Go Go Bookworm: November 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

Day 30: Sharing

It’s Day 30 of my November series of farm kid stories. (I did it!) Thirty days of reading, writing… and also sharing.

A good friend from work shared the next book with me. Nope, this book isn’t a picture book. It's a great read for an adult who has a chance to read to little ones.

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma tells the story of a father who reads aloud to his 4th grade daughter for 100 consecutive nights. They then decide to start “The Streak” where her dad reads every night until Alice goes to college.

It’s a true book, and author Alice Ozma’s website includes suggestions for starting your own reading streak.

Another co-worker friend shared a favorite children’s book author with me when she gifted a trio of Sandra Boynton’s board books at my baby shower. And then another friend at work let me borrow the last books of the The Hunger Games trilogy. (Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you.)

Books are meant to be discussed, shared and occasionally used as a doorstop (when you didn’t find the read too interesting.)

To get me to my official “30” farm kid stories, I’ll share two books we want to read soon.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Author Judi Barrett
Illustrator Ronald Barrett
Ages 9-12
32 Pages

Grow Your Own Pizza
Author Constance Hardesty
Illustrator Ronald Barrett
Ages 9-12
128 Pages

Thinking back to my Day 12: Call to Action post: I’m not necessarily reading to G in an effort for him learn to read. I mean, I do want him to read (and I desire literacy for others.) But I really want my G to reach his fullest potential.

What if there is a child out there… who will grow up and help discover a cure for childhood cancer, mitochondrial disease or even the common cold?

Or maybe if a child is read to, it will simply keep them out of trouble. Maybe G will grow up and become an average-Joe citizen. I’d be happy with that. Every book I open and read to him would be worth it if it gave him some opportunity.

Does this make sense? It’s not exactly about literacy to me… it’s more of an unlocking of potential. It’s helping a child think differently. It’s something I believe in. It’s the reason why I share books with others.

Will you share reading with someone today?

Lauren

My Library List:
Preview Day: 30 Days of Farm Kid Stories
Day 1: One Moment
Day 2: Perfect Pizza
Day 3: Our Heartland
Day 4: Pasta Fistful
Day 5: One Fast Grower
Day 6: Farmer Seuss
Day 7: Just One Cookie?
Day 8: Frowns Turn into Smiles
Day 9: BOO-HA
Day 10: Big Red Barn
Day 11: Magic with Vegetables
Day 12: Call to Action
Day 13: BOOM
Day 14: Ponies and Cowboys
Day 15: Value to our Trees
Day 16: Tractor Time
Day 17: Wishing for a Washing
Day 18: United Tweets
Day 19: Popcorn Pops
Day 20: Busy Places
Day 21: Peas Please
Day 22: Thankful
Day 23: Splashes of Ink
Day 24: Fantastic Machines
Day 25: Secrets of Quilts
Day 26: L is for Lincoln
Day 27: Christmas Trees
Day 28: Generations
Day 29: Beans

Our blogging host Holly Spangler writes “30 Days on a Prairie Farm” this month on her blog: My Generation.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Day 29: Beans

When we drive by a gravel sales lot full of augers… G auto-replies with the word “beans.”

He’s right. When we unload beans into the pit, the soybeans travel up the auger into the grain bin. Someone has been paying attention this fall.

The next farm kid story is all about beans. In Awesome Agriculture’s Soybeans: an A to Z book, authors Susan Anderson and JoAnne Buggey use a red tractor named “Agri” as a spokesman for each letter of the alphabet.

Let’s go straight to the Q page: Quality. “Soybean farmers want to grow high-quality beans.” Agri speaks up and says, “High quality means the soybeans are the best they can be.”

The book shows detailed photos of soybean fields, tofu, tractors and even a family shopping in a grocery store. I especially enjoy the letter K page with crayons and polo shirts made from soybeans. K is for Know: “Did you know these things are made with soybeans?”

I didn’t, exactly. The clothing made out of soybeans surprised me here.

I’m not surprised how much I enjoyed this book that features something my family farm grows.

What product made from soybeans surprises you?

Lauren

My Library List:
Preview Day: 30 Days of Farm Kid Stories
Day 1: One Moment
Day 2: Perfect Pizza
Day 3: Our Heartland
Day 4: Pasta Fistful
Day 5: One Fast Grower
Day 6: Farmer Seuss
Day 7: Just One Cookie?
Day 8: Frowns Turn into Smiles
Day 9: BOO-HA
Day 10: Big Red Barn
Day 11: Magic with Vegetables
Day 12: Call to Action
Day 13: BOOM
Day 14: Ponies and Cowboys
Day 15: Value to our Trees
Day 16: Tractor Time
Day 17: Wishing for a Washing
Day 18: United Tweets
Day 19: Popcorn Pops
Day 20: Busy Places
Day 21: Peas Please
Day 22: Thankful
Day 23: Splashes of Ink
Day 24: Fantastic Machines
Day 25: Secrets of Quilts
Day 26: L is for Lincoln
Day 27: Christmas Trees
Day 28: Generations

Our blogging host Holly Spangler writes “30 Days on a Prairie Farm” this month on her blog: My Generation.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Day 28: Generations

Our next farm kid story showcases a family-owned farm with deep roots.

In Tuttle’s Red Barn: The Story of America’s Oldest Family Farm author Richard Michelson spans 12 generations of the Tuttle family starting with John Tuttle (1616-1683) who came ashore Maine from a boat from England.

On page 5 the Tuttle children prepare the cabin for winter by doing chores: filling in chinks in the logs with rock and clay, and rubbing linseed oil on the paper windows to keep out the rain.

The book tells the story of Indian raids, the Revolutionary War, the Underground Railroad, the Industrial Revolution, and also 300+ years of work on their New Hampshire family farm. By the 1960’s Tuttle’s Red Barn Farmstand sold produce and things such as hand-spun wool and real maple syrup.

Illustrator Mary Azarian uses a relief printmaking technique called woodcut (or xylography) illustrations. It’s a rustic yet pretty technique of dark lines filled in with bright colors. The Illustrator’s website showcases more than 50 books where she uses her woodcut illustrations.

I'll keep it short tonight. My little one is feeling under the weather. Not much time to type or to even read tonight!

What's the book of choice in your house tonight?

Lauren

My Library List:
Preview Day: 30 Days of Farm Kid Stories
Day 1: One Moment
Day 2: Perfect Pizza
Day 3: Our Heartland
Day 4: Pasta Fistful
Day 5: One Fast Grower
Day 6: Farmer Seuss
Day 7: Just One Cookie?
Day 8: Frowns Turn into Smiles
Day 9: BOO-HA
Day 10: Big Red Barn
Day 11: Magic with Vegetables
Day 12: Call to Action
Day 13: BOOM
Day 14: Ponies and Cowboys
Day 15: Value to our Trees
Day 16: Tractor Time
Day 17: Wishing for a Washing
Day 18: United Tweets
Day 19: Popcorn Pops
Day 20: Busy Places
Day 21: Peas Please
Day 22: Thankful
Day 23: Splashes of Ink
Day 24: Fantastic Machines
Day 25: Secrets of Quilts
Day 26: L is for Lincoln
Day 27: Christmas Trees

Our blogging host Holly Spangler writes “30 Days on a Prairie Farm” this month on her blog: My Generation.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Day 27: Christmas Trees

Today is the day we put up our Christmas tree. No doubt G will help, and this year his assistance might include more than taking an ornament and running. *Smile*

In the book A Wish to be a Christmas Tree author Colleen Monroe writes about an overgrown pine living at North Star Tree Farm. This tree feels sad to be overlooked by families who choose “the fat Scotch pine” and the “fir so fine.”

The animals at the tree farm all speak up and tell the pine tree how he is “more than just a great, big tree.”

“Your branches keep us safe and warm,
you are our shelter from the storm.”
A cardinal flying by chirped in,
“You are my safety from the wind.”

Illustrator Michael Glenn Monroe paints the snowy pages with skies of pink, orange and yellow. Detailed forest animals, such as a white-tailed deer, squirrel and white rabbit gather and bring gifts of holly berry and acorns to decorate the snow-draped, sleepy pine.

All this typing about Christmas decorating makes me feel inspired. Time to put up some Christmas lights!

What are your favorite Christmas books? I’ll tell you a secret. I think Santa will bring G the following book this year: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg.

Our blogging host Holly Spangler writes “30 Days on a Prairie Farm” this month on her blog: My Generation.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Day 26: L is for Lincoln

Living here in the Land of Lincoln we might have a couple (or ten…… or thirty) opportunities to explore the top-hat wearing 16^th president.

In the book L is for Lincoln: An Illinois Alphabet, author Kathy-Jo Wargin uses each letter to explore what makes our state special. L in this book is for (you guessed it) Lincoln, of course!

In alphabet books I immediately flip to the less common letters first. Just how does the author tie in the letter Q? And what about Z?

Q is for Quincy, the Illinois town who had the first fire engine: Rough and Ready.

Z is for Zoo. “In 1868 two swans from New York’s Central Park were given to the newly established Lincoln Park Zoo.”

Each page includes a pastel-colored sidebar that gives more information about each subject. Illustrator Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen paints colorful illustrations on a canvas-like medium.

The Y is for Yellow Fields page says “The yellow fields of Illinois tell us that agriculture is a primary industry here. More than 28 million acres, which is nearly 80 percent of the state’s total land area, is covered by farms.”

Have you seen the new move Lincoln in theaters? It’s a historical drama filmed and directed by Steven Spielberg starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

If you are in the Springfield, IL area then a visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is an absolute must. The same organization that contributed to the design of Disney World helped design this place. The rooms exploring the election campaign of Lincoln and Stephen Douglas showed televisions airing CNN-like coverage from 1858 including creative “breaking news” of the time crawling at the bottom of the screen.

The set and design of this museum including the mix of historical information and humor with cultural references to the present time… makes for an incredible experience.

What’s your favorite Abe Lincoln experience?

Lauren

My Library List:
Preview Day: 30 Days of Farm Kid Stories
Day 1: One Moment
Day 2: Perfect Pizza
Day 3: Our Heartland
Day 4: Pasta Fistful
Day 5: One Fast Grower
Day 6: Farmer Seuss
Day 7: Just One Cookie?
Day 8: Frowns Turn into Smiles
Day 9: BOO-HA
Day 10: Big Red Barn
Day 11: Magic with Vegetables
Day 12: Call to Action
Day 13: BOOM
Day 14: Ponies and Cowboys
Day 15: Value to our Trees
Day 16: Tractor Time
Day 17: Wishing for a Washing
Day 18: United Tweets
Day 19: Popcorn Pops
Day 20: Busy Places
Day 21: Peas Please
Day 22: Thankful
Day 23: Splashes of Ink
Day 24: Fantastic Machines
Day 25: Secrets of Quilts

Our blogging host Holly Spangler writes “30 Days on a Prairie Farm” this month on her blog: My Generation.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Day 25: Secrets of Quilts

When G sleeps, I sneak downstairs to sew. My latest projects include burp cloths, bibs and an occasional baby quilt. Sewing takes patience, math skills, a seam ripper and time.

When I get “stumped” in my sewing project, I give my mom a call. She will say “Oh, there is a shortcut for that” and she will come over and show me a sewing technique. My mom is a member of the local Mystery Quilters group, so knowing secrets makes sense, right??

In the next farm kid story Quilting Now & Then authors Karen Bates Willing and Julie Bates Dock write a rhyming story about the Johnson children who ask their mom a bunch of questions about quilts.

“Please tell me how you make a quilt,”
says Charlie, full of wonder.
So Shirley pulls out quilts that all
the children snuggle under.

“And could you also tell us
how they made quilts long ago?”
“Did great-great-grandma Ruth make
quilts like you do?” “Yes or no?”

“Did she choose from a hundred prints
like you do at the store?”
“And were the quilts all sewn by hand?”
“And what is quilting for?”

The authors give comparisons of older days where women cut apart old garments, swapped fabric pieces with friends and made quilts to keep their families warm in cold months. Today quilters head to fabric stores to select the perfect color and fabric pattern.

Illustrator Sarah Morse draws crayon-colored cartoon illustrations with draped photographs of real quilts.

In a generation where garments are made overseas, I really appreciate things sewn in the USA.

Oh, and I especially love creations made by fellow sewing friends such as Kelli at A Little Lively. Our little G drags around his blue, jack game print 4-Block Cuddler blanket around our home. His “B” (G calls it) gives him comfort during trips away from home and also during the transition away from the beloved pacifier.

We also grab the blanket during story time in the evenings. What are you reading tonight to your little one?

Our blogging host Holly Spangler writes “30 Days on a Prairie Farm” this month on her blog: My Generation.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Day 24: Fantastic Machines

It’s the reason why G takes off running down the sidewalk every day to the white hoop building. It’s the reason why we say things such as “It’s getting dark outside. Tractor needs to go to sleep.”

In the next farm kid book, Fantastic Farm Machines, author Cris Peterson labels each set of pages with a “special machine.” On the Corn Planter the author describes how hybrid seed corn goes into the ground.

“Each tiny kernel, or seed, travels through a maze of metal disks and tubes until it drops into the ground. A packing wheel then covers the seed with dirt

In-action farm photographs taken by David R. Lundquist capture men, women and children chopping hay, sitting inside tractor wheels and holding ears of corn.

Pages 3 and 4 feature a G favorite. The one thing we can’t stop talking about.

“Track-ter.” “Track-tee.”

Really if you think about it: riding in a 13-ton machine of steel is not something every little boy can note on his resume (or….um…. his coloring book.)

What are you reading tonight?

Lauren

My Library List:
Preview Day: 30 Days of Farm Kid Stories
Day 1: One Moment
Day 2: Perfect Pizza
Day 3: Our Heartland
Day 4: Pasta Fistful
Day 5: One Fast Grower
Day 6: Farmer Seuss
Day 7: Just One Cookie?
Day 8: Frowns Turn into Smiles
Day 9: BOO-HA
Day 10: Big Red Barn
Day 11: Magic with Vegetables
Day 12: Call to Action
Day 13: BOOM
Day 14: Ponies and Cowboys
Day 15: Value to our Trees
Day 16: Tractor Time
Day 17: Wishing for a Washing
Day 18: United Tweets
Day 19: Popcorn Pops
Day 20: Busy Places
Day 21: Peas Please
Day 22: Thankful
Day 23: Splashes of Ink

Our blogging host Holly Spangler writes “30 Days on a Prairie Farm” this month on her blog: My Generation.