Barbara Santucci

Rainie's parents have recently separated, and she and her dad are spending the summer at the lake without her mom for the first time. Rainie feels sad that her family is changing, but as the summer progresses, she realizes that her parents' love for her has remained the same. This is a story about the complicated emotions children feel when their parents separate. I think that children with divorced/separated parents would relate to Rainie's character and feel reassured by her parents' unconditional love. Other children would be reminded that not all families look the same. The book is beautifully illustrated in a unique style that combines collage and water color painting. I would recommend this book for children in kindergarten through third grade.… (plus d'informations)

Anna is a young girl who helps her grandfather plant corn. That winter, her grandpa passes away, and she has a difficult time dealing with his death and therefore cannot bring herself to plant the seeds she promised her grandpa she would plant. Her mom helps her to realize that she needs to plant the corn seeds to keep the promise she made. Anna plants the seeds and remembers the song she shared with her grandpa. Now that she remembers those times she shared with him, she has closure and can carry on his farming legacy.

I give this story four stars because I loved the bond between Anna and her grandpa. When a beloved family member passes away, sometimes we feel like it is the end of the world. Anna's mom helped her to realize that the seeds would go to waste if they were not planted, and I think that helps the reader to learn a very valuable message about the importance of seizing the day and recognizing opportunity. Furthermore, if we stay sad all the time, then nothing exciting can happen. Grief is a part of life, but we have to acknowledge that and then move on and be productive. The author deals with death in a very respectful, beautiful manner. I also appreciated the teaching of the miracle of life, with the corn sprouting from the smallest seed and growing increasingly bigger with each passing season.… (plus d'informations)

I loved this book! I also picked this book because my sister's name is Abby. The two books I picked were in the same general area in the library, so they must have been looking for me (lol)! The book is about a lady who just moved to a new town and she has to rearrange her home the way she wants it, but she just can't get her chairs to look right in her home. So, she goes to the paint store, library, and a fabric store. She refurbishes all the chairs and she still isn't happy, so she puts the chairs on the curb to give away. While going to all the stores, she met the owners and invited all three of them to her house. They eventually came and noticed the chairs on the curb. The chairs each matched the person by a characteristic of their looks. So, they convinced her to keep the chairs and they placed the chairs in the house where they wanted. After they placed the chairs, she loved them because they were in the perfect place and the chairs had meaning to them because when she looked at the chairs she thought of her new friends also. I thought the message behind the book was great. She didn't realize the chairs meant so much, until her new friends gave her advice. Sometimes it takes someone else’s opinion to help and make everything better.… (plus d'informations)