Lightbulb Heart will celebrate World Read Aloud Day all day long and you’re invited!
For little kids:
For big kids:
Who will you be reading aloud with on Feb. 05?
I’ve been known to fall down a youtube rabbit hole from time to time. My latest bunny trail began with a repeated viewing of Matthew A. Cherry’s HAIR LOVE, an adaptation of his picture book of the same name. Love, love, LOVE.
In addition to this Oscar-nominated short (fingers crossed for a win!), my providential e-spiral included MOM – A MOTHER, MISSING HOME (tears), THE PRESENT (tears), DESTINY (sighs), and ALIKE.
ALIKE, 2016 Goya Award-winning short film by Daniel Martínez Lara and Rafa Cano Méndez (update: 23 APR 2020 – no longer available on YouTube)…I feel as if I should show it to people instead of trying to explain why I’m taking my sweet time with There’s an Easy-Bake Oven Where My Heart Should Be. It’s about the same business, just in a different medium. Regardless of our age, we all need freedom of imagination and creativity in order to thrive. I know that I depend on the wonder of children to restore my ability to move through the world with awe and kindness. How do we keep our tiny folks from losing their own access?
Give HAIR LOVE a watch, won’t you? I’d love to talk to folks about it.
In honour of Carroll Spinney, I present to you two of my favourite storytime socks.
The cuffs of the socks read as follows:
Big Bird: I like big books.
Oscar: Go away! I’m reading!
Big Bird modeled wonder, astonishment, gentleness, and curiosity for me. Oscar taught me it’s okay to express my emotions, whatever they might be. No surprise then, that these two marvelous beings still sing at me and inform my work four decades later. My favourite picture of Carroll Spinney shows him performing Oscar while wearing Big Bird’s legs. Proof that these disparate creatures can (and often did) inhabit the same body.
I love this tribute to Carroll Spinney from Judy Gold. We are not alone, dear friends.
A tiny person climbed right up in my lap today while we were reading about dinosaurs at Locke Street Farmers’ Market! She wrapped me in a glorious hug and then settled in to stay! Storytime is such a joy for me and I am deeply thankful when I get concrete reminders that tiny people appreciate our time together, too (even if it means I need extra help turning pages because my arms are trapped!).
Thank you, tiny person! ❤ 🦖
I’ll be away from my Saturday home at Locke Street Farmers’ Market on September 07 so I can take two writing workshops with Marie Louise Gay! She’s in Guelph that day as part of the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival. First up is “Inspiring Children to Write,” followed by “Writing for Children.” I am so excited to spend the day with Stella maven and curly hair inspiration MLG! ♥️
Locke Street Farmers’ Market Folks, you are in goooood hands on 09/07! Graemazing will be at Market to amuse and amaze! Locke Street Family Day is also happening 11AM-4PM, with bucketloads of fun, including a bouncy castle, face painting, and lots of family entertainment.
I’ll be at Donut Monster (Locke) for storytime on September 10. When I return to Market on September 14, we’re going to sing songs and read stories about books and reading!
Lightbulb Heart 