She Stood For Freedom
Picture book
When we think of the Civil Rights movement we tend to remember
the big names such as Martin Luther King Jr. But for each of them
there were a lot of people who stayed more in the background while
taking serious risks and doing their best to advance the cause. Joan
Trumpauer Mulholland was one of those people. Loki Mulholland and
Angela Fairwell's She Stood For Freedom: The Untold Story of a Civil
Rights Hero creates for the reader an intimate portrait of her.
Joan grew up in the Jim Crow South where all the little children
loved by Jesus were not allowed to sit together in church. Seeing a
one room shack that served as the school for black children, she
recognized the unfairness of all and decided that segregation was wrong.
As a college student Joan joined the Civil Rights Movement and
became involved in sit-ins and other demonstrations. At one point she
was arrested. She spent two months in a very notorious prison. A lot
of whites, considering her a traitor to her race, put her life in
peril. She was on the KKK's most wanted list. Even that didn't stop
her.
Three of Joan's quotes in the book really inspire me. I believe
that as we head into a very scary time to be alive in America we must
ponder on them and act on their strong hope messages.
"You can never go wrong by doing what is right. It might not be
easy, but it is always right."
"I'm as ordinary as they come. I saw something was wrong and
decided to do something about it. It takes all of us to make a
difference. You just have to make the choice."
"Anyone can make a difference. You don't have to be a Dr. King
or a Rosa Parks. [These days a Bernie Saunders or an Elizabeth
Warren] It doesn't matter how old or young you are. Find a problem,
get some friends together, and go fix it. Remember, you don't have to
change the world...just change your world."
Words to live by as we enter a very frightening and uncertain
2017! All of us, no matter how ordinary, can fight for freedom and
justice.
On a personal note, as you read this we'll be about to celebrate New
Years Eve. Hopefully we'll engage in responsible celebrating,
especially in states like Maine where predicted snow could make drunk
driving even more inadvisible than usual. I have got great plans. I
am going to read near the Christmas tree with Joey cat. I have
Christmas candy on hand. Since I'm staying up and we may have snow I
am cutting church in the morning.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers, with wishes for a
safe and happy New Years Eve.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, December 31, 2016
The Deadliest Creature In The World
The Deadliest Creature In The World
Picture book
Youngsters who find nature red in tooth and claw fascinating
will love reading Brenda Z. Guiberson's The Deadliest Creature In The
World.
A number of creatures, seemingly competing for the title,
present their lethal attributes. Among them:
*a gaboon viper claims to have the longest fangs and most venom;
*an anopheles mosquito reminds judges of the millions of people who
die every year through its transmission of maleria;
*and a stone fish brags on its camoflauge ability and lethal venom.
Readers are invited to judge for themselves.
Unfortunately the truly deadliest creature--the only one that
routinely sends whole species to extinction--is not profiled. I
wonder why.
On a personal note, I had my special crafts day with Amber and Brian.
This is always my biggest Christmas gift from them. I worked on a new
counted cross stitch project while Amber started making a rag doll and
Brian worked on a computer game. Adam and Asia came other with
Beans. I got to meet my new little grandkitten. He is grey and white
with big green eyes...totally adorable. That was a for sure quality
time day to treasure!
A great big shout out goes out to my children, their significant
others, and my grandcats: Archie and Beans.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Youngsters who find nature red in tooth and claw fascinating
will love reading Brenda Z. Guiberson's The Deadliest Creature In The
World.
A number of creatures, seemingly competing for the title,
present their lethal attributes. Among them:
*a gaboon viper claims to have the longest fangs and most venom;
*an anopheles mosquito reminds judges of the millions of people who
die every year through its transmission of maleria;
*and a stone fish brags on its camoflauge ability and lethal venom.
Readers are invited to judge for themselves.
Unfortunately the truly deadliest creature--the only one that
routinely sends whole species to extinction--is not profiled. I
wonder why.
On a personal note, I had my special crafts day with Amber and Brian.
This is always my biggest Christmas gift from them. I worked on a new
counted cross stitch project while Amber started making a rag doll and
Brian worked on a computer game. Adam and Asia came other with
Beans. I got to meet my new little grandkitten. He is grey and white
with big green eyes...totally adorable. That was a for sure quality
time day to treasure!
A great big shout out goes out to my children, their significant
others, and my grandcats: Archie and Beans.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Christine
Christine
Adult fiction
"What was it? Some sort of afreet? An ordinary car that had
somehow become the dangerous, stinking dwelling-place of a demon? A
weird manifestation of LeBay's lingering personality, a hellish
haunted house that rolled on Goodyear rubber? I didn't know. All I
knew was that I was scared, terrified. I didn't think I could go
through with this."
For some reason reading Shooter left me wanting to revisit one
of Stephen King's earlier works, a real vintage volume that rolled off
the line in 1983. The clue in that sentence should have you guessing
Christine. That's right, the killer car. Across decades, authors,
and target audiences you have a uniting theme: the revenge of the
left out and left behind.
Narrator Dennis is driving home from work. Suddenly his
passenger, Arnie, yells for him to stop and go back. The object of
his sudden interest is a decrepit car with a for sale sign. Next
thing Dennis knows, Arnie is negotiating with the curmudgeonly owner,
Roland LeBay, and putting down a ten percent deposit without as much
as looking under the hood or seeing if it runs. This is especially
disconcerting since, in addition to a college prep load, Arnie excells
in auto shop.
Dennis and Arnie are heading into their senior year in high
school. They are about the most odd couple one could find in the late
70s in that millieu. Dennis is the football quarterback. Arnie is at
the exact opposite end of the power and popularity continuum.
"He was a loser, you know. Every high school has to have at
least two; it's like a national law. One male, one female.
Everyone's dumping ground..."
Dennis sees red flags starting with when Arnie buys a clunker
seemingly destined for an auto graveyard. There's his friend's
obsession with the vehicle, his calling it Christine as LeBay had
done. It's almost like the car is a girl. There are the truly evil
things he learns about the former owner and the premature deaths of
his child and wife. And then there's the way Christine is seeming to
regenerate, to roll back the miles.
Read Christine if you want a good spine chiller that has well
stood the test of time. But don't read it too close up bed time if
sleep is on your night agenda.
On a personal note, I was struck by the wisdom of one of King's
lines: "If being a kid is about learning how to live, then being a
grown up is about learning how to die." I have a very strong suspicion
that in our youth obsessed culture there is a point where we're
supposed to let go of dreaming and striving and shamble into that next
to last television lighted good night. And the ads on the shows
targeted to this demographic. Yeesh!
A great big shout out goes out to my college and grad school chums who
keep my odometer running backward and light up my far from geezerly
life.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult fiction
"What was it? Some sort of afreet? An ordinary car that had
somehow become the dangerous, stinking dwelling-place of a demon? A
weird manifestation of LeBay's lingering personality, a hellish
haunted house that rolled on Goodyear rubber? I didn't know. All I
knew was that I was scared, terrified. I didn't think I could go
through with this."
For some reason reading Shooter left me wanting to revisit one
of Stephen King's earlier works, a real vintage volume that rolled off
the line in 1983. The clue in that sentence should have you guessing
Christine. That's right, the killer car. Across decades, authors,
and target audiences you have a uniting theme: the revenge of the
left out and left behind.
Narrator Dennis is driving home from work. Suddenly his
passenger, Arnie, yells for him to stop and go back. The object of
his sudden interest is a decrepit car with a for sale sign. Next
thing Dennis knows, Arnie is negotiating with the curmudgeonly owner,
Roland LeBay, and putting down a ten percent deposit without as much
as looking under the hood or seeing if it runs. This is especially
disconcerting since, in addition to a college prep load, Arnie excells
in auto shop.
Dennis and Arnie are heading into their senior year in high
school. They are about the most odd couple one could find in the late
70s in that millieu. Dennis is the football quarterback. Arnie is at
the exact opposite end of the power and popularity continuum.
"He was a loser, you know. Every high school has to have at
least two; it's like a national law. One male, one female.
Everyone's dumping ground..."
Dennis sees red flags starting with when Arnie buys a clunker
seemingly destined for an auto graveyard. There's his friend's
obsession with the vehicle, his calling it Christine as LeBay had
done. It's almost like the car is a girl. There are the truly evil
things he learns about the former owner and the premature deaths of
his child and wife. And then there's the way Christine is seeming to
regenerate, to roll back the miles.
Read Christine if you want a good spine chiller that has well
stood the test of time. But don't read it too close up bed time if
sleep is on your night agenda.
On a personal note, I was struck by the wisdom of one of King's
lines: "If being a kid is about learning how to live, then being a
grown up is about learning how to die." I have a very strong suspicion
that in our youth obsessed culture there is a point where we're
supposed to let go of dreaming and striving and shamble into that next
to last television lighted good night. And the ads on the shows
targeted to this demographic. Yeesh!
A great big shout out goes out to my college and grad school chums who
keep my odometer running backward and light up my far from geezerly
life.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Be Safe Around Fire
Be Safe Around Fire
Picture book
Now here's a book my firefighter son would approve of. Bridget
Heos' Be Safe Around Fire brings home important safety messages in a
way that will delight the pre and primary school set.
A girl has a new doll house populated by quite a motley crew
including Barbie types, a super hero, a troll, a cyclops, and a frog
with vampire fangs. When Super Dave leaves his sparkly shirt draped
over a lamp she decides that it's time to clue the gang in on fire
safety.
Children will find the toys come to life ideas amusing. When
the girl asks the monster babies what to do if they find matches the
vampire fanged frog suggests eating them, the troll advises sticking
them up one's nose, and the cyclops goes for throwing them out the
window.
Sure it's the basics, but in a format that kids will find
interesting. So they're more likely to stick with them.
On a personal note, when I see my son in his full fire fighter/EMT
regalia I still am stunned. That's my baby (the youngest is always
the baby) saving lives. I am very proud of him.
A great big shout out goes out to Adam and all his colleagues who are
given the utmost responsibility in unpredictable, volatile, and
sometimes very dangerous situations.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Now here's a book my firefighter son would approve of. Bridget
Heos' Be Safe Around Fire brings home important safety messages in a
way that will delight the pre and primary school set.
A girl has a new doll house populated by quite a motley crew
including Barbie types, a super hero, a troll, a cyclops, and a frog
with vampire fangs. When Super Dave leaves his sparkly shirt draped
over a lamp she decides that it's time to clue the gang in on fire
safety.
Children will find the toys come to life ideas amusing. When
the girl asks the monster babies what to do if they find matches the
vampire fanged frog suggests eating them, the troll advises sticking
them up one's nose, and the cyclops goes for throwing them out the
window.
Sure it's the basics, but in a format that kids will find
interesting. So they're more likely to stick with them.
On a personal note, when I see my son in his full fire fighter/EMT
regalia I still am stunned. That's my baby (the youngest is always
the baby) saving lives. I am very proud of him.
A great big shout out goes out to Adam and all his colleagues who are
given the utmost responsibility in unpredictable, volatile, and
sometimes very dangerous situations.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, December 30, 2016
In A Cloud Of Dust
In A Cloud Of Dust
Picture book
Picture a local school at the end of the day. Students, except
for those who live closest, hop into the ubiquitous yellow buses or
parental cars. If we're talking high school many of the students have
their own rides. Kids in some parts of the world aren't nearly that
fortunate. Alma Fullerton's In A Cloud Of Dust explains this concept
beautifully.
Anna lives in a village in Tanzania. It takes her so long to
walk home from school there is no daylight to study by when she gets
home. So she has to do her school work during lunch break. Sadly
this means she misses out on a delivery of mended bikes from the
bicycle library.
All is not lost however. Read the book and see why.
In an author's note at the end, Fullerton reminds readers of the
need in third world countries for bicycles to get people safely to
school or work. She provides information about six international
organizations that work to meet this need. Raising money to help
would be a great project for a family, class, or youth organization.
On a personal note, Joey cat has been really been enjoying the
Christmas season: a tree to nap under, his beloved Katie spending the
night, a new catnip toy from Santa, little scraps of ham--not near
enough to do him harm. He has given me an unexpected present by doing
something he hasn't done in years. He will select a lower hanging
ornament and nudge it from different angles until he makes it fall to
the floor and bat it all over the place with great gusto. Of course I
have to rescue the ornament. But it makes my heart sing to see him,
at 13 1/2, being so kittenishly mischievous.
A great big shout out goes out to the dogs and cats who make
Christmases all the more joyous.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Picture a local school at the end of the day. Students, except
for those who live closest, hop into the ubiquitous yellow buses or
parental cars. If we're talking high school many of the students have
their own rides. Kids in some parts of the world aren't nearly that
fortunate. Alma Fullerton's In A Cloud Of Dust explains this concept
beautifully.
Anna lives in a village in Tanzania. It takes her so long to
walk home from school there is no daylight to study by when she gets
home. So she has to do her school work during lunch break. Sadly
this means she misses out on a delivery of mended bikes from the
bicycle library.
All is not lost however. Read the book and see why.
In an author's note at the end, Fullerton reminds readers of the
need in third world countries for bicycles to get people safely to
school or work. She provides information about six international
organizations that work to meet this need. Raising money to help
would be a great project for a family, class, or youth organization.
On a personal note, Joey cat has been really been enjoying the
Christmas season: a tree to nap under, his beloved Katie spending the
night, a new catnip toy from Santa, little scraps of ham--not near
enough to do him harm. He has given me an unexpected present by doing
something he hasn't done in years. He will select a lower hanging
ornament and nudge it from different angles until he makes it fall to
the floor and bat it all over the place with great gusto. Of course I
have to rescue the ornament. But it makes my heart sing to see him,
at 13 1/2, being so kittenishly mischievous.
A great big shout out goes out to the dogs and cats who make
Christmases all the more joyous.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Naked!
Naked!
Picture book
Much to his parents' consternation, the delightfully androgynous
everychild narrator of Michael Ian Black's Naked! has a bathtub
epiphany. Lose the clothes. Anything worth doing, cookie eating, for
example, can be accomplished in the altogether. Perhaps even
attending school and having fun on the playground? Who needs clothes--
except maybe a cape?
The Garden of Eden status does not last forever. So what brings
everychild to acknowledge the need for pants, a top, and even
slippers? Feeling cold.
Parents of very young kids, do not buy or borrow this lively
and colorful volume unless you're prepared to read it aloud about a
gazillion times. It's sure to become a family favorite.
On a personal note, the day after Christmas Eugene took me to Jo-Ann
Fabrics. I was able to get quite a stash of embroidery floss with the
gift card Adam gave me.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow counted cross stitch
enthusiasts.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Much to his parents' consternation, the delightfully androgynous
everychild narrator of Michael Ian Black's Naked! has a bathtub
epiphany. Lose the clothes. Anything worth doing, cookie eating, for
example, can be accomplished in the altogether. Perhaps even
attending school and having fun on the playground? Who needs clothes--
except maybe a cape?
The Garden of Eden status does not last forever. So what brings
everychild to acknowledge the need for pants, a top, and even
slippers? Feeling cold.
Parents of very young kids, do not buy or borrow this lively
and colorful volume unless you're prepared to read it aloud about a
gazillion times. It's sure to become a family favorite.
On a personal note, the day after Christmas Eugene took me to Jo-Ann
Fabrics. I was able to get quite a stash of embroidery floss with the
gift card Adam gave me.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow counted cross stitch
enthusiasts.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Shooter
Shooter
YA fiction
"About the bullying. There are different parts to it. There's the
part where someone is pushing you around, or throwing your books on
the ground, that sort of thing. Another part is when you're not being
bullied and still not dealing with other kids. Mostly the whole thing
is how you feel about yourself. If you feel like you can be punked
out, then that's where it is. You're punked out even when nobody's
around."
Walter Dean Myers is a masterful writer whose work can get
downright disquieting. Shooter, one of his vintage pieces, is
spinechilling because in quite a few places it comes very close to
something you'd read in the news. A novel format contributes to this
effect.
The book takes the form of a threat analysis report done by a
school safety committee. The mission of the group is to assess
threats and dangers to the school community. You learn that this is
more than a theoretical exercise in the line that all interviewees
must be read their Miranda rights.
Reading Shooter is like piecing together a darkly fascinating
jigsaw puzzle. Clues gleaned give a picture of a deeply disturbed
young man, the final act of desperation he committed, and the two
peers who were his friends. The unusual format proves more alarming
than a more traditional one could have.
Even though Shooter is twelve years old it is sadly worth
reading. In a world where too often school admin and boards put
lawsuit prevention over creating safe and welcoming environments for
all students, in a political time and place where scapegoating is on
the rise and encouraged...you are going to have more incidents.
On a personal note, we did have ourselves a lovely white Christmas
here in Maine. Now we've got rain and temps in the 40s.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who do weather
predictions, those on call to deal with precip that comes down in the
form of snow or sleet, and everyone who understands that said precip
does not negate the very real threat of global climate change.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"About the bullying. There are different parts to it. There's the
part where someone is pushing you around, or throwing your books on
the ground, that sort of thing. Another part is when you're not being
bullied and still not dealing with other kids. Mostly the whole thing
is how you feel about yourself. If you feel like you can be punked
out, then that's where it is. You're punked out even when nobody's
around."
Walter Dean Myers is a masterful writer whose work can get
downright disquieting. Shooter, one of his vintage pieces, is
spinechilling because in quite a few places it comes very close to
something you'd read in the news. A novel format contributes to this
effect.
The book takes the form of a threat analysis report done by a
school safety committee. The mission of the group is to assess
threats and dangers to the school community. You learn that this is
more than a theoretical exercise in the line that all interviewees
must be read their Miranda rights.
Reading Shooter is like piecing together a darkly fascinating
jigsaw puzzle. Clues gleaned give a picture of a deeply disturbed
young man, the final act of desperation he committed, and the two
peers who were his friends. The unusual format proves more alarming
than a more traditional one could have.
Even though Shooter is twelve years old it is sadly worth
reading. In a world where too often school admin and boards put
lawsuit prevention over creating safe and welcoming environments for
all students, in a political time and place where scapegoating is on
the rise and encouraged...you are going to have more incidents.
On a personal note, we did have ourselves a lovely white Christmas
here in Maine. Now we've got rain and temps in the 40s.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who do weather
predictions, those on call to deal with precip that comes down in the
form of snow or sleet, and everyone who understands that said precip
does not negate the very real threat of global climate change.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
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