SUGARING TIME by Kathryn Lasky. Photographs by Christopher G. Knight Today we finished up our maple syrup making. The house smelled so delicious in a way a scented candle could never mimic. Recently, I had picked up another picture book on the syrup making process but had pretty well decided I was going to save it for next year. After all, Ohio has been seeing some warmer days, and it felt like the syrup season was passed, until today. Today our temps dipped down and snow flakes fell off and on. Then my husband did the final boil. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. Sugaring Time by Kathryn Lasky won the Newberry Honor in 1984. A photo biography book of the Lacey family and their maple syrup season, Sugaring Time is set in Vermont in the month of March. The black and white pictures take us back to another time when the sap gathering was done by horse and sled. Making syrup is not an easy job especially when done the old fashioned way. It is time intensive, but despite all this it is very rewarding, and this book depicts that well! Sugaring Time is what I refer to as a meaty picture book. There are pictures on every page, but there is a lot of text to go with the pictures.

YOU THE STORY: A WRITER'S GUIDE TO CRAFT THROUGH THE MEMORY Most of us are familiar with Ruta Sepetys' writing. Her amazing ability to write historical fiction in a way that causes us to see the scenes unfolding before us and feel the emotion is incomparable. With these thoughts in mind, how fun it was to discover that she has a book that takes a reader through the art of crafting a story based on their memories. Woven throughout this book are various vignettes from Sepetys' life. From manager of rock and roll groups to a mentor for prison inmates to amazing writer, Sepetys has many moving and hilarious tales she shares. More than one time I laughed out loud while in a group setting reading her stories. So what do you do with a book like this? Really there are a few options. First, the most obvious, if you think about writing or if you do write and want to grow your skills, it's a great read. Second, while it is an instructive book, the little glimpses Sepetys gives us of herself make this a fine book for pleasure reading. Third, I would seriously consider making this a part of my high schooler's writing curriculum for the year. It is well done. HEADS UP- There are a couple of things to be aware of in the book. While she doesn't share a lot of the less than desirable things I'm sure she encountered in the rock and roll world, she does share the story of one performer completely stripping while in a club and bearing all to the world while on stage. She does not go into details about physical descriptions but does let us know that the results were not favorable for this performer. When working with inmates there are a few profanities from the inmate ( no F-bombs). She also talks about the ability she had as a young girl to talk in different voices including a "devil voice" she would use to play tricks on people.

SOPHIE MOUSE: THE CLOVER CURSE by Poppy Green. Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell This was my latest pick of the Sophie Mouse series, The Clover Curse. If you are just joining us, this darling little series does NOT have to be read in order. I am just picking them up and reading them as they apply to the seasons. I will give you a "heads up" that this one centers around the idea of "luck." Read the review and if it is not a good fit, it is fine to skip this one! I will be continuing to read through them! The Clover Curse is not necessarily a St. Patrick's Day read, but it does have to do with the idea of "good luck." Sophie finds a four leaf clover while out painting one afternoon. Elated she picks it, knowing that it is supposed to bring good luck. What ends up happening is a series of bad luck. When she confides to her friend that she found a four leaf clover and picked it, her friend shares with her a legend that is being passed around school that if you pick four leaf clovers then you are cursed with bad luck. Poor Sophie doesn't know what to do. She throws the four leaf clover away, but is that enough to get the bad luck to stop? SPOILER ALERT While at school a few days later, it comes out that one of the students made up the legend while playing a game with his friend. There never was a curse of bad luck. Sometimes we just have bad days. The book does end with Sophie being back out painting again. Regretting that she threw the clover away, she paints a good luck charm (which means she paints a picture of a four leaf clover).

RUMPELSTILTSKIN retold by Paul O. Zelinsky I know Rumpelstiltskin isn't exactly an Irish tale. In fact, it's German! However, I'm going to add it to my SPRING SERIES BOOKLIST because it centers around the love of GOLD! Most of us are familiar with the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. The poor miller who brags to the king that he has a daughter who can spin straw into gold. The king who can't let an opportunity like that pass. Who takes her home and commands her to spin the straw into gold. The daughter who trades away everything she has including her first born child if the little man who appears will spin the straw into gold for her. So why read a story like this to a child? I do, because it presents a prime opportunity to talk about the cost of lying and the ugliness of greed. Both traits almost cost a young woman her life! It almost cost a young mother her future child. Our character matters in life. Paul O. Zelinsky won the 1987 Caldecott Award for Rumpelstiltskin. The beautiful artwork is rich in jewel tones befitting a tale of royalty and gold.

THIS SEAT'S SAVED by Heather Holleman Some books just hit home. Some books just resonate because most of us have experienced at one time or another what This Seat's Saved by Heather Holleman is all about. Typically, somewhere along the way between middle school and high school you experience a time where friends that you thought were your best friends take another road, and you are left standing in the dust watching their backs retreat in the distance with new friends. No longer are you invited to overnight parties and no longer is a seat saved for you at their lunch table. We've all been there. Elita and Margo were the best of friends until Jr. high started. Now Margo is hanging out with a new group of friends, and Elita isn't even on the outskirts of it. Confused over what is happening, Elita doesn't know how to navigate the changes until a chance encounter with a fox and an older woman's secret about Christ helps her find her way. Even though this book is written about Jr. High, the message is one that will resonate with high schoolers as well. Powerful!

THE BERRY PICKERS by Amanda Peters I have a love for blueberries. We grow them, pick them, eat them, freeze them, and bake with them. All truth be told, my kids get tired of them, but I don't! I love their juicy freshness, and they will forever be a tie to my Michigan grandparents for me. When I saw Amanda Peters' The Berry Pickers while I was perusing the shelves at the bookstore, I snatched it up. The cover artwork alone is captivating, not to mention it combines blueberries, family, and mystery all together and serves up one very engaging story. The book follows a Mi'kmaq family who every year leaves Nova Scotia and heads to Maine to pick berries for a wealthy blueberry farmer, Mr. Ellis. Told from the perspective of the second to youngest child, six- year-old Joe, this hauntingly beautiful story shares the guilt he carries about the disappearance of his youngest sister, 4-year-old Ruthie, from the fields one day. He was the last person to see her and even though he had nothing to do with the disappearance, he cannot let go of the idea that he should have done more. She is gone without a trace. Every year the family returns, they search for Ruthie. Was she taken, was she killed? These are questions that the family wonders for years until ..... That's all the further I'll go. Just be prepared for a book with high emotion, and some good old twists and turns. HEADS UP- Yes, there are two things we have to discuss a moment. One is the language. There is a fair amount in this book including a handful of F-bombs. Second, there are two women who spend a lot of time together. You wonder if there is a relationship and it is not until the end when one of the women is asked about it. She acknowledges it, but talks about the times (1960s-70s) and that they both enjoyed having their own homes and some space. There are no romantic details to the relationship. They are just typically together.

THE DEAD SEA SQUIRRELS; SQUIRRELED AWAY by Mike Nawrocki Squirreled Away is Book 1 in The Dead Sea Squirrels series by Mike Nawrocki (Veggie Tales co-creator). This fun, early chapter book (think Magic Treehouse or Sophie Mouse length) takes kids on an adventure with Michael and Justin who are on an archeological dig with Michael's Dad. Cleverly written with a good dose of humor (they discover petrified squirrels in sea salt), this book deals directly with the act of disobedience and dangerous situations that can occur from not obeying. It is a book that can be a great bridge to important discussions for parents to have with their kids. Be sure and see the end notes where some great info is given about the Dead Sea Scrolls. Oh, by the way, the squirrels may not be as petrified as Michael thought!

A DAY WITH NO WORDS by Tiffany Hammond. Illustrated by Kate Cosgrove If you are looking for a picture book with deep meaning check out A Day with No Words by Tiffany Hammond. Told in first person from a nonverbal autistic boy, this beautiful story gives us an inside view into his life. A touch screen tablet gives voice to his thoughts as he navigates the world around him. His heightened senses cause him to react in non typical ways sometimes, and while in the park, he encounters some cruel remarks about his behavior. His mother quickly comes to his defense through the use of a tablet as well. She is autistic and while she does have some speech ability, it is clear that it is a bit of a struggle for her also. Our author understands this momma personally. She is autistic herself and the mother of two autistic boys. There are so many directions you can take a picture book like this with your kids. Can I suggest a couple? First, sit for a minute and really encourage your kids to think about what it means to not be able to communicate with a voice. Second, talk about the wonderful advancements in technology that have helped not only your family, but the doors it has opened up for those who deal with disabilities. Third, have the discussion on how to handle being around those who are impaired in some manner. Disabled people are exactly that, PEOPLE. They just face extra challenges in their lives that we may not. They deserve our respect and care just like anyone else, so always be kind with your words and your actions! One more thing before I wrap this up! Kate Cosgrove knocks it out of the park with her illustrations. Created in pencil and ProCreate, she gives the pictures a feeling of chalk pastels. Not everything is perfectly lined and tidy which fits this story perfectly.

BIG by Vashti Harrison 2024 Caldecott winner Big by Vashti Harrison is a read definitely worth checking out. Bringing a timely message in today's culture, Big tackles the subject of self image, specifically the line between socially acceptable chunky little kids and the socially unacceptable image of older kids that are just "too big." Using chalk pastels and lots of pink to create the dreams of a little girl, Harrison helps the reader identify with the time in all of our lives that we dreamed of future big things. However, for this little girl, the pages turn to gray when the dreams come crashing down because of words said, doors closed on possibilities all due to size. For a while the words stick to the little girl. They box her into a tight space where she can barely move, but that's not the end of the story. This precious little girl learns that there is so much more to her than her size! Absolutely Beautiful!

SHADOW (BOOK 2 OF THE HEIRS OF NEVERLAND) by Kara Swanson Kara Swanson's Shadow, Book 2 of the Heirs of Neverland Series, picks up where Dust left off and takes readers into the heart of the brokenness of Neverland. Peter Pan is selfish, and that selfishness has affected the inhabitants of Neverland for a long time. Shadows have filled the world and its people. The light is being snuffed out bit by bit. It's time to deal with the root cause of all of this darkness before it is too late. It is time to grow up, to take responsibility, to face the consequences of past actions, so the darkness can be defeated and the light returns. Shadow is a redemptive story. However, there is a lot of darkness that you encounter. At the end you hold your breath and hope that things are going to turn out alright, because there is death, there are prices for the sins of the past that do not just easily wrap up and drift away. But that is the truth of life, is it not? Forgiveness and a new life through Christ are a choice, but not everyone chooses to accept the gift. Before I jump to the Heads Up section, I want to talk about the author for a minute. Kara Swanson grew up in the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea as a missionary child. She lived in what we could almost equate as another "world." Reading this book I feel that we are getting glimpses of that upbringing. I am going to go out on a limb and wonder if some of the warfare we are seeing is the result of spiritual warfare maybe seen. This is PURE SPECULATION ON MY PART! Swanson does mention at the end of the book in her Acknowledgements that she fought some shadows this year. She says we all did. The book was published in 2021. HEADS UP- There are some elements to the story to be aware of. There are a couple of gruesome parts as people die. There are a couple of throats slit with blood that pours out as a war rages for the saving of Neverland. Swanson also refers to "dark magic" in the book. It's hard to exactly pinpoint the darkness that is affecting Neverland. Is it an overtaking of sin or at one point I questioned whether we are dealing with possession of one of the characters. He has a blackness that overtakes his body with veins that drip an ooze out. At one point the shadow residing inside the character talks to a person it's fighting using the pronoun "we." **Side note - My oldest daughter loved the story of Peter Pan from her childhood. In high school she drew the silhouette of Peter with scenes from the Disney movie that you see in the picture.

THE LUMBREJACK'S BEARD by Duncan Beedie The Lumberjack's Beard by Duncan Beedie is a humorous tale that is sure to bring about some giggles. Think of this as sort of a Jan Brett's The Mitten meets folk hero Paul Bunyan. Jim Hickory (isn't that name fantastic) is a burly lumberjack with a kind side. When he finds out that he is taking some critters' homes by chopping down trees, he invites them to live in his beard. This works for a short time, but isn't a good, long-term solution. Author/illustrator Duncan Beedie includes some laugh out loud funny illustrations that both kids and their parents will enjoy.

INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD by Lynne Reid Banks Today's post is going to be a throwback to a book that has been around for a while, Lynne Reid Banks' Indian in the Cupboard. Published in 1980, this book is a childhood favorite of my son and I recently did it with my younger lit class. It was a hit with them, and as I read through it again, I was reminded of what a childhood classic it truly is. What makes it such a classic? It is probably the same element that makes the book The Velveteen Rabbit and the Toy Story movies so endearing to us. They tell the stories of our beloved toys coming to life. Sitting with my lit class I shared remembering how as a child I would sneak into my bedroom trying to catch my dolls and stuffed animals talking with each other. We yearn for these objects that we love to breathe and communicate with us past our imagination. Indian in the Cupboard takes this all a step farther. With life comes responsibility. The toys are no longer just play objects to be used at a child's whim. No, these little lives need shelter, food, and other necessities, and Omri, the main character, has become their provider. Closing the book, there is a feeling of sadness that the end of the adventure has been reached. Know that there are a total of 5 books in the series, the first 3 being the most well known, where more adventures await!