I am thrilled to have my artwork on the front and back covers of this new collection of short stories by Maryland author, Eve Ottenberg!

http://www.eveottenberg.com/anxiety__and_other_stories_.htm

I recently finished a copy that someone had given to me and was enthralled. It takes place in England, Post WWI, and the setting is the Winchester Cathedral, Having worked on the Close of the National Washington Cathedral in D.C., it was so real! She does her research with historical fiction. The setting entranced me along with the story. Tracy Chevalier is such a poetic writer.

Everything about it has taken the young reader into consideration. The a overt message about aging and one‘s inherent strength takes second place to every other aspect. Every page carries exquisite illustrations, outstanding page design & offers a palate of visual cues. The elephant‘s eyes express the ultimate sadness; the perspective of tiny Arthur hugging the elephant‘s trunk shows his vulnerability despite size. Highly recommended picture book.

The narrator, Jonathan Davis, does a fantastic job reading this extremely dense tale. It is packed tightly with European and ancient world history, science, and mathematical concepts. I can only listen to about 15 minutes at a time, to be honest as these areas are not my strengths. For those who are less gifted in the hard sciences, I would suggest the print version and reference sources on science and math!

Meanwhile, in my cozy corner, I am slogging through Dante (in English) and am finally in Purgatorio! I think this should be mandatory reading for all Congresspeople in 2020-2021.

My #online #bookclub during COVID with 4th grade students have just finished reading this first in the series. Now, we watch the film and compare and contrast! Oooo...can't wait to hear what they think!

Using for my #ontheporch K1 Book Club during Covid. We drew the length of the Giant Squid on the sidewalk and then the kids lay down next to it and we outlined each! What fun....