Happy Christmas!
Author: still a dreamer
Winter Solstice
Today is the Winter Solstice — the longest night in the year and the official beginning of Winter. Tomorrow there will be a gradual return to more daylight as each day passes.
But today is Solstice. A day of reflection, of peace, of quiet gratitude for the beauty of this Earth. Celebration of the Solstice had its origins in ancient times when people feared that their light source, the sun, who they worshipped as a god, was dying, leaving them without warmth and abundance. They developed rituals to bring back the light which culminated on the Solstice, gathering greenery, lighting bonfires, and reveling with music and dance.
Although the world is dark and especially cold, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a wonderful time to look at the moon and sky and be thankful for all we have. It is a wonderful time to reflect, to forgive, and look to the year to come. Peace.
Fast, Riveting Read – Moon Called
Sometimes I like to read literature, read in my field, (children’s books), something enlightening and inspiring, or perhaps a good, complex novel. I like a variety of things.
Sometimes I am in a place where I want to read something totally engaging which sucks me in hard and doesn’t let me go until I’m done and all but spits me out.
And that’s what I got when I read Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. A writer friend’s husband thought I might like this, (how did he get my number?!), and lent it to me. Was he right! Now I wouldn’t have actually sought out a book written in first person by a woman who’s a Volkswagen mechanic and who’s also a coyote shapeshifter, and whose life is intertwined with werewolves. I wouldn’t have known it existed. But now I do.
What a fast, fabulous, can’t-put-it-down novel! The storyline is solid and very well told with just the right amount of factual information woven in about werewolves to keep the plot moving along, but never leaving me feel like I was being educated. Our heroine, Mercedes Thompson, a.k.a. Mercy, is a well-developed, engaging character. The pace is very fast, and wrapped around Mercy’s friend Stefan, a vampire, a witch who is a “cleaner”, and some involvement of the local fae, it’s totally absorbing. The backdrop is the local werewolf clan, headed by Mercy’s next door neighbor and pack Alpha, Adam.
I realize as I write this, that Moon Called could sound almost hokey, but truly, it’s not. It’s a complex story in the nature and motives of the characters and very well-written. So much so, that you’ll see that the book I am now reading is the next in the Mercy Thompson series, Blood Bound. I can only hope it’s as good!
French Bulldog Holiday Card
It’s not too late! Still looking for the perfect French Bulldog Christmas card or holiday card? Here it is – my Naughty but Nice card! My own artwork of two mischievous Frenchies who managed to get on the kitchen table and into the Christmas cookies! Inside message says “Warmest wishes for holidays that are simply delicious” with a half eaten cookie, of course. I will ship same or next day, but supplies are becoming limited, so hurry!
See these and more in my shop on Etsy and send the sweetest greeting this year with my Naughty but Nice Frenchie holiday cards. A variety of other Frenchie cards also available for both sending and giving as gifts.
Note: Christmas and holiday cards are no longer viewable on my web site after Jan.15th of each year, but they will be featured again as the holidays approach. Please DO stop by for a variety of other French Bulldog cards and goodies, such as my Frenchies Apres Monet cards and print!
Note: All illustrations, drawings and photographs on this site are © Jeanne Balsam and may not be reproduced in any format without written permission. Thank you!
Outstanding Picture Book – Pete & Pickles
Pete & Pickles, written by Berkeley Breathed, is one of the most touching picture book stories I know. It is the tale of a very proper pig, Pete, and a very free-spirited elephant, Pickles. The story is about friendship, forgiveness, healing, joy, and accepting the differences in others. But believe me, even this does not do justice to this wonderful book.
Pete, mourning the death of his pig wife, Paprika, finds himself, in the middle of a stormy night, with an escaped circus elephant hiding in his home. Pickles has made a muddy mess from the rainstorm. Pete cannot accept his overly tidy life being sullied. When the nasty circus clown comes to collect the terrified elephant, who had begged Pete for help, he just points in disdain. Yet she smiles at him as she’s led away. As Pete disinfects his home, he finds Pickles has left him a gift, and he gets to thinking. He reroutes his daily stroll into town to find Pickles.
A rescue ensues, and a friendship grows between the very unlikely pair. One of my favorite illustrations is that of Pete coming out in his pajamas to find Pickles doing Tai Chi in dawn’s glowing light. May I say, the illustrations are infused with the richest of color with all the little quirky touches you’d expect from Opus’ creator. On some pages there are also simple 2-color, pen and ink spot illustrations. The whole thing is just brilliant, and I am deeply touched each time I re-read this story.
But here’s what most reviews never mention … Breathed is tuned in to the horrific abuse suffered by elephants in the circus, and reveals it both subtly and on a level that children can relate to without being overwhelmed. When the evil looking clown stands in the entryway shadows to get Pickles, there is a glint on the metal bullhook in his hand. When Pete goes into Pickles’ tent, he finds her chained with heavy padlocks. She is not chained in the way circus elephants really are – chained standing in place 23 hours a day – but in a way which will engender empathy from a child to see so lovable an animal be both shackled and frightened in a picture book way. Adults unaware of the plight of circus elephants will probably never notice these touches, but for those of us who are, we can be grateful that someone has spoken for them in a children’s book.
Berkeley Breathed went up in my estimation X10 for not only writing a fabulous story in Pete & Pickles, but for opening the door to a child’s compassion for his or her fellow creatures. This is truly a must-have if you are a lover of children’s books – a parent, a writer, lover of fabulous illustrations, fan of Berkeley Breathed – or a lover of animals.
p.s. And a big thank you to one of my fellow PB writers, Paola, who so insightfully gave this to me as a gift.
p.p.s. Should you wish to know more about the abuse of circus elephants, you can check out a video showing the gratuitous violence inflicted by sadistic handlers in just one Ringling Brothers pre-show incident. This is not for children.
Still A Dreamer 