Book Review: Stella's Starliner

If you haven't yet discovered Rosemary Wells, read on.  And if you have, well, read on.  I have been entranced by her many characters over the years including Max, Ruby, Yoko, and Sophie and was recently delighted to discover her newly published picture book, Stella's Starliner.  Stella is a young fox who lives with her mom and dad in a silver house by the side of the road.  Inside the house is tidy and compact with a room for sleeping, a room for being awake, and a kitchen for eating pancakes on Sunday morning. Stella has everything she needs and not a worry in the world. Until the day a band of bullying weasels stop by and say mean things to Stella declaring she is poor and her house is nothing but a tin can.  "Their words stung Stella's heart like the stings of bees."  Being a sensitive fox  she won't tell mama what is bothering her because she doesn't want her to feel the stings too. But wise mama knows and comforts Stella with an imaginative story about the Starliner sailing through the Milky Way and landing on a bright, sunny island.

The Creative Family

Do you like to play, create, sew, imagine, and explore with your children? Having a hard time coming up with just the right project or running out of ideas? Then it is time you checked out The Creative Family and two other inspiring books by Amanda Blake Soule. In her introduction Soule writes about how her need and desire to create was initially sparked when she became pregnant with her first child; how she feels more complete when her creativity is expressed; and most importantly how she has nurtured her children's growing, creative spirits. Soule's book of simple projects and activities is arranged in four parts; gathering, playing, living, and connecting. There are projects for felting, drawing, finger knitting, and weaving; recipes for natural glue, henna and earth dyes; patterns for bedtime bags, birthday banners, and wool blocks. One of my favorite ideas is creating a musical banging wall (outside, of course) made up of pots, pans, plastic bottles and other items found around the house. (see page 196) Soule's writing has inspired and enriched my life. May it do the same for you. Her other books are Handmade Home: simple ways to repurpose old materials into new family treasures and The Rhythm of the Family: discovering a sense of wonder through the seasons.

Miss Julie