around. He's in the group looking for a new place for gulls and is thrilled to be carried by a pelican. he loves flying....
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Mrs. Cat-biscuit’s Search for the Downward Land by Chris Wardle

Mrs. Cat-biscuit's Search for the Downward Land by Chris Wardle (Suggested reading level: Grades 3-6) This fourth book in the series starts with the two cats, Mr. Ginger and Mr. Choli, waking from a nap when the car they sleep in slides downhill, stopping beside Mr. Vinegar's cottage. It's an earthquake! Thankfully, the only other damage in Daphne Wood i a collapse at the entrance to the mine, which is quickly taken care of. In an interesting turn of events, though, the land has been raised much higher than sea level. In typical colony fashion, two expeditions are formed. The first, led by an excited Mrs. Cat-biscuit sets off in the boat searching for an area where the land has gone down. After all, when something goes up, like their shore, something else must go down. What they find though, is an oil spill caused by the quake. The humans are still wreaking havoc on the environment, even after they've become extinct. The second expedition...
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Mr. Vinegar and the Frozen Sea by Chris Wardle

Mr. Vinegar and the Frozen Sea by Chris Wardle (Suggested reading level: Grades 3-6) If they didn't seem to enjoy their expeditions so much, I would be feeling sorry for the animals who live in Daphne Wood. Another crisis has arisen. It's the coldest winter in memory and  the sea is freezing and the fishing team, the Tinfishes who are penguins and Daphne the dwarf polar bear have to travel farther and father to the edge of the ice. Since the trip back and forth takes so much longer, they are unable to bring as many fish back, leaving a lot of the animals hungry, especially the fish loving cats, Mr. Choli and Mr. Ginger. Of course, they all come up with a plan, which involves building an igloo at the edge of the ice, collecting lots of fish and then bringing them back. The plan works for the most part and the party meets some new friends who help them out....
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