The Cabin Key by Gloria Rand & Illus by Ted Rand

Gloria and Ted Rand are an amazing husband/wife team. However, I think they sometimes write books for adults more than children. As a somewhat nerdy/serious kid, I loved them then and I love them now, but they are not books that are going to get kids worked up. They are quiet and generally somewhat nostalgic. And they tend to be wordy. 

This story is no different. Using memories of the Rand family cabin, the story follows a little girl and her experiences at the cabin through her childhood. 

Great story, but you need to know your audience. Are they thoughtful? Can they sit quietly for several paragraphs before another page turn/picture? 

It was a very snowy day when I was taking picture, which seemed  fitting. 

I even had a snowy pinecone. 

Ted Rand does such brilliant landscape/nature scenes. 

The little girl is entrusted with unlocking the door, which is a huge honor. 

Aren't these pictures great? 

Carrying in the wood

Love, love, love this picture! 

The joys of enamelware.

Listening to stories and watching the flames.

Coziness. Doesn't that blanket look realistic?! 

Also, the next picture (that I didn't get a picture of) shows the little mice scurrying around, so not cozy and no sleep for me. 

The family cabin is all very well and good, but mice ruin all the warm fuzzys. My husband's family has a family cabin in the Rocky Mountains. One time we took my cousin and his wife for a weekend and didn't bring quite enough bedding, so we gave them the sleeping bags and ended up using the sheets/blankets that were already on the bed. It was dark when we went to sleep and I just thought there was sand in the sheets, but.... in the morning, I saw it wasn't sand. It was mouse dirt. 

I still love the cabin, but I don't plan on forgetting sleeping bags ever again. 

Snowed In by Barbara M. Lucas & Illus by Catherine Stock

This past weekend we were rather snowed in--not for months on end, but for a full 36 hours, which felt dramatic enough. 

This is the story of Grace and Luke. At first you think they are just waving goodbye like a regular day. 

But then they go to the store and pick up a lot of supplies. 

And they get boxes filled with books from the library. 

Snow is just beginning to fall as they reach home. 

By the next morning, they are snowed in for the rest of the winter. 

As a child, that sounded enchanting. As an adult, it sounds a little petrifying. I like staying at home as much as the next person, but.... I can leave when I want. I can imagine feeling a little boxed in if I couldn't leave. 

They do their chores. 

And read. 

I have always had a bit of a love affair with the west, so a book combining the west and a love of reading is going to win me over pretty easily. 

Apparently this story came from a cowboy Barbara Lucas talked to once--he showed her some of his own writings and they talked about his schooling, since his writing showed an incredible depth of literary knowledge and intelligence. He said he got to school when he could, but was often snowed in for the winters, so his parents always made sure there were a lot of books around. 

Aren't these pictures great? 

Imaginary wanderings.

Heart eyes!

And then it was spring again and the way to town thawed out. 

As long as the supplies held out, no one got incredibly sick, the house didn't burn, and no wolves/bears/murderers came to call, I could see this being an idyllic time. 

Basically, I would like to be a pioneer, but with no inconveniences. Sounds reasonable. 

A Place to Land by Barry Wittenstein & Illus by Jerry Pinkney

Another MLK Jr. book? Yes, please! This was one of those books I wasn't sure about on the first read through. It seemed to be a non-story in some ways. It tells the back story on the famous "I have a dream speech" which is basically, Martin went off script.

But the more I read it, the more nuanced it is. There is still so much to say and learn about this man, the things he did, and the words he said. 

Pinkney is no slouch--this is before the title page, which is often left blank, but not here. 

The night before the speech, Martin didn't know what to say. 

So Martin did what great men do. 

He asked for guidance. 

Not from above.

At least not at first. 

They all had their say, including an adviser saying he had used the "I have a dream" line too often and it could not be used effectively again. 

Part of Martin's greatness--he knew 

the importance of listening. 

I love these two excerpts that show the humility of truly great men. 

After listening, he went upstairs and thought about all the people who went before him in this fight and what they would want him to say. 

Detailed view.

Seriously, Pinkney puts so much in each picture--textured and layered. 

Martin wrote late into the night. 

Words crossed out three, four times, searching for the perfect meaning and rhythm. 

Even Martin, as brilliant as he was, edited and rewrote.

I love the collage elements over in the left hand corner here. 

The next morning, people came from all over the country to Washington--to be met with soldiers in riot gear. 

Map collages are never not a wonderful addition. 

Even an hour before he was supposed to speak, Martin kept thinking about what to say, things did not feel totally settled. He hadn't found his place to land yet. 

Martin began his speech and then, paused. He wasn't feeling inspired, so his audience wasn't either. 

Mahalia Jackson, the "Queen of Gospel," told him to tell the people about the dream.

And then came some of the most inspiring words America had heard in years. 

Afterward, people joined hands and sang, "We shall overcome."

And Martin went to the White House to shake hands with JFK who had been slow to embrace the civil rights movement and tried to convince its leaders to cancel the march. 

Students are often surprised that a president would work against Martin Luther King Jr. How could any right thinking person disagree with him? Some great conversations about that. 

Martin stepped up to the lectern, 

and stepped down on the other side of history. 

And then the ones who came after.

Mini-biographies of the people pictured advising Martin.

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty & Illus by David Roberts

Somehow, I had never really read any of these books. I heard all the great things about them, but I somehow never saw one in the library or bookstore to pick it up and look at it. 

They are fun little STEM related books!

In rhyming text and adorable illustrations, we learn the store of little Ada Marie, who "said not a word till the day she turned three."

I am not always a fan of rhyming text, but this text works. 

Her first word was "Why?" 

I love the brother and his tattling, pointing finger. 

Once she started asking, she didn't stop. 

Her family tried hard, but it was difficult to keep up with her questions.

Even at school Ada was always questioning and wondering.

I love this illustration!! 

Then she moved on to smell experiments

But her family had to put their foot down about something. 

She was sent to time out. 

Doesn't her mother have the grooviest fashion sense? 

When they came out to see if Ada had reconsidered her behavior, they found their hall covered in her musings, diagrams, and questions. 

I love that they support Ada in her endeavors. 

A Day for Skating by Sarah Sullivan & Illus by Madeline Valentine

This is a cozy little book about a little girl whose father takes her ice skating. 

I love a good winter scene!

Lacing up the skates

Trying out the skates.

Getting a helping hand

Hockey

Quaint bridges

Bonfire!

A hot bath with a faithful father in attendance. 

And night time creatures on the pond.