On a Magical Do-Nothing Day

On a Magical Do-Nothing Day (2017)
by Beatrice Alemagna

When a boy and his mother arrive at a home in the woods, all the child wants to do is play a handheld video game.  When he finds himself having to sneak outside in the rain, the game meets a sudden end when it falls in icy cold water.  The boy is upset, until a group of snails catches his eye.  His magical encounter with nature follows.

This story and nature adventure is so simple, and yet so refreshingly alive and wonderful.  There is a spread during the child’s outdoor exploration that always reminds me to take a deep breath and almost brings tears to my eyes to feel that deep connection with the world around us.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book when I saw the video game obsession in the first few pages, but it absolutely delights.  Simple, heartening, short, and beautiful.

…Of course, it wasn’t until the 9th read or so that my 2-year old told me this was a “sad” book.  I thought perhaps he meant “happy sad,” which he calls it when he sees me cry happy tears at something.  But I realized he is very sad that the boy loses his game.  Not that he was relating it to video games, but he was just upset that the boy lost something special of his in the water and couldn’t get it back.  As an anti-technology type, I had been kind of silently cheering at this wake-up call for the kid, but my toddler brought up a good point.  I mean, as an adult, how upset would one of us be to drop a “precious” phone into a pool of water?   His comment helped me see and feel the child’s perspective better, and just what a huge shift the boy undertook in his ability to find the goodness in what was really a very tough moment of letting go.

Kingbird Highway


Kingbird Highway
by Kenn Kaufman

I’m going to admit right up front that I have not yet finished this book.  I really enjoyed what I read, but as life got busy, I just found it tough to make the time for reading this.  It’s far more interesting than I would have thought, as it is, on the surface, a book about birding.  And since I have no prior interest in the subject, I wasn’t sure how it would go.  Kenn Kaufman recounts his year of birding from 1973.  But, it’s about so much more than that.  Two review quotes on the back compare the book to On the Road. Kaufman’s shoestring budget and method of traveling and meeting birders and finding his place in the world is the real story here.

I was inspired to check the book out after mis-reading that The Big Year with Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson was based on this.  Perhaps I read the wrong article or checked out the wrong book, as I now reread that the film was based on a different non-fiction book.  Nevertheless, I’m glad I found this one, and one day I will complete it.

(The film, The Big Year, if you haven’t seen it, is a delightful one.  I know it might not be for everyone, but I appreciate its light-heartedness and sincerity.  There are too many movies out there that don’t trust their audiences and go over the top in action or crude comedy.  I love when a film can be funny without being mean and can follow the journey of people’s dreams without being corny.)

“Any day might be a special one—you just had to get outside and see if it was.”  ch 1

“It’s like a trip where the destination doesn’t have any significance except for the fact that it makes you travel.” Rich Stallcup, ch 5

“You had to make the effort to have the luck.”  ch 6

“There is a tendency to assume that the world has been discovered already…so when something significant happens, we may not be prepared even to notice.” ch 9

The Secret Garden


The Secret Garden (1911) by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I am absolutely in love with this classic children’s story!  I know many movie renditions have been made, and I’m sure they are full of lovely garden footage, but I just stick to the book and my imagination.

I’m realizing I have a theme in the books I love, whereby a young (usually orphaned) girl moves to a new place and helps others find their happiness.  The big difference in this one, of course, is that Mary Lennox does not begin the story as a happy-go-lucky girl; she, too, goes through a transformation.  I love watching how four of the story’s characters experience a reawakening, just as the garden is doing the same.  It reaffirms life and all that is good.

When I read this book, I feel like I can actually breathe in the fresh garden air and feel the wind of the Moor on my face.  This book helps me take deep, renewing breaths.  It makes me want to garden and play outside more.  I read this book at least once a year, and I find a deep, new appreciation for life every time I do.

 

Some suggested activities/further learning:  (Spoilers included!)

–Draw pictures or create another form of art to show what you think the secret garden looked like before Mary’s discovery and at the end of the story.

–Use clay or other materials to create what you think the key to the “secret garden” might look like.

–Many flowers and plants are mentioned in this book.  Research one of them and see if it will grow in your climate.  Try growing a mini-garden.

–Martha brings Mary a skipping rope.  Use a jumprope you have or make one for yourself and practice skipping rope.  Do you know any songs to skip to?

–Mary is fascinated by Martha and Dickon’s “Yorkshire talk.”  Research this accent and see if you can find any movies where actors speak “Yorkshire.”  Try it for yourself.

–The book describes some of the rooms and hallways of Misselthwaite Manor; draw a floor plan based on what you read.

–Many of the characters in The Secret Garden change their outlooks on life.  The book describes how these “inside” transformations effect the characters’ outward appearances, as well.  Draw a before and after picture of either Mary, Colin, Mr. Craven, or Ben Weatherstaff.

–One of Mary’s new friends is a robin bird.  Research the European robin.  What does it eat?  Where does it live?  How is it different from the American robin?

 

You may also enjoy:
There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather

Birds


Birds(2009)
written by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Birds is a short and simple book talking about birds– wondering about them, observing them.  There’s nothing life-changing or emotional here, but the questions and observations are so pure and child-like and wonderful.  The illustrations by Droznek match the text perfectly.  A very enjoyable picture book!

(Kevin Henkes‘s website (of Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse fame) is awesome!)

Our Seasons


Our Seasons (2007)
by Grace Lin and Ranida T. McKneally

In my quest to get everything Grace Lin, I came across this book.  It introduces the seasons by focusing on four children experiencing them.  Each page contains a delightful illustration by Ms. Lin, a haiku for younger readers, and then a longer scientific explanation of some natural occurrence of the season.  Examples are: “Why do my cheeks turn red in the cold?”  “Why do I tan?”  “Why do the leaves change color?”  What a clever book!  I love that it not only holds the interest of our 3-year old, but also offers me new information.  It’s a book that will grow with your child and can give you plenty of jumping off points for more learning and exploring.  Brilliant!

 

You might also like:
Fall (Autumn) Book list