Here are a few things on my mind this week:
- Blue Light Glasses: Oh my gosh, I have been spending so much time staring at a computer this summer, and I don't know if the MacBook screens are just different than PCs or what, but my eyes are so tired by the end of the day. I kept seeing people wearing blue-light blocking glasses, and was interested, but also kind of skeptical. My regular glasses give me a headache if I wear them all day, though, so I figured I'd give some a try. So far, I think my eyes are less tired, and I've been coding and Zooming all day long. I bought a super lightweight, metal pair, so they don't put as much pressure on my face as my regular glasses, which seems to help with the headache. I think overall, I would give these a tentative two thumbs up, even if T thinks I look like "an old librarian" LOL!
- Trillia Newbell: I would love to write a whole separate "author spotlight" post on Trillia, but that is just not going to happen this summer, so I want to make sure I include her on the blog, even if it's just for a Friday Five. Her book, God's Very Good Idea, is my favorite starting point for getting into conversations with my kids about racism and how to be anti-racist (Fun fact - I went to link this on Amazon, and Amazon informed me I've already purchased it three times. LOL). It's a very simple idea - God made the world full of all kinds of people, people broke the world by not loving one another, Christ rescued the world by his death and resurrection and will bring His Kingdom back into His perfect design when He returns. This obviously doesn't carry us through the work of becoming anti-racist, but for our family, this is the foundation upon which this work must be laid for it to have any hope of transformational power. So we use this book to frame the conversation, and then add from there. But it's beautiful, the illustrations are engaging, and the writing is clear and concise and powerful. You already know how I feel about the power of a picture book, and this one is a must-have. It's also (or at least was Thursday night when I am writing this) "Get 3 for the price of 2" on Amazon right now - may I suggest pairing it with Just Mercy, Hair Love, All Are Welcome, White Fragility, Stamped From the Beginning, or The Proudest Blue.
- Spartina 449: this has been a new-to-me brand that I think has been a total Instagram ad situation, so in this case, thank you Mark Zuckerberg and friends for knowing me so well. The prints are so colorful and preppy, and the maps in the "Greetings From" collection are beautiful. I am particularly obsessed with this tennis backpack - enough to decide we should pick up tennis as a family hobby this summer. It's the perfect active socially distant activity, right? It doesn't matter that nobody in our family plays...we will if I get that cute backpack, right?
- Leo Espinosa: I hate to play favorites, but I have a favorite book from our Global Children's Book Club (so far) - Islandborn by Junot Diaz. This. Book. Is. Freaking. Gorgeous. Again, I would love to do a deeper dive on Leo Espinosa, who illustrated this book. He is insanely talented, and his use of color in this book is unreal. Of course, Junot Diaz deserves so much credit for this book as well - the story is so well done. It prompted some great conversations to dive deeper into history, particularly of the Dominican Republic, and to talk about the evils of corrupt governments, what might drive people who love their home country to immigrate to a new country, and how we might do a better job of seeing our friends who are first or second generation American. This is definitely another must have, and another great example of a picture book that would be completely appropriate to start a discussion with older kids, or honestly even adults.
- Radical Equations: Well, if this book study doesn't sum up my mental state of Summer 2020, I don't know what does. I can't wait to start this book study with Shana!
Another amazing Friday Five! I look forward to these posts all week!
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