Jay Mathews quotes a 20-year study in his Washington Post blog that suggests that “children who have 500 or more books in the home get, on average, 3.2 years more schooling than children in bookless homes. Even just 20 books makes a difference. The availability of reading material has a strong impact on a child’s […]
Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights
I’ll tell you a little secret: I’ve always been a rabid Roald Dahl fan. You must be familiar with all his children’s books, such as Fantastic Mr. Fox or Danny the Champion of the World or The Twits or James and the Giant Peach or the one we all know and love–Charlie and the Chocolate […]
A Jumble of Astonishing Things
Full disclosure: I know both artists I’m highlighting today. I’m enamored with what they’re both doing. If you’re worried that I might be the teensiest bit subjective on topics such as these, I’d protest and say that I hold you, my reader, in high regard, and I would only recommend things I care about…and wish […]
Great Inner Solitude
It’s amazing how much time it takes to catch up after hosting a guest (as lovely as my mother was…we did love having her!)–unpaid bills, dirty laundry, thirsty plants, unread books, neglected tasks and errands–so you’ll have to forgive me for a couple of days while I regroup and get organized. In the meantime, I […]
Remedies
Kate Ledger’s Remedies will shake you up a bit. [The paperback is coming out August 3rd; hence the renewed recommendation by the St. Paul Pioneer Press yesterday.] [Update 1.11.11: This article is now gone. Go get the book and see for yourself!] Heartbreaking and painful at times, joyous and freeing at times, it whisks you […]