Category: Books

Discovering the Magic of Maurice Sendak: A Journey Through the Author’s Beloved Works

As a child, did you ever find yourself lost in the world of Maurice Sendak’s books? Perhaps you imagined sailing off to an enchanted island with Max in Where the Wild Things Are, or felt transported to a whimsical world of fairy tales with In the Night Kitchen. For years, the beloved author and illustrator …

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Summer Reads: Top Picks for Your 2023 Book List

Are you ready to plan ahead for your summer reading in 2023? Look no further because we’ve compiled a list of must-read books that are perfect for the sunny season. Whether you’re lounging on the beach or taking a road trip, these novels will keep you entertained and engrossed. From gripping thrillers to heartwarming romances, …

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Hal Borland: A Journey into the World of Nature Writing

Nature has always been a source of inspiration for writers, and among them, Hal Borland stands out as a master of the genre. With his keen observations and lyrical prose, Borland captured the beauty and complexity of the natural world unlike any other author. For those who have yet to discover his works, diving into …

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August 17th Birthday Love: Ian Beck

Illustrator and author Ian Beck was born on this day August 17, 1947 in Brighton, England. “Few sounds were to be heard at that early hour, only the drone of the airship’s engines and the mournful mournful moans of the foghorns, which seemed almost to be searching for one another, somewhere along the silvered and …

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August 1st Birthday Love: Herman Melville

“It is not down on any map; true places never are.” -Herman Melville, Moby-Dick Happy birthday to Herman Melville, born on this day August 1, 1819 in New York City. Widely acclaimed for his 1851 novel Moby-Dick, a.k.a. The Whale, Melville is a literary icon. He is also well known for his novella Billy Budd and his …

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Astrid Cabral’s Love of Her Home, The Amazon

This World Rainforest Day I am celebrating novelist, poet, environmentalist, diplomat, and mother of five, Astrid Cabral, who sings the songs of her Amazon home in her exemplary poetry. Some of Cabral’s most well-known books include Through Water (2003), Anteroom (2007), and Cage (2008). In Cage, Cabral explores the real and symbolic animals of the Amazon. She …

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January 23rd Birthday Love: Derek Walcott

Here is “Bleecker Street, Summer” by Derek Walcott, born on this day January 23, 1930 in Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia located in the Caribbean. Walcott won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992. Bleecker Street, Summer Summer for prose and lemons, for nakedness and languor,for the eternal idleness of the imagined return,for rare flutes …

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January 3rd Birthday Love: Charles Yu

Happy birthday to American writer Charles Yu, born on this day January 3, 1976 in Los Angeles, California. Yu’s works span from fiction to science fiction to experimental fiction to non-fiction, and his most well-known books include How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (2010) and Interior Chinatown (2020). “Everyone has a time machine. Everyone *is* …

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Artist Spotlight: Chiaki Okada

Today we are celebrating the illustrations of Japanese artist Chiaki Okada. She has illustrated books by different authors around the world, including a book by her husband, Ko Okada, called Rabbit and Freckle (Кролик и Веснушка). Chiaki Okada has a unique talent for capturing the innocent beauty of childhood home life as well as imaginative childhood themes. …

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Illustration: Sydney Smith’s Town is by the Sea

Our inspiration for today comes from children’s book illustrator Sydney Smith and his new book, Town is by the Sea. In the story, written by Joanne Schwartz, a boy spends a pleasant day about the town by the sparkling sea, playing with friends at the playground, going to lunch and the shops with his mom, …

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