half a chance

Even the most experienced photographer can't always capture common moments in life; the ones defining, shaping, and significant from the lens of the one experiencing it. And even the most amazing photograph, can't always reveal the true story unfolding or the half a chance each narrative offers. Cynthia Lord has the reader present and having an interaction with the smallest of moments. With a little ant scampering across the sun dried tip of a kayak, in the middle of the lake and away from where he was suppose to be. Lord will have you pause and reflect each time Lucy does, and the tension will feel increasingly familiar.  Half a chance has a relevancy and warmth that reminds you how you come to trust and need more stories from the authors you love. During two moments in the book I shed a few well earned empathetic tears...the warm kind of tears that move slow and evaporate after a page. I highly recommend this book to realistic fiction fans. To my peers who grew up owning every Judy Blume book and building memories for loving reading because of her, you will have an added appreciation for what Lord offers young readers.

Elephant's Story

What a clever way to celebrate the magical flexibility of letters and word building. A sweet little girl, a book that starts with Once upon a time, and a sneezing elephant with a trunk full of letters will capture the readers interest and invite you along to join elephant seek some help from a few friends. The pencil and pen drawn thin lines and muddled grey tone watercolor illustrations is balanced by a few lines of text on each page. I am especially fond of the end papers, which presents elephant shaped into every letter of the alphabet. Young readers will enjoy finding the letters of their name on the end papers, matching the elephant letters and building automaticity with letter ID.

Elephant Story Event Kit