Every day at school my preschool daughter picks out a library book from the IMC to bring home. On Monday she picked out Curious George Goes to the Hospital
. I thought it a rather odd choice but read it to her anyway on Monday night. The next morning my husband woke up and went to feed and care for our cats. He noticed that Katy Bear looked sick and put some food in her bowl. She tried to walk, but couldn't. After consulting with the vet on the phone, we learned that her symptoms were consistent with a stroke and she probably wouldn't live. Before taking her into the veterinary office we talked with our daughter and told her that Katy was very sick and that she might not survive. With heavy hearts we had time to say some quick goodbyes. The vet put Katy to sleep.
As soon as my husband left for the vet's office, my daughter went to retrieve the Curious George book. She really wanted to understand what was happening to our cat, and I couldn't help but wish that Katy Bear would return just as Curious George had from the hospital. Sometimes books are good at explaining difficult topics but I don't own any that help explain the loss of a beloved pet. My husband and I adopted Katy 10 years ago, when she was just a kitten. We'll miss our mouse catcher. We'll miss our apple peel eating cat. We'll miss her shoe loving ways. We'll miss her.
Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom or Seven Clown Circus.
written by 
didn't know the useful ditty. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have ended up in a dark, terrible place called Superbia where bogeymen roam the land looking for children to devour and where the evil Lucian reigns. 
introduces children to the ceremony of Tashlich and teaches about forgiveness and making amends. In preparation for Tashlich, a little boy called Izzy makes an "I'm sorry" list by drawing pictures of four things that he's sorry for doing. On Rosh Hashanah, he sincerely apologizes to his sister, mother and others that he had wronged during the year. He follows members of his synagogue as they all make their way to the pier. After listening to the sound of the shofars, he reflects upon what he has done wrong and throws pieces of bread into the ocean's waters. 
by Carmela LaVigna Coyle has helped clarify the situation. We picked up a copy at the library. Highly recommended for all princesses by nature. Watch out for the hidden dragon! Adorable, clever illustrations by Mike Gordon.
by Jon Stone, illustrated by Michael Smollin (bought a copy Monday night)
by Diane Setterfield; 
by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury 
by 16-year-old author Cayla Kluver. No one commented. Now it's possible you have an aversion to princesses or maybe you were all off pursuing your own knight in shining armor/lady in waiting. Or maybe not. Most likely, many of you read the review or at least glanced at it and went on to the next post, the next blog. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm guilty of lurking as well. But, I'll share a little secret with you. I tend to pay more attention to the comments on my non-giveaway posts because the volume isn't as high. 
