Celebrate!

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on weekends where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

I'm celebrating more than a few positive Rs in my week:
A beloved friend returned to town
My windows were open to hear the soft rain
A retirement party brought laughter
There was time for reading, relaxing and another roller derby

Slice of Life - Grandpa

The Slice of Life Challenge was created by the people over at the blog Two Writing Teachers. The challenge is to write about some part of your day and share it each Tuesday then give feedback to at least three other bloggers.

One of grandpa's pipes

Lately, I've been reading about Amsterdam. Many specialty museums are tucked away there. One of these, Pijpenkabinet – Pipe Museum in Amsterdam, caught my attention. My grandfather came to mind immediately. Cigarettes, cigars and other things that create smoke aren't very appealing to me, but there was something about my grandfather's pipe tobacco that always made me smile. I had a few favorites. Cherry and apple always smelled lovely to me. That scent makes me slow down and think happy thoughts. Now that grandpa is gone, I don't know anyone who smokes a pipe, but once in a great while, I catch the scent and remember.

My grandparents a few years ago

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three participant blogs and comment to spread the love.

If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

The Past Week:

 

Gameworld is a fun middle grade novel about some children who end up inside a video game for real. It was full of action, but I never connected with the characters. I loved that it had diverse characters, but it was only okay - not a favorite.  Mexican Whiteboy was fantastic. Matt de la Peña tore me up with this one. Danny is struggling with a lot of things - his relationships with his parents, his identity and his pitching too. This was a young adult story that felt real and true. I will be recommending this one a lot.

 

I zipped through the YA book More Happy Than Not a second time this week and reviewed it over at Rich in Color. I love, love, love, this book even though Silvera made me cry multiple times.

 

An Age of License: A Travelogue was a nice quick travel book in graphic novel format. It is probably one to classify as New Adult since it's about Lucy in her twenties. I have really liked Lucy Knisley's books. Relish is still my favorite. She has a nice mix of humor and serious contemplation. It has inspired me to look for a nice notebook or journal for my summer vacation. I want to be intentional about my journaling during my travels this time. That would be a first.

 

Flight of the Honey Bee and River Story were both sent to me by Candlewick.  They are two very nice non-fiction picture books. The bee book is nicely done following a scout bee through a typical day. The River Story is beautiful and shares about rivers in simple flowing (couldn't help myself) text. Miffy at the Zoo is part of my effort to read some Dutch children's lit before I visit Amsterdam later this year. It was a cute little book. 

 

Cooking from the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America is a fascinating cookbook. It shares more than just recipes. There is history tucked away in and around the recipes. There are also essays, poetry and some great pictures. I have tried a few of the recipes and they were yummy. I look forward to trying more of them in the future. 

The Coming Week:

 

I'm listening to both Lockwood & Co. and Baseball in April. When I finish with those, I'll start listening to a young adult novel Love Edy. I've started The Zodiac Legacy and will likely finish that up this week. I'm also reading a guidebook for the traveling we'll be doing later this year. It almost feels like a research project, but a fun one. I have a pile of books sitting around, but I'm not sure which one will come next. Have a great week of reading!

Reading Challenge Update 
Diversity on the Shelf/Diverse Books - 94/100
Goodreads - 190/520
#MustRead2015 - 28/53
Diversity Reading Challenge - 9/12
Around the World With Books 2015

 

Celebrate!

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on weekends where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

We are just about to run off to a graduation ceremony so this will be brief. Some of my celebrations for the week are:

* Our exchange student from South Korea had a great experience and is getting to participate in graduation ceremonies today.

* All but one of my office cabinets are empty and the contents are packed into boxes ready for removal after the final day of school.

* A co-worker and I got to sneak away for 15 minutes yesterday and grab an iced chai before diving back into packing.

* On our walk today, my dog and I met a nice couple and their dog. We shared laughter and smiles.

* I talked to my grandmother today and we had a fun conversation. My 90 year old grandma has a lot of spunk.

* I appreciate that other people's memoirs can bring me to my own memories. I appreciate Lucy Knisley's works because they always lead me to my own past.

Now we are off to celebrate the graduates of 2015!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three participant blogs and comment to spread the love.

If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

The Past Week: 

 

I finished Korea Unmasked this afternoon. The author is Korean and has written about other countries before, but it is hard to take the many stereotypes and the simplification of culture. I know he's trying to give a quick overview in a humorous way, but it isn't necessary to do it in a way that perpetuates stereotypes. A Korean person gave me the book and there were aspects that I enjoyed, like learning some of the history, but it's definitely problematic.

Escaping the Tiger was a tough book to read. It shares the story of a young boy and his family who have left their home in Laos after the U.S. troops pulled out of Vietnam. They end up in a refugee camp. Most of the story takes place in the camp. It's not an easy time for the family, but they try to keep their hopes up for a chance to make a new start. It's a book that tells of situations that many members of my community also experienced before they came to the U.S. 

I got an ARC of I Am Princess X at ALA Midwinter and finally picked it up this weekend. It's a novel/graphic novel hybrid, but the ARC didn't have most of the illustrations. It's hard to judge it without those, but it was entertaining. From my Goodreads review, "This is a fun mystery with a few twists. I don't think it's meant to be taken too seriously though. Some things are way to coincidental, but it worked for me."

Surviving Santiago was my favorite book that I finished this week. I got the ARC at Midwinter and will be writing up a full review next week over at Rich in Color. It's a sequel/companion to Gringolandia but it could be read alone. I become more of a Lyn Miller-Lachmann fan every time I read one of her books. 

Eep! was a book I read in honor of an upcoming trip to Amsterdam. I thought I ought to read at least a few books from that neck of the woods before I head over. Eep! is quite a unique book. There's a fantasy element and it was a cute story. It's a difficult thing to explain without spoiling things, but it seemed to be about love and goodbyes. 

Currently Reading: 

 

I am loving Mexican Whiteboy. I only have a few more chapters left. Matt de la Peña has pulled me into Danny's life. Gameworld is okay, but I wanted to like it more than I do. I started The Screaming Staircase on audio, but it expired (checked out digitally) and now I think I'll have to start over. Cooking from the Heart is a Hmong American cookbook. There are many recipes, but it also has some great information, essays and even some poems in it, so I am making my way through slowly. I've made the Thai Bubble Tea (very sweet, but yummy) and the Coconut Sticky Rice with Mangoes - also sweet and yummy.  I want to try some more of the recipes.

Have a great week of reading!

Celebrate!

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on weekends where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

I'm excited to be finished with the beading portion of my bracelet. I've been beading at the Ho-Chunk craft night for a while now and have worked on two different projects depending on the night. Now I just have to sew it onto the material that will go around my wrist. The words are Ho-Chunk and loosely mean to read. It's nice to have Wednesday evenings to look forward to where we can sit and chat while making something. I'm also learning more and more about the Ho-Chunk community.

This week I also started to make some of the yummy recipes in the Hmong cook book Cooking from the Heart. Coconut sticky rice with mango slices is delicious. It smells heavenly too.

My eyes are struggling, but they are adjusting to my new glasses. It was time for bifocals. That makes me feel old, but the new glasses are definitely helpful.

There are fourteen days of school left with students. We've had a year full of change and challenges, but there aren't many more days left and packing has started up again. Students and staff are looking forward to getting out of the old building and moving into the new spaces in the fall. These are exciting times.

Have a great week!

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge

Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I love the encouragement to explore more non-fiction. I am thankful that she has this challenge because I know I have read more nonfiction texts as a result.

A Ticket Around the World by Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens

Illustrated by Kim Smith

Review copy: Won in a Publisher giveaway at TeachingBooks.net

Goodreads summary: Join a young boy as he hops around the globe, visiting friends in 13 different countries spanning all six populated continents. Along the way, he introduces us to each friend’s environment and customs, and shares interesting facts about each country’s culture, language, food, geography, wildlife, landmarks and more. Each country has a dedicated spread with a small map that shows geography and landmarks, letting readers imagine they are traveling, too. The format makes it easy to spot similarities and differences between countries.

This informational picture book brings engaging nonfiction content to younger readers by showing them how other children just like them live around the world. Playful, realistic illustrations done with stylized realism lend warmth and whimsy to the book, making each locale feel welcoming. A Ticket Around the World will leave readers feeling like they’ve toured the globe without ever having left home.

Countries included: Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Greece, Canada, Brazil, France, Georgia, Botswana, China, Philippines, Australia, United States and Jordan.

My thoughts: This is a fun way to get a feel for people and places around the world. Facts are shared about each country including population figures, language(s), typical foods and events along with other interesting information. I enjoyed seeing many ways people live their lives around the world.

It was interesting to see the greetings in different languages. My favorite part of the book was when the narrator visited the United States. he said, "Hello and buenos dias!" because he is visiting a boy with grandparents who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. I often get bothered when people stress the idea that the U.S. is, or should be, English only. We have two states now (Alaska and Hawaii) that have more than one official language and we have many people in the U.S. who speak other languages. I love it when a text honors multiple languages in the U.S. and this one certainly does.

I can see a family or classroom reading this and going beyond the text. A class could read the spread about a country and then find it on a globe or Google Earth. They could also ask questions about the countries and look for the answers. It could also be a mentor text and a class could work in groups or individually to create more pages for the book or their own class book. There are many great extensions that are possible.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three participant blogs and comment to spread the love.

If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

The Past Week: 

Nonfiction 

All of these were nice nonfiction books for the elementary level. The standout to me was Raindrops Roll. The photographs were fabulous. They didn't just support the text, they were beautiful too.

Picture Books

Red: A Crayon's Story stole my heart this week. Red is a crayon with a label issue. The label says red, but it's not matching what who Red really is inside. Loved this! One is a Drummer: A Book of Numbers is a counting book that introduces many aspects of Chinese culture along the way.

Middle Grade to Young Adult

 

I enjoyed Roller Girl just as much as I expected to after hearing so many Nerdybookclub members gushing about it. Roller Girl is another graphic novel that many of my students are going to love. Raina Telgemeier fans will eat it up. It's realistic, funny, and has emotions that many tweens will relate to easily. I'm excited to share this one. I also got myself to a roller derby bout because of reading it. I wanted to really see what it was like. Fortunately our local roller derby team had their season opener this weekend and I was able to attend. Go Mississippi Valley Mayhem!

Gathering Fireflies was a great look at the Hmong American experience across generations. It was written and self-published by a local woman and I appreciate the chance to hear a modern Hmong story that weaves in the past and present. My only quibble was the format. It was a novel in verse, but it was one that didn't seem to need to be in verse format. I know it was free verse, but it didn't feel like poetry and my mind wished for paragraphs instead. It's still a valuable book though, especially for libraries and classrooms that serve Hmong Americans.

I got an ARC of More Happy Than Not when I was at ALA Mid-winter. Happily, I also met the author briefly and got my book signed. I was excited to finally read it. It's definitely a book to make you think and if you're like me, maybe even shed a few tears. I'll formally review it over at Rich in Color next week. If you're a realistic fiction fan and can tolerate a smidge of medical sci-fi, you won't want to miss this one.

I also read and reviewed Fred this week. Click here to read the review and enter the giveaway (10 picture books!!).

I also highlighted A Fine Dessert for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

The Coming Week: I'm reading the middle grade book Eep! and Escaping the Tiger with my eyes and am listening to both Mexican White Boy and The Screaming Staircase. I'm also reading an ARC of Surviving Santiago to review in a couple of weeks. I hope you have some fun reading plans also. Happy reading!

Reading Challenge Update

Diversity on the Shelf/Diverse Books - 90/100

Goodreads - 177/520

#MustRead2015 - 28/53

Diversity Reading Challenge - 9/12

Around the World With Books 2015

Celebrate!

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on weekends where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

We have had an exchange student with us for almost ten months now. He is from South Korea. This week a package came from his parents that included stamps for each of us that have our name on them. They are beautiful. They also sent me a handmade purse. These were unexpected and exciting gifts. Our time with their son has been easy so we don't need gifts, but we certainly appreciate them. The name seals are fascinating. If you haven't heard of them before, here is a great post by Shahan Cheong that explains about them.

Here is what mine looks like:

Beyond gifts, I'm also celebrating warm weather. It is so wonderful to be able to go outside with bare feet or sandals and short sleeves. We will still have some cool days and rain coming as we usually do in spring, but the severe cold is past. Flowers are starting to bloom and green is everywhere. It makes my heart smile.

I am celebrating the staff at my school. We have had a difficult year, but we are making it and we are doing it with laughter. There have been times with complaining, I won't lie, but we have also found ways to laugh about the difficulties.

Yesterday I had time to breathe (my one little word). My husband is out of town, my daughter was at work, and our exchange student was out with friends. I had the house to myself. I read, walked the dog, and caught up on blogging tasks for Rich in Color. It was a relaxing evening. I enjoyed doing those things, but I also liked that I didn't feel the least bit guilty about not focusing on anyone else.

Tonight we are going to our first Roller Derby and I'm really looking forward to that. I just read the book Roller Girl yesterday and it seems like a bout is in order. I love when books lead to something fun in real life. 

Have a wonderful week!

Review: Fred

Review and Mega Fred Friday Giveaway

Title: Fred (you can see some of the inside spreads at this link)

Author: Kaila Eunhye Seo

Publisher: Peter Pauper Press, Inc.

Pages: 32
Availability: On shelves now
Review Copy: Hardcover from Publisher

Summary: Fred's world is filled with fantastical friends that make his days so much fun he hardly notices that no one else can see them. But one day Fred goes off to school, and things start to change. As Fred grows up, his childhood friends slowly fade away and see to disappear, taking some of life's sparkle with them. But a chance meeting with a special young girl reminds Fred - and readers young and old alike - that magic and wonder never really disappear... they live forever in our hearts.

Review: Early in the story, readers learn that Fred "was able to see and believe in things...that others could not." As long as they aren't sad or scary things, this sounds like a great ability to me. And the creatures Fred imagines lean more toward the adorable and fun than the scary. Children will enjoy considering what kinds of creatures they have seen or would like to see as they learn about Fred's friends.

The story was interesting, but the illustrations were what really won me over. The illustrations are black and white with shots of color here and there. I loved that contrast. On some pages, the only color was the red striped shirt. On some others, the many creatures were colorful and the setting was black and white. The bits of color here and there made my eyes seek out the color. This will definitely be a book to inspire artwork. I found myself even wanting to create a magical friend.

This would be a great text to pair with The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat, Clara and Asha by Eric Rohmann, or Dotty by Erica Perl. This is a quiet book and one that will grab the imagination of readers and inspire some creativity.

Toni Buzzeo created a Teaching Guide to go with the book that offers many great teaching activities and discussion suggestions.

The publisher has a wonderful giveaway going on. Be sure and enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge

Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I love the encouragement to explore more non-fiction. I am thankful that she has this challenge because I know I have read more nonfiction texts as a result.

A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat

by Emily Jenkins and Sophie Blackall
reivew copy: purchased

In this amazing book, readers are taken to four different time periods visiting four different families making what looks to be a truly scrumptious dessert - blackberry fool. I haven't yet made it since I am waiting for the appropriate season, but you can bet I will. I adored the illustrations and Sophie Blackall paid attention to detail as she created the lovely pictures. She shared some of the process on her blog (click on the title in the tags below the post to see all of the entries). You may see the decisions and the research that went into many of her illustrations. She even shares about the endpapers. I love it when I see something other than white endpapers. She used blackberry juice to make them. Very cool. Also, if you have a copy of the book that isn't covered for library use, do take the jacket off. The cover is also beautiful.

The text is awesome too. Looking for changes over time is a key component of our social studies curriculum. This book is a perfect way to show that even cooking can have changes over the years. For older students especially, you can talk a lot about the social changes as well as the invention of tools and even as I noticed, the change in diet. It is only later that people are adding refined sugar to the whipping cream. Another interesting aspect to discuss would be where people are getting the raw materials. 

There is so much to love about this book. If you want to know more, be sure and visit Sophie's blog, but also read the Publisher's Weekly interview with both Emily and Sophie.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three participant blogs and comment to spread the love.

If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

The Past Week: 

I was able to read several bilingual (and some trilingual) poems this week. My Village: Rhymes from Around the World Told in English & Their Native Tongue is a new book in our library that provides exactly what the title says. They are nursery rhymes from around the world. If they are not originally in English, they are also translated. For Asian languages and a few others, the characters and the romanization are shown in addition to the translation. It is a neat look into the rhymes, but also into the languages. Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English has poems for every letter of the Spanish alphabet along with translations. From my Goodreads review: The illustrations are lush and vibrant. The text is simple, but expresses much. The poems speak of culture, nature, pride, history and more. My favorite poems were Orgullo/Pride, Nopal/Prickly Pear, Lluvia/Rain, and ¿Estrellas o Flores?/Stars or Flowers. Animal Poems of the Iguazu: Animalario del Iguazu will work well with our first grade rainforest unit. There is an environmental awareness and responsibility component along with a celebration of the plants, animals, and land. A Movie in My Pillow is a bilingual collection of poems that shares the story of Jorgito. He has moved from El Salvador to the Mission District of San Francisco. This would pair well with Barrio: Jose's Neighborhood.

Emmanuel's Dream is a great story of determination and making a difference in the world. I enjoyed the story, but also the illustrations by Seal Qualls. I'm beginning to recognize his work. Zoom in on Fireflies was another non-fiction that I enjoyed. I reviewed it here. It's by Melissa Stewart, so you know it's good.

Two funny books this week were Zombie in Love 2+1 and Juan Bobo Goes to Work. Zombie in Love and its sequel are just creepy cute. Juan Bobo is a Cuban folktale about a boy who makes a ton of silly mistakes that make you giggle.

Sleepyheads is a sweet bedtime book with gorgeous illustrations. 

Parrot in the Oven was the serious book of the week. It's a book that won the Pura Belpré and the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. I can see why. It reads like a memoir though it's a novel. The voice of the narrator, Manny, drew me in and made me want to know more. We see a life in the barrio back in time. Manny is figuring out what is truly important to him and who he wants to be. There are some harsh situations which push this into young adult territory rather than middle school, but it would be on the younger side of young adult. At times the text is lyrical and I can see why it earned awards.

I also listened to Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass as a re-read so I could finally review it formally. You may read that here. Over at Rich in Color, I reviewed Matt de la Peña's newest, The Hunted.

The Coming Week:

I just started reading More Happy Than Not and so far am enjoying it. I'll review it in a few weeks at Rich in Color. I have a book that should arrive on Tuesday that I'm excited about. It's a self-published book by a local art teacher called Gathering Fireflies. It's a verse novel centering around a 13 yr old Hmong American boy who is exploring his cultural identity. Beyond that, I have a few books to read for reviews. It should be a good week for reading. 

Review: Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

Title: Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
Author: Meg Medina
Publisher: Candlewick
Pages: 272 pages
Availability: On shelves now
Review Copy: Hardcopy from publisher & audiobook version from library

Summary: One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back.

At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel, Meg Medina portrays a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is.

Review: Meg Medina does an excellent job of bringing us into Piddy's world. Piddy enjoys school, especially science courses and wants to work with animals someday. She's Latina, but when she transfers to a new school, she doesn't think she'll fit in with the Latina crowd. She never gets a chance to try. Before long, Yaqui and her gang are not only excluding her, they are targeting Piddy.

Piddy has no idea how to handle this, but her primary method is keeping her mother and adults in the school out of it. She fears that it will only get worse if those particular adults get involved. Fortunately, Piddy also has Lila to turn to in a crisis. Lila, a family friend, is a strong woman with a lot of love and support for Piddy.

Piddy has to decide who she is going to be and how she can make that happen. This book is a wonderful look at the experience of bullying and the many far reaching effects it can have on a person. It isn't just the physical effects that matter. The bruises and other damage are only one part of it. The constant fear can affect relationships, academics, and so much more.

For students going through bullying, this will be a book that shows them they aren't alone in their experience. For others, it is a huge reminder that the bystanders are choosing to be either part of the problem or part of the solution.

Recommendation: If you haven't read it yet, get it as soon as you can. I enjoyed the audiobook, but did prefer reading the hardcopy myself. Piddy's voice is real and I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to spend more time with this girl who was finding herself and working through this very difficult situation.

Extra: I was able to talk to Meg Medina a while ago and posted that interview over at Rich in Color. In it, she shares that the book is based on some experiences in her own life. You can read that interview here.

Celebrate!

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on weekends where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

I usually post on Saturdays, but yesterday was a busy day full of lots of celebrating. The morning began with the the school district Art Show. There were some amazing pieces of work there and I got to talk with some students and their families.

Next, I rushed off to see my youngest perform in three events at state solo & ensemble. The percussion ensemble was super fun. Liz was on the marimba. The next event was jazz where Liz played the electric bass. Finally, I got to hear a beautiful vocal solo too.

Following the competition, the two of us headed to a wonderful backyard party at a friend's house. We were gathering to celebrate the beginning of May. We got to spend time in the treehouse, blow bubbles, eat yummy food, and chat with friends for hours. There were cute smiley face cookies and the party was a huge success.

Earlier in the week, there were also a few celebrations. A new Hmong grocery store has opened up in our village. We can walk to a store that sells Pocky, fresh lemongrass, noodles, and all kinds of things that our standard grocery store has never stocked. This is a jumping up and down type of thing. Even better, sometimes there is also a Hmong food truck out in the parking lot that sells fried rice, sticky rice, chicken, sausage, egg rolls and....BUBBLE TEA! I recently bought Cooking From the Heart: the Hmong Kitchen in America and it's going to be a whole lot easier to try out some of the recipes now. There are Asian grocery stores in La Crosse (20-30 min away), but I wouldn't take the time to get to them very often. Now there's a store about 1/2 mile away. Yay!

Another celebration this week was the CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center) advisory board meeting. I love any excuse to go to Madison (I usually get to see my son for at least a few minutes). I also love visiting the CCBC. It's all about the books - children's and young adult books. It was a fantastic day talking about books and literacy. There were also decadent cupcakes. Yum.

I counted. There are 24 school days left in the year. I will have some good memories of this school year, but being squished into a teeny space, enduring loud construction noises, and even icky fumes sometimes while trying to teach makes this a year that I am glad to see ending. 24 is a very nice number. Two dozen sounds even better. Sorry to be a little snarky in a celebration post, but I am truly very glad to see summer on the horizon.

Have a week filled with celebrations.