A Walk Through 100 Aker Woods

 Winnie-The-Pooh by A.A. Milne is nostalgia wrapped in a bow. With every adventure, you are transported to the 100 Aker Woods and into the heart of a silly old Bear. Reading this again, I giggled out loud and longed to see a child's face fall in love with the characters as I have. This book is exactly why I yearn to write. Flip through the pages, fall into make-believe, and forget about everything else for a single moment. It's truly magical. Happy Reading. 💛CAB

Find Your Muchness!

Finding Muchness by Kobi Yamada reminds me that if I believe I can't, I won't. And if I believe I can, I will. He tells me that my worry is creating things in my mind that I don't want and that my mind believes what I feed it. This is just a tiny glimpse into the GIANT picture that Yamada creates with this lovely picture book. The adorable illustrations by Charles Santoso literally jump off the page and cuddle with you in your lap. There are so many reasons I would read this to Littles, but the main one being to never give up and that YOU matter.  Happy Reading. 💛CAB

 
 

A Window Into My Heart

Let me try to paint you a picture..... From the ground, a mindful vine crawls up and over, above and below, through and in between. An ethereal glow of sunlight peeks through a canopy of branches. Friendly daisies sway to the sound of the melodic purr of the forest. Warbling blue birds float on the breeze. Billowy butterflies bob up and down. And in the quiet corners, fairies fly freely- limb to limb, above the wildflowers, and hopping on leaves of the trees.  

This is what I picture my heart to look like. An enchanted painting of whimsy topped with whipped cream and fairy sprinkles.

My husband bought me this book for Christmas. As I opened the box it was nestled in, my heart skipped a beat at the first glimpse of the gorgeous cover.

The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris is a glimpse through a window into my heart. Poems created for words fading from everyday vocabulary. Words lost in the ether, floating on withered whispers from children of yesterday. Words that define nature, innocence, and wonder. This book is a playground for children, and I hope you read it. These lost words can also be found on the John Muir website, which is also an amazing resource for both parents and teachers. You can find the words in the Ideas and Inspiration section under the John Muir Award Heading. 

https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/

Happy Exploring! CAB

Delby

Can you imagine yourself in the forest?

Use all of your senses and take a forest bath. 

Can you hear the twitter of the friendly birds?

Can you feel the hug of a gentle breeze?

Do you smell the fresh earth lingering in the air?

Do you see the kaleidoscope of greens, shifting and changing with every movement?

Pick a fairy berry. As it pops on your tongue as you bite down, can you taste the tart juices glide down your throat?

Now look down, and lower yourself until you are the size of a leaf falling ever so gently from a tree. You have come upon a small house. Small enough for a mouse, and cozy enough for a sleepy child. 

Exiting from the small opening, you see Delby. A tiny forest fairy. With transparent wings, an acorn hat, and a green sack. He is off to pick fairy berries for an afternoon snack. 

He sees you, and you see him. 

And you have a moment. All because you took the time to stop and imagine. 

Imagine that.

Happy fairy finding.-CAB

The First "No"

I needed to write this while I was raw. I sent in my first polished manuscript in December, and I received my first "no" today. It was short. It was polite. It was a no.

I had to document this. It's a part of the journey. Right now, I must remember everything I have learned over the years. James Clear, Ryan Holiday, Jay Shetty, Mel Robbins, Brené Brown (too many to list)… what have they taught me?

It's not about the rejection, is it? It's my behavior and ACTION that follows. This right here- is me holding myself accountable. So I will have something beautiful to look back on. When the journey isn't such a struggle, and when I can say, "Remember when I got my first no?"

 Thank you. Thank you for driving me further down the path. Thank you for giving me my first reason to fight. And above all, I remember that I GET to write these words right now, and I GET to work on making my life's dream come true. Thank you for my first no......one of many more to come. 

Happy Writing. -CAB

 

A MUST-Read- For  Teachers and Parents 

When I thought about how to begin this Blog in my Little Corner, I cringed. What to do, what to write about, where to begin. And then it came to me. I don't have a beginning, unless I start. 

So this is where I will start. And what a perfect beginning this will be!

When I read Maybe for the first time, I cried. I have read this book probably 30 times, and when I read it now, I cry. It is beautiful. It is inspirational. It is timeless. 

Kobi Yamada is an excellent writer, and his books convey the powerful messages I have shared in my past work as an educator. 

Gabriella Barouch has quickly become one of my favorite illustrators. Her work truly transports you into a magical world of artistic poetry with magical critters, adventurous children, and beckoning forests. 

When reading this to Littles, you can spark up conversations that crack into the endless possibilities on the journey through life. 

I read this to my fifth graders, probed with questions to guide conversations page by page, and used this as an opportunity to spark creative thinking for a writing lesson. This is where I discovered that fifth graders loved a picture book read aloud just as much, if not more, than my second graders. 

It is truly the perfect book to create a lesson on character. 

Whatever your reason is, you will never regret opening this book of wonder and stepping into the magic on each page. Happy Reading! 

 

Welcome to my Wonderland

 

Welcome to my wonderland. In this Little Corner, you are safe to dream about fairies, take walks through magical forests, and dream as big as you want to dream. 

Here is what you get to see in my Little Corner of the world:  Books that I'm currently reading or have read, poetry that I have created, things that bring me inspiration, and little sneak peeks into the pages of books that I am writing. I want to connect with you, read with you, adventure with you, and inspire you. Come on in. Cozy up with a blanket, and let's adventure together.