Do you know Frederick? He has big ears, sleepy eyes, and a rather prominent tail.
Oh—maybe I forgot to mention—Frederick is a mouse. He’s the unlikely hero of a lovely little book by Leo Lionni called … you guessed it:
It’s a children’s book, but I really don’t like making such a rigid distinction because, hey, we’re all kids at heart, right? And this tiny gem speaks volumes to literature lovers, no matter what age.
Frederick, you see, is considered among his mischief (i.e. mouse tribe) to be a layabout loafer. In the eyes of his hardworking companions, he appears to shirk his pre-winter duties—stockpiling grain and the like—in favor of daydreaming.
“Frederick, why don’t you work?” they ask. “Are you dreaming?”
Image courtesy of Story Philosophy blog
But in fact, Frederick is working, in his own way. Instead of corn and nuts, he’s gathering words.
Words? How can words possibly be as important to winter survival as food?
That’s for Frederick, in all his marvelously mousy wisdom, to tell …
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Sarah Hall!!!
Sarah Hall (#5223) has received a certificate of achievement in Make it Easy for earning a Beginner Level Let’s Get Physical Merit Badge!
“I started a new exercise regimen one month ago. I am training to run at least one 5K per month and have already completed two. I have another one scheduled for next weekend. I am not yet able to run the entire thing, but I am getting closer each time I get out there and run. I have also been doing strength training every other day to supplement my running training. So far, I haven’t missed any training days—I even ran two miles on Thanksgiving.
So far, it is going great! I haven’t done a lot of running since my high school and college days, so getting back into it has been painful and, at times, frustrating, but I have discovered a love for the sport and hope to be able to run an entire 5K by summer and then plan to start training to run 10Ks. Maybe someday, I will run a marathon! I am also hoping that my doctor visits will be a lot prettier now that I have added this sport into my life.”
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
