Hurricane!

The clouds greeted us as we awakened this morning.  Rain began following, sometimes gently, sometimes forcefully, as the hours passed.  Yet, there were moments, even an hour or two, when the atmosphere remained dry.  As afternoon faded into evening, it became apparent that the storm was steadily approaching.  With half an hour left before sunset, the sky appeared uncharacteristically dark.  After nightfall, a radio announcer delivered not surprising news: the area had been placed under a hurricane warning and a tornado watch.  A short time later, the first flashes of lightning heralded the imminent arrival of the tempest.  As we learned that the storm is expected to make landfall not so very far from where we are, we wonder if sleep will elude us tonight…

The part of me that is a weather aficionado is fascinated by the meteorological phenomena about to unfold, even as I feel for those who have suffered loss and hope that we will be spared the worst that the storm can inflict.  But the book lover cannot help thinking of some fantastic titles–fiction and nonfiction–on the topic of weather.  Here’s a sample.

What happens when a twister strikes the farm and sweeps up Farmer Brown and all his animals?  Find out in this laugh-out-loud story that begs to be read aloud.

When Alyssa was ten, her parents were killed in a hurricane.  Before the tragedy, her father told her not to say anything until he returned.  Alyssa, now thirteen, has not spoken since that time.  However, another hurricane is approaching, and the teen realizes that she must speak in order to save her grandfather’s life.

An outstanding children’s science writer describes these storms and clearly presents facts about them.  Included are vivid photographs.  (Also check out the author’s book, Tornadoes.)  Even though both are in picture-book format, they will attract older readers, as well.

Back to the weather-watching…

Where Is Summer Going?

That is the perennial question.  It usually does not enter into my consciousness until closer to Labor Day, but when I weighed the size of the task awaiting me before the beginning of school against the number of days available until that date, the query loomed large.  Yet it is not only the start of a new academic year that makes we wonder whither the days are flying.  I am one of those warm-weather aficionados who reluctantly acknowledge that this most marvelous of seasons is soon to draw to a close.

Yet there is consolation for this summerphile.  Along with the glorious riot of red, gold, orange, and yellow on the trees as the leaves will begin to show their true colors, there are more and more hours of evening darkness that are perfect for–you guessed it–READING!

After a short three-day hiatus to recharge my batteries, your friendly book-loving granny will be back in the reading business full time.  Stay tuned.

No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting.~Mary Wortley Montagu

Lessons from the Marigolds

I have a springtime tradition.  When our lovely tulips have reached the end of their season, I plant in their space marigolds from seeds saved from the previous year’s flowers.  This year, with the combined preoccupations of our daughter’s engagement and June 27 wedding, and my cataract surgeries in the weeks following, the almost annual event did not take place on schedule.

I was reminded of the tradition when I came across some very lonely-looking marigold seeds in a kitchen drawer, and had an inspiration.  Why not plant them with my three-year-old grandson?  Even though the calendar said late July, we have had blooms until December in previous years.  So, on a sunny Sunday, the little tyke and I carefully dug up the earth, placed the seeds in the trench, and covered them.  After giving them a generous watering, we began to look forward to the day when we might see little seedlings poke their leafy faces out of the ground.  I was hoping it would happen before the grandkids returned home to Florida.

Our efforts were rewarded a week later when I saw tiny red stalks topped by long leaves reach for the sky.  My grandson was thrilled to see them, and on more than one occasion remembered that the baby plants needed watering.  We began anticipating the appearance of flowers in the weeks ahead.

But then the rains came.  Accompanied by frequent lightning and no-waiting-time thunder, the deluge continued throughout the night, the entire next day, and off and on into the following day.  I was certain that such tiny, fragile plants–some of which could not stand up to overzealous watering–would not survive the downpours.  I was beginning to think about replanting or replacing the marigolds for the sake of my grandchild–until my husband, up early this morning, informed me that the “babies” were fine and looked better than ever.

There is a moral here.  If these tiny plants, supported by a thin stalk, can survive–and benefit from–such a relentless deluge, think what we bigger, stronger, and smarter beings can withstand.  The storms that invariably come our way (unkind words, illness and injury, G-d forbid, disappointment, misunderstandings, and the like) have the potential to inundate us, but–like the baby marigolds–we can not only survive them, we can use the excessive rainfall to help us grow and thrive.

Back in the Groove

As I ease back into the groove of reading and recommending books following the Great Events of this summer (of which readers of this blog are already aware), some noteworthy titles and a bit of welcome news have come to my attention.

First, the news.  (Drum roll, please.)  The Seuss aficionado in me (check out my site, http://bookandagarden.com, for March 2011) is intrigued to discover that a number of stories by the Doctor, which appeared in magazines early in his children’s literary career, were uncovered and are being published in book format–and will be available in September!

And, the moment fantasy fans have been waiting for!  (No, there is not an eighth Harry Potter book on the horizon.)  The fourth, and concluding, novel in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance series will appear on November 8.  Naturally, I did not waste a moment, but preordered a copy of each.

If you’re in the market for some unforgettable summer reading for the kids in your life, check these out:

What happens when a little boy builds a perfect sand castle on the beach?  A dragon moves in, of course.  The trouble is, nobody believes him.  But then strange things begin happening…

Tess Brooks loves her Maine island home, and can’t imagine living anywhere else.  But when the state determines that there are too few students to keep the local school open, and her family might have to move, an alternative plan is formulated: open homes to foster children to bring up enrollment.  The eleven-year-old will do whatever it takes to make sullen Aaron happy with her family and her beloved island.

An ingenious inventor and his three children are on the run, trying to stay at least one step ahead of people who are after his creation.  Kids who like adventure stories spiced with a healthy dose of laugh-out-loud humor will love this wacky story and its sequel, Another Whole Nother Story.

Happy Reading!