Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

by Carol5 Comments
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola (Suggested reading level: Ages 4-8) I've read many of dePaola's Strega Nona stories with Amber over the years. They are all sweet, delightfully illustrated and filled with a kind, gentle touch of magic. Today's Fairy Tale Friday selection is the original Strega Nona, which I don't remember reading before, but it's a perfect story for me. In a town in Calabria, a long time ago, there lived an old lady everyone called Strega Nona, which meant "Grandma Witch." Although all the people in town talked about her in whispers, they all went to see her if they had troubles. Even the priest and the sisters of the convent went, because Strega Nona did have a magic touch. Even though she has a touch of magic, she's so kind and considerate everyone in the village trusts her. Strega Nona hires Big Anthony to help out around her house and garden, warning him never to touch the pasta pot. Big Anthony learns, by...
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Winners!

by CarolNo Comments
Congratulations to the winners of Eat the Cookie...Buy the Shoes: Giving Yourself Permission to Lighten Up by Joyce Meyer. I hope you enjoy it and it helps you celebrate life. Dawn M karenk Cindy Woolard I'll be sending you all e-mails later this evening. I just need your mailing address to pass on to Hachette Book Group....
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Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

by Carol5 Comments
Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi I don't read many graphic novels, but after seeing a few reviews of this one, I knew I had to pick it up. Sartrapi allows us to spend the afternoon with a group of nine Iranian women, relatives, neighbors and friends. We sit in on their discussions of the men they've known and loved, known and haven't loved, relationship choices they've made. Each story is told with humor, but the woman still deal with the reality of not truly having the freedom and independence that I take for granted. The women tell stories of escaping arranged marriages, of faking virginity, of loving men who are married to others. Their stories are touching, but for me even more important and universal was the support they gave each other. They didn't judge, they may have laughed at each other, but they were each still accepted and supported, no matter what decisions they made in life. The stories also show that women...
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The Journey that Saved Curious George by Louise Borden

by Carol5 Comments
The Journey That Saved Curious George : The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden, illustrated by Allan Drummond (Suggested reading level: Grades 3-6) I love Curious George, especially his new adventures and the PBS cartoon. We have two box sets that I'd read over and over with Amber when she was younger, but I never knew the story behind Curious George. I mentioned the other day about author's own experiences showing up in their works of fiction. I didn't realize how soon the topic would come up again, but Hans Reyersbach, who eventually changed his name to H. A. Rey, left his home in Germany in his early twenties and headed to Brazil. It was hot in Brazil—so Hans wore a broad hat, even in the shad of Rio's palm trees and cafés. When he traveled up and down the Amazon River, Hans watched the monkeys and made drawings of them. (pg. 12-13) I can certainly see where the famous...
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Another Week in the Books

by Carol4 Comments
First of all, I want to thank Renee at Black 'n Gold Girl's Book Spot for passing this award on to me. It's so happy and certainly brightened my day. This past week I posted a couple of reviews, a cookbook, Family Feasts for $75 a Week, and a really funny collection of comic strips, The Knight Life. In addition to the giveaway for The Knight Life, I'm also giving away three copies of an audiobook, Eat the Cookie...Buy the Shoes by Joyce Meyer. We had a nice Memorial Day weekend. David's team won their softball game, 4-3. Saturday Amber went to a friend's house, so I went shopping with my mom. One of our stops was a grocery store I absolutely love. I'm always amazed by how much more variety than have than the stores in our town. My mom says I'm like Alice in Wonderland when I go there. We had a small cookout at our house on Saturday followed...
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