This book, Lily’s second, was created as a gift for my mom moments before we walked out the door to go to her house. These pre-outing bursts of creativity are becoming quite the norm around here. While the rest of us are looking for shoes, making bathroom stops, and filling water bottles, Lily’s to-do-before-we-go list always seems to include some form of spontaneous artistic expression.
Sometimes it’s leaving a drawing or note for the fairies – Have I mentioned before that we share our living space with many beautiful nature spirits??? — but often it is creating a gift for someone we are visiting that commands Lily’s full attention.
I will admit that I am not always enthusiastic about these projects. It is challenging as I am trying to get us out the door to pause and focus on spelling. What comes next after, E, Mama? Then what? Great. Now can you help me draw three male African elephants?…
But I always love the end result. I love seeing Lily’s interpretation of the world around her and how her brightness shines through her art. And I love that she comforts herself and returns to her center multiple times a day with artistic expression.
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A Beautiful Day to Walk. Words and Illustrations by Lilia Hope Goodman. Writing of words by Erin Barrette Goodman.
One day a girl went out of her brick house to take a journey in the forest.
She went into the woods where the fall leaves were changing a lot.
She hadn’t gone very far when she saw a beautiful meadow, and she said, “Oh I guess I came to the wrong place,” because she was going to her grandmother’s house instead of a meadow.
She walked farther on. “Ha. Ha. Ha.” she laughed, because it was funny to see a cow’s tail instead of its head.
She walked even further along until she saw a horse. “That’s my favorite animal,” she said. She said “Neigh” and the horse said “Neigh” back and she ran towards it.
She thought that saying “Neigh” to herself was so silly so she said, “Neigh. Neigh. Neigh.” and the horse said, “Neigh. Neigh. Neigh.
The end.
