Welcome everyone!
I hope your spring has been a lovely one! Can you believe we are tuning into June already? The month of May went way too fast, as I’m concerned. We celebrated three graduates and have attended lots of baseball games with more to come.
What you will find in this month’s blog post:
Update On My New Project
Books I’ve Read and Reviewed
Spring Cleaning Challenge – “One Thing At A Time”
Let’s get started…
Update On My New Project
Woah, I won’t kid you when I say this next project I’ve been working on has not been easy. New drawing apps, little time, and a “Spring Cleaning Project,” I started, has been a lot, which I’ll talk about that at the end. 🙂
What’s really slowing me down on my next book?
I have had the book written for sometime now. I’ve even had extra eyes look it over and those Beta Readers have given me some wonderful insights, although this next book has very few words. Yes, sometimes the less you have, the harder it is to write. Every word must count towards the illustrations and story.
Illustrations…
Here’s the hard part. I’ve sketched, drawn, colored all the illustrations I have finished to experiment on how I want this next book to go. Finding the right apps to make sharp lines has been another challenge. What I need to do next, is get it to a point to order a proof of what I have so far to see if I’m even on the right track. Can you guess what I’m going for? 😉 I will keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I always take the time to read, so here are the books I’ve read so far in May.
Books I’ve Read and Reviewed
I’ve been very picky on the time I spend with reading books lately. They have to be 100% for me to stay with them. (This year, I have a goal to read 50 Middle Grade and Children’s books.) Sounds easy, right? Not necessarily. I walk out of the library with a big pile of books and only one or two will make the cut. I’m looking for those books that touch my interest in some way. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of wonderful books out there, it’s just I have to be very choosy with the time I have and the list I will produce for my personal* Goodreads Challenge 2026. 🙂 *Some say they have to be 100 pages or longer to do the challenge but I’m doing my own personal challenge.
Here’s what I have to report for May’s reading list.
They each have 5 Stars from me!
“Nothing Else But Miracles,” Kate Albus – Middle Grade
What’s It About?
From Goodreads:
“When 12-year-old Dory Byrne’s pop left New York City’s Lower East Side to fight Hitler, he promised her and her brothers that they’d be safe. Like he always said, “the neighborhood will give you what you need.”
There’s the lady from the bakery, who saves them leftover crullers. The kind landlord who checks in on them. And every Thursday night, the Byrnes enjoy a free bowl of seafood stew at Mr. Caputo’s restaurant. . . which is where Dory learns about the abandoned hand-pulled elevator that is the only way to get to Caputo’s upper floors.
But when a new landlord threatens their home in the community that’s raised them and kept them safe, the secret elevator—and the abandoned hotel it leads to—provides just the solution they need.
Based on a very real place in old New York and steeped in the history of World War II, Nothing Else but Miracles is a warm and inviting story of resilience, the tight-knit community of the Lower East Side, and the miracles that await in unexpected places.”
My Review:
My favorite part were the characters and their authentic voices in this heartfelt story. What Dory Byrne and her brothers have to go through to survive as their father goes to war is something one can feel from the beginning. I was cheering for them and I thought author Kate Albus came up with the perfect solution on how they ended up surviving “their situation.”
“You Nest Here with Me,” by Jane Yolen, Heidi E.Y. Stemple, Melissa Sweet (Illustrator) – Children’s Book
What’s It About?
From Goodreads:
“With rhyming text, this soothing bedtime book is an ode to baby birds everywhere and sleepy children home safe in their own beds. As a mother describes to her child how many species of birds nest, from pigeons on concrete ledges to owls in oak tree boles to swallows above barn doors. The soothing refrain of “you nest here with me” eases her little one and readers alike to slumber. Combining their poetic writing and their love of birding, mother and daughter Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple have written what is sure to become a bedtime classic.”
My Review:
I loved this book! It’s a perfect bedtime story, and for anytime.
The back of the book is filled with wonderful fun facts about the birds mentioned in this story. If you are a bird lover, this is a must-have for children and adults to read and enjoy together.
“A Letter to My Best Friend,” by Yangsook Choi
What’s It About?
From Gooreads:
“From Yangsook Choi comes an empowering picture book about a child learning a new language to keep in touch with an old friend.
Today is the day I’ll make friends.
At least, that’s what I promise myself.
Jihun recently moved to the United States. In his new classroom, he receives an assignment to write a letter to his best friend―but he’s not sure how it will turn out. First off, he’s still learning English. Second, he doesn’t have any friends at school yet. What’s more, his best friend back in Korea can’t read.
Fueled by wonderful memories of his former home, Jihun uses his creativity to craft a letter for his best friend, Oto. The result is nothing short of extraordinary and opens a door for Jihun to make new friends.”
My Review:
Wow, what a wonderful story for young readers to enjoy in so many ways.
Jihun starts a new school with no friends. After using “some skills” to write a letter in English to his best friend in Korea, he connects with others in a whole new way. Jihun used letters to create images. Cat lovers, you will love this one.
Please read the author’s note in the back. It will warm your heart and leave you with a big smile! 🙂
The Little Red Chair, by Cathy Stefanec Ogren, Alexandra Thompson (illustrator)
What’s It About?
“There once was a little red chair. Languishing in an antique shop window, the little chair longed to be part of a family. One day a little girl named Mia knew it was just the right chair for her. So Mia and her mother take the little chair home. With new red upholstery and its brightly polished wheels, the little red chair becomes the perfect companion for Mia. She snuggles in it on cold winter nights. She daydreams in it on bright sunny days. And it’s the perfect throne for Mia on her birthday. But as Mia gets older, she spends less and less time with the little red chair. She’s busy with school and friends and other things. One day, it’s time for Mia to leave for a new life. Eventually, the little red chair is packed up and moved to a corner in the attic. Please don’t leave me, the little chair says. But no one comes. Seasons come and go; years and years pass by. Will anyone rescue the little red chair?”
My Review:
This super sweet, beautiful illustrated storybook will capture the hearts of all readers. This book was published in 2024 and I think will be considered a classic someday.
Believe it or not, this story is based on something true which the author, Cathy Stefanec Ogren writes about it in the back of the book. I found it interesting about how furniture was sold in the 19th century with “salesmen’s samples.”
Spring Cleaning Challenge – “One Thing At A Time”
I shared this news on my personal Facebook page with my family and friends about my “Spring Cleaning Challenge – “One Thing At A Time.”
It all started on March 20th, the first day of spring, and will end it on the first day of summer, June 21st. Why these months? Sometimes, we have many dark and dreary days in the winter months here in the Midwest and the light just doesn’t quite hit those areas to clean. Another great reason, in these months you can open up your windows and let that fresh air! Yay! I’m also getting picky about the chemicals I breathe in while doing all this. The more natural, the better for me! 🙂
I know I won’t get it all done by June 21st, and that’s okay. I’ll explain at the end.
First I have to say, I’ve enjoyed this challenge and feel like “Miss Polly” from one of my books, ha! 😉
The point in my challenge is to do “one thing at a time.” That could mean, clean one framed picture on our walls, add one thing to our donation box, clean one area. I started out pretty small, but somedays have done more. The minute I feel tired or feel like I have done too much, I stop. I don’t want to get burned out on this and make myself not want to continue. To be honest, I look forward to what rooms I can tackle next. All this has also lead me into some deep cleaning in areas I have neglected for awhile. When you do it in baby steps, you can also spend your energy into just that, “one thing.”
So far, I have these rooms completed from ceiling to floor and everything in them:
Bathroom ✔
Dining Room ✔
Laundry Room ✔
Family Room ✔
I have yet to finish five more rooms. (Many things have been cleaned in these rooms over the course of the last few months, so the deep cleaning needs to still be done.)
Will I finish on June 21st? We will see and I will keep you posted. I now am in such a “habit” to clean everything I notice, I can see this going on for awhile.
Oh, and I have missed 3 days in all of this for various reasons. Not too bad for this 93 day challenge…so far. 🙂
That’s all I have for this month.
I would love to hear from you and how things are going on your end. Any news? Any new projects you’d like to share?
Have a wonderful month of June, and as always…
Happy Reading! 🙂
Rosie
Rosie