Graduation Day

Congratulations to all those wearing a Harry Potter like cloak, may you receive one of these books to help you on your journey:

for inspiration along the way,

Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss
The North Star by Peter H. Reynolds
Dream by Susan V. Bosak

or escapism if not yet decided on the road to take,

Delaying the Real World by Colleen Kinder
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

or a little practical advice,

How to Survive the Real World edited by Andrea Syrtash
Good to Go by Kim Zarzour and Sharon E. McKay

and a poem to tuck into your pocket,

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run--

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

Read the rest of Rudyard Kipling's inspirational poem here and enjoy Harvey Keitel reading.

A Quote for My Father

A quote for my father by Clarence Budington Kelland -
       He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

Dad, thanks for -
reading my favorite book over and over and over again,
talking as we walked the dog around the block,
encouraging my love of baseball even when I struck out,
throwing me off your shoulders into the ocean waves,
bringing me a comic every Friday night,
taking me to the lumber yard and letting me run wild,
having patience as you taught me to drive on the old country road,
sharing a KitKat after a humbling round of golf,
letting me work in your office even though I drove you mad,
holding the broom so I could practice a 100 and 1 curling shots,
playing with my children by the magnolia tree,
showing me the way through adversity and sickness with your smile.

I think of you often and remember.

On My Bookshelf: My Dad

"On My Bookshelf" will be a regular post, featuring treasures from our personal bookshelves. If you would like to share a gem from your shelf send a photo and short description to me at seabreezeroad@hotmail.com. Looking forward to finding out what your passions are!

Dipping off "my bookshelf" in time for Father's Day is My Dad by the current Children's Laureate of Britain, Anthony Browne.

When I opened it, there it was: dad's dressing gown, just as I remembered it. It really took me back to being a small boy, thinking of him as a god who could do everything.     -Anthony Browne,  Guardian.uk.co

A great tribute to fathers everywhere and a fine inspiration for children to create a 'my dad' list of their own. -Starred, School Library Journal 

One short video of Anthony in his studio talking about his books, gorillas and where he gets his ideas and a longer more in-depth interview can be found here.

Till all the Stars Have Fallen

Vikki recommends one of our favorite gifts! From Kids Can Press, a rich collection of Canadian poetry compiled by David Booth and illustrated by Govenor General's Award winning illustrator, Kady MacDonald Denton. Kady created our very own dragon that graces these pages. You can read an interview with Kady by Library and Archives Canada here.

Poetry Friday: Neil Gaiman's Instructions

There are some books that arrive at the bookshop as pleasant surprises and then there are those that you have been teased with for many years, Neil Gaiman's Instructions falls into the later group. I first read the poem on the Journal of Mythic Arts and learned that it appeared in the anthology A Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling. The poem has now been transformed into a book, beautifully illustrated Charles Vess.

Instructions
by Neil Gaiman
Touch the wooden gate in the wall you never
saw before.
Say "please" before you open the latch,
go through,
walk down the path.

Read the rest here.

etcetera
Enjoy a visual feast here.
See how Charles Vess develops a sculptural fountain based on ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream'

Neil Gailman reads Instructions