GRAND Social link party No. 103 plus an heirloom gift for Mother's Day

/

Mother's Day heirloom gift

I find it hard to believe, but Mother's Day is already this coming Sunday. If your family has been asking you for gift ideas — or if you ever have a grandparent you plan to honor with a gift — consider this:

Stories From My Grandparent

Susan Adcox, aka the Grandparent Guide for About.com, has written a lovely book titled...

Read More

Nature-nurturing books for young readers

/

Though Earth Day 2014 has come and gone, every day is a great day for sharing with children books on nature and the environment. Especially picture books the kids will not only enjoy but possibly — no, probably — learn a little from.

E-I-E-I-O

Last week I received four fantastic picture books...

Read More

Saturday movie review: 'The Book Thief'

/

I'm always a little leery of movies made from books I love. So when I saw that one of my favorite books of the last several years, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, was being filmed, I vacillated between being thrilled thrilled filmmakers loved it as much as I did and being reluctant to watch it when it came out just in case those filmmakers screwed it up.

I'm happy to report screenwriter Michael Petroni...

Read More

'GG and Mamela:' A conversation with author and grandma friend Belinda Brock

/

Many Grandma's Briefs readers are likely familiar with Belinda Brock, fellow grandmother and blogger at Grandbooking. What many may not know is that Belinda recently wrote a children's book called GG and Mamela, which publishes April 15 and can be pre-ordered now through Amazon.com (that's not an affiliate link).

GG and Mamela by Belinda BrockAs the subject matter of Belinda's picture book will resonate with Grandma's Briefs readers, I requested an email interview with her about GG and Mamela, and she...

Read More

Poems past, present and in celebration of National Poetry Month

/

I had the privilege as a seventh-grader to have an English teacher who encouraged his students to seek out poetry that moved them. One assignment from him was to write down a handful of favorites along with the reasons that we liked those particular poems.

teen binder 

As this teacher understood that song lyrics were poetry that resonated with teens, my selections included several song lyrics — and far too revealing explanations on why...

Read More

Saturday movie review: 'Austenland'

/

Movies based on the lives of authors or anything remotely related to authors, though often good, tend to be, well, a tad stuffy and serious. That is so very much not the case with AUSTENLAND. And yes, the "Austen" part of the title does indeed relate to the esteemable Jane Austen, author of such classics as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park and So. Many. More.

Austenland

A comedy about dear Ms. Austen? Well, it's not...

Read More

Eating frogs and other edification

/

What I learned this week:

tree frog

A frog a day keeps procrastination away. Or something like that. I recently enjoyed lunch with a friend, and she shared with me a book that has helped her, a blogger and writer, accomplish more and procrastinate less. The book is Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy. The frog eating relates to Mark Twain's wisdom noting that if the first thing you do each day is eat a live frog, it's likely the worst thing that will happen all day. The author uses "eat that frog" as a...

Read More

Love is in the air... and in these children's books for Valentine's Day

/

With Valentine's Day in sight, 'tis the season for celebrating love. Just last week I received a box of books that do exactly that, books I plan — for the most part — to share with Bubby and Mac when I see them this weekend.

Dinosaur Kisses

Alas, as time is of the essence for those looking to share sweet tales with sweet kiddos, I'm going to share these books from Candlewick (which I received free for review) with you before my grandsons even get a peek at the pages. Yes, you are that special to me.

Without Bubby and Mac previewing these stories...

Read More

Celebrate Christmas Eve: Music from the Muppets, a holiday reading from LeVar

/

Christmas Eve has arrived!

Take a break from the last-minute mad dash to refresh with a celebratory song and a beloved holiday story — both befitting the day. If you have a child on hand to enjoy them with you, all the better.

The song...

And the (five-minute) story...

Happy Christmas Eve!

'Labor Day' movie a tender ode to imperfect people... and pie

/

I tend to expect the worst yet hope for the best when it comes to movies based on novels I loved written by authors whom I've long adored. Such was the case with LABOR DAY, a film directed by Jason Reitman based on the novel of the same name by author Joyce Maynard.

Joyce Maynard on her grandmotherI read Joyce's novel not too long ago. I literally hugged the book to my chest after reading the final page, I loved it so. Because of my love for the book, when I had the opportunity to screen the film — which opened the Starz Denver Film Festival — I feared I'd be disappointed.

Thankfully my fear was unfounded.

Read More