The Way to Start a Day

Baylor, B., & Parnall, P. (1978). The way to start a day. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.

The way to start a day is...

Go outside

and face the east

an greet the sun

with some kind of

blessing

or chant

or song

that you made yourself

an keep for 

early morning.

This book provides an array of inspirational ways in which one can start their day. These ideas are offered in a creative style that outlines how the people from different customs all around the world and throughout time start their day. As these creative activities are mentioned, the reader is taught to see life from a positive perspective; a perspective that encourages us to admire the beauty of nature. This teaches us the spiritual ways to encourage positivity and gratefulness, positivity and gratefulness of being granted the opportunity to witness a new day, which sometimes, we may take for granted.

It's the little things that are magnificent. We tend to forget to be thankful for every day. This is a perfect exercise that can be implemented in our every day lives. Upon waking up, we should look east and welcome the new day that will bring us adventures and love, difficulties and disappointment, death or life. Since we don't know what will become of each day until we live it, then maybe we should enjoy it to the fullest. Shouldn't we?

Nana in the City

Castillo, L. (2014). Nana in the city. Boston: Clarion Books.

What happens when a person you love lives in a busy, loud, scary city? That surely cannot be a place where a Nana can live, but oh no! That’s where this little boy’s Nana lives!!!! Everything was so scary, everything was so unfamiliar. If it wasn’t for his Nana, his visit would be more than terrifying and traumatizing. But Nanas always know best. Nanas sure know how to soothe their grandchildren and this Nana is not the exception; she has the perfect solution to appease her grandson’s fear of the busy, loud city in which she lives in. And so her grandson’s fear disappears and instead is replaced with confidence and a new love for the busy loud city in which his Nana lives in. He can’t wait to come back and visit again. 

I love the nature of this story. Adults are usually the ones worrying about children, it's rare that a child voices his concern about the safety of others, not because they believe their home is not safe.

Nana makes sure that she reassures her grandson that living in the city is not as bad as he thinks he is and is able to make him understand that she loves New York because that's where her home is. At the end he even states he's eager to come back and visit again. I don't want to say it's cute because that is not a good word to describe a book, but it is an incredibly cute story. 

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Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky

Dayrell, E., & Lent, B. (1968). Why the sun and the moon live in the sky: An African folktale. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

So many times we may wonder how things happen and who determines how things should be. Well, as a child, one may wonder things as, how hot the sun is, or how far away is it? Or we can wonder, why can’t fish breathe outside of the water? Or, what determines why they should live in the water? So the sun and the moon had a friend who they always visited, but wondered why this friend did not visit them. Have you ever wondered why the sun and the moon live in the sky? Well, maybe if we ask the water, we can find out!

I don't know why this story reminded me of something that I used to believe when I was a child. I was born in México from the day I was born till I turned eight years old. The first house I lived in was huge, well I came to realize as an adult how tiny the house was but somehow I used to think it was a palace. Anyway, behind the house was a creek that I used to love going to because it was soothing to my soul. I used to love looking up at the moon at night time because I could only see bits and pieces of it because of the trees. I loved the moon. Well, when I was four, we moved to a two story house. Great! I thought, "Now I'm going to be closer to the moon. Well this fascination ended soon because as I looked up at the moon I noticed some sort of spots of different shapes and forms. Well somehow I started believing that monsters lived inside the moon and I became terrified of it, especially when there was a full moon. As I grew up I realized how silly I had been in believing that and soon forgot about my monster theory and became one with the moon again. As I read this book it reminded me of the theory that I came up with when I was little and somehow, because of the conversations between the moon and the sun and the water, I thought, so what if those shapes and weird forms I saw in the moon had been the sun and the water visiting? Crazy, huh? :)

Shanta Storyteller

Swamp Angel

Isaacs, A., & Zelinsky, P. O. (1994). Swamp Angel. New York: Puffin Books.

A newborn baby girl scarcely taller than her mother? What’s not to say that she would become the greatest woodswoman in Tennessee? To describe this as an exaggerated tale could possibly be an understatement. The fantastical tale that narrates this incredible story about  “not” the greatest woodswoman taking on the task to rid Tennessee of this bear named Thundering Tarnation, was not as easy as it may have appeared, but she fights relentlessly and eventually wins because she never gives up. To say the artwork is beautiful does not do justice to the magnificent talent of illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky. This is the type of book that you want to pass around so that everyone can admire the pictures. Simply beautiful and breathtaking!

Who would have thought that a young girl would defeat a fierce bear? I feel this book teaches the young to persevere because that's the only way in which success will be accomplished. Children need to learn to believe in themselves and in their abilities. Sometimes the fear of failure holds us down, I say us because it is pretty safe to say EVERYONE is afraid of failure. It is important that we shed that fear and confront the tasks before us. 

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Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear

Mattick, L., & Blackall, S. (2015). Finding Winnie: The true story of the world's most famous bear. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

So who doesn’t love Winnie the Pooh? It is quite possible and almost safe to say that every child, or adult, who at one point of his life, has enjoyed the sweet, gentle nature of Winnie the Pooh has wondered where this beautiful character was created. Well, wonder no more for this story tells the tale of how Winnie the Pooh came about. What starts off as an endearing tale of a veterinarian who saves a bear, despite the fact that the idea may be a bit scary, ends up as being a tale of a beautiful friendship. He eventually comes to love this bear so much that the friendship bond that is created is as strong as one can possibly ever imagine. It will definitely NOT disappoint. 

I can't get over how wonderful the story is. I've always loved Winnie the Pooh and I absolutely enjoyed reading the true tale of how he came about.

The History of...

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Hondo and Fabian

McCarty, P. (2002). Hondo & Fabian. New York: Henry Holt.

Neat and aesthetically pleasant to the eye, the illustrations actually show what is happening within the story. The story outlines the everyday activities of two pets that live under the same household, yet, because the pets consist of one dog and one cat, it clearly states the difference between the two kinds of pets. Where Hondo is an outside pet who enjoys activity, Fabian is an inside pet who happens to be more comfortable staying inside. Perfect way to teach your children the differences between cats and dogs. 

Diversity at its best. My four year old is at that stage where he thinks girls can't be friends with boys so he "hates" all the girls in his class but loves his girl cousins because they're his "falimy" even though they're girls. Although he might be too young and not mature enough for this change of mind frame, I will keep trying with this book until he understands that everyone can be friends. I may be seeing too much into this but I see this as the prefect opportunity to teach our children about acceptance and diversity...everyone can be friends. 

Hondo and Fabian Read Aloud

Puss in Boots

Perrault, C., Marcellino, F., & Arthur, M. (1990). Puss in boots. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

This narrates the tale of a poor man who was struck by misfortune and because of his unlucky stars was left with nothing under his name except for a not so ordinary cat. Upon feeling how unlucky he had been, he gives in to the suggestion of Puss, who promises to help him survive, is pleasantly surprised when his oh, so very witty Puss in Boots builds up his fame and fortune through a well devised plan to deceive the King into believing he is the prominent Marquis of Carabas. But a carefully devised, not so truthful plan, can only go so far before the truth is found out. Or can it last forever? Well, as it turns out, this not so ordinary puss is smarter than he first appears to be, for he serves his master so right, that in the end, he also gets to reap the fruits of his hard, manipulative labor. 

My son had a project to complete last month that consisted of him reading a book, writing a book report, and creating a character out of a pumpkin. Because I have all these books, I had him choose which one he wanted to use and this is the one he selected because he liked how smart Puss in Boots was and how he was able to save his life. We discussed the book, the good characteristics about the character and the bad, and we discussed whether his actions were justifiable and whether he was right to do the things that he wanted to do. It was rewarding to see that his rationale is quite the one of an older kid, mature and aware of what is right and wrong. 

P.S. This is our finished project. 

Fairy Tale

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rappaport, D., & Collier, B. (2001). Martin's big words: The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

This is a biography that outlines the beginning of this great dream that this man once had. This serves as a reminder that this very dream that Martin Luther King had arose from the fact that inequality was seen throughout this great country of ours. He opened the eyes of many others, making them realize that staying quiet over this would take them nowhere. It was then when those many others that shared this very same dream that Martin Luther King dreamed of, realized that this would definitely not be made true if the minorities did not work together. This was inspiring to say the least!            

This is a vivid reminder that our dreams start in our head and can be sought out with courage and determination. Martin Luther King’s greatness is perfectly illustrated by simply documenting where this great dream all started and how he was unwilling to let it die without fighting for it. 

Exposing our children to historical facts is always a good idea. My son learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was in first grade. He came home with an assignment in which he had to create a timeline of his life. This book would have been handy for us to complete the requirements, unfortunately, I didn't have it. I had to use the Internet as a resource and "kid friendly" sites that were still too advanced for a six year old. When I showed him this book he was eager to read it. He didn't allow me to read it to him, he read it on his own, and needless to say he loved it. He says that Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of his favorite historical figures and it makes me proud to see that he has role models that were positive influences to our country. 

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The Treasure

Shulevitz, U., & Shulevitz, U. (1978). The treasure. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

Sometimes one must travel far to discover what is near...

A thought provoking tale that makes the mind wonder whether perhaps it is a metaphor about life. An old man goes in search for a treasure. He travels a long journey through forests and mountains, only to come to the conclusion that this treasure that he has been looking for all along was right under his nose. So a life lesson that can be learned from this tale is that sometimes we don’t appreciate that the fortune that we most desire is quite possibly where we least expect it and that quite possibly is closer that we can ever even imagine. 

This made me think of the idea that sometimes we look for happiness elsewhere without realizing we've been happy all along. Isaac goes to look for a treasaure  and goes through a long journey without realizing that the traasure has been his all along. This is the connection I make with life. We have greatness in our life and our inability to recognize it makes us jeopardize it while we try to reach greater greatness...

The Treasure Read Aloud

The Gardener

Stewart, S., Small, D., & Rosenstreich, L. (1997). The gardener. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. 

This is an emotional tale of separation in which a young girl makes a trip to the city in order to work for her uncle because the economic situation at home is far from being prosperous. The mere thought of separating from your family can be scary, right? Well not if you bring your home with you. Moving into a new place where the person who you will be with is not necessarily the happiest person ever, can be a quite fearful experience. Yet, little Lydia makes the city her home by bringing one of the things she loves the most. Her kindness soon wins over the heart of the so very serious uncle who hardly smiles. So what would happen if she gets to move back home? Will he miss her? Grab the tissues! That last picture speaks a thousand words. 

It is always difficult to teach your children about hardships, especially when they have been blessed with a decent life. It is important to sometimes expose them to different situations that other people their age are going through so that they realize how blessed they are and that although sometimes life may seem unfair, other people go through harsher situations. When my children complain about not being aloud to watch television because they fought with each other, we remind them that there are kids who don't even have that privilege. Each parent has their own way of dealing with discipline or decide what their children need to be exposed to. Although not optimal, I believe children need to be aware that not everyone has a perfect life so that they are more appreciative of the few things they do have. 

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