One of the bright spots these days is seeing many 2020 books finally trickle their way into circulation at my library. Today I’ve got a batch that are outright delicious! Enjoy! Madame Badobedah, written by Sophie Dahl, illustrated by Lauren …
Tag: imagination

a dose of warm friendship…ten picture books to help heal our hearts
The books I’ve collected for today’s post are warm, generous stories of friendship and community. May they be both a balm and a beacon for you and yours in these fractious days . Desert Girl, Monsoon Boy, written by Tara …
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a baker’s dozen…picture books to delight, expand, and warm your world
Today I’ve got a batch of picture books I checked out of my library before they closed for the sake of our well-being. I don’t know if any of you have access to libraries at this point, but if not …
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five lovely things…may 3
May greetings to you all! Green is spilling forth in my neighborhood! What about yours? Grass; new baby leaves; a forest of slender spears that one day will blossom with lily-of-the-valley. Jubilant, hopeful, spring green. Here are five more lovely …

five lovely things…april 26
Greetings from Minnesota to all of you Orange Marmalade friends! This past week has been one of greening up here! Still just shy glimpses of leaves budding on our trees, but frogs madly chorusing, turtles sun-basking, eager shoots pushing up …

non-electronic gifts for the kids…or yourself…to beat the stay-at-home blues!
Every year I gather ideas for non-electronic gifts during the holiday season. Those lists are always available through the tab at the top of the blog if now seems like a good time to revisit them. Today I’m posting a …
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the kids will be fine…encouragement for parents with kids home from school
A calming hello to all of you, especially those with children schooling at home for the first time. I hope this finds your households well and at least moderately sane! Today I want to offer some words of encouragement as …
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a March melange
Today I’ve got a batch of books to add spice to your March reading stacks. Let’s get started with some hints of spring. March in Minnesota did not come roaring in like a lion this year. It has been warmer …

alphabet jambalaya! an A to Z of alphabetical goodies
I was going to call this post Alphabet Soup, but it got so cram-jam full of tasty bits, it turned into Jambalaya! Alphabet books sound like something for pre-readers, something that introduces the ABCs to young children. In reality they …
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The 2020 Orange Marmalade Juicy Book Awards
It’s time once again to award the Juicies! Each year I look back on the hundreds of books I’ve read and highlight titles that outstandingly reflect six core values of Orange Marmalade. An extra List of Ten gives me wiggle …