Hello Book Bums families!
A couple weeks ago we shared the idea of books being mirrors, windows, and sliding doors. Then we found this great graphic which takes the idea and gets creative. We love all these metaphors for books and the reading experience! Which is your favorite?
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Word of the Week
reminisce (reh-mih-niss) verb/action word - to indulge in enjoyable memories of past events
The little girl loved to listen to her parents reminisce and tell stories about their family from when she was a baby.
Literary Calendar
• October 17 is Black Poetry Day.
• Black Poetry Day is celebrated every year to honor all the talented African American poets, both past and present.
• It particularly honors Jupiter Hammon, the first black poet to be published in America.
• This video has readings of several other poems by Lucille Clifton. We've shared one of these, "Sisters," in our Pause for Poetry section below.
Pause for Poetry
Sisters
by Lucille Clifton
me and you be sisters.
we be the same.
me and you
coming from the same place.
me and you
be greasing our legs
touching up our edges.
me and you
be scared of rats
be stepping on roaches.
me and you
come running high down purdy street one time
and mama laugh and shake her head at
me and you.
me and you
got babies
got thirty-five
got black
let our hair go back
be loving ourselves
be loving ourselves
be sisters.
only where you sing
i poet.
From our Bookshelves
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin, is a well-written story (about creating video games?!) that will captivate even the most skeptical Book Bum. I have not logged more than three minutes playing any video game, but I gave this book a try. I had seen an “old Book Bum” from our original location (Ah. The good ol’ days . . .) who highly recommended this one to me as I was checking out of a local office supply store. I ordered it right away, put it off a bit to finish some other books I had going, and finally pulled it from my stack.
I flipped to the content inside the flaps and noted that the author looks all of twelve years old, but I didn’t let her youthful appearance deter me.
I’m glad I didn’t. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow was a great read, and I came away richer for the time invested. Though the title comes from Macbeth’s speech about the futility of life, the book reconciles what could be considered futility and the beauty the comes with depth of life.
Tips for Families
The full moon closest to the September equinox is often referred to as the harvest moon; however, until this week, it didn’t feel much like fall in the greater Cincinnati area. We’ll have another full moon on October 28, and fall, I believe we can all agree, is certainly in the air.
There’s no more pretending. The fireflies have gone, swimsuits have been tucked away, and we’re wondering if this is the year we’ll finally figure out how to keep those ferns alive throughout the winter months. Yes, sweater weather is upon us.
I’m not sure why, but when I feel the chill of fall, I somehow recall a song my grade school music teacher taught us. It’s a haunting sort of song called “Autumn Comes.” Though I was only a child, this song moved me and stays with me still.
What makes some experiences so very memorable while others seem to slip right away? As parents, we often strive to create experiences our kids will never forget, yet too often it seems they precisely remember the ones we’d hoped they’d forget. No matter. Keep creating experiences with and for your family and friends. And reminisce together. The good. The bad. All of it. These are the days we’ve been given. Even with autumnal melancholy, the beauty of this life is undeniable.
Tips for Raising Readers and Writers
When we write the names of songs, we place them in quotation marks. When we record the names of larger collections, such as albums, we italicize them.
My favorite song on Neil Young’s 1992 Harvest Moon album is the title song “Harvest Moon,” however my all-time favorite of his is "Old Man" from the 1972 album Harvest.
Did you know that Neil Young is married to actress Daryl Hannah? Hannah is best known for her roles in early 1980's hit films such as Blade Runner, Splash, Roxanne, and Steel Magnolias. (Note: Because movies are larger works, those titles are also italicized.)
Practical Grammar
Peak, peek, and pique are homophones. They’re spelled differently and mean different things, but they sound identical.
Because he had piqued my curiosity, I peeked at the graph to learn where our sales had peaked.
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The most important parts of the Super Bowl
are the commercials, the food, and the Taylor Swift sightings.
I don’t really care who makes the most baskets.
Super Bowl LVIII
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