I Feel…

by DJ Corchin

This title is one that ideally will be shared by a parent and a young child. Through a combination of simple text with some rhyming, and cartoon llustrations, many feelings are described and identified. Talking about the many emotions that a person can experience will help children to recognize what they are feeling and to learn that all of these can be described and talked about.

I found this to be a book that deserves a place in the homes of young kids. I did not love the illustrations but that is clearly a matter of personal preference and others may well feel differently.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

pub date: November 1, 2020

Great Pilgrimage Sites of Europe

by Derry Brabbs

This gorgeously photographed title provides readers with a fantastic opportunity for arm chair travel. Visit pilgrimage sites throughout Europe. Religious locations are featured from Britain, France, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, Finland and Slovakia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Italy, and Spain and Portugal. Enjoy revisiting places that may be familiar while also traveling to those that are new. Will you be inspired to take a pilgrimage of your own (post covid)?

Note: I very much enjoyed looking at the photos in this title. However, some of the text was not in English. I so wish that it was! For this reason my rating is three stars. If I could read the book, my rating would be higher.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

Great Pilgrimage Sites of Europe

By its very nature, a pilgrimage is a journey. And of course every journey has a destination. However, times have moved on and many of those undertaking a twenty-first-century pilgrimage will likely not be in the same mindset as their medieval counterparts. Only by standing in the nave of one of the great Romanesque or Gothic cathedrals associated with a pilgrimage to a once-venerated shrine can one appreciate the sheer power of the combination of faith, love and fear that was the basis of medieval Christianity. Such churches and cathedrals were the physical manifestation of those elements, but it was the deeper spiritual beliefs pertaining to the fate of a human soul when parted from its mortal body that created the cult of relics and the phenomenon of pilgrimage.

The Sancta Sanctorum is set in front of the Archbasilica of St John Lateran in Rome. It hosts the Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs), the marble steps from Pilate’s palace that were ascended by Jesus Christ during his Passion.

NORWAY | RINGEBU STAVE CHURCH | Ringebu, Innlandet Christianity was slow to reach Norway. Although missionaries had made numerous attempts to persuade the hitherto pagan country that there were many benefits to be derived from being in the ‘family’, scepticism prevailed over Catholicism and religion did not really gain a serious foothold until around the end of the tenth century. From that time until the mid-sixteenth-century Reformation, approximately 1,000 stave churches were built, of which only twenty-eight now remain. Ringebu dates from 1220 and although it has been significantly altered over time the nave of the original church survives. In 1717, the interior was partially painted, but it was later totally covered in white, an aesthetic travesty not corrected until major restoration works in 1921.	ITALY | THE BASILICA OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI | Assisi, Umbria Regardless of which mode of transport one uses to reach a pilgrimage destination, there is nothing more satisfying than having that ultimate goal in full view during the final few kilometres. For those travelling on foot, that final stage in our twenty-first-century world may involve trudging through urban sprawl and diesel fumes to reach journey’s end in a city’s medieval core. Rest assured, Assisi is pilgrimage perfect!	SPAIN | SANCTUARY OF OUR LADY OF EL ROCIO | El Rocio, Huelva El Rocio’s pilgrimage-related history can be traced back to the thirteenth century, and the discovery of the Virgin’s statue by a local hunter. The icon was hidden in a tree trunk and a small chapel was soon erected to preserve the image. Although awareness was initially contained to a local level, rumours of miracles pertaining to both physical and mental well-being began spreading farther afield. By the seventeenth century, church brotherhoods from nearby towns began making the journey to El Rocio, and thereafter its popularity and reputation gradually spread outwards into the wider reaches of Andalucía. Some two centuries later, it was well established as an essential spiritual and social pilgrimage lasting up to two weeks.

SWITZERLAND |

SWITZERLAND | EINSIEDELN ABBEY

The view down on to the monastery and abbey church of Einsiedeln from St Benedict’s statue on the hillside above clearly portrays the impressive scale and pure symmetry of the buildings.

Anytime Exercises to Reduce Stress, Ease Worry, and Invite Calm

by Carley Centen

Each of the many entries is short. Some require a bit of physical moving while others are for reading and visualizing, for example. Just a few of the many entries include, Shrug it Off, Calm a Raging Storm, Allow Yourself to Worry, Learn to Sit with the Panic, and Ground Yourself in the Present. Anything you could use here? If yes, take a look at this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

To those of you who read this post, do you prefer when I comment on the books or are you satisfied/happy just to see them? Let me know.

The Everyday Workings of Machines

How machines work, from toasters and trains to hovercrafts and robots – Includes close-ups, cutaways, and cross sections!

by Steve Martin

This book will be adored by children who want to understand how things work. Their adults will also learn something along the way.

This illustrated title is organized by many different categories. For example, there are Machines that Turn, Machines and Sound, Trains, At School, Machines for Fun, Machines to Keep You Safe and more. There are also suggestions for further reading at the end of the book.

The authors impart a lot of information in this illustrated text. Children will be intrigued to learn about everything from how the toilet works to what makes a thermometer able to take your temperature to what keeps a plane in the air and so much more.

This book is a great resource for inquiring minds!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

Five stars

Mia and Molly: The Same and Different

by Mylo Freeman

This is a very simple, cutely illustrated book for toddlers. Young children will find out that Mia and Molly are the same in many ways and that they also are different in some ways. Little ones will enjoy seeing what Molly and Mia do over the course of the day in this sweet book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

Four stars

The Journey Continues

by Fleur Pierets

#LoveIsLove #NetGalley

Just by happenstance, I chose to read this gorgeously illustrated children’s book today. It is my anniversary and I adored spending time with this beautiful celebration of the love of two women. Their goal was to marry in every country that allowed for same sex marriage. So, children will travel the world and see the dress and customs for many wedding ceremonies.

When many children have parents of the same sex and when many also identify as gay, this book is such a welcome resource. I really loved it .

SPOILER ALERT: Just be ready when you read about the authors.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: November 17, 2020

A brilliant day for book choices!

www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/books/review/12-new-books-we-recommend-this-week.html