"Clay didn't think he was the right dragon for a Big Heroic Destiny.
Oh, he wanted to be. He wanted to be the great MudWing savior of the dragon world, glorious and brave. He wanted to do all the wonderful things expected of him. He wanted to look at the world, figure out what was broken, and fix it." ~ Tui T. Sutherland
I'm currently watching Catching Fire for the first time. Yes, even though I've owned the DVD since it was released (years ago), I've never watched it. Or Mockingjay 1 or 2. Why? Because I knew it would be tough to watch.
But since I did a recent re-read of the series--and may or may not be delving into the Gadge** ship--I've been trying to get myself to watch Catching Fire.
Pattan's Pumpkin tells a similar story as Noah's ark, though the setting is in a valley below the Sahyadri Mountains in Southern India. Pattan and his wife live in harmony with the animals and people around them, and Pattan shares his food with everyone in his village. When great rains start, he looks out to an ever-enlarging pumpkin in his field for a solution. As a community, the animals help to hollow out the pumpkin so they can use it to survive the flood.
"In caring for Molly, insurance only went so far-her friends and family helped make up the difference by raising money and making personal donations. The Molly Bear Foundation, named in loving memory of Molly Elizabeth, is a community devoted to taking care of one another. The goal of the foundation is to pay it forward by providing supplemental financial assistance to families raising children with Trisomy 18." ~ Erin Brown
Little Lion’s second grade teachers have started a new thing this year and I love it. I don’t know what they call it, but I’m officially calling it “Mix It Up”. Each month, they are placed at certain lunch tables on Wednesdays and that is their Wednesday lunch group. The teachers mix up the kids so they sit with that group on Wednesdays only. The rest of the week, they get to choose where to sit.
It’s a brilliant idea. Little Lion is making new friends and reconnecting with old ones.
"The Ruthie Lou Foundation was inspired by the love, care, and support that my daughter's team of health professionals showed my family. We were guided through our time with Ruthie Lou and it has made all the difference as we navigate our life without her. In creating this non-profit, I wanted to offer the same compassion to other families experiencing the loss of their beloved baby." ~Amie Lands
This quote is on one of the cards in our Macy calendar this month. I’ve been taking the quotes to heart this year, trying to find meaning in each one, just as I meant for my little family to do when we were making them together last year.
January is when I start to feel icky. And by 'icky', I mean restless and crawling out of my skin. It has only hit me in small bursts this year, but in the early morning hours of this Saturday morning, I'm feeling it. My family is asleep. Usually Mr. Bookworm is up writing by now. I'm wide awake because I woke before my alarm.
As a pediatrician, I talk about sleep habits every day. And I admit to my patient families that my girls weren't the best sleepers. Despite that, we still tried to establish a routine early on: after Mini Me started solids at six months of age, Mr. Bookworm would feed her a rice cereal snack and read her books.
One way to re-focus on bedtime is to have the last book of the night be something about bedtime. We have some all-time faves, including The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton. And now, Laurie Berkner has teamed up with Camille Garoche to translate her "Pillowland" song into the picture book market.
For this week's Featured Friday non-profit organization, I am featuring a wonderful organization that supports education for young adults with Down Syndrome.
Ruby has Down Syndrome and her amazing spirit as well as her parents' desire NOT to limit their expectations for their child was the impetus for starting Ruby's Rainbow. Ruby's Rainbow funds scholarships to adults with Down Syndrome who are "who are seeking post-secondary education, enrichment or vocational classes".
Last year I wrote about my Lola's New Year's Day tradition--she would raffle off prizes or money to all her grandchildren. It was always a fun gathering, an extra day of bonding. I've always wanted to carry on her tradition and last year I figured out a way to do it remotely....with books, of course.
First Lines: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." ~ Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Do you remember your first book? I certainly don't. I've read too many.
I do remember going to the library and checking out stacks and stacks of books. And my sisters teasing me by calling me a bookworm. I wore that moniker proudly and I still do.
Though I still love to go to the library, I love owning copies of my favorite books.
First Book is a non-profit organization that aids in distributing books to low income or at-risk communities.
Instagram goes crazy this time of year with everyone's Best Nine. You haven't heard of it? It's the nine most 'liked' pictures you've posted over the year.
And in this quiet morning (it's the day before Christmas as I write this, and, no, I'm still not ready), I started thinking about a different 'Best Nine'. What am I proud of this year?
It's been cold here in Southern California. Freezing, in fact. Or...I guess what the Bookworm girls and I call "California Freezing" or "California Cold" because we are scientists and we know that it's not technically freezing here.
I will tell you that I've never been truly cold at night. Unless by choice via camping. I know that there are many people and homeless families sprouting up all around this area. And there are teens too.
Now that I work in a private practice I don't see these teens. But they're out there, running away from something, or taking care of themselves for some time now. And I'm always torn about how I can help.
It's the time of gift giving and somehow, even though I'm somewhat prepared, the holiday season always runs away from me. Even though I've done most of my shopping (Yay for online shopping!), I know there are some last minute consumers out there.
Here is my list of the BEST GIFT IDEAS FOR BILBIOPHILES....so far.
Our house isn’t ready for Christmas. My stack of cards, unaddressed, is still sitting there. We don’t have our tree up yet because we’ve been sick. Our stockings aren’t hung by the chimney with care. (Though Mr. Bookworm has taken our Christmas boxes down from the attic.) And though we have lots of presents, none of them are wrapped. There is no guarantee of any of those things actually getting done this weekend either—not with us being sick. And that’s okay.
The only thing that MUST get done today is the movies. Because we’re off to see The Last Jedi today.
Featured Fridays: I'm featuring a non-profit organization every Friday for the nine Fridays leading up to what would have been Macy's ninth birthday.
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is an organization that provides volunteer photographers to document the life of infants who are born still or who live for a only short time.
Last year I posted a 12 Must-Have Picture Books for the 12 Days of Christmas. The list contains some classics and some newer ones, but they are all picture book 'must-haves' for any young bibliophile (or older ones too). My friend suggested that I make a list for older kids that other people could reference for great gifts for different age groups.
Well, I don't feel exactly qualified to do so. Why? Because while I have read thousands of picture books, I am not as well read in early chapter books, middle grade books, or YA books. So I may curate a list with some input from some other knowledgeable friends, but in the meantime, I thought I'd place all my First Lines novels in one place along with book summaries in case you might want to gift one to a friend or family member this holiday season.
