The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “Chrysanthemum” by Kevin Henkes
” In my search for good books that could address bullying for young children I found a classic favorite, "Chrysanthemum" one of Kevin Henkes' Mouse Books....” Join us on our website to read Susie’s full review.

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “Kid Olympians - Summer”, stories by Robin Stevenson and illustrated by Allison Steinfeld
” What could be better than this book…to introduce your children and teens to the childhoods and growing up of some amazing human beings who became champions of their sports and world issues….” Join us on our website to read Susie’s full review.

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “The Peace Book” by Todd Parr.
” I’m gazing at the cover of The Peace Book by Todd Parr and I cannot help but smile and feel hope. The brightly colored faces with fun hairstyles or hats will delight your young children and maybe even you, too….” Join us on our website to read the full review.

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “The Tree Lady” by H. Joseph Hopkins and illustrated by Jill McElmurry.
”…Kate’s story is fascinating and inspiring as you read how she changes her desert city into a lush garden with all kinds of trees such as Yucca and Eucalyptus, Jacaranda and Bristlecone Pine, Brazilian Pepper and Palm Trees…. people took to calling her the Mother of Balboa Park.” Join us on our website to read the full review.

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “The Earth Book” by Todd Parr
“This book is full of vibrant colors that truly represent the variety of colors and flavors of our world. At the same time, he teaches his young readers what's possible, what they can do, how they can make a difference, and how they make our world better for all….” Join us on our website to read the full review.

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “Old Turtle” by Douglas Wood, illustrated by Cheng-Khee Chee.
“This book reminds us of what happens when we set ourselves in superiority of everyone else and how things can be balanced and pleasant with the differences when we recognize what is special in each other….”

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “Growing Green, a young person’s guide to taking care of our planet” by Christina Goodings and illustrated by Masumi Furukawa
” This book is a delightful way to engage your 5- to 7-year-old in being part of a gentler and kinder world….”

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “All the Colors of the Earth” written and illustrated by Sheila Hamanaka
”…What a beautiful story this author reveals as she looks at children and how they can embrace their own beauty through all the colors present in this beautiful world we actually live in.”

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “We are Water Protectors” written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade.
”This book conveys a powerful message to children and those reading the story focusing on the interconnections of all living things. The book itself is a call to action for us to safeguard our most basic and necessary water resources from human contamination and corruption.”

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “Just Ask, Be Different, Be Brave, Be You” by Sonia Sotomayor and illustrated by Rafael Lopez.
”I love how this story revolves around planting a garden filled with plants, all different, all beautiful, and all not needing the same thing. Every child helping in this story has a story all their own of how they learn, participate, and grow in light of what makes them unique….”

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud illustrated by David Messings.
”In her book, “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” Carol McCloud teaches children how to be “bucket fillers”. What a delightful idea… a way to learn to love others, express kindness and love. Let’s give this some thought….”

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: “Follow the Moon Home’’ by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Meilo So. Does Cousteau ring a bell for you? Are you familiar with Jacques Cousteau? Yes, this is his son. Philippe provides a wonderful letter “to young activists” at the end of his book sharing how he was inspired to write this story and how young people can get involved in caring for our earth home….”

The children's book reviewed by Susie this month: When the World Turned Upside Down by K. Ibura “I found this book by accident, but what a treasure. Here I found four young adolescents who lived in an apartment complex in a big city when Covid hit….Everyone had challenges to face during the pandemic. This book highlights many of those challenges through the eyes of young people.”

I just love true stories, especially about young people who make an amazing difference to their own lives as well as others. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is one such story. It was written by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer and they actually wrote two versions. One is a picture book for ages 5 to 9 illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon and the other is a Young Reader’s Edition for ages 10 to 14….

Social Justice starts here with this commandment: Love your neighbor….Recently I was introduced to a book by one of our Supreme Court Justices, Just Help! How to Build a Better World, by Sonia Sotomayor and illustrated by Angela Dominguez. The story, for elementary aged children, begins with a very simple question Sonia was asked by her mother when she was a little girl. “How will you help today?” ….

Coming to the close of this year, let’s prepare for the next with “365 Ways to Live Green for Kids” by Sheri Amsel. This book on “saving the environment at home, school, or at play – everyday”, is a wonderful resource loaded with information, ideas of what you can do to help make a difference, and much to think about and ponder. This would be an excellent resource for parents who want to expand their family’s ability to “live green” or for a home-school curriculum… Check out the rest of this blog!

This is a month in which many take time to be thankful. Oh, we could do that every month, but we tend to focus our thankfulness into one month each year, in November. Sometimes in challenging times, we get mired in all that is not so good and need to be reminded to pay attention to small blessings and whisper “thank you, God.” Today’s book is “Grandad’s Prayers of the Earth”….

I have many favorite books about St. Francis so to select just one or two to recommend and share with you is very hard, but here it goes! My first one is Francis, The Poor Man of Assisi, by Tomie de Paola, a favorite author and illustrator of mine…The second book I have chosen for St. Francis Day/Month is Brother Sun, Sister Moon Which is a Canticle of the Creatures written by St. Francis, but this book is re-imagined by Katherine Paterson….

The one-use plastic bag…. what a nightmare! It can be hard to find places to recycle them, curbside is often a big NO NO, and after the pandemic, many places have discontinued their recycling programs for a variety of plastics. It’s definitely time to research how to recycle or use these one-use bags in different ways.
While you may not be able to take up “crocheting with plastic threads” which have been created from plastic bags found as “trash”, somebody amazing figured it out for us all…

If you are like me, you may be wondering, how we all got into such a mess. I will be the first to admit that I love some of my plastic products. However, as I have been learning more about our dilemma, I have been taking a closer look at my actions and what I use.
I am starting to constantly ask myself these 3 questions:
1) What am I willing to give up until my supplies are gone?
2) What other practices or techniques can I put into place in my life to get along differently?
3) What other more sustainable materials can I use?…