HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS 
by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

Hope is the thing with feathers 
That perches in the soul 
And sings the tune without the words 
And never stops at all 

And sweetest  in the gale is heard 
And sore must be the storm 
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm 

I’ve heard it in the chillest land 
And on the strangest sea 
Yet never in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Photo: “Feather heart” by 123rtf
 

The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too! by Bette A Stevens

Looking for some Special Summertime Fun with the kids or grandkids?  Need some quality ‘together time’ on a rainy day?  Visit The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too! for hours of creative learning and hands-on fun.  Solve 18 puzzles and riddles, make your own tangram puzzle pieces; then write your own riddles and add your own animals to The Zoo!  Solutions and project ideas included.

Price/Purchase from:

On special at Amazon.com right now for only $6.29

More information:

Blog – 4writersandreaders.wordpress.com

Making It Home by Christine Campbell

Kate had a home, but her heart wasn’t in it… or in her marriage.

So she left them both.

Phillis had a home…and her heart was in it…but she wanted something more.

So she shopped.

Naomi had no home and her heart was in cold storage, frozen by grief and fear.

DAFFODILS

by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart…

In a society where children live under the pressure of failure, the agony of bullying, and the need to be like everyone else, the story of Amazing Matilda, written by author Bette A. Stevens tells an interesting tale of getting through life while you march forward to become that which you were called to be.

Just have patience and follow your instinct.

These two essentials themes of life run throughout the book.

Matilda is  Stevens’ protagonist, and she is born with the desire to fly. She knows what she what she wants to do, but the path to achieving it is tedious.  It takes place in stages. Nothing happens overnight. Thus, Amazing Matilda a book directed at children can be a source of encouragement for both children and adults. The message is loud, simple and clear. Remain persistent, be patient, and don’t let anyone convince you to give up…

From the Pioneer Press in the USA:

Monarch migration doubles from 2010

Updated: 02/15/2011 12:52:16 AM CST

MEXICO CITY — The number of monarch butterflies migrating from Canada and the U.S. to Mexico has increased this year, a hopeful sign after a worrying 75 percent drop in their numbers last year, experts reported Monday. The total amount of forest covered by the colonies — millions of orange-and-black butterflies that hang in clumps from the boughs of fir trees — more than doubled from last year’s historic low. But concerns persist about the monarchs’ long-term survival, because their numbers remain well below average.

This winter, there are 9.9 acres of colonies, more than double the 4.7 acres last year, the lowest level since comparable recordkeeping began in 1993.

The population has been hurt by deforestation of mountaintop pines in Mexico’s western Michoacan state that serve as ‘blankets’ to protect the insects…

Welcome to Graphic Novel Week

This week KLR will showcase some of the best in Children’s Graphic Novels

Who has some of the best CGN?  Papercutz Graphic Novels. When a company publishes one genre, they are bound to be on top.  The PINNACLE is  New York Times Best-Seller list, which rarely list children’s graphic novels.  Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu™ is a New York Times Best-Seller!

Mask of the Sensei, volume 2 shot to the top of the New York Times Paperback Graphic Book Best Seller list immediately upon release last week. Rise of the Serpentine, volume 3, also shot to the to upon its release.  Lego Ninjago was not only a hit on television and toy store shelves, this series of eight books—once volumes 7 and 8 release later this year—sell out . . . fast!

From Website: The world of Ninjago is in peril, and only the Masters of Spinjitzu™ can save it! Join Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane…

Amazing Matilda

By

Bette A. Stevens

When young children face a new challenge, they bear an enormous pressure: They do not have enough experience to be certain that things will eventually work out for better.

Even when we, as their parents, tell them everything will be all right, it’s hard for them to be at ease. And still, they have to trust us and work at solving their problems. That is a hard situation to be at.

Matilda is facing the same problem: She wants to become a Monarch and fly, but she does not know how to do it, how to learn it or even if she ever will be able to try it.

When her older friends, the Toad, the Rabbit and the Sparrow, tell her she can do it, she still has some doubts.

But later on, Matilda decides to have faith, to trust, to exercise her…

To read fully some of the slides, just pause!

“The truth is the Super Bowl long ago became more than just a football game. It’s part of our culture like turkey at Thanksgiving and lights at Christmas, and like those holidays beyond their meaning, a factor in our economy.” ~ Bob Schieffer

Let’s play football!