RAR #133: Books Take You Places (and some favorite seaside titles)

Sarah Mackenzie (00:12): You are listening to the Read Aloud Revival podcast. This is the podcast that helps you make meaningful and lasting connections with your kids through books. (00:29): Hello, hello everybody. It's episode 133 of the Read Aloud Revival. I'm Sarah Mackenzie. I hope you're having a wonderful summer. If you're in the Northern hemisphere, that is. And a cozy winter if you're in the Southern hemisphere. Today we've got a new book list for you and it's a delightful conversation that I think is going to feel very summery, so I'm happy that you're here for it. First, if you want the book list we talk about on today's show, and of course you do, right? You want to get it from the show notes and those are at readaloudrevival.com/133. We're going to name a whole bunch of books and talk about lots of books you're going to want to get your hands on, so you want to make sure you visit those show notes to grab them. Of course we have the clickable list as always, as well as a free printable download that you can grab if you want to get the books from your library or just keep it with you on the go. So that's readaloudrevival.com/133. (01:23): Now I want to take a minute to make sure you are getting emails from Read Aloud Revival. Every so often we hear from those who are just listening to the podcast and haven't signed up for our emails. And of course we love that you're here listening, but we don't want you to miss out on all the wonderful free resources we put together for you on a regular basis. We assemble book lists and resources for you that don't always make it onto the show here. So you need to be getting our emails to get those. So for example, in a couple of weeks we will have a brand new book list we've been working on all summer, of the wonderful picture books set in the Middle Ages. And that book list is not gonna be on a podcast episode. It's just a book list. So if you're not on the email list, you might miss it. Over 100,000 families, get our weekly emails. I think you'll find out why as soon as you start getting our resources delivered to your own inbox each Tuesday morning. It's free of course. So go to ourarbooklist.com to get on that email list and then you'll know that you're not missing a thing, that we are offering here at Read Aloud Revival, especially those wonderful free book lists that are so fun to make and we know you love. So ourarbooklist.com. (02:34): Okay, so we're going to start our show today by taking a listener question. Tabitha (02:39): Hi Sarah, this is Tabitha and I am in Southern Idaho. I have two questions for you. The first is how do you handle your private collection of books in your home? Do your children each have their own collections? How do they handle sharing between themselves or do you as a family have one collection of books. The second question I have is what criteria do you use to determine whether or not a book deserves space in your private collection? There are so many good books out there and there are some that my kids will borrow from the library over and over and over again, and I struggle with knowing at what point it's worth investing the money and dedicating the space in our home to a book. I look forward to hearing your answers and thank you so much for everything you do. Sarah Mackenzie (03:28): Hey, Tabitha. Great questions. Okay. The first question as to how my family handles personal versus family collections of books, so we have both. I would say most of the books in our home are a part of our family collection. They live on bookshelves and baskets that are out in our common areas and they belong to the whole family. However, my kids often get books as gifts. They buy them with their own money or their book allowance. Those books that are their own belong to their own personal collections. Optimally, these books are kept in their own room on bookshelves that are in their own room. But there have been the, in fact there was several years, and years and years, my three girls shared a bedroom and they didn't have room in that little bedroom with all three of them in there for bookshelves to live in their room. (04:14): So during that time we had several shelves in our living room that were dedicated to each. So Alison had a couple of bookshelves that were just hers and her own personal books went there, and Audrey had a couple. So that's what we've done when we don't have enough space in bedrooms. But as soon as we are able to give them the space in bedrooms for a bookshelf, we do that and they can move their personal collections there. And these are the books I imagine they'll take with them, when they someday move, grow up and move out, sob. I think it's easiest to keep track of whose books or who's, if their names are inside. So in general, I encourage them to inscribe their names inside their own books. Also, have you ever had the experience of finding a book from your own childhood that you had written your name in when you were 10? It is the best. My mother in law has some Trixie Belden books that she wrote property of her own maiden name in there. Oh my goodness. It's the best. So it's fun to do that. (05:07): As for your second question, it can be tricky to know when to buy a book, right? So I tend to buy books once I notice that we're checking them out over and over again from the library. Just like you said. I also buy books that are by favorite authors. So for example, I know a book with Tommy Depoala's name on the cover I should just buy, I'm going to want to own it. Same as Kate Dicamillo or CS Lewis or SD Smith or Gary Schmidt. These are authors I love and I will just buy their books, because I know we love them. If it's an author we just love, we're probably just gonna buy it. But I often use the library to give books a test run. So for the most part, if we're checking out a new book, if we're just interested in a new book or if I've just heard it recommended even, I will get it from the library. And then if we just adore it and keep wanting to check it out, then I'll buy it. Especially if it's a book we want for reference later. (05:59): So for example, the book Outside Your Window, A First Book Of Nature, this one written by Nicola Davies, I don't know if you've seen this, it is gorgeous. And there are, there are all the different seasons. It's sort of poems and illustrations about what's happening outside your window all year long. So depending on the season, there's a different poem or illustration I want to display. So that kind of a book that we just refer to a lot, that one I'm just going to buy. And I found that out because I think I checked that book out from the library like four or five times and finally went, "I just need to buy this book." Right? So every so often I comb through our family books and I start purging. Anything that really hasn't been read and loved or isn't a family staple. You know like Tommy's books, Tommy Depoala's books are family staples. Those are never going away, but you know, anything that's not a family staple. Anything that hasn't been read or loved recently are probably going to be collected and donated, and that way I can continuously make space for books that I want to purchase. (06:57): A disclaimer is that I am constantly asking my husband for more bookshelves so you know, we can only purge so much, right? And then we just need more selves. So no Marie Kondo here at Read Aloud Revival when it comes to books. I hope that's helpful Tabitha. (07:12): Hey, if you have a question you would like to leave for the Read Aloud Revival podcast, go to readaloudrevival.com and scroll to the bottom of the page. You'll find a button there that says leave a message for Sarah Mackenzie, and you can leave me a voicemail that I can possibly answer on a future episode of the show. Amanda Dykes (07:41): I had been writing just regular historical fiction for a long time, meaning not dual timeline. And you know, I had a few things published and a couple of novels that are just, you know, sitting in the proverbial drawer that had had some interest from publishers but eventually ended up being passed over. And so I just thought, "Well, I'm just going to try something different." I would like to write a book, like a small town book of, I call it village lit, like Avonlea or Mitford or you know, that kind of community story and that would just be really fun. So I started to brainstorm off the coast of Maine. And this is where the books from childhood come into play, because Maine has had a special place in my heart since I was a kid because of books. So I started to brainstorm these islands and the harbor and that, the name of the story, kind of the backstory of where the village came from and I thought it was going to be a really lighthearted feel good book, maybe a series. (08:35): And then this one character just started to sort of take over, and I've heard other authors say that before, but I never really understood that until this guy, the character Robert Blitz, who's this sort of blustery, rough around the edges, lobster fisherman came on the scene, and I just started having all these questions. Why is he this way? He seems to have a lot going on below the surface. And the story ... Do you want to synopsis or no? Sarah Mackenzie (09:01): Yeah, go for it. Amanda Dykes (09:02): Okay. So the gist of it, and I'll try to not give away too much, but it begins in the middle of World War II, towards the tail end of it. So what had happened was by that point in the war, you couldn't just go enlist anymore. They had closed enlistment because they needed to sort of protect a home front citizenship. They needed people at home too. So in order to go to war, at that point you had to be drafted. So we zoom in on this harbor town in these twin brothers, Robert and Roy. One of them really, really wants to go to war, and that's Robert. He thinks he was made for this. It's in his bones. He's kind of a warrior type character, and Roy, his twin brother has a family. It's their starting a young family, and so he's sure if one of them is going to get drafted, it's him. (09:49): Well long story short, that is not what happens. Everything kind of gets flipped on its head when his brother goes off to war, and his brother does not end up coming back, without giving away too much. And so Robert is left just kind of trying to pick up the pieces and where does he go from here and he knows everyone around has lost somebody in the war. And so this blustery, rough around the edges, kind of clumsy lobster fishermen sits down and he writes this poem, and he hates that because he doesn't think of himself as a poet. He thinks of himself as, he's out fighting the waves and pulling in the lobster crates, and he doesn't know anything about poetry. But he reluctantly sends it off to the local paper and under the name of Anonymous. And the gist of the poem is send me a rock in memorial of the person that you lost and I will build a lighthouse. (10:44): And he's like, "This doesn't make sense, but I'm just going to do it." And then he thinks maybe he'll get a few rocks from around the town. Some days go by and he thinks, "Okay, it wasn't a great idea." But then some rocks begin to come from around the town and then from the town beyond and then from the state beyond. Pretty soon the New York Times has printed his poem and the Boston Globe and the San Francisco Chronicle and the tiny little post office in Ansul by the seas starts to get inundated with boxes of rocks from all over the place. And so the rest of the story follows the journey of this lighthouse being built and what happens after it's built and the story of the family along the way. And I like to say it's a redemptive tale. You know, it's a story of what happens when something is broken. What do you do with that? (11:29): So that's the gist of it. And so it didn't turn out to be that nice sort of warm fuzzy ... Sarah Mackenzie (11:34): Yeah. When you said lighthearted, I thought, "Really?" Amanda Dykes (11:38): It has some moments that are, but- Sarah Mackenzie (11:39): Yes it does, for sure. And there's some great dialogue and [inaudible 00:11:45] banter that's really fun in there, and so yeah, for sure there's moments and it isn't like a heavy read, but it's one that stays with you. I wouldn't call it lighthearted, I'd call it moving and beautiful, and yeah. (11:55): Okay. So when you started daydreaming about this village, basically, for your story, you said you kind of started imagining it off the coast of Maine. Had you been to Maine at that point? Amanda Dykes (12:08): No. No I hadn't, except for in fifth grade in my imagination we had to do a state report and I lived on the East coast and Maine of course is on the East coast. And so I remember I had to get up very, very early in the morning to call the Chamber of Commerce before school, because they would be closed by the time I got out of school. Sarah Mackenzie (12:27): Right. Amanda Dykes (12:27): Because of the time difference, and ask them to send information. And I just felt like I was very, very shy, like almost painfully shy, just extremely introverted. And for me to reach out across the country on the phone, the phone for a shy person is a big deal. Sarah Mackenzie (12:43): Yeah, yeah. Amanda Dykes (12:44): So I just kind of felt like I sort of planted a part of myself over there and left it there and it just sort of hibernated all these years. And then whenever I would read books or see movies that had Maine in it, it just felt a little bit like home. Sarah Mackenzie (12:59): Okay. So all the kids who are listening are wondering why didn't she just Google it? Which is funny because as you were talking about calling the Chamber of Commerce, I remember doing a state report and having to write in for Chamber of Commerce information too. So kids, Google has not always been around. Amanda Dykes (13:15): It was a different time. Sarah Mackenzie (13:16): It was a different time. Well I know that you and I have chatted a little bit about books sort of forming a sense of place and clearly when you read, when I read Whose Waves These Are, I felt like I was in Maine. So I mean, okay. So I have a funny story for you. Just recently, I was at a homeschool conference. I was speaking at the conference and when the conferences over I had about a half a day to myself without anything planned. And so because I'm crazy, I ended up buying myself a ticket to Walt Disney World, because this conference is in Orlando, Florida. Amanda Dykes (13:47): I think that's fantastic. Sarah Mackenzie (13:49): My husband was like, "You're going to all Disney World by yourself. You are insane." It was so fun. It was so great. Well anyway, so on the final ride that I went on, I was in line for about an hour and I got chatting with the people behind me and they were a family and I asked them where they were from and they said Maine. And it was so funny. I had just finished reading Whose Waves These Are maybe two days before. And so my first instinct was to say, "Oh, I was just there," but I've never been to Maine. I've never gone. I would love to go. So I mean that's what a good book does, right? It just makes you feel like you've been there. Amanda Dykes (14:23): It is. And we talked a little bit before the show started about this, but I read recently somewhere, I think it was maybe just on someone's Instagram posts or something, about how place can connect people. You discover whether it's in line at Disney World or on the plane or at a restaurant, you see someone wearing a sweatshirt with the name of a place that you recognize or you pick it up in conversation. You realize you've both been there. It's like this automatic connection and it's like, it's a foundation to build on, you have something to talk about, you've both been to the same places and it feels a little bit like family. And I think that books do the same thing probably even on a deeper level, because there's so much to share about where you were when you read that book, and how you felt and it's really just a beautiful thing. Sarah Mackenzie (15:06): So have you been to Maine since writing the book? Amanda Dykes (15:08): We had a trip scheduled. My mom and I were going to go between the time that I wrote the book and the time that I edited the book. There was a little gap last summer, but then we found out we were expecting a baby. Sarah Mackenzie (15:20): Oh yeah, surprise. And he's really cute by the way. Amanda Dykes (15:24): He's totally worth having forfeited a trip to Maine in every way. But someday, someday I will make my way there and it's going to feel like coming home. I know it. Sarah Mackenzie (15:34): It is going to feel like that. And I'm just so ... I mean to me this really speaks to the power of books, because that's what you had been exposed to, right? So tell me about that. Which books helped you see Maine, I guess in your mind's eye? Amanda Dykes (15:48): Thinking back to childhood, the first one I can remember encountering Maine in was Sarah Plain and Tall, which is funny because you don't actually go to Maine in that book. But Sarah is from Maine. She comes to the planes or wherever they live. And she just brings with her this sort of fresh sea air about her in her whole personality. And I feel like she just sort of embodied Maine in what she was, just fresh life and new horizons for this family. And in the movie with Glenn Close, there's one scene that's just so vivid in my memory, which is funny because I don't think it's one of my favorite childhood movies or anything. The book is better, but it is a good movie. And there's one scene where there's this rainstorm pouring down and they're inside this cottage in Maine making music. Her aunts are making music on the flutes and they're dancing around and the cliffs are outside. And it just had this just ethereal kind of magic about it. And it seemed so beautiful in every way. So there was that. (16:47): And then as an adult I read Ms. [inaudible 00:16:51]. Sarah Mackenzie (16:51): Oh yes. Oh my goodness. It's gotta be one of my all time favorites. Amanda Dykes (16:55): Me too. So there was that one and ... Okay, so we should talk about Robert McCloskey. Sarah Mackenzie (17:01): Yes, we should for sure you. Amanda Dykes (17:03): We know him well from Make Way For Ducklings and Blueberries For Sal, and what's the other one? One Morning In Maine. Time Of Wonder, I feel like his lesser known, but to me, I love all of his books, but Time Of Wonder to me is just like something else. It is. It steals the show for me. Sarah Mackenzie (17:21): That's so interesting that you said that. I think my editor, Carolyn McCreedy, who edited the Read Aloud Family for me, I'm pretty sure we had a conversation about Robert McCloskey once, and she said the same thing. That Time of Wonder was really ... I'm pretty sure. I don't think I'm putting those words in our mouth. Amanda Dykes (17:35): Oh my goodness. Well, high five to her because I agree and it's really, the pictures of course are stunning. There's one part where it talks about the tide coming out and the kids are out exploring the beach in this part of the world that just hours ago was completely submerged, and there's just something amazing about that, really something breathtaking and I think he does a great job of summoning that onto the page. Sarah Mackenzie (17:59): One of the things you said was, "Where can you find such high density voice tone whimsy magic, just the absolute heartbeat of a place other than children's books." And that sort of stopped me, because I thought that was yes, it's a multidimensional kind of experience. And I think that's why you get that feeling of I've been there before. Amanda Dykes (18:30): Yes. Yeah. And I think too with children's literature, there's something intrinsically amazing about its limited size. You know, every word has to mean something and every line has to earn its place. But not only that, it's the space between the lines and the cadence and the, I don't know, just the emotion of it. And I was thinking about this, about why picture books are so immersive, I guess you could say, when it comes to talking about place. I was watching something about an artist and I don't remember which artist. It may be Monet, Claude Monet, I'm not sure. But they were saying if he wanted you to see the color purple, he wouldn't just paint the color purple. He would do like pointillism, like little dots of blue, different shades of blues, different shades of reds. And then he would leave it. He would compose them in a way that it left it up to the viewer's eye to mix those dots. And that's what they see. And when they stand back at a distance and look at that piece of art, they see the color purple. (19:33): And I feel like in children's books that's what happens. We have the text on the page and we have the illustrations and then you have the reader's imagination. And I feel like those three things interact, like something magic happens. It really, it's an interactive experience and it brings the story to life. Sarah Mackenzie (19:51): Oh, that's so true. So deep into summer I'm always looking. I love reading picture books that really capture the season for my kids, that really help us sort of just experienced the season more fully. At least in the Northern hemisphere, we're in summer, and I know that you have some favorite sea blown books. I would love to hear your favorites. Amanda Dykes (20:11): Sure. Okay, so I gathered them up from around our house and in our car and everywhere we have books tucked away and I thought, "How am I going to narrow this down?" So I did, I narrowed it down to some favorites and I put them in stacks by category. So these are not any kind of official like library worthy category. These are just straight out of my head categories. The first category you have is fanciful and whimsical. Sarah Mackenzie (20:38): Oh, fun. Okay. Amanda Dykes (20:39): So fanciful and whimsical, books about the sea. The first one I have in my hands is A Yellow Kayak. So this is a pretty new book, like within the past year or two, I think it came out, but it has a very vintagey feel with the colors and the illustrations. And it's about this boy who takes off on this sea adventure in his little rowboat and he's got like a giraffe friend with him. It's got a good rhythm to it. Very short little lines. So the next one in the fanciful whimsical category is called The Maggie B, and that ... Have you read that one? Sarah Mackenzie (21:12): Yes, I love it. Amanda Dykes (21:14): Such a fun one. I just came across it by chance a couple of years ago at the library, and I don't know if it's in print anymore, but I think you can get just older copies on Amazon or wherever. But the author is Irene HAAS, H-A-A-S. It's a keeper. And then I have two Golden Books, because you can't talk about children's books without bringing up Golden Books. The Merry Shipwreck. And then the other Golden Book is Scuffy The Tugboat. Sarah Mackenzie (21:41): Oh yes, yes. Amanda Dykes (21:42): For younger kids especially, that's a fun one. Okay, so that's the end of the fanciful, whimsical category. Sarah Mackenzie (21:47): I love that category. Amanda Dykes (21:49): The next one is called naturey. Sarah Mackenzie (21:51): Ooh. Okay. Amanda Dykes (21:51): So that's very official sounding. Another Golden Book, Wonders Of Nature. That's a fun one for younger kids. And it's got a couple of pages all about ... Like, here's a page. "Isn't it a wonder that tiny coral animals under the sea, which never move, build great towers and whole islands of their tiny shells." Okay, and then the next two are by Jim Lamarche. Sarah Mackenzie (22:14): Yeah, I'm not sure. I would say Lamarche, but I'm not really sure. Okay. Amanda Dykes (22:18): Which is fitting because marsh sounds like pond and that's the name of the first book. Pond. Sarah Mackenzie (22:23): Yes. I love this book. Amanda Dykes (22:24): Pond, and The Raft. Both of those books are, they're not about oceans necessarily or sea, but they are about water and they're about just getting out in nature and seeing the world beyond your own doorstep, or seeing the universe that is right there on your own doorstep in a new way and creating place like the pond, especially. The kids really make a special spot at this pond over the summer. So that's a great one, especially for deep summertime. So then there's the timeless/savor it category, which I have subtitled old friends in new places, because we know Robert McCloskey from his other books, like Make Way For Ducklings and we know Barbara Cooney from her other books. But just to see them in Maine or at the sea is a special thing. Sarah Mackenzie (23:12): Yes. Amanda Dykes (23:12): That's the category. Those are fun. But I also have here The Sea Chest. Sarah Mackenzie (23:17): I don't know that one. Amanda Dykes (23:18): This book, if you have to pick one book that you don't know of from this podcast to order, I would choose this one. The illustrations are works of art. Sarah Mackenzie (23:27): Yeah. I'm looking at a preview online as you're talking about it, and it looks gorgeous and I think it might be out of print, sadly. Amanda Dykes (23:33): I think it is. And that just breaks my heart, because it's a really unique book and it's a work of art. Sarah Mackenzie (23:39): Yes, there are a bunch available online as of this moment. Amanda Dykes (23:43): [inaudible 00:23:43]. Sarah Mackenzie (23:44): It kind of makes me, as I'm like looking at these covers, it makes me want to go there. You know? It makes me want to. And so I know that you've mentioned before this idea of functional souvenirs. So that's something I'd love to talk about, because it's summer. And so I know people are reading about the places that they are visiting or they'd like to. One of the things that comes up a lot in the Read Aloud Revival premium forum is that people take a trip somewhere and they want to know books they can read that have to do with it. So they're going to go on a family trip to the Yellowstone National Park. And so we're all giving recommendations of books that have- Amanda Dykes (24:17): Love that. Sarah Mackenzie (24:18): Yes. And I love that too, because it really kind of solidifies the experience. It kind of like gives your child too a preview of what it's like. So they kind of set some expectations and ... Amanda Dykes (24:47): This idea was born, and I'm sure I'm not the only one to think this way, but when I was in college, I spent a summer in London studying, And right before I left, my brother had taken a job as a journalist for a small town paper and he was doing a story on a soap maker. This lady who made her own soap. So she gave him some samples and he passed them along to me and I took one to London with me. And it was just a nice smell. And then from then on, every time I smelled anything that smelled remotely like that, I was right back in London, like vividly in my flat, washing my jeans in the sink. Because that's what we did there. And hanging them out to dry, and all the places we got to see. (25:26): And they say that smell is really closely related to memory. Well, I think books are too and really any kind of functional souvenir, but we call it a functional souvenir because it's anything you procure from or bring along with you to a place that you get to use again in the future. So rather than like a magnet on the fridge or a pencil that gets used up right away, something that you're going to use as time unfolds, that every time you read it, you're going to be there again or every time you use whatever it is. So like we just took a trip over spring break to San Francisco Bay area, and before we left I got the book Ocean Beats Sky by the Fan brothers. Sarah Mackenzie (26:06): Ooh, I don't know this one. Okay. Amanda Dykes (26:07): Oh, it's gorgeous. I think I first learned about this one, I had seen it in a bookstore, but then I think Sarah Clarkson maybe had posted a picture of it or something. Sarah Mackenzie (26:16): Okay. Amanda Dykes (26:17): And so I got it and we read it on the way. And so now every time we ran it, we can smell the sea and we can remember the wind on our faces and the hikes that we took and the boats that we got to go on and that kind of thing. So yeah, Ocean Meets Sky is a great one, by the way. Sarah Mackenzie (26:35): I heard a lady not too long ago talk about reading a different chapter book or a novel I guess, every camping trip with their kids. So every year they take a family camping trip and it will be, she'll bring a different novel to read. And she said her kids actually call that camping trip. It'll be like, "Oh well the year we did The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe," or, "The year we did My Side Of The Mountain." And of course it makes sense that you would remember that trip. Amanda Dykes (27:00): Yes. Okay. Here's a funny story. We took a day trip in the fall to go see this cave. This is called Black Chasm Cavern. Sarah Mackenzie (27:08): Okay. Amanda Dykes (27:09): We were heading out of town. We had a newborn, so we hadn't really had time to think ahead like, "Oh, what can we bring that would fit this?" So we're like, "Let's just download whatever we can, some kind of audio book to listen to." Well we ended up downloading The Hobbit, and we're listening to it and it's great. And it was the sort of radio theater version of it. Sarah Mackenzie (27:30): Okay. Amanda Dykes (27:31): And the kids were enjoying it, the older kids and I was enjoying it. My husband loved it, but then it started to dawn on me. There's a lot of pretty scary parts in this that take place in caves and we're going to a cave where there's like looming stalagmites. [inaudible 00:27:46]. This could really backfire on us or it could really enhance. Sarah Mackenzie (28:00): Well, we're getting close to running out of time, sadly. I feel like I could chat with you about books all day. Amanda Dykes (28:06): [inaudible 00:28:06]. Sarah Mackenzie (28:06): Any more books do you want to share with us? Amanda Dykes (28:08): Sure. Just quickly, The Wishes Of The Fish King by Dennis- Sarah Mackenzie (28:12): McKelvy, right? Dennis McKelvy? Okay. Amanda Dykes (28:14): And illustrated by [Jammin Still 00:28:16], which his artwork is amazing and the story is kind of just majestic, and the story and the artwork together are, majestic is the word I would use to describe it. So that's a great one. Max Lucado has one called The Boy In The Ocean, so that one has some neat sort of spiritual parallels if you're looking for something like that. Okay. Speaking of old friends in new places, Margaret Wise Brown who wrote Goodnight Moon, she has one called The Little Island which won the Caldicot medal. It's a lot like Time Of Wonder in it's own special way. Sarah Mackenzie (28:45): Yeah. Amanda Dykes (28:46): So that's a beautiful one. Sarah Mackenzie (28:48): Have you seen the lighthouse family books by Cynthia [inaudible 00:28:51]? Amanda Dykes (28:51): I think I have, but I have not read them yet. I need to get ahold of those. Sarah Mackenzie (28:55): Yeah, so I think they might be considered chapter books probably, but they're illustrated and the chapters are very short, so they'd be like a early chapter book. But anyway, they are slow. So like as I was reading the first one to my kids, I thought this is not going to hold their attention, because they are very slow. I think my kids, I mean my five year olds, my seven year old, enchanted. And there's a whole series and they will just listen to these. One of the animals tends the lighthouse by himself, and like it's kind of that story of an unlikely family. Thank you so much for coming on the show, Amanda. You've given us a lot of sea blown books that we can make a book list out of. I'm very excited about that. Amanda Dykes (29:31): It's been such an honor and a joy, so thank you very much. Sarah Mackenzie (29:41): Now it's time for let the kids speak. This is my favorite part of the podcast, where kids tell us about their favorite stories that have been read aloud to them. Peter (29:54): Hello, my name is Peter and I live in Vermont and my favorite book is [inaudible 00:30:00] On Garden Street. I like it a lot because it's just overall really funny and I'm eight years old. Paulie (30:06): I'm Paulie in Charleston, West Virginia, and I am [inaudible 00:30:11] and my favorite book is The Squire And The Scroll, and my brother's White Pat The Bunny book. Corey (30:19): My name is Corey. I am five years old. My favorite book that my mom has read me so far is The Ninja Bread Man, and the favorite book my dad's read me so far is Star Wars. And my favorite part in the Ninja Bread Man is when the Ninja Bread Man says [inaudible 00:30:42] and the favorite part of Star Wars. It's when Yoda says, "Do or do not. There is no try." Speaker 7 (30:52): [inaudible 00:30:52]. Sylvia (30:52): My name is Sylvia and I am nine years old. I live in California and my favorite book series is Leagues Of Fire series. I like them because they're funny and I think it's very incredible that the dragon can laugh while being chased, and then saving the world. Vikram (31:20): My name is Vikram, and I am four years old. I live in California. My favorite book is Frog And Toad by Arnold Lobel. [inaudible 00:31:39] says, "I look funny in my bathing suit." William S. (31:45): Hello, my name is William Schaefer. I'm from Maple Grove, Minnesota and I'm almost 14 years old. My favorite book would probably be The Hiding Place, and I like that book because it just shows courage and it's a sad but moving book. Millie (32:03): Hi, my name is Milli, and I'm almost eight years old, and I live in Minnesota. And my favorite book is Walter, The Lazy Mouse. Why I like it is because the main character is a animal and I really like animals, and I just like how the story goes. Avielle (32:25): Hello, my name is [Avielle 00:32:26]. I'm 10 years old. I live in Minnesota and my favorite book to read is the Line Of Stories because it's really well written, it's funny and creative. James (32:37): Hi, my name is James and I'm seven years old and my favorite book series is the elephant and piggy books. My favorite one is I Will Take A Nap. My [inaudible 00:32:53] is Piggy snores too loud and [inaudible 00:32:57]. Sarah Mackenzie (33:02): Thank you kids, and thank you again for coming on the show Amanda. Remember you can get the book list at readaloudrevival.com/133, that's where you'll get the whole seaside or see blown book lists. And remember, you want to be getting emails from Read Aloud Revival. So if you're not getting those, go to ourarbooklists.com, sign up to get our free book lists and you will get a note from me every Tuesday morning with a wonderful book list or free resource that's going to help you connect with your kids, and read wonderful books together. So we are so glad you're here. Grateful you're a part of our listening community, and till next time, go make meaningful and lasting connections with your kids through books.