Little Britches

Little Britches, by Ralph Moody

9/60 | Started 02.09.26 • Finished 02.17.26 | 5 stars

I love this little book about Ralph and his family. At the beginning of the book, they relocate from New Hampshire to a ranch in Colorado that isn't all they thought it was going to be. With a lot of sweat and hard work, Ralph and his father make a go of it. The book is filled with stories that show Ralph coming of age both at home and on neighboring ranches. Along the way, he and his father learn about water rights, severe weather, raising livestock, planting crops, and training horses, among other things. There are a lot of lessons about becoming a man of character. Ralph himself becomes quite the horseman and someone his father can trust. A really delightful read-aloud (read it to the boys years ago) but I also enjoyed reading it for myself.

The Twenty-One Balloons

The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pene du Bois

8/60 | Started 01.15.26 • Finished 02.09.26 | 5 stars

The book is about a man named Professor William Waterman Sherman. He is a balloonist who tries to fly across the Pacific Ocean in a hot air balloon called The Globe. Instead he crash lands on the island of Krakatoa. He finds a group of people living secretly on the volcanic island. He sees the diamond mines, experiences the restaurant government, and takes a ride on the balloon merry-go-round. Then one day the volcano explodes and everybody escapes on a balloon platform. The Professor crash lands into the Atlantic Ocean and is rescued. He is then taken back to San Francisco where he tells the story of his adventure.

Carolyn, age 9

Dear Writer

Dear Writer, by Maggie Smith

7/60 | Started 01.30.26 • Finished 02.09.26 | 4 stars

I aspire to be an aspiring writer. As a recovering perfectionist, I find it quite difficult to put words to a page, whether in prose or poetry, without being hyper-critical and editing on-the-go. Rarely can I just punch something out stream of consciousness style. So, I remain curious about works about writing. Maggie's book is excellent. She writes beautifully about writing: its processes, triumps, struggles, questions, habits, etc. I'm finding it a little bit hard to explain, aside from it scratching that writing itch in me. The book follows a pattern of letter to the reader/writer, then essays on various writing elements, and includes several writing exercises/prompts. Confession: I did not do any of the writing exercises. They seemed to be for more seasoned writers, not for beginning beginners like myself. But I could see how they would be helpful for an actual writer, to challenge and stretch him/her, and open him/her up to new possibilities. Highly recommend for that writers and wannabes out there.