This book is one my mother collected from a library sale some 12-15 years ago. I find the poems delightful and the illustrations whimsical as the words. As an extra bonus, each poem has a moral. The perfect jumping off point for getting into reading comprehension with a young reader.The Engineer is using this book as his reader this week. It is perfect for him, with some words being completely new vocabulary, some being quite easy, and some presenting a challenge. And I was charmed from the beginning, with the poem giving the book its title, "A Turtle and a Loon."
A TURTLE AND A LOON
A turtle and a loon,
in the early afternoon,
had a cookie and a prune
for tea.
"How delicious!" said the loon,
as she swallowed up the prune,
while the turtle held the spoon.
"Ah me.
There is nothing like a prune,
but I love a macaroon,
in the morning or at noon,"
said she.
Then she ate the macaroon,
and she sang a little tune,
while the turtle licked the spoon,
to see,
if a tiny bit of prune,
or a piece of macaroon,
should be sitting in the spoon,
maybe.
"There is nothing," sang the loon,
"half as pleasant as a prune,
in the early afternoon
for me.
Though I think I'd just as soon
have another macaroon,
if we'd only," said the loon,
"had three."
A turtle and a loon,
in the early afternoon,
had a cookie and a prune
for tea.
"How delicious!" said the loon,
as she swallowed up the prune,
while the turtle held the spoon.
"Ah me.
There is nothing like a prune,
but I love a macaroon,
in the morning or at noon,"
said she.
Then she ate the macaroon,
and she sang a little tune,
while the turtle licked the spoon,
to see,
if a tiny bit of prune,
or a piece of macaroon,
should be sitting in the spoon,
maybe.
"There is nothing," sang the loon,
"half as pleasant as a prune,
in the early afternoon
for me.
Though I think I'd just as soon
have another macaroon,
if we'd only," said the loon,
"had three."
Moral: Don't invite loons to tea.
Diane Redfield Massie
In other news...my construction worker was ill yesterday and did not come over. I hope he does not have what the Engineer has. We're fighting our third day of high fevers. Again. Just like he did at the beginning of the new year.
And 30 years ago we had the blizzard of '78. I lived in Van Wert, Ohio. I remember hearing instructions on the radio about tethering yourself to the door of your house if you had to go outdoors. Many people in the community would have had barn chores to do every day and the whiteouts were disorienting.
I recall hearing ads for tee shirt sales after it was over. They read "I survived the blizzard of '78.
But most impressive to a ten-year-old were the alps in the back yard. Well, not exactly the back yard,
(and not exactly the alps) but the church parking lot next to our garage. The snow plows had built up the most terrific snow mountains, nearly as tall as the garage. Picture the large snow piles in mall parking lots. Then picture them lining an entire edge of the parking lot. Take away all the traffic six days a week and add two kids and a dog. They served as a playground for the next several months.
And 30 years ago we had the blizzard of '78. I lived in Van Wert, Ohio. I remember hearing instructions on the radio about tethering yourself to the door of your house if you had to go outdoors. Many people in the community would have had barn chores to do every day and the whiteouts were disorienting.
I recall hearing ads for tee shirt sales after it was over. They read "I survived the blizzard of '78.
But most impressive to a ten-year-old were the alps in the back yard. Well, not exactly the back yard,
(and not exactly the alps) but the church parking lot next to our garage. The snow plows had built up the most terrific snow mountains, nearly as tall as the garage. Picture the large snow piles in mall parking lots. Then picture them lining an entire edge of the parking lot. Take away all the traffic six days a week and add two kids and a dog. They served as a playground for the next several months.
