Debi Cates
Reading this to the Littles was an interesting experience.
On the one hand, they enjoyed the voices I gave as I read it aloud, especially the soft-spoken, polite mouse about to be eaten. They also were excited to guess what would happen next, very certain that the little mouse would escape.
On the other hand, when I asked them if this was a book to keep in their library or to donate, it was voted “donate.” One Little cited the appearance of blood as something she didn't like, the other Little didn't think it would be a book she'd honestly like to read again.
So, we put this book in the Donate Box, the first book I've given them to be put there. It was bound to happen one day. I'm rating it 3 stars because I think they did enjoy it but just not enough for a second read, which I too experience in a lot in my reading life. Once is sometimes enough.
The littlest Little is 6, going into first grade. She announced this book was “too simple” (although she picked it out as first to read together among today's stack). After that, we tried to make it a tad more challenging by letting her find all the things that were counted to make 11. Still too simple, she said.
Still she liked it. Who doesn't like realizing you got smarter in just a summer?
A book that can take hours. That's a good thing.
I can still see my two Littles, sisters, sitting in one chair, heads touching, scouring together the last few pages on the hunt for the special surprise that is within each image.
Now I'll be looking for The Eleventh Hour.
Mr. Graeme Base is invited to our reading time any time!
Christina Balit, you are lovely!
I went to school with Christina at an esteemed Quaker school in the Middle East in the 70s. She was a couple of years younger than me; I knew her as a lovely person with always a smile and cheerful demeanor. I had no idea then that she was such a talented artist.
All these years later, she's in England, I'm in America and we can stay in touch via her Instagram feeds, where she still is a remarkably kind and lovely person. I have no idea if she is a Friend (Quaker) but she imbodies the peacefulness and the “light in everyone” approach. She's made her living with illustration but on IG she also shares her other fine art pieces. Her work is distinct, sensitive; the word “flowing” always comes to my mind.
Her IG account is christinabalit
Open this book. Enjoy the illustrations and the text. It is also kind and lovely.
“There is no more wonderful moment in life than when a prison door opens.”
It is not surprising this book remains still beloved 65 years after it was first published. Not only gentle and sweet but it is also sometimes funny, sometimes surprisingly wise and always wholesome and uplifting.
Let's not forget also that it's about mice, those universally favorite anthropomorphic creatures that use our old matchboxes for beds and wooden thread spools for tables. (Wonder what anthropomorphic mice use for furniture these days?)
Highly recommend as a read aloud with your little ones. I don't know about you, but I often need to read a good ol' nice book my own self.
Just let go.Agreed. Too bad you can't throw a digital book across the room. 1.25 starsI apologize for a negative review of what should have been a good book. But, it just wasn't. I brought more to this book than it gave in return. Up through Chapter 10, I was all in, waiting for the big insight, while fighting my urge to outright hate his long-winded blathering and his using imprecise words, bland words like “stuff” and “energy.”He spills a whole lot of ink yet doesn't say nearly enough. It was “Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, [then insert magic here] and voila! Just let go.” Rinse and repeat for 183 pages.It reminded me of the old Magic Eye books. Remember those? You also had to let go to see the picture and then it was this crummy 3D digital tree or something. ([b:Magic Eye 1: A New Way of Looking at the World 232150 Magic Eye 1 A New Way of Looking at the World (Magic Eye, #1) Magic Eye Inc. https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388211378l/232150.SX50.jpg 224850])I read the whole book but started being really unhappy about half way, with its sloppy language, its thinned down Eastern philosophy, and then was astounded when in the last couple chapters he brought in a complete muddle of pointless poppycock by adding God and Christianity into the otherwise Eastern philosophy mix. Pathway to enlightenment? Or just one man's cherry-picking to arrive at a nebulous conglomerate? It might work for him and I'm glad. But the dude sorely needed an editor!For example, unless you lead a remarkably charmed life, you will find his endless examples of “pain” so superficial as to be ridiculous. It would be laughable if it wasn't so insulting. If you read his book and it didn't help you, it's not you. And what's all this about the “real” you being separate from your mind? It's his big premise. One that quite possibly could be unhealthy, and dubious scientifically. Surely we can have both: consciousness and thoughts. Silly bear, you can even have thoughts about your thoughts without contending there is a separate entity that does that.I can't imagine this book's success without Oprah's endorsement. I do appreciate her attempts to widen horizons but I've been disappointed before. Her picks are dips into a grab bag of mixed quality.If you are a seeker that's honorable. You deserve some help from good teachers.If you need some Buddha-style assistance with suffering, with concrete steps that will blow your monkey mind without adding more “pain” of irritation to your short life, try [b:Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life 9762 Loving What Is Four Questions That Can Change Your Life Byron Katie https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388258105l/9762.SY75.jpg 2919169] Nearing 20 years now, I still use the steps I learned in her book when I feel pain and use those steps to release and move on.Or if you want a Western-accessible exploration of Eastern thought written in lean, to-the-point language, try [b:Zen Art for Meditation 436667 Zen Art for Meditation Stewart W. Holmes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1364139880l/436667.SY75.jpg 425573]. At just 115 pages (and many of those are reproductions of art) it covers 15 tenets. Unique tenets, I might add, not just hammering away with one identical message ad nauseum. I found I greatly enjoyed the included minimalistic artistry of sumi-e and haiku, both further illustrated and added a deeper, intuitive grasp of the concepts.Neither of those books will disrespect your pain or intelligence.
The Littles and I read this book together this evening. I was the reader, and that was fun because this book is definitely a read aloud one.
I invented a Book Bingo game that we play after we do a bit of reading together. One of the bingo spots is “imaginary” and we used the picture of the sloth Sparky! being delivered in a box as an example of imaginary. I was glad the girls understood that sloths do not (and should not) be delivered in a box as a pet. In a way, though, I think that a sloth not making a good pet, due to no fault of its own, was part of the beauty of the story. That, and how we can love something even if it doesn't perform any so-called value for us. It just is itself.
This was the oldest Littles favorite of this evening's reads, so it's a five star rating. The granny (me) loved the illustrations and the authentic pre-pubescent perspective.
Of the four books the Littles and I enjoyed together this evening, this was our last favorite, but still four stars for us!It was fun to look at and to find all the stuff going on in the pictures and made a great source for the subsequent Book Bingo game we play based on a set of color coded words to correspond to color coded squares. Words like animal, water, plant, imaginary, brainy, and so on, allowing us plenty of room for interpretation.Another similar silly bird book that we recently liked even more was [b:Froodle 18465557 Froodle Antoinette Portis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382758761l/18465557.SX50.jpg 26123534]. If you enjoy silly bird books, you'll like both. (For Book Bingo, though, this one had more detail in the pictures and text.)
Of the four books the Littles and I read this evening, this was my favorite. It has an uplifting, loving, caring message featuring people of color who were heroes from all aspects in the young life of Kamala Harris. The book includes photos of her and her family before she went on to her career.
It's a five star book from me because it is from a historic, important figure that is a wonderful role model for young, multi-cultural girls especially. And now, perhaps (fingers crossed!) a figure who rises to an even more historic, importance for all Americans.
The Littles and I read this quirky, feel-good book together this evening.
I say “read” but this a wordless book. So, the littlest Little, who didn't feel like taking her turn to read aloud to her sister and me, instead was most happy to describe the pictures to us. When I asked her which of the four books we read this evening was her favorite, yep, it was this one.
I give five stars to the book and five stars to the “reader.”
The Unsinkable Miss Seeton!
This crime novel from 1968 is along the lines of Agatha Christie—but lighter, with less mystery, and with more humor. It's the first in the Miss Seeton series.
Of course, the comparison with Miss Marple can't be avoided. Both are older women with an admirable polite steadiness. Miss Seeton is slightly younger (early 60s?), never married, on the verge of retirement as a school art teacher. Where Miss Marple is an astute sleuth with a cynical knowledge of human nature, Miss Seeton is merely an accidental witness to a murder and subsequently finds herself in the center of more murders, embezzlement, and a powerful drug ring. Miss Seeton's talents are also the tools in her survival: an astute intuition about people that she captures in her drawings, an ability to keep her head even while not fully understanding all the evil-doings around her. And she has that trusty umbrella she carries in all weather.
Like Miss Marple, she's got “nice old lady” hutzpah that is frequently underestimated.
Being written almost 60 years ago, there are undoubtedly a few old-fashioned ideas within but frankly none at all compared to the extreme offensiveness we endure by a current U.S. presidential candidate, publicly and regularly.
Speaking of its age, I don't know why but I also got a thrill coming across some of the back-in-my-day expressions not much in use today, like “pep pills” and “gas bag.” I also dug the scatterings of literary and classical references. For example, I had to look up “Niobe,” which was an important concept in one of Miss Seeton's drawings. I like when something I'm reading sends me off to Google where I pick up more tidbits of general education. It mildly surprises me that in older novels the authors assume their readers come to the work more well-read than we apparently are now. Have you noticed that?
I can't gauge how this novel stacks up in its genre. I don't read much crime or mysteries and have never read a cozy mystery. I can say, though, it was a fun read that takes place in a small, quaint, and gossipy English village with lots of kettles being put on. I even laughed out loud a couple of times. The writing was good, straight-forward, and refreshingly clean (of errors, of vulgarities). And a big kudos to Mr. Carvic for making each of the many characters distinguishable from one another in their speech and thought.
I enjoyed the little step back in time. In spite of all the criminality and danger, it was oddly relaxing.
And an old lady protagonist is always going to tickle my now old lady heart.
There is so little known about Shakespeare the man, a mere 5 or 6 tidbits from which an amazing amount of negative supposition about his personal life in Stafford has been made (historically mostly by men, I believe) thus reading O'Farrell's Hamnet was refreshing and delightfully done with a female-positive point of view, built with those same meager tidbits.
The first chapter was written masterfully and took my breath away. The remainder was equally detailed but I didn't feel it was done with quite the same perfect genius. Very good and very entertaining, no doubt! But the details sometimes felt forced and sometimes repetitive. I wish there had been an stern editor to suggest O'Farrell to cut the book by a quarter, or even a third to elevate it throughout to its first breath-taking heights.
Her details of everyday life in the late 16th century felt authentic and they made for an engrossing read. The last few pages surprised me with a new nuance to Hamlet, new depth to one of my favorite Shakespeare plays.
P.S. My town has a replica of the Globe Theatre and Anne Hathaway's house. I've been to see plays at the Globe a number of times but now I must visit the Anne Hathaway house!
“...emptiness, silence, is not nothingness, but fullness. Your fullness.”
I just finished this book tonight and will return to the beginning tomorrow night, and again will read only a few pages each night, absorbing the timeless insights within.
Divided into 15 Zen “tenets,” each using classical Chinese or Japanese ink paintings as well as multiple haiku poems are used to launch and illustrate the discussion of the tenets. The paintings are black and white and since the book is small (4X7inch) the paintings are small too. That's a shame but in the end it didn't matter: the text, the haiku, the paintings combine beautifully into a gentle but powerful primer on the Zen perspective in this 1973 masterpiece.
This is now my favorite non-fiction book.
Second read August 2024:
Tenet 1: Everyday things and actions. “This is the way things are on planet earth.”
Tenet 2: Perceptions. Be as we are, never mind perceptions and categories.
It's hard for me to rate a Steinbeck this low but it's my honest, personal rating.It took me a good while to warm up to this novel. No wonder since the “heroes” are a pack of wine-guzzling, perpetually unemployed, ratty thieves—and, remarkably, womanizers to boot. They are dirt-poor and they like it that way, thank you very much. Their daily routine consists of obtaining, by any means possible, cheap wine and perhaps a little food. And no day should include honest labor, except in an extreme emergency. That's a hard premise for this reader (a loather of thieves) to embrace.I've read 4 or 5 of Steinbeck novels so far and enjoyed them tremendously. So I stuck it out, wanting to understand what it was he was trying to convey through this rag-tag collection of intelligence-challenged but effective petty criminals.Honestly, I still don't quite get what he was trying to convey, unless it is something like “We all live by our own morals and from those morals launch legends, entities greater than individuals.” According to the Introduction by Thomas Fensch, Steinbeck based Tortilla Flat as a concept of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Very loosely and surely ironically, I'd say. The Introduction states he also took (and still takes) flack for using Mexican American protagonists in such a negative way, being “Anglo” himself. [Warning: political views follow.] I don't know what I think about that; it's a dilemma. Ultimately maybe being White in the world these days means, taking the much overdue shit for being part of a long-time privileged and oppressive race, and more importantly, for being insensitive to it still. I'm sorry for the limitation put upon writers' writing in this interim, this painful growing period for society that launches yet another injustice. But it's quite possibly the only option to the pushback and ignorance by the privileged to stay firmly privileged.Interestingly, Tortilla Flat is not my cup of tea but a Steinbeck absolute favorite of mine, [b:Cannery Row 4799 Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1) John Steinbeck https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388188936l/4799.SX50.jpg 824028], written 10 years after Tortilla Flat, has Mack and the Boys—also petty criminal low IQ bums—in it. (Note: they are not Mexican American.)It was the last few chapters that saved Tortilla Flat from being only a 2 stars for me, elevating the hero-bums to some station of recognizable humanity. And as always, this Steinbeck novel was filled with his masterful writing gift. If we could leave half stars on GR, I'd give it 2.5 stars, meaning “It was ok and I liked parts of it.”I'll be sad when, as I inch closer inevitably, I have read everything he's written.
I had a belly full of this book.
Page 163 is when I finished with this book. Author wrote about being on a barge in the Congo where stowaways were hung by their wrists and whipped below deck. But even more appalling was his description of the crew smoking monkeys...alive. It turned my stomach and at that moment decided I had reached my limit of exposure to the cruelties recounted in this book.
It started off interesting enough: which fruits have been considered the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, how the tomato was once considered poisonous by Europeans, the strange eating habits of Christian female saints, how cultures denigrate one another's food choices, and so on.
However, he includes no footnotes.* I noticed he included rumors and low quality quotes. Nor could I find any biographical information supporting his expertise. So before I myself would share any tidbits I found interesting, I will at least Google it first.
I spot-read around beyond infamous page 163, and made note of this as an example of what I could continue to expect: on page 234 he wrote about the strictest vegetarians (he definitely is a meat-eater himself), the followers of Janism. He lists seeded fruits and vegetables that are forbidden to them, “...and almost every other food that makes the vegetarian's life occasionally bearable.”
Yep, he insulted Jainists, Vegetarians, and Vegans, in one remark. I'm a 5 year Vegan and, along with millions of non-meat-eaters around the world, I have learned how to cook and enjoy the tastiest food I've ever eaten in my life. My food life is way beyond “occasionally bearable.”
I write this review (and marking it as read) because the premise is interesting, enticing even, for potential readers like myself. However, it includes multiple instances of extreme cruelty, the kind of thing once you know, you can't un-know.
I'd call Allen's book a loose entertainment, perhaps part memoir, rather than a studied history. It's a disappointing treatment of a fascinating subject. Fair warning!
*There are endnotes. They are not citations of sources but rather continuation of information along the main text's line.
Stay or Go?
To be determined.
Cookbook's raison d'etre
Turmeric, of course! And every recipe includes turmeric, including some desserts like ice cream(!). Turmeric has been used for thousands of years to promote human health. Consume about a teaspoon a day to reap the benefits of reduced inflammation, anti-cancer properties, and as an antioxidant. The down side? Turmeric stains your clothes, hands, counter tops. As per this book, to remove try lemon juice, white vinegar, or sprinkle with baking soda, but don't rub in clothes or surfaces, for hands try sugar and water.
Details
==DIETARY TYPES== No dietary specialization. Recipes can include oil, soy, gluten, milk, cheese, eggs, as well as meat and seafood. However, there are plenty of recipes that are, or can be made, vegan.
==CONTENTS== 53 food recipes and 3 “beauty” recipes. Listed in standard groups: Breakfast, Snacks, Soups, etc.
==SPECIALTY ITEMS == Yes, some, although often an alternative is offered. I personally wasn't put off by the occasional rare-ish ingredient because the recipes often have enough other ingredients that I am willing to risk the flavor change without the specialty one, eg. asafoetida.
==PHOTOS== Almost every recipe has a photo of the prepared dish (I think 5 don't). The photos are extremely appetizing and placed on the page opposite of the recipe.
==NUTRITIONAL VALUES== Not included.
==RECIPE LAYOUT==Standard. Begins with a short introduction with interesting tidbits about the recipe, like when it is traditionally used or where it originates. The ingredients are listed in order of preparation (I always appreciate that). At the end, sometimes offers serving suggestions or optional toppings.
==INDEX== Listed by major ingredients and recipe name.
==CHATTINESS== Not chatty, not preachy, simply makes turmeric part of very appealing recipes.
Recipes especially appealing to me
p.15 Bircher Muesli with Turmeric Honey (Bircher muesli is muesli soaked overnight)
p.16 Coconut and Cashew Granola, includes pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and vanilla extract
p.20 Deviled Scrambled Eggs on Avocado Toast, spicy
p.28 Bliss Balls, made with almonds, coconut, apple, honey, and spices
p.30 Spiced and Roasted Seeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds with lime and orange juice
p.31 Turmeric and Black Pepper Oatcakes, baked until crunchy
p.33 Turmeric Hummus, topped with Spiced and Roasted Seeds
p.34 Turmeric Banana Bread, gluten-free
p.37 Turmeric Mustard, homemade mustard with seeds and powder and apple cider vinegar
p.57 Corn on the Cob with Turmeric Butter (and cumin)
p.58 New Potato Salad with Turmeric Tahini Dressing, includes mint and sumac.
p.61 Roast Eggplant with Tofu and Turmeric Dengako, eggplant roasted with a miso glaze and topped with blended tofu and coconut milk and crispy kale crumbles
p.62 Sweet Potato Bulgur, a “salad” with lime and yogurt dressing
p.64 Yellow Rice with Coconut Halloumi, the rice alone sounds delish with turmeric, ginger, and kaffir lime leaves
p.67 Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Ginger, Turmeric and Lime Dressing, served on a bed of quninoa
p.97 Turmeric Maple Ice cream, no ice cream maker required
p.99 Popcorn, with turmeric, red chili flakes, and maple syrup
p.117 Golden Mylk, plant-based milk, spices, and maple syrup
Overall
I'm excited to do a week of recipe-testing, slated for later this month. The recipes are unusual (to me) and not simply by the addition of turmeric. There are some that appear wonderfully inventive, like the potato salad on page 58.
This is one of those books that has multiple authors, not touted anywhere but rather buried on the publication page where the list of contributors looks like movie credits. The main recipe developers seem to be: Nicole Pisani, Oliver Pagani, and Gosia Zielony.
I have high expectations based on the delicious pictures and novel ingredient combos. Will update this review after I have dug in.
Stay or Go?
I'm in the throes of deciding which of my many cookbooks stay or go. It's a monumental task! To do that I will assess features of each cookbook, read each recipe, and then try a few of the most appealing recipes I've been meaning to get around to. I'm designing my weekly menu as I write this.
So, stay or go? To be determined.
Cookbook's raison d'etre
Author recounts that “super foods” is often a vague description, usually referring to foods high in nutrients per calorie. She states that definition often lacks some nutrients as well as phytochemicals. She then devised her own top list of 52–including leafy green vegetables, fruits and berries, seeds and nuts, beans and legumes and two fish. Each recipe lists in bold those “super food” ingredients.
Details
===Dietary types
No dietary specialization, other than including, of course, “super foods.” Recipes can include oil, soy, gluten, milk, cheese, and eggs. No animal flesh other than fish.
===Contents
64 (not 65 as stated on the cover) recipes listed in standard chapters beginning with Breakfast, Soups and Salads, etc.
===Specialty items
Most ingredients not hard to find in most Western cities, no recommendations for substitutions. One recipe required an ice cream maker.
===Photos
Every recipe has a photo of prepared dish. Photos are simple and pleasing.
===Nutritional Values
Not included. Instead highlights a list of the super nutrients of each dish.
===Recipe layout
Recipe lists number of servings and total time to prepare-cook. Includes a photo of each recipe's raw ingredients in their measured state. Text of the ingredients are below the photo, listed one after another, in rows, and then centered–not a good “glance-able” text format. The ink is black and background is white, thank Heaven! The text size is slightly small.
===Index
Listed by major ingredients but I found some ingredients used that were not included by specific name (eg. “pinto beans” not listed, however recipe is listed under “beans”). Also includes dish types, like Soups, etc.
===Chattiness
None. Defines the cookbook goal without preaching and then includes the list of featured nutrients and their role in health, including citing sources. No preambles to recipes. End of recipe will sometimes include a–usually obvious–“serve with” recommendation.
Recipes especially appealing to me
p.46 Super Slaw. Rutabaga and turnip slaw with tahini and yogurt dressing.
p.54 Sunshine Soup, a warm soup made with bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange) and tomatoes.
p.58 Creamy Comfort Soup, a pureed soup with cauliflower and pinto beans.
p.68 Spicy Stir-Fried Greens, bok choy with cilantro, Thai chili, ginger, mirin, and sesame oil.
p.70 Green Mash, steamed potatoes mashed with chopped sautéed kale and collard greens.
p.72 Nutty Grilled Lettuce, romaine grilled, served with dressing, boiled eggs, and hazelnuts.
p.80 Mediterranean Vegetable Bowl, simmered eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, raisins.
p.84 Supercharged Carrots, roasted carrots with a food processor dressing that includes the carrot tops, served with black sesame seeds.
p.94 Glowing Green Pesto Pasta, fusilli pasta with kale and peanut based pesto.
p.106 Kale and Bean Hash, skillet dish of kale, great northern beans, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and parmesan cheese.
p.118 Cheesy Vegetable Pie, baked stuffed puff pastry with kale, potatoes, turnips, and cheddar cheese.
p.126 Supercharged Muffins, wheat flour muffins with spinach, red bell peppers, feta, and chia, flax and sunflower seeds.
p.132 Berry Burst Tart, baked apples, cranberries, pecans in a puff pastry tart.
p.144 Sticky Energy Bars, pecans, peanuts, dried fruits, coconut oil, honey, almond butter, sesame seeds.
Overall
Pre-recipe testing, this appears to be a no-nonsense cookbook with plants as stars of the recipe. Appetizing photos are clean, the kind I like best, without fussy staging–just the food, please. There were a few recipes that required more non-vegan items than seems feasible to substitute, but by far most of the recipes seem doable as is, or simply without, or with a few standard vegan alternatives.
The “personality” of the book is seen mostly through the beautifully clean approach of the photos and the emphasis on mostly whole food ingredients. (No author jibber-jabber.)
Looks good; I like it. Now time to try some of those recipes this week! Will update.
“I am not home. I am here.”
Such a lovely novel. One that I'm sure I will think of again and again. It's a rare read that can mean so many things–a multi-faceted gem that could reflect back what you are thinking at any given time. Part of its beauty is that even once the mystery is solved, it remains mysterious.
I am not a world-building fantasy reader. Or, at least I wasn't until I read this. In the beginning, I pushed through my resistance. I stayed with it because every where I turned on BookTube (YouTubers that talk about books call themselves that), they sung its high praises. But they didn't tell much at all about the particulars. Something in their faces while talking about it, though, convinced me I wanted to know that experience too.
So I won't say much. Except this is an experience you should have, and you should have that experience like a fellow Innocent.
I'm lucky to be able to get together with my Littles (grand daughters ages 6 and 8) once a week to do fun activities. I always bring 3-4 books I've picked up for us to read together and for them to keep. This was one of the books for this week.
It captured the interest of both girls. They especially liked the disgusting parts (what ghosts like to eat), when they would say “Ewwww!” but secretly loved it and really meant “Oooooo!” The book had a sweet perspective on developing and keeping a long friendship. A very long friendship.
Miss L, the older of the two, liked it so much she said she planned for it to be the book she and her mom would read together during their bedtime read that night.
I'm sure there are more serious and better designed books from a child psychology perspective, but my two granddaughters and I enjoyed the fun visuals of this book. Without reading the captions, the girls tried to figure out the feelings being expressed by the colorful and very expressive lumps of clay.
Creative and quirky.
Got this book for me and my Littles (granddaughters ages 6 and 8).
It was a book we did NOT read.
We just punched out the shapes and put them together making three paper potted plants. ;)
Not the most creatively expressive thing we three have done together, but you know what, we LIKED it anyway. The girls liked it so much they said, “Granny, please, can you find more books like these for us?”