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Yield Signs My daughter will begin driving soon. Driving classes, practice hours behind the wheel, and tests over Texas driving laws will soon consume her time. She will learn to navigate both the freeway and the parking lot, and she will learn to observe road signs, like the yield sign. This bright yellow triangle indicates…

 Zuno suggests celebrating St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6) with Clement C. Moore’s Night Before Christmas. The Night Before Christmas: The Classic Illustrated Edition, compiled by Cooper Evans and Harold Darling, showcases illustrations from as early as 1890. Watch Santa change over time as he sports black trim instead of white and numerous hats in a variety…

Fairy tales go bad in The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. When princess after princess fails to notice the pea under the mattresses, the prince takes matters into his own hands and substitutes a bowling ball. Little Red Running Shorts races the wolf to her granny’s…

Satisfaction Hot apple cider, warm pumpkin bread, Frito chili pie, turkey and cranberry sauce. I like the foods that come with fall. The wind begins to turn northerly, bringing cooler temperatures, brightly colored leaves, and foods that range from spicy to fruity. Psalm 104 reminds me that the food I eat, every day, comes from God’s…

Five gifts for his birthday: seaweed, a whistle, a metal brooch, a broken horse, and his sister’s scarf. A cloud hangs over him as he remembers his sister, Bethan, who disappeared four years ago on this very day. Yet, Gwyn’s grandmother, Nain, informs him it is time to give his gifts to the wind and to find out…

Growing old has its challenges, but Mr. Putter and Tabby are not about to let their cranky legs and tail stand in the way of pear picking. Pink poodle underwear, a stick, and an old glove join forces to form a slingshot even David would long for. Though the pears prove elusive, Mr. Putter zings the day…

(Your Name) and the King Have you ever had a scene from a movie stick with you? There’s one from the movie Anna and the King that I just love. Let me set it up for you. Anna arrives in the tiny country of Siam to teach the king’s children. She is ushered into court…

Susan Campbell Bartoletti’s Boy Who Dared presents the Holocaust from the perspective of a young German national, Helmuth Hubener. Bartoletti discovered Helmuth’s story while researching a book on the youth movement in Nazi Germany and offers his account in fictional form. Watch Helmuth grapple with the changing government and Hitler’s rise to power. Observe his struggle…

Lloyd Moss’s Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin introduces young readers to the orchestra. Each of ten members adds their own special shades and hues as author Moss and illustrator Priceman mix a magical, musical palette. Priceman received a Caldecott Honor for her instrumental color scheme. Brass, strings, woodwinds—which is your favorite? My daughter plays one…

Heavenly Conference Calls Working in my pajamas—it’s one of the perks of working from home. Though I work from home every day, my husband works at home on Fridays only. Though he chooses not to stay in his pajamas, a normal work-at-home Friday includes conference calls. Conference calls allow a business to conduct a meeting,…