Cornucopia: Brooks and Streams

Brooks and Streams

By Kate Chamberlin

The billabong efflux originated on the Fairfield University Campus, ducked under Wakeman Road, sluiced through the culvert, and gushed into the brook traversing Nana’s Fairfield, CT backyard. She dubbed us the Eager Beavers, because, we had re-arranged the stones from the bottom and sides of the brook to dam up the stream. The resulting mini-pond riffled with little frogs.

I sprawled on my belly in the verdant, green grass under the lush grape vine. Slender blades of Red Fescue tickled my nose, but My 8ine-year old brother told me I had to stay stock still or he wouldn’t let me play the game with him. So, I dared not sneeze or squirm; not an easy feat for a 5-year old.

Behind me, the lawn stretched to the steep rise to the chunky granite steps up to my Grandmother’s back porch. My brother hunkered down on my right, beside the wheel barrow Pappy had left near the grape vines. The little black dog, Cindy, on my left, was poised to pounce and intently stared at the quarry. Could we catch it?

after waiting still and silent like statues for ages, my brother and the dog lunged at the same time. My brother grabbed at a frog, Cindy charged in front of him to snatch the snake that had been hiding in the grass with us.

Our Game of Frogs lost its appeal. We returned the stones to the banks, allowing Nana’s brook to babble on to become the neighbor’s plashing stream.

Kate’s 2¢: “Beat the clock: Amelia Bedelia & friends, book 1” by Herman Parish

“Beat the clock: Amelia Bedelia & friends, book 1” by Herman Parish

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

I remember how my 3^rd Graders loved to read Amelia Bedelia; then, my own children enjoyed her misadventures and, finally, my grandchildren groan with the literal interpretations of Amelia Bedelia.

It’s still fun to share Amelia Bedelia’s life and times. Thank you, Herman Parish for picking up the pen to salute Amelia Bedelia.

From the website:

Herman S. Parish III is an American children’s writer, the current author of Amelia Bedelia children’s books and the nephew of the series creator Peggy Parish.

Having grown up with his aunt’s tales of Amelia’s humorous misadventures, Herman decided to carry on the legacy after his aunt’s death in 1988.

Herman Parish was in the fourth grade when his aunt, Peggy Parish, wrote the first book about Amelia Bedelia. The lovable, literal-minded housekeeper has been a member of his family ever since. Peggy Parish died in 1988.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Beat the clock: Amelia Bedelia & friends, book 1 DB97332

Parish, Herman. Reading time: 1 hour, 13 minutes.

Read by Brittany Pressley.

Friendship Fiction

School Fiction

In celebration of the one hundredth birthday of Oak Tree Elementary, Amelia Bedelia’s town throws a party. They even plan to dig up and open a time capsule that was buried for an entire century!Commercial audiobook. For grades 2-4. 2019.