March: Shipwreck in Antarctica, Joy-Riding Cows, The Alpha Female
Cow and Cat books for the Littles, Planes and Shipwrecks for the Bigs, Marriage and Poetry advice for Myself
For the Littles:
Minnie and Moo Go to the Moon by Denys Cazet
Two cows borrow the farmer’s tractor for a joy ride. A witty book for emerging readers, and there’s a series! I like the part where the cows think that yelling at the tractor is part of the magic that makes it go.
Cat Knit by Jacob Grant
We are partial to books about cats (you may notice a large percentage of my kid book reviews are cat-centric), and this one did not disappoint. Kitty makes a friend with yarn…only to be betrayed by yarn becoming a CAT SWEATER! I read this one many times the week (or month) we had it from the library.
The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot by Alice and Martin Provensen
The true story of Louis Bleriot accomplishing the first flight across the English channel. We own this book (and I am selective about our library!). I love the illustrations (full page paintings), which won a Caldecott Medal. I like this book too for its lesson in perseverance—Bleriot created as many versions of his airplane as it took to be successful.
Family Readaloud:
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong
Your ship gets stuck on the ice—in the Antarctic—and then sinks. What then? Shackleton somehow manages to survive, and bring all his men home safely. We did this as a readaloud since the print book has actual photographs of the ship and the journey, but my kids also listened to the audiobook version. The story of survival in the harsh arctic conditions was inspiring and riveting, with moments of humor. We were all consistently amazed at what a person can survive when put to it! (and it made my Midwest February feel downright balmy in comparison.) For a companion picture book, check out Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill.
Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way By Land, Sea, and Air by Steward Ross
Another nonfiction pick, this book chronologically hones in on major moments of exploration and innovation, sharing a short, interesting history lesson on each explorer, along with a fold out cross section of their ship (or space suit, depending on the situation). It ranges from the Vikings to Apollo 11, so there’s a nice broad overview of leaps in exploration. The kids enjoyed the pictures and seeing how the science of navigation evolved over the years.
For Myself:
The Alpha Female’s Guide to Men and Marriage: How Love Works by Suzanne Venker
This book will offend many people. I, however, loved it, and would recommend it to any woman who wants some solid advice on how to have a happy marriage. Many women are conditioned by society to be more “Alpha” than they would necessarily naturally be (more aggressive, more “boss lady” etc.)(not to discount those who are naturally more Alpha—more on that!).
Basically, she’s saying within your marriage, even if you are a more alpha-type personality, used to taking charge, that you can have a better relationship if you allow your husband to take care of you and allow him to “wear the pants” more or less. A lot of the advice in there is stuff that my husband and I figured out out on our own after many years of marriage, but I think if I’d read this in the first few years, it would have been tremendously helpful. You can take the “Are you an Alpha Wife?” Quiz HERE.(A Friends and Family Challenge book suggestion from Alexis!)
Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction and Other Dilemmas of the Writer’s Life by Bonnie Friedman
This book of essays was like sitting down for coffee with a good writer friend. She covers the topics that sit outside of craft—success, failure, procrastination, jealousy, the MFA experience. Her essay on distraction was my favorite, as she endeavored to swat flies instead of write her novel. I would recommend this book especially to writers who are writing from outside of a program or academia—in the isolated laptops across the country, where they may not know a single other writer (in real life). This book can offer commiseration and courage to keep writing (past dark).
Writing Updates:
I have a review of The Bones That Map Us by Maggie Rue Hess up on Trampoline
I think I attempted it but gave up--however, sometimes I'm just not in the mood for a book and try it later and love it, so I should give it another shot!
"Writing Past Dark" sounds interesting! I'll add that one to my TBR pile. I can't remember if you ended up reading Andrew Peterson's book, "Adorning the Dark." That's a good one for writers, too.