Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

It's getting closer every minute. I have so much to do, and it is a joy to do it. Come if you can. We're going to have amazing Redwall-inspired desserts as well as great family activities. Thanks, Karen Morgan, for the great flyer.

Bunny Tree

When Kurt and I were pretty sure we were getting married, I gave him a teddy bear with huge feet.  The plan was to replace the bear with babies with big feet.  As the babies began to arrive their feet weren't fat and round, they were long and skinny--bunny feet.  Like all good moms, I collected stories to read to them that shored up their sense of unconditional love, Runaway Bunny was a natural addition. 

It's that time when good bunnies get ready to run.  I am watching as each one gathers up tools, and ideas, and love to use as they face the world.  My job is to stay out of the way and to refrain from locking them in any closets.  I've decided I'm the bunny tree, and I will wait for them to fly home--when they're ready.

Mostly Muslim Movies

My parents were teachers in a small Christian school when I was growing up.  They signed a contract foregoing movies and they stuck to it. The same church that sponsored the school was struggling to work all this out.  I remember being properly shocked when my Sunday School teacher used ET for an illustration.  VHS put an end to all pretense.  Movies were back in swing just in time for my adolescence and I've found it a delicious naughty pleasure ever since.
But now I've gone a step further--ahh, the slippery slope.
I've gone Muslim--mostly.
I'm finding the films of our counterpoint interesting.  They make new all those old problems of life by dressing it up in what is for me a costume.  It is a pleasure to learn and grow.

Sabah is about a woman trying to work out a life between her family's traditionalism and her own need to explore.  There's a sweet love story.  It's sort of  Jane Austen in a hijab.

Arranged follows the lives of two young women, one Orthodox Jew and one traditional Muslim as they go through their respective processes of finding a husband.  I love the way they support each other, and the best moment in the movie when the Muslim is mistaken for a Sephardic Jew.

Salmon Fishing in Yemen  delighted me with a Muslim Jesus.  It was unexpected in this oddball love story.  The movie is truly beautiful both in how it was filmed and the literary frame it works in.

Children of Heaven has been mentioned before, but if you have children this film is an excellent introduction to Muslim Culture.  A boy loses his sister's shoes.  His family is too poor to pay for new, so the two share his shoes.  Charming heartbreak all around.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is mostly set in India rather than being Indian--Muslim or Hindu, but it's interesting.  All that thinking about death, which is also thinking about life.  The choices and opportunities near the end of life.  Death seems to walk in a veil until we are wearing it.  Sometimes it's good to give it a think.

Go the F**k to Sleep

Family movies about bad parental priorities seldom have as charming a vehicle for the retraining camp as Mr. Popper's delightful penguins. I went with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I've loved the story since I was a child and I read it to my kids. The idea of barely referencing the characters I love so much worried me. They did a wonderful job crafting a new story. The new Mr. Popper has six charming penguins to teach him the lessons he seems to have have missed with his own offspring. The penguins allow him to be more emotionally honest than one can be with children. The movie is gentle and funny, and well worth watching. Everyone should have penguins to practice on. You can go right ahead and read them Go The F**k To Sleep without worrying about scarring them for life.

Rango and Redwall

We finally have the technology to bring Redwall to life. Earlier efforts lacked the power to really bring Gulo or any of the villains to their terrifying life. It was all so warm and cute. Redwall's warfare is not warm and cute and the villains are horrible and crazy. Rango was great fun, but all I could think about how perfect this style of animation was for our abbey. Martin deserves the appropriate gravity his life and legacy have earned.

Shadow Baby

This is an oldie, but I find the ideas intriguing. I dedicate it to my parents even though it isn't my best work they were the inspiration.


Once there was a world of shadows. Shadow people lived in shadow houses and drove shadow cars. Very little of the shadow world was real; everything was just shadows that looked real. There were, however, two shadow people who had been made real.
Being real made them different from the other shadow people. For one thing they glowed. People for miles around watched the two glowing people through the walls of their shadow house. Everyone wanted an invitation to the real shadow’s house. Some folks said if you talked to them long enough you could find out the secret of being real.
The two real shadows loved each other and their shadow house, but somehow it had seemed rather empty lately. The lady shadow fussed and cleaned and decorated the house, but that didn’t help. The man shadow invited more and more people to the shadow house, but they never filled the house.
As the real shadows pondered and prayed they slowly realized what they were missing—a shadow baby. As soon as the plan was decided upon, the real shadows went to work. People smiled for miles around as they watched the glowing shadows prepare. “There’ll soon be three glows in that shadow house.” They said.
Slowly but surely the day arrived and a shadow baby came to live in the little shadow house. The mommy shadow was so pleased with the beautiful shadow baby. She diapered and bottled and burped her with great joy, and most folks agreed she was glowing more brightly than usual. The daddy shadow couldn’t help showing the shadow baby to everyone because he was so proud of his shadow baby. But as people watched for miles around they were surprised. There were still only two glows living in the shadow house.
“Is your baby all right?” A neighbor came to ask. “I can’t see her little glow.”
“Oh, she doesn’t glow—not yet.” The shadow daddy answered.
“We’re hoping she’ll become real, soon.” The shadow mommy said.
“Oh.” The shadow neighbor said. So the word spread for miles around that the shadow baby wasn’t real yet.
“Hmmm,” The neighbors said as the years went by. “Maybe shadows can’t be made real.”
But the mommy shadow and the daddy shadow knelt down together and prayed.
Time went by and the little shadow baby became a shadow girl, who loved to play house. One day she called all of her shadow friends and they began to play house.
“You can be the daddy shadow and I’ll be the mommy shadow and little Sue can be the baby shadow.” Baby Shadow said.
“O.K., can we be your family?” asked her friend.
“Sure.” Said Baby Shadow.
“We need two flashlights to make us glow like your mom and dad.” The friend shadow said.
“What about little Sue? Won’t she need a flashlight?” The shadow baby asked.
“Baby shadows don’t glow; they’re just like everybody else.” He said.
Baby Shadow’s eyes grew wide. “Baby shadows don’t glow, even if their mommy and daddy glow?” She asked worriedly.
“Course not. Look at you. Your parents glow, but you don’t.” Baby Shadow’s friend explained matter-of-factly.
“I’ve got to go home now.” Baby Shadow said and began to run. She ran and ran as fast as she could to her little shadow house and her real shadow mommy.
“Mommy, Mommy, I don’t glow!” she cried as she crashed through the door.
The mommy shadow snuggled her baby shadow close to her heart while she prayed. When the sobs slowed to sniffles, and the prayer had been answered, the mommy shadow quietly said; “Baby Shadow, would you like to glow?”
Baby Shadow’s soggy face nodded.
“The only way to glow is to be made real.” Mommy said.
“Will you make me real, Mommy?” Baby Shadow asked.
“I can’t make you real, Baby; you’ll have to ask the Real Man to make you real.”
“Who is the Real Man, Mommy?” Baby Shadow was very curious now.
“The Real Man made Shadow world and all the shadow people. He meant for them to be real, but they decided to be shadows. The Real Man knows that someday the sun’s light will fill the whole world, and all of the shadows will disappear; only what is real will be left. But there was no way for the shadows to be made real.”
Baby Shadow interrupted. “You and Daddy are real.”
“Yes, we are, Baby Shadow.” Mommy continued, “We asked the Real Man to make us real. You see he became a shadow. He came here and lived in Shadow Land. We hated him because he glowed, so we took him out to the sun. The sun was so bright we thought that he had disappeared. We thought he was gone forever, and some of us missed his glow. A few days later he returned, and he was no longer a shadow—he was real. He was the first real shadow. He gave us the glow that makes us real.”
“Why don’t I glow then, Mommy?” The baby shadow asked.
“Because you have to ask the Real Man to make you real.” Mommy answered.
“Can I ask him right now?” Baby asked.
“Of course.”
“Do I have to go anywhere special?”
“No, you can ask him to make you real right here, right now, if you want to, Baby Shadow.” Mommy Shadow said.
“I want to, Mommy.” Baby said.
Right there in the little shadow house Baby Shadow was made real and started to glow.
“Look at that!” said all the people for miles around, “Baby Shadow is real!”
“The Real Man is real.” Said all the people for miles around, and some of them began to glow.

Miss Carson's Farm in Summer

Chavo pulled his head back into the truck. He felt scared. What if Miss Carson hadn't liked his joke? What if she didn't want to hire his family? What had he done?

Big Pedro smiled at his son. "Chavo, what is wrong? One minute you are happy. The next you are sad. Tell me what is wrong."

"Papa, I put a bag of compost under Miss Carson's porch. I closed it up tight so it would smell. I think she will be mad at me. I think she might not hire you."

Big Pedro smiled. "I think she likes your jokes. She is your friend. You worked hard on the compost. You may make a little joke."

Chavo felt better. Miss Carson did like his jokes. She played pranks too. She had hired his family for several years. She would hire them this year.

Miss Carson was waiting in the drive. Her eyes smiled at Chavo. Chavo smiled back.
"Would you like to come and sit on the porch with me, Chavo?" she asked. Chavo and Big Pedro smiled. Miss Carson did like his joke.

"Welcome back, Pedro. It is good to see you again. Where is Young Rosa and the rest?" Miss Carson asked.

"They are riding in the camper. Only Chavo wanted to ride with Papa in the truck." Big Pedro said.

"I have the house ready. Will you need it this year?" Miss Carson looked puzzled.

"Oh, Si, Senora. Little Pedro is not so little anymore. He wanted his own camper. Here he comes now." Big Pedro looked proud of Little Pedro. Little Pedro was a grown man. He was very tall and strong. Big Pedro was glad Little Pedro still liked to work for Miss Carson.

As soon as the camper was parked, people spilled out of the door. Everyone hugged Miss Carson. It was going to be a great summer. The apple trees were blooming. The strawberries were growing. The fields were ready to plant.

Everyone was working hard. The farm was a success. Many people liked to buy their produce from Miss Carson because her organic food tasted so good. Little Pedro was extra happy when Susan came to buy fruits and vegetables. Susan was a chef at the Mexican Grill. She was a very good cook. Little Pedro thought she was pretty.

When Susan came, Little Pedro found the best asparagus, strawberries, blueberries and lettuce. Susan like Little Pedro, too. She always had time to go for a walk on the farm when she came.

One day after Susan left the farm, Little Pedro had a long talk with Big Pedro. Big Pedro smiled. He had a good secret to keep. Then Little Pedro went to talk to Susan's family. Susan and her family smiled. Susan and Little Pedro were going to get married.

Miss Carson and Young Rosa had so many things to do. Little Pedro and Susan were going to have the party in the orchard. Everyone worked hard to keep the farm going and to get ready for the wedding. It was exciting.

On the day of the wedding, Miss Carson and Chavo stayed behind to finish getting ready for the party. "I will bring Chavo to the church." Miss Carson said.

After everyone was gone, Chavo showed Miss Carson a bag of compost. They sealed it up tight. "Where should we put this, Chavo?" she asked. Chavo giggled. They put it under Little Pedro's camper. Little Pedro and Susan would have a silly surprise when they came home.

Miss Carson's Farm in Spring

This easy reader got out of hand. I fell in love with the characters, so I'm writing four stories about them, one for each season.

Miss Carson had a new farm. She was a new farmer. She used to be a teacher, but she wanted to try something new. She had an organic farm, and she needed help.

The farm was very big. Miss Carson wanted to grow many different things, and to raise some animals. She wanted to raise corn, peas, carrots, blueberries, strawberries, apples, and green beans. She had small herds of goats, sheep and pigs. She had flocks of chickens, ducks and geese. She even had some turkeys and a cow. Miss Carson wasn't sure she could take care of it all. She needed help.

Big Pedro had a big family. There was his wife, Young Rosa; his wife's mother, Old Rosa; his boys, Little Pedro, Chavo and Tito; and his girls, Rosita and Little Lupe. They lived in Mexico in the winter, but in the summer they traveled all over North America. They helped farmers to pick their corn, peas, carrots, blueberries, strawberries, apples and green beans. Big Pedro loved farms.

Miss Carson had an idea. She would travel South and find help. She would hire summer helpers in spring. It was a bold plan. She packed her truck and started driving.

Big Pedro was driving too. It was time to find summer work. He prayed for help in finding good work. He wanted good jobs for his family this summer. Sometimes he wished they could just stay at one farm all summer, but each farm grew one kind of crop. The harvest took a few weeks and then it was over.

Miss Carson pulled into the hiring fair. This was a new idea. She didn't know if anyone would like it. She didn't know if anyone would come up North to her farm so early in the year.

Big Pedro's family piled out of the RV. Everyone was tired of driving. Little Pedro and Rosita ran off to find old friends. Big Pedro and Young Rosa prayed with Old Rosa that God would help Big Pedro find good work. There were so many children in Big Pedro's family.

Miss Carson felt lost. She'd never hired helpers before. She didn't know what to do. She wandered around the hiring fair looking for help. Little Pedro was wandering too. Little Pedro couldn't find Juan. Juan was his best friend from last year. They had promised to meet.

Miss Carson turned a corner. Little Pedro turned the same corner. They bumped each other. Little Pedro fell down. Miss Carson felt bad. She picked him up. Little Pedro was fine, but Miss Carson took him back to Big Pedro. She wanted to be sure Little Pedro was OK.

Miss Carson liked Big Pedro. She liked Young Rosa and Old Rosa. She liked all the children. She wondered if they would like her. She wondered if they would come and help her with her new farm.

Young Rosa liked Miss Carson. She asked why someone from the North was at the hiring fair. Miss Carson explained her ideas. Old Rosa thought they were very good ideas. Miss Carson started to smile. Young Rosa smiled back. Now they had to wait for Big Pedro to come back.

Big Pedro was sad. He didn't like the work at this fair. He would have to drive to another fair. Little Pedro would miss Juan. Rosita would not like to drive some more. Young Rosa and Old Rosa would worry.

Big Pedro came back to the RV. Young Rosa was smiling. Old Rosa was smiling. The children were smiling. He felt sad. They would not like his news.

Miss Carson said hello. She explained her ideas to Big Pedro. She asked if he would like to come and help. She went back to her truck to let them talk about her idea. Miss Carson prayed in the truck. She wanted Big Pedro to say yes.

Big Pedro came to find Miss Carson's truck. "We will help you." he said. "We will help you with your new farm and your new ideas. We will come up North and spend the summer and fall at your farm. We will help you pick the corn, peas, carrots, blueberries, strawberries, apples and green beans."

They shook hands and said goodbye.
"Thank God." said Miss Carson.
"Thank you, God." said Big Pedro.

Fan Fen Fin Fon FUN

This little easy reader was inspired by an older Japanese gentleman at a Japanese Steakhouse. He had my children eating strange vegetables with chopsticks and telling little jokes in Japanese. I'm hoping that these five gentlemen can get beginning readers to practice their long and short vowels.

Mr. Fan is the man.
His fine cane can tame the rain.

Mr. Fen is a ten.
He treats his team like a dream.

Mr. Fin has to win.
He'll cross the line in lots of time.

Mr. Fon has got it on.
His home will glow in the snow.

Mr. Fun is like the sun.
Up in the blue his smile grew.

Fan Fen Fin Fon Fun is lots of fun for ten or one.

Zanu's Circus

This is an easy reader book. If you have a child nearby, give it a test run for me. If you'd leave a comment it would help me determine if this is a weed or a flower. Thanks.

Zanu grew up in the circus. His father was the ringmaster. His mother walked the tight rope. Zanu loved the circus. He loved feeding the animals in the morning. He loved helping the clowns dress up. He loved bringing his mother lunch. He even loved taking down the big tent.

Zanu knew how to do everything at the circus. He tamed the lion. He flew with the acrobats. He was a very silly clown.

The circus was struggling. People didn't come any more. Zanu's father said, "We will have to be a family circus. We will have to do it all ourselves. Everyone else will have to find a new job."

Zanu was sad. He liked the clowns. He did not want to be a clown. Zanu liked the lion tamer. He did not want to be a lion tamer. Zanu wanted to save the circus, not become the circus.

Everyone was sad. Tomorrow was the last show for everyone but Zanu's family. Everyone went to sleep. Everyone but Zanu.

Zanu made new signs. Zanu took down the big tent. Zanu moved the rings. Zanu had a plan.

"Wake up!" he said to the performers. "We have a new circus. We will be a teaching circus. We will teach children how to perform. We will make them part of the show. Everyone will come to see them."

The performers were surprised. Zanu's family was surprised. They looked at Zanu's signs. They liked Zanu's signs. They listened to Zanu's plans. They liked Zanu's plans. "We will do it!" they said.

Everyone came to Zanu's circus. They learned how to walk the tight rope. They learned how to tame the poodle dog. They learned how to be clowns. Then they starred in the show. Everyone was a success. Everyone was happy. Zanu saved the circus.

The End.