THE SUN IS LATE AND SO IS THE FARMER by Philip Stead. Illustrated by Erin Stead. Author/Illustrator husband and wife team Philip and Erin Stead ( A Sick Day for Amos McGee and Bear Has a Story to Tell) are back with their latest book, The Sun is Late and so is the Farmer. I'm going to stretch out on a limb here and say this is a fun time to read this book because when time changes occur, the sun rises a little bit later which animals don't understand. What they do understand is when feeding time comes and the sun isn't up (which means the farmer's not up) they start to get nervous. Off they go to the wise old barn owl for some advice. The illustrations in this book are so fun and sweet. The animals and their expressions are spot on. Erin uses a mix of pencil, colored pencil, and water colors in her pictures. The initial pages are full of a blue-gray shade for night. However, there are little spots of yellow in each picture. Look for them. Then the picture of the rooster crowing comes, and he is bathed in beautiful warm, sunny yellow. I love this picture! ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES-Note the differences in times of the sunrise between now and last week. -Learn about barn owls -Discuss the importance of care for animals since they rely on their owners when domesticated.

EGYPT RESOURCES We are planning to head to COSI soon to visit the King Tut experience. Whenever we head somewhere historical in nature I tend to pull out my books to give the family a heads up on what they are about to see. What I'm NOT going to do with these books is overwhelm them with information so they hate the place before we see it! What I AM going to do. I am going to share some basic information on King Tut and the discovery of his tomb. Then these books will go in the book baskets. Then, I will give the kids time to graze through them (yes, I said graze not gaze). They can flip the books open and work through bits and pieces that stick out to them. Not a single one will be required reading and any that are picked up do not have to be finished. They can slowly chew on the information, enjoy it, and absorb the books at their speed. Then it's off to the encounter for the experience!

CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson Laurie Halse Anderson is an author that deals with difficult topics head on. I'm going to rabbit trail for a moment. This is the third book that I have read by her, and I have appreciated each one. I don't mind delving into deep subjects with my kids at age appropriate times, and Anderson's books are some that I have used. Chains is set during the Revolutionary War. However, instead of following the founding fathers, we are following Isabel who is a slave to a Loyalist family. Isabel is caught up in the struggle as to which side to support that would be most beneficial to securing the eventual freedom of herself and her sister. She is valuable to the Patriots as a source of information, but she puts herself in serious danger. Well written and thought provoking as we rarely think of groups outside of the Loyalists and Patriots when studying this time period. Chains is book one in a three book series. HEADS UP- Just a small one. This is a book about a slave, so there is separation of family members, mistreatment, and some torture.

ODDER by Katherine Applegate In our house we have a hard time resisting the sweet faces of sea otters. Their playful personalities along with those adorable innocent eyes make us slightly crazy. How could we not snatch up Katherine Applegate's Odder and read about these cute creatures? There is so much to say about Applegate's book. First, it is a novel, but it is based on the combined stories of rescued otters at Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Second, we have a very clear play on words with the title! Our otter is named Odder because she's just a little more outgoing and curious than others. Third, Odder is written in a collection of free verse poems. This can both be fun and frustrating for kids. The fun is lots of white space and not overwhelming pages of text. The text is in narrow poem form instead. The frustration can be that it is in verse form and word choice is very important. There were some simile/metaphor meanings I had to explain. If you are looking for ways to interject poetry into your literature time, this can be a great addition. HEADS UP- Just a simple heads up. If you have a sensitive child Odder is separated from her mother during a storm. She is later attacked by a shark. She survives, but it's what bring her to the Aquarium.

HALLELUJAH: CULTIVATING ADVENT TRADITIONS WITH HANDEL'S MESSIAH by Cindy Rollins Today we finished listening to Handel's Messiah. Generally thought of around the Christmas season, Handel's first performance of the Messiah was during Easter. Listening to the past few weeks' selections has sent my spirit soaring. Words like "I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God" and "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us" sing through my soul. As I putter around in my garden it seems even the earth is reinforcing the words of scripture as spring begins to break through the death of winter. "Where, o death, is your victory? Where, o death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.                           1 Corinthians 15:55-58

SEEING BEAUTIFUL AGAIN by Lysa Terkeurst We all go through rough patches in our lives. Those times tend to alter the way we view life and sometimes look at other people. Lysa Terkeurst walks side by side with us in her devotional book Seeing Beautiful Again. Revealing hurts in her own life and gently helping us to peel back the bandages and reveal our unhealed wounds, Terkeurst reminds us that the Lord never leaves us nor forsakes us and that He can bring healing and restoration. The celebration of Easter is right around the corner. It is the perfect time for new starts, life over death. If you are at a place in your life where you could use some life giving words spoken into those wounds this devotional is a good one.

THE VANISHING LAKE by Paddy Donnelly The Vanishing Lake by Paddy Donnelly is a hoot! Part Irish blarney and part scientific wonder, Vanishing Lake explores the reasons for the recurring cycle of appearance and disappearance of Lake Loughareema in Ballycastle, Ireland. Meara's grandfather lives along the lake's shore. Every time it disappears her grandfather has an explanation that will tickle your funny bone. Donnelly gives the scientific thought as to why it happens in the end pages but not the story. The story is left to mythical explanations. Donnelly is also the illustrator. However, this book was completely created in Photoshop. Its cartoonish illustrations are delightful. Lots of green shades fill the pages giving a nod to Ireland's primary color. In the midst of the pages is a red haired little girl with big glasses in full action discovery mode. So much fun! ALONGSIDE ACTIVITY- Find Ireland on the map. Locate Ballycastle. -Look up pictures of Ireland's green countryside -Enjoy reading about Ireland's mythical creatures. Everything from Leprechauns to the Loch Ness Monster. -Enjoy some good Irish food! I'm including Good Housekeeping's list of Irish recipes. Skip over the alcoholic drink suggestions and enjoy all the other possibilities! https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L ...

THE QUEEN: HER LIFE by Andrew Morton Growing up with lots of fairy tale stories definitely set the stage for me in an interest in nobility. To the world, closed gates on castles, jewels/crowns, balls, horses, and much more arouse our curiosity. As females approaching marriageable age we sometimes wonder when our "prince" will arrive on his charger rescuing us from a life of monotonous routine. But is that the life that truly is lived behind those manicured gardens? Andrew Morton opens those gates up and ushers us into an audience with Queen Elizabeth. From her early days living a privileged life with her father, mother, and sister to the abdicating of her uncle and the new path that thrust her family on, Morton doesn't shy away from the changes that rocked the family.. The roles each one was unexpectedly forced to play is astounding to think about. In her reign, Queen Elizabeth dealt head on and overcame many big challenges and had to do so in the spotlight. (How many of us enjoy the airing of our dirty laundry for people in our community to see much less the entire world?) Reading this book gave me a new respect for the queen that stepped outside the bounds of the material splendor we all are often dazzled by. She was very dedicated to her position and was a successful queen. However, because of that dedication she endured many family struggles/tragedies that makes me thankful that my own little "kingdom" is the size it is! Slight Side Note- I shared one of our favorite teas with you in the picture. It is a peach flavor and my girls love to add cream and maple syrup to it. HEADS UP- A very slight sprinkling of language. F bomb is used one time in a quote. There is reference to affairs but no details.

FRY BREAD by Kevin Noble Maillard. Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal Growing up we ate fry bread. It was such a treat when my mom made it. We loaded it with taco toppings and tried to eat it as gracefully as we could! The next day found us covering leftover breads with butter and honey. So delicious! How did I grow up eating fry bread when I am half Swedish and half European Heinz 57? Before I was born my parents lived and worked on a Navajo Reservation in Arizona. My mom was a school teacher and my dad the school handy man. Listening to their stories and looking at their pictures is special to this day. But back to fry bread, the women taught mom how to make it and that's how we grew up with it. Kevin Noble Maillard writes about the Native American family in Fry Bread. Not the family unit in a traditional way, but the family of Native American Tribes under the banner of Fry Bread. Written in a series of metaphors and similes your younger children will need some help deciphering the meaning of what the author is saying on some of the pages. Maillard gives in depth explanations in the end pages. Fry Bread is a delightful celebration of the Native American people. Fry Bread is beautifully illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. The creamy yellow shade that runs throughout the pages keeps your mind focused on warmth, gathering, and of course fry bread. Illustrations are fun as they show children of multiple nationalities participating in the making and eating of the fry bread with their mothers. ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES-Make fry bread! There is a recipe in the back of the book. It's different then the one I use, but at some point I'm going to try the variation. -This is a great launching pad to learning about Native Americans. Select a few to learn about. Map locations of their tribes.

MAPLE SYRUP READS The weather has not been the most cooperative for maple syrup makers this year here in Ohio. (I am still hoping that we will have a few days of decent tapping for our own family use.) However, large scale operations around the state are still offering tours and boil down days, so I decided to still post resources if you are heading off to one of the tours or if you just want to sit down with your kiddos, enjoy maple syrup smothered pancakes and read where it comes from. Picture Books- Sugar on Snow by Nan Parson Rossiter - The story of a family's maple syrup making. Beautiful illustrations. Bear Goes Sugaring by Maxwell Eaton III- Lots of great info including some of the science behind the process told in a cartoon format. Chapter Books - Great for Read Aloud or Upper Elementary and Above- Your Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick- The second in the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series. Combination of syrup making and Underground Railroad. Great read! Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen - A family's journey to help their father who is struggling with PTSD begin a new start. Very good and moving! High School/Adult - For Those Interested in the Science and Process of Making Maple Syrup- Maple Syrup:An Introduction to the Science of a Forest Treasure by Mike Rechlin HEADS UP- The author does come at things from an evolutionary mindset. There is not a lot of reference to it in the book. ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- Go on a tour of the process of making maple syrup at a local sugar shack. - Sample real maple syrup. Be aware that there are different grades! I will include a picture showing some of the grades for reference.The first run is typically the best and often times unavailable for purchase!

THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele Richardson The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is a historical fiction read that leaves you in constant disbelief. Set in the heart of Appalachia (Kentucky) Cussy Mary Carter is a rare breed. She is one of a very few humans whose skin is bluish in color. Because of this she is generally an outcast among the people who live in the "holler." She gets a job as a traveling librarian as part of Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project. This takes her into the remotest of places and into the lives of some of the neediest people. It also puts her into the path of abuse as she travels the lonely trails. The Book Woman is very thought provoking and will make you cringe as to the treatment of certain individuals. There is a second book called Book Woman's Daughter. HEADS UP- There are a couple episodes of sexual abuse. One is an attempted rape.

SPRING READS I don't know what it's like in your area, but in ours it is rainy and windy and just down right blustery today. March is right around the corner and this has me in mind of lions and lambs. One of my early elementary memories is of Mrs. Wells, my first grade teacher, teaching us about March roaring in like a lion and quietly stepping out like a lamb. We made paper plate lion and lamb faces to decorate the classroom walls. I loved every minute of that lesson, because I was an outdoorsy girl and after that I would imagine the lion blowing all around me. So today I am putting up some great "windy," "rainy," and down right March oriented books to get us in the spirit! -Thunder Cake by Patricia Polocco - if you have not read this one yet, grab it! A little girl is afraid of thunderstorms, so her grandmother helps to make the time special by baking a "thunder cake." Polocco is just down right magical in her story telling abilities. -In Like a Lion Out Like a Lamb by Marian Dane Bauer is so fun to see the lion prancing around growling and strutting his stuff as March comes rushing in. As flowers start to appear, the lion sneezes and out comes the dainty little lamb. -Jeanne Birdsall's Flora's Very Windy Day is the story of a strong wind that picks Flora and her brother up and carries them away. It does have some fall leaves/colors in the artwork. However, there is a rainbow with a mention of a pot of gold, so still very Marchy. Delightful to read especially if you have a sibling set where the older finds the younger very bothersome. ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- Make a weather calendar for the month of March. Each day draw a picture of a sun, clouds, rain, etc on the calendar. -Learn the difference between breezes, gusts, and gales. -Fly a kite on a warm windy day -Make the thunder cake recipe from Polocco's book -Make a fun puppet craft of the lion and the lamb at www.kidscraftroom.com/march-lion-and-lamb-pupper-craft/ -Lots of great poetry for March at discoverypoetry.com/poems/march-poems/