A Cash Donation to Our NICU

Recently, a kind couple from the NICU gave $100 for us to buy books. I have a teacher friend who let me order the books from her Scholastic book order. She even gave us the bonuses generated by our order to get more books.

With the $100, we were able to purchase 88 books for the NICU.

Most of the books were only $1, but a few were $2, $3, or $5 combined with our free bonuses, these are the books we were able to purchase with this generous gift. 

 Yes, there are a few Don and Audrey Wood books and the must have Eric Carle.

One of Angie's coworkers sent these books. We currently need board books, so I was happy she sent these.

Angie went through her books at home as she was getting low on shelf space, and sent these beauties to help fill packets. Used books in like new condition are wonderful additions to our project. 

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

The Round House by Louise Erdrich was published in 2012 and was a National Book Award Finalist. This is a complicated story about a horrific crime that takes place on or near a reservation in North Dakota. A woman is attacked, but she is unable or unwilling to share the details with anyone. She retreats into her own mind and cannot leave her room.

Her son, Joe, decides to try to solve the crime himself. His father works in the legal system, and Joe has spent a lot of time reading his dad's law books. Joe has a great love for his mother and is determined to bring her back to their world. Erdrich weaves a rich tale of tragedy, humor, deep-dark, and spiritual writing that brings the reader right into the story. I loved the friendships in this story and how people took care of one another. I loved the relationships Joe had with both his mother and his father. This is a book I would read again.

Erdrich sets a feeling of tension and suspense in this story. I wanted Joe to win; I cheered for him, and sorrowed with him at times. Although there is sadness in this story, it is also a story of hope and love. And the ending, Wow!

Tanya and Hollie brought these books for our NICU babies. We were low on board books and they brought us eight! I am grateful to get these books. 

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Thanks to All from the NICU

Take a look at the books that have arrived for the NICU babies. These books make a difference in the lives of all those who use them. These donations help make a NICU parents life just a little easier.

My sweet friend, Alysen, brought these board books over for the babies. I love board books for babies as they can take being handled by little hands.

Caitie, my daughter, brought this cute Mercer Mayer book.

Child Life Services at McKayDee Hospital gathered books for us and this stack is headed into a new teacher's classroom. Any books that can't be used in the NICU are passed along to teachers to help them build their classroom libraries, so feel free to send us used books as we will find them a good home to build the literacy of local school children. 

Child Life Services also sent this stack of books that are headed into the NICU.

This stack from Child Life Services is headed to the NICU waiting room. The books in that waiting room get a lot of use, so we are happy to have a few more for the children who visit that area.

My friend, Michelle, sent these four books for the NICU babies. I love everything Kevin Henkes writes. 

 

We recently had a book drive using the hostess gifts from Usborne. We were able to purchase 49 new books for the NICU babies. Usborne books are sturdy, priced well, and beautiful. Some of our friends bought books for the NICU from this party, so we got double blessed. We also had a couple of cash donations that were used to purchase some of these books.

 More from Usborne:

 More from Usborne:

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein was published in 2012, and though I've had it for a few years, I finally read it. I struggled to get into this book because I wasn't sure what was happening, but I am glad I stuck with it.

The story begins with the writings of a woman who has been captured by the Gestapo. She is accused of being spy and is being tortured for information. She has agreed to write her story for them. The reader is unsure who she really is. The story is painful to read at times even though it is well written as the subject is dark.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein is fiction but a story that could have happened. The story is plausible and the characters are well written. Sometimes they are likeable and sometimes they are not - just like real people. My confusion was gone once I got to part two. This part is written by a different character and questions begin to get answered. I found myself going back and reading the spy's account over again, and thinking, "Oh, how clever," and "Oh, well done, Wein, well done." The writing is so vivid, I felt like I was watching a movie.

Books about the Holocaust are important, and I liked that this book is about the women who put themselves at risk for the greater cause. I loved the friendships in this story, and this is a book I would read again.

My neighbor, Marla called me last week and said that Jackie Simper donated 90 brand new Seuss books to her classroom. She only needed 30, so these will be in the next 60 packets that go to the NICU. They are beautiful full size hard back books. Thank you to Marla for thinking of  our project when she had books that needed a home, and Thank you to Jackie for donating these books. I appreciate you both.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.