Celebrations (Friday Reads)
Thanks for stopping by. Are you new to Black and Bookish? Please take a look around. Here are the books I've read and reviewed, or you can Start Here to get an overview of who I am and what I do. Don't forget to subscribe to get news and posts sent straight to your inbox.
Photo by Audrey Fretz on Unsplash
Friday Reads is a social media hashtag that connects people by talking about the books they're reading as we head into the weekend. I like to use it as a roundup of the books we spent the week with, which includes authors of all heritages.
“Your life is already artful- waiting, just waiting for you to make it art.”
Astrid's birthday
Best friends and sisters
My oldest turned 7 today! How did I get such a clever little singer and dancer? Her favorite animals are turtles and her favorite people are all of them. She has a plethora of compliments for everyone she meets. She is beautiful inside and out.
Today we feast on homemade cupcakes with our friends and tomorrow we hit the beach. Although we are still weeks from the official start of summer, June 1st is always when the sun shines a bit brighter for me.
Finding the Los Angeles County Library system
Did you know that Los Angeles has multiple library systems? And I'm not just talking about the smaller ones that have one or two branches because they are separate cites (like Burbank or Santa Monica). I have been frequenting the Public Library system for years. I thought it was the only one. Imagine my excitement when a friend told me about the Los Angles County System.
With just as many branches as the public system, I quickly found the nearest county branch. They offer a different calendar of bookish events, print and digital loans, and you can check out 50 items at a time. My favorite perk is access to free tickets to local museums on a monthly rotation. Homeschooling and the year of no book purchases couldn't get any easier.
LACMA
One of my new homeschool goals is to visit a local museum every week. The size of Los Angeles makes it possible to visit a different museum without overlap for months. And, many of them we can get in for free.
Last Friday we attempted to go to The Los Angeles County Museum of the Arts (LACMA) in the Miracle Mile district. Astrid and I had been talking about it for a few days. Children 17 and under get free admission with their Next program and can bring along an accompanying adult. All I had to pay for was parking.
Love
We made our way through the parking garage and into the main area. I made sure to get there as the museum was opening so we could dawdle through the exhibits. But five minutes after we arrived, we and all other guest were escorted out of the buildings and into the grass areas. According to the staff, there was some sort of "threat" and we all had to be evacuated. Within 30-40 minutes, we were instructed to leave.
The LACMA was closing for the day and canceling all their activities. I learned later that a bomb threat had been called in just as they were opening. We didn't get to see any cool art but the girls and I got a chance to practice what we do in emergencies. They both behaved wonderfully.
*****
The museum for next week is The La Brea Tar Pits, which sit on the same grounds as LACMA. They will be having their last free homeschool day of the year on June 6th with a focus on paleontology. Is there a better way to spend your Wednesday morning than learning about prehistoric animals???
We haven't been keeping up with our library schedule or reading as much as we should, but I hope to get back in the grove as summer starts. Below are a few of the books we've checked out.
Currently Reading
The True Meaning of Smeckday- More car-tunes. I'm loving this audiobook. It's a perfect combination of storytelling. I know the overall story because the movie Home is based on this book. The writing is witty and it's sci-fi without feeling too space-age-y. I would recommend it.
Give Your Child The Word- I'm wary of this book. A mother with children adopted from various counties around the world put together a list of books that would teach your child about each country. She includes books about Africa, Asia, the States, etc. I haven't done any more than look over the lists, but I have a feeling that books based in Africa aren't written by Africans, the same with Asian stories, and so on. Once I research more, I'll let you know if it's too good to be true.
For the Children's Sake: Macaulay speaks to her experience as a homeschooling parent in the late 80s and her use of the Charlotte Mason education model. She has some gems here and there, but unless you're really into educational philosophy, you can skip this one.
Finished Reading
The Pink Hat: The story follows a knitted pick hat as it moves from person to person. In the end, it shows the last wearer using it in solidarity with many others in pink hats, as a tribute to the Women's March in 2017. I have many thoughts about the hats but this book gave one view on what they mean to some. I would recommend you at least check it out.
Light Up the Night: A little boy shows us his view of the universe in a poetic look at where we live. Pick it up from the library, it's worth a read.
Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Edna the Very First Chicken: This book had us all giggling. Edna is determined to protect the other dinosaurs from being T-Rex's breakfast. T=Rex is tough- but Edna is tougher. I highly recommend this adorable book for children of all ages.
Want an even more comprehensive look at what I'm reading? This isn't the whole list!
Check out my Goodreads page at www.goodreads.com/blackandbookish.
*****
This is the time of year where everyone is talking about beach reads! I say read whatever you want whenever you want.
Do you have any summer picks as the temperatures heat up?
About the Author
Black & Bookish is the brainchild of Antoinette Scully, educator and lover of all things bookish. She is on a quest to fill your bookshelves with beloved authors of the African Diaspora. When she's not hanging out online, she's living it up as the mother of two rambunctious girls and wife of a local filmmaker.