October Book Picks!

      Linnea has been in Paris. And she has visited the painter Claude Monet's garden! She even stood on the same little Japanese bridge that Monet painted so often in his pictures. In Paris, Linnea got to see many of the real paintings.

Now she can understand what it means to be called an Impressionist, and she knows a lot about Monet's life in the pink house where he lived with his eight children.

Twenty-five years after its original publication, this celebration of the wonder of art is available once again in an enlarged keepsake edition. The joy and inspiration Linnea discovers in Monet's garden will be eagerly embraced by a new generation of readers.

"Original and charming."—New Yorker

                 

Katie's trip to the museum to see Impressionist art leads to a magical journey through the actual paintings. In paperback for the first time.

"This British import pays joyful homage to the world of the Impressionists. When Katie and her grandmother visit an art museum to celebrate the elder's birthday, the girl wanders into a gallery where she admires Claude Monet's The Luncheon.... With a blink of her eyes, Katie is magically transported into the painting... Lovely watercolors emulate the style of the Impressionists... Not only does this delightful fantasy succeed as art education, but it's a charming story as well." --School Library Journal

September Meet-Up

Our September Meet-Up featuring Tea With Milk & Ruby's Wish was so much fun! The lanterns turned out beautiful and the sushi was delish. Thanks to our hosts Rebecca, Caroline & Juliet.

September Book Picks

Tea With Milk By Allen Say

At home in San Francisco, May speaks Japanese and the family eats rice and miso soup and drinks green tea. When she visits her friends' homes, she eats fried chicken and spaghetti. May plans someday to go to college and live in an apartment of her own. But when her family moves back to Japan, she soon feels lost and homesick for America. In Japan everyone calls her by her Japanese name, Masako. She has to wear kimonos and sit on the floor. Poor May is sure that she will never feel at home in this country. Eventually May is expected to marry and a matchmaker is hired. Outraged at the thought, May sets out to find her own way in the big city of Osaka. Allen Say has created a moving tribute to his parents and their path to discovering where home really is.

Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim

Ruby is unlike most little girls in old China. Instead of aspiring to get married, Ruby is determined to attend university when she grows up, just like the boys in her family. Based upon the inspirational story of the author's grandmother and accompanied by richly detailed illustrations, Ruby's Wish is an engaging portrait of a young girl who strives for more and a family who rewards her hard work and courage.

August Meet-Up

August's  meet-up featured the books Twig & Fairy Houses.  We had a magical afternoon crafting our very own fairy houses at Flat Rock Brook Nature Center. We enjoyed some scrumptious snacks and even took a walk through the forest.  All the Mighty Girls created some beautiful homes I know the fairies will love!  Thanks to everyone for a really awesome meet-up!

August Books

Twig

by Elizabeth Orton Jones

ages 6 and up

Twig was just a plain, ordinary little girl who lived on the fourth floor of a "high sort of house" in the city. The back yard behind that house was Twig's little world. It was a bare little world, with nothing but a dandelion and a stream of drainpipe water to make it beautiful;

 with nobody but Old Boy, the ice-wagon horse, Old Girl, the cat, and the Sparrows, to keep Twig company.

But one day, out in the alley, Twig found an empty tomato can, with pictures of bright red tomatoes all round it. When it was upside down, it looked like a pretty little house, just the right size for a fairy! Twig stood it upside down next to the dandelion, not far from the stream. And this is the story of what happened in and around that little house one Saturday afternoon.

A story full of magic, full of fun, full of fantasy interwoven with reality, and full of the kind of tenderness which belongs most particularly to the very young. A story both girls and boys will love.

Fairy Houses

by Tracy Kane

ages 3 & up

What would happen if you built a house for the fairies to live in? Would they come to visit? Kristen is in for a surprise when she sets out to build a fairy house in the woods. Nature wants to get in on the act with her own special cast of characters! Follow Kristen’s story of discovery to its enchanting conclusion. A special section on how to get started with your own fairy house is also included.

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What would happen if you built a house for the fairies to live in? Would the come to visit? Kristen is in for a surprise when she sets out to build a fairy house in the woods. Nature wants to get in on the act with her own special cast of characters! Follow Kristen’story of discovery to its enchanting conclusion. A special section on how tstarted with your own fairy house is also included.

 

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July Meet-Up!

High tea picnic at Van Veck House and Gardens in Montclair, NJ.

 Featuring: The Secret Garden & Miss Rumphius!