As we glide towards Christmas and the final days of 2020, our deep need for peace and goodwill is certainly evident. Today, in that vein, I’m reprising five Christmas stories I’ve loved over the years, all of which highlight lovingkindness, …
Tag: kindness

Kindness from A to Z…a treasury of goodhearted stories
Earlier this week I looked at resources speaking to the kinds of suffering many children face. Today I’m focusing on the good that thrives even in tough times, even in a year like 2020. I’ve been reminded that… …quarantine and …
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wonder, warmth, and wit…a dozen treats for summer reading stacks
I’ve got a dozen scrumptious picture books today. I hope you can locate at least a few of them for your crew! First up, five that celebrate the splendors of nature: Green on Green, written by Dianne White, illustrated by …
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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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please mr. postman…picture books celebrating the joy of letters-in-the-mailbox
Earlier this week I wrote about the peculiar kindness of a hand-written letter. Today, I’ve got some picture books starring snail mail and links to some great titles featured in previous posts over the years. Most of these books include …
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Going Postal…a post on the special kindness of letter-writing
A mailbox is not a particularly friendly sort of place these days, is it? Flyers, advertisements and marketers telling me I may have already won $10,000 keep company with bills, tax statements, and the odd catalog. Rarely does a hand-addressed …
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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 …

The 2019 Orange Marmalade Juicy Book Awards
Awarding my annual Juicies provides me with the great pleasure of looking back at all the books I’ve loved over the past year — such fascinating, beautiful, expansive places I’ve traveled via their pages! Yet whittling down the list to …

love, loss, and one little donkey
Saving Winslow, by Sharon Creech published in 2018 by Joanna Cotler Books, Harper Collins 165 pages Louie knelt beside the basket. A small gray head with black eyes and feathery eyelashes and sticking-up ears emerged. Attached to the head was …

powerful & poignant…new recommended reads on refugees/immigrants
A while back I shared some excellent middle-grade reads illuminating the immensely difficult sagas of refugees and asylum seekers. Today I’ve got another stack of powerful, poignant, hopeful stories of both immigrants and refugees. Some are ideal for young children; …
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