BRUCE'S BOOKS Club ~ Vol II

NOT-SO-BIG KIDS DEPARTMENT


submitted by: Mary Mc

If I Could Keep You Little…..
Written and Illustrated by Marianne Richmond

We love this book by author Marianne Richmond but quite honestly we love all of her books! ‘If I Could Keep You Little’ celebrates the wonderment of a child growing up and how exciting it is for parents to watch the exciting changes a child makes coming into their own.

My five year old little guy, Jack, enjoys drawing parallels to things he can now do that he couldn’t do even a couple of months ago while reading this book! It’s a fun read and a great way to help the child communicate things that are successes to them.

With the weather cooling down and school back in session, why not add this book to your list of winter reads? Marianne’s books inspire both child and parent which is something we could all use a bit more of in our lives!

submitted by: Mama Snooter

Jake O’Shawnasey, Wheedle on the Needle, and all the whole Serendipity Press series
Written by Stephen Cosgrove, Illustrated by Robin James

I have endeavored to collect, and save, this entire collection for the day when there are Grand-Snooters running around Snooterville Junction. There must be nearly 40 stories at this point, but my favorite of them all is ‘Jake O’Shawnasy’ – the story of a ‘strange looking green Irish seagull’ who didn’t believe he could fly. Once he learns ‘The Secret of the Cliffs of County Cort’, Jake takes off to change his life and learn some important life lessons.

Each of the stories in this series comes with a moral or lesson that is as valuable today as they were in the 1970’s when I started reading them to my daughter. The illustrations are bright and vibrant, and as paper-bound editions, they are reasonably priced, and a quick, fun read. I saw a news story recently that these books are being re-released for a whole new generation to enjoy.

Other titles include: ‘Flutterby’, ‘The Gnome from Nome’, ‘Leo the Lop’, and so many more. Some days I pull one off the shelf and read it to myself, just for the whimsy and the uplifting, encouraging message. We can all use some whimsy and encouragement in our lives these days!

'BRUCE's BOOKS' Club Reviews - Vol 1

BIG KID'S DEPARTMENT

submitted by: Jacqui A

My favorite book receives that accolade for two reasons. First, it's a story that causes me to stop and think about life every time I read it. Moreover, I've probably reread it about 100 times. The second reason it's one of my favorites, is that one of my best long-term friends gave it to me, even though she misspelled my name when she wrote, "To Jackie (sic), Create a wonderful life for yourself up there!" as I headed off to Alaska.

Written by Richard Bach, Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, presents Donald Shimoda, a modern day Messiah who walks away from adoring crowds to open the eyes and mind of the main character, Richard. Learning the lessons from the mysterious "Messiah's Handbook," Richard, too, becomes a crowd attracting Messiah who writes about the lessons in this book.

After reading this book, your mind turns over questions such as, what is reality? Is it just a perception or something else? Why are we on earth and what are we supposed to do? How do we know if we've done it? If you have the answers, you are a Messiah. If you don't have the answers, you're still a Messiah. Think about it. Read the book, it may help.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

submitted by: Popperfisk

Hidden Mickey’s: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secret, by Dr. Steven Barrett

Headed to Disney World anytime soon? One particularly fun thing to do while you are there is to search for Hidden Mickey’s. There are over 800 images of Mickey Mouse that the Disney Designers and Imagineers have cleverly placed through out the World… they may be woven into carpets, pressed in to concrete walkways, painted into murals – just about anywhere you can think of .

This book is the quintessential guide to their locations and is organized into 6 different Scavenger Hunts complete with clues, hints and points – the harder they are to find the more points you can score! There is also a version of the book available for Disneyland, and there is an Ap available for your IPhone.

Dr. Barrett is also a regular Blogger on the Disney insider’s website AllEars.net, where he frequently posts about new Hidden Mickey’s and ones that have disappeared or moved – something those whacky Imagineers love to do all the time! Enjoy!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

NOT-SO-BIG KID'S DEPARTMENT

submitted by: Mama Snooter

Time of Wonder, by Robert McCloskey

This ‘1958 Caldecott Medal’ winning book is one of my all-time childhood favorites, and is still relevant today. The illustrations are calm yet intriguing, in misty tones of watercolor wash – until the big winds hit the little island this family of four vacations on.

The story describes the islands around Penobscot Bay, Maine, and all that the folks who live there love about the sea, the shore, and the surrounding forests. Their island life is challenged by a coming hurricane, and the excitement of their preparations is profound. The best part is the wonder of exploring the UPPER limbs, trunks, and root systems of giant trees that were toppled by the storm. The girls find such treasures!

It all wraps up into the story of a never-to-be forgotten summer for two young girls, with boating and swimming and weather-worn rocks to climb on, and a close-knit family who takes care of each other. I just want to climb into the pictures and be with them!

I am so taken by this book that my ‘bucket list’ has always had a trip to Maine as one of my top three wishes. That wish was granted not too long ago, when my daughter was attending college in Boston. She arranged for a tour of Stonington, Maine, where she rented an old lobster boat and captain to tour the very same islands described by McCloskey. It was a dream come true! And, the lobster dinner afterwards, wasn’t bad either!

Robert McCloskey also wrote and illustrated: Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Main, Homer Price, and Lentil.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Introducing 'BRUCE's BOOKS' Book Club

Bruce LOVES reading! All kinds of books - mysteries, biographies, travel and how-to books, romances, well, maybe not romances so much, but he loves to read. Lennie, on the other hand, is more of an action/adventure kind of guy. He'd rather be outside hiking, biking, or climbing trees (short ones), and playing baseball and soccer. He even hopes to try that new sport, stand-up paddle boarding, soon! (Mama Snooter can't wait to see THAT one!) He isn't much of a reader, but appreciates that his BFF, Bruce, loves it so much. Lennie and Bruce were having coffee the other day when Bruce started telling Lennie about the latest book he was reading. Before he dozed off, Lennie suggested to Bruce that he start a book club where he could share his reviews with other SnooterFolk - who wouldn't be feigning interest. Bruce gave it some thought, and although he hates to admit Lennie is ever right, this sounded like a pretty Snooter-ific idea. So, we're introducing 'BRUCE's BOOKS', a book club where we (well, most of us) can share our love of reading, one of the basic '3-Rs'. HERE'S HOW IT WILL WORK: * Send a paragraph (long or short is ok) to Mama Snooter via our email address, info@snooter-doots.com, about a book you have or are reading. These can be big-kids books or those you are reading to our youngest SnooterFolk. * Be sure to include the title and author's name. * Let's practice our best writing (spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.). Quality writing is also one of the basic '3-Rs'. * Describe what you like (or don't) about the book. * Feel free to start a discussion thread about a character or location or theme. * If you capture a photo of YOUR Snooter-doot reading, please share that with us too! Mama Snooter will collect these reviews then post them as a 'collection' here on our blog each week. The 'comment' feature will be available so we can get some good dialog going. Lennie is SO happy he won't have to listen to Bruce wax poetic about his latest read, that he will give all contributors 10 Snooter-points from LENNIE's CLUB for each new review submittal, with a maximum of 20 points per month. Hey, that could add up quite quickly to a new BFF to read more books with! 'BRUCE's BOOKS' book club is open for business. Let's read!