Red Rover, Red Rover, Send a Vowel Over: A Picture Book about Vowel Sounds (Language Is Fun)
by Kimberlee Gard (Goodreads Author), Sandie Sonke (Illustrator)
The vowels are nervous to join in the alphabet games on the playground. They know they are different from the consonants and they don’t want to be teased. But Y encourages the vowels to join in and celebrate their differences. After all, consonants can’t make any words without a vowel to help!
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Botanicum Postcard Box Set (Welcome to the Museum)
by Kathy Willis, Katie Scott (illustrator)
Fungarium Postcard Box Set (Welcome to the Museum)
by Ester Gaya, Katie Scott (illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars
These postcards are really beautiful! The artwork is printed on very thick cardstock that has a nice feel. The back has your basic postcard setup with a place for a message and address, including labels for the type of plant that is depicted.
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Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past
by William Zinsser
2.5 out of 5 stars
The author uses excerpts from his own memoir to illustrate how to write a memoir. Most of each chapter is long excerpts from books and articles he has written, and lengthy stories about his travels and his family and different jobs that he has had. We hear about his old friends, his old bosses, his old editors and agents. We hear about the commencement speech he gave at that college, and the writing class he taught at that other college. We have to read about the school where he attended as a boy, and the house he lived in, and his father’s old shellac business that is still around today.
And then after we have slogged through all these long stories, we get a paragraph or two about how this illustrates some important point about writing a memoir.
How To Write Your Life Story
by Karen Ulrich
This book gives a step-by-step guide to writing your memoir, including different styles of writing and organizing your memories. You could write a journal style, epistolary, narrative, or even a scrapbook. There is a whole section dedicated to just researching and remembering your past. There are different things you can do to jog your memory and bring the details into your memoir.
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Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less
by Jim Vandehei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz
People are lost in an ocean of words, and if you want your message to be heard and understood, brevity is the key. This book gives advice on how to streamline your words, so that you can communicate most effectively.
I really like that this book helps you to explore why your message matters. If you know your ‘why’, then you can boil down your message to the most important points that you want people to remember. If you can get the “one big thing” to stick in people’s memories, then you have won the battle. A few short words can be truly powerful.
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Take Me To Museums: The Young Explorer’s Guide to Every Museum in the World
by Mary Richards
5 out of 5 stars
This guide offers the reader the perfect journal for recording their experiences while exploring any type of museum, really noticing the things they see in different exhibits. You can draw a map of the museum layout, sketch a famous painting, and design your own poster to promote the museum. There are little tidbits of information about the history of museums and different famous museums around the world.
I loved the colorful pages full of fun activities and journal prompts! Doing these activities is really relaxing and thoughtful. It forces you to consider a different perspective and see things in a fresh way. I really liked all the cool illustrations and bits of history.
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The most basic prompts say things like, “Today I’m grateful for…”, “Today I learned….”, “My biggest fear is…” But the journal quickly gets into more deep questions and more complex prompts about times when you had the confidence to stand up yourself, how you felt when you solved a difficult problem, and what relationships give your life meaning. Continue reading
The journal questions include things like:
“What is a hobby you’ve always wanted to try?”
“Write about a time when a closed door led to a new opportunity that brought more happiness into your life.”
“Write about a time when you used your imagination to solve a problem.”
“Write down one thing you do regularly that makes you happy.”
I really love the overall message of this book! I am a perfectionist and a worrier, so this kind of reminder to slow down and accept the imperfect things in life is just right for someone like me. There are breathing exercises, creative projects, mindful writing prompts, gentle self-care challenges, goals to spend more time with friends, get out into the world, allow the imperfect to happen, and choose happiness. Continue reading
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