VALENTINE'S FOR ALL by Nancy Churnin. Illustrated by Monika Roza Wisniewska Want to know how Valentine cards became popular in the United States? Then you'll want to check out this great picture book read about Esther Howland entitled Valentines for All: Esther Howland captures America's Heart by Nancy Churnin. What this woman did was nothing short of amazing and for all of us who enjoy receiving these beautiful cards on America's love holiday, we owe our thanks to Esther's persistent nature! This is a great read!

THE BLACK PEARL by Scott O' Dell Black pearls are mysterious. Rarer than white pearls and found only in saltwater, these midnight colored orbs are the subject of legends and myths. Scott O'Dell's Newberry Honor winner, The Black Pearl, is one such story. Ramon Salazar wants to learn the secrets of diving for pearls. After all, he is convinced that the fabled Pearl of Heaven, a black pearl of unbelievable size, lies beneath the waves waiting to be discovered. But if the fabled Pearl is real, does that mean that the fabled monster of the sea, the Manta Diablo, that mothers use to threaten their misbehaving children is also real? What begins as a search for the ultimate treasure turns into an unexpected adventure with more than one life at stake.

AURORA BOREALIS PICTURE BOOKS Aurora Borealis - even the way the words roll off your tongue is awe-inspiring. I find this phenomenon (as I'm sure many of you do as well) absolutely magical, mysterious, and breath taking - a miraculous creation of our amazing God. One night, about a year ago, we had friends over who live in Alaska. It was wonderful hearing their first hand experience of witnessing this marvel. I was amazed that the colors aren't stationary. They move like flowing water. If you are looking to share this beautiful happening with your kids here are some resources. The Lights that Dance in the Night shares how the Northern Lights happen. The artwork is gorgeous! Cozy doesn't talk about the Northern Lights, but Jan Brett allows some of their beauty to shine through in the illustrations of her classic musk ox tale. Want to see some of the awesomeness of Aurora Borealis in real time? Check out the following link : https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DN-TV_6eIDxw&ved=2ahUKEwji0vOurI2EAxWGl4kEHSymArUQwqsBegQIEBAF&usg=AOvVaw00VKGRWuyU-4GstxbSIDGQ  . The first few minutes you'll hear the Scandinavian videographer speak, but then she goes silent and the beauty of the colors shines through. How about an art project to do? Check out https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DZgxmD2KmRz8&ved=2ahUKEwjgxMXtrI2EAxUlF1kFHRskBtsQwqsBegQIDRAF&usg=AOvVaw2oc5pcol1sCc6SUTUr_ods for an amazing rendition. Happy reading!

DUST by Kara Swanson First of all, don't you love a green light on a YA book?! Yay!! Second, I'm going to be finding glitter forever after I sprinkled it all around this book! My 10-year-old may have grabbed a pinch and put it in her forehead and on my nose! Good thing I am one of the ones that loves glitter and don't care if I find a few shimmers for the next year! What if Neverland was on the brink of destruction? What if Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Tiger Lily, and The Lost Boys had to leave and now were in London? What if the current state of Neverland was Peter Pan's fault and the Lost Boys teamed up with Hook who might actually be good? Is that possible? What if we are past the days of Wendy, her daughter Jane, and now we meet a girl named Claire who has some type of strange skin disease where flakes flutter off of her at the most inconvenient and embarrassing times, yet she is hunted by Hook and Pan. What if, what if, what if? Dust by Kara Swanson is the first of a two book series retelling the story of Peter Pan in a "slightly" different light. It embodies elements of mystery, adventure, and romance to form a perfect combination YA book. The cherry on top of the whipped cream? The book is squeaky clean! No language, no sex, no cringe-worthy issues! This book will leave you hanging, and all I can say is my copy is on order!

CHINESE NEW YEAR BOOKS Chinese New Year is coming quickly! This year it is February 10th (you don't have to celebrate it on the 10th. Do it when it works for you!), and this year is the year of the DRAGON. If you enjoy visiting other cultures' holidays and customs then we've got a few suggestions for you! In the picture above are a few books you can read about the New Year. Celebrate Chinese New Year by Carolyn Otto especially goes into the details of the holiday. Friends are Friends Forever by Diane Liu 8s the story of a little girl who leaves China and her best friend. Some of their last memories together are of celebrating the New Year. In America, she struggles to make friends until the New Year comes around again. Chinese New Year Colors by Rich Lo is a simple book of colors and objects used in the celebration. In the back descriptions of the items are given and their importance in the holiday. Playing With Lanterns by Wang Yage tells the story of children and their love for the lanterns. The Author's Notes at the end tell the history of this recognized Chinese symbol. So how do you make this a family celebration? For simple decorations check out the back of Celebrate Chinese New Year where they give directions on making easy lanterns to hang. How about food? Follow this link for some simple recipes for Chinese food to serve! https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/easy-chinese-recipes/

DOUBLE TROUBLE GROUNDHOG DAY by Bethany Roberts. Illustrated by Lorinda Bryan CAULEY Groundhog Day is right around the corner! In fact it is this Friday, February 2! I love the fun of hearing about whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, and this book, Double Trouble Groundhog Day by Bethany Roberts Is a fun book to pair with the event Grandpa Groundhog decides that it is time to retire from his "shadow" job and pass the reins onto one of his twin grandchildren. The question is which one will it be? ( If you have more than one child you know what kind of skirmishes can arise with a decision like this! ) This delightful little story tells about what it means if the groundhog sees or doesn't see his shadow and also the importance of our siblings.

BIOGRAPHY OF YOUR CHOICE - INTRO It's time to introduce our first Book Club pick of 2024! This one comes with a twist! We're doing a biography or autobiography of your choice. That's right! Each person gets to pick the book they want to read. Each week I will give a question or two to help you evaluate the person, their life, and what you can take away from the book. for you to share what If you want to do the same book that I am, I will announce it in a day or two (I haven't picked mine yet! ) You can do anything from sports star to royal to historical figure to movie star, etc. I just ask that when you share you keep your wording PG out of respect for everyone! This week pick and get your book. I will put the first question up on Jan. 11. You can answer it at any time. Last question will be posted on Feb. 15.

BIOGRAPHY OF YOUR CHOICE - WEEK 1 Well...I have been waiting for my biography to arrive. I ordered it a week ago, and this morning my package showed up with a clarinet Christmas music book in it. Not what I ordered. Back to the drawing board I went! So I have now ordered two biographies as you can see in the pictures below! So now for this week's questions! I'm going to give you 3, but bear with me for a minute! One is a go to question to use any week that the question I give you for the week doesn't apply to your book. So just keep it tucked in your back pocket! That question is- What is something you have learned or that surprised you in your reading this week? Now for this week's questions. Why did you choose the book you did? There are thousands upon thousands of biographies out there and this is what you settled on. Why? Is this person someone you already know quite a bit about, a little, or nothing at all?

BIOGRAPHY OF YOUR CHOICE - WEEK 2 I hope that you are enjoying the book you selected for this book club! I started with The Last Ride of the Old Peacekeepers and while this is such a silly comparison for what this book is about, I keep getting flashbacks of John and Ponch from CHiPs episodes in my mind. The book deals with material that the show never touched, but my mind keeps going to that look for these guys. Anyway - onto our question for the week. Was your subject influenced, mentored, etc by someone in their life that helped them become the person they did? I have been spending some time thinking about the value and impact of mentors in people's lives. It can be very powerful! Remember, if this question doesn't apply to your book, you can always answer the question what is something that you have learned about your person this week that you didn't know before? It can be something that amazed you, angered you, made you mourn, made you laugh, etc.

BIOGRAPHY OF YOUR CHOICE - WEEK 3 Often in life we are shaped by hardships that we go through. Sometimes, when at rock bottom, we stop destructive habits, learn who our true friends are, or realize that the doors are closed to dreams we longed for. Sometimes, from that platform of hardship, we are launched onto new paths that later lead us to some of our greatest accomplishments in life. Has your person experienced a "rock bottom" moment in his or her life? How did it affect them?

BIOGRAPHY OF YOUR CHOICE - WEEK 4 So far we've talked about why you chose your book, mentors/experiences in your subjects' lives, and hitting rock bottom. Today, let's talk about quotes. Most likely your person has said some words of wisdom, something that made you laugh, something pithy, etc. What are some words that have resonated with you? Share away in the comments, and if you feel inclined, share why they impacted you. Also, I'm curious. Do you keep a quote book for yourself? I haven't in the past, but after today I'm going to start a section in a notebook.

BIOGRAPHY OF YOUR CHOICE - WEEK 5 Today we're going to talk about relating or not relating to the person we are reading about. Sometimes we pick up a biography about a person because we share common specific interests or beliefs. Sometimes we can relate through a broad topic like sports. Maybe they love football when we like basketball, but the passion is still there. Maybe you can relate in their upbringing, education, desire to help others, etc. Typically, we can find a way to relate in some form. However, usually, there is an area we can't relate to. The same list I gave of how you could relate can be applied in not relating. Can I suggest that there is value in not relating? By not relating you can learn about something you knew nothing about. It can also cause us to make decisions that we will never do something, because we saw what happened to someone else as a result. I hope this makes sense! So how do you relate and not relate to the person you have been reading about?