hot melty day means
shade magnet, but first admire
sun hula hooping
by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Haiku Moment
Monthly Archives: May 2024
Book Share: The Strongest Thing, When Home Feels Hard by Hallee Adelman
The Strongest Thing, When Home Feels Hard
Written by Hallee Adelman
Illustrated by Rea Zhai
Albert Whitman & Company, 2022
Last May I won a book on Kathy Temean’s Writing and Illustrating blog. The book was The Strongest Thing, When Home Feels Hard. Wow! The topic is TOUGH, and Hallee handled it with the greatest of care. Thank you, Hallee, for sharing your picture book with me!
Book Description:
A sensitive, hopeful story about breaking the cycle of bullying and abuse.
Sera doesn’t always like being at home, where her dad’s anger feels like the strongest thing. School feels better. But when Sera gets into an argument with a friend and finds herself acting like the bully at home, she discovers that the strongest thing isn’t loud or angry at all.
Why I liked this book:
~the story is strong, captivating, and hopeful, and is written with sensitivity
~the subject matter is tough, but for those kids (and perhaps adults!) who need it, it can be a doorway to discussion
~the illustrations fit just right for the subject matter
~the book would be perfect for counselors and therapist who work with children and families
Note: I would advise adults to pre-read The Strongest Thing, When Home Feels Hard BEFORE sharing it with children. Some parts might be triggering or scary.
Thank you, Hallee and Rea, for putting this book out in the world!
You can learn more about Hallee’s books on her website.
Sunday Joy
A long ago trunk split, and then a gradual reconnecting across empty space stitched together this tree to make it amazingly strong. Plus, that window looking out across the park! Fascinating.
Palouse Falls, Washington State
New Picture Book Cover Reveal!
Just look at the joy on these precious faces! They make me smile.
I’m THRILLED to present the cover of my new picture book BE KIND, MAKE FRIENDS! Published by Woman’s Missionary Union, BE KIND, MAKE FRIENDS will be available next month. Coming soon in JUNE!
Sending much thanks and love to the fabulous team at National WMU! You rock!
Happy Mother’s Day!
This is my mama Bonnie holding me when I was 5 weeks old. My mama and me, we go way back.
If you share about moms and how hard they work, my mama did all that. Six of us to care for on a regular basis (plus the extras who showed up), in addition to an always odd and crowded collection of pets, animals, and plants. Canning, sewing, crocheting, cleaning, cooking, shopping; repeat. But also loving, guiding, correcting, teaching, caring (and dare I say, on occasion, threatening us with “you better behave or else,” we were afraid of the “or else”).
Sending Mother’s Day wishes, hugs, and love to everyone who has a mother. (I hope you all raised your hands.) And to all the moms who have children, have lost children, who have children going through tough times, who have furry children, who have grandchildren-all the loves to you!
“I thank my God every time I remember you.” -Philippians 1:3 NIV
My mama and me.
Kevin and his mama Carole. My mom too!
Flower Hammering & Mixed Media
Here is what happened in round 2 of flower hammering. I tell you, pansies make great prints! I don’t have much else of substance blooming yet in the garden, but I’ll keep experimenting as the season goes along.
This is what the cover paper looks like after hammering.
I tried hammering this batch of flowers on paper I’d already added color to. It turned out very nice by the end, and the flower prints give great texture. But I was a bit disappointed that the prints did not turn out as well as I had hoped. At least the yellow/orange ones did not. You can barely see the stem I tried, and darker bits where I added leaves.
The poor smashed flowers.
Here is try number 2. You can see where the prints on the previous page soaked through, which is cool. There is some beneath my arranged flowers as well. The bleed through is at least 2 pages worth. This page is all white except for some bleed through. I crammed the flowers, leaves, and stem with the hope of getting plenty of color.
This is how the back of the cover sheet looks after hammering. Things tend to move around a bit. I start out with the cover paper straight, but by the end, it’s all twisted. It’s hard to hold it still and not hammer your fingers!
Oooooh, yes! This is where I’m getting results. Just look at those pretty pansy faces on the white background! You have to gently peel off the petals, or in some cases, just let them dry and rub them off. Bonus: The cover page also has wonderful colors! I’m saving that for another project.
I LOVE this! I haven’t done anything else with this flower hammering page, but the ideas are brewing. Growing? Smashing? ;0
I did go back to the green background page and finished that mixed media project. I LOVE how it turned out! This is one of my favorites so far. The smashed flowers really add texture and the greens tie in so nicely. I saw another creator (several actually) who added circles to their art. So I played with some gold glitter acrylic paint. Wow! Perfect touch. You can see the other materials I used on this page.
Et voila! Stamp pads, rubber stamps, hammered flowers, chalks, washi tape, acrylic paint, colored pencils. Plus a stick for painting and an empty tape-dispenser plastic disc for the circles.
Have you tried flower hammering? Or creating of any kind? What is your favorite trick?
Haiku Moment: spring waltz
ruffles dance graceful
beneath bower and sunshine-
spring waltz and hurrah
pink snowfall gently
whirls, flutters, pirouettes, rests
ethereal gown
spring waltz by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Love, Laughter, and Life 