The Travel Book

Indian Summer

Summertime studies for the likes of us – 

India, Incredible India, an A+ book by Jasbinder Bilan, content well matched with Nina Chakrabarti’s A+ graphics.  Clever premise:  a young lady, “Thara”, and Nanijee (nanijee – totally great word – translates to maternal grandmother), sort through grandmother’s treasure box, which is filled with souvenirs from every state and territory in India.  Page by page, we learned facts about each area and souvenir, then located the state/territory on the included map.  Every night, my son and I were drawn in by the exuberant illustrations positioned among splashes of vibrant colors.  We would read anything by this team.

While Mrs. Coverlet was Away, by Mary Nash.  I subject my son to this book every August because it is funny, imaginative, and champions the concept of self reliance.  Spoiler alert:  chapter 15 includes such a poetic passage, transporting us on a lazy summer’s day to the town swamp for turtle hunting.  The story gets us ready for our Mary Nash December read (Mrs. Coverlet’s Magicians). 

Nicolaus Copernicus, by Mariana Swift.  Oh, we do like this man (1473-1543) who had the nerve to propose the heliocentric theory.  Big shocker, Copernicus was not in the good graces of the church, but did he shy away from enthusiastically explaining his observations?  NO!  Role model!  Copernicus published his groundbreaking book, “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres”, at age 70.  Role model!

The Travel Book (a Lonely Planet Kids book).  We started this quirky fact book January 1st (with Canada) and finished August 1st (with Kiribati). One page every night, one country every night. (and BTW, I just took an online geography quiz and correctly identified 26 countries out of 30…before this unit I probably could have pinpointed about 9 countries).  Study unit highlights:

Welcome to our “Travel Book” Quirky Awards Ceremony:

Quirky Fashion Accessory Award, Grand Prize Winner:  Lithuania develops a signature perfume “Scent of Lithuania” (2011)
Quirky Global Citizen Award, Grand Prize Winner:  Global Seed Vault – entirely funded by Norway (officially started in 2008)
Quirky Destination Award, Grand Prize Winner:  An underwater post office! (Vanuatu)
Quirky Flag Design Award, tied for Grand Prize Winner :  A completely awesome hat (the symbol of Lesotho’s main ethnic group) is emblazoned on the Lesotho flag


Quirky Flag Design Award, tied for Grand Prize Winner:  Nauru is located just south of the equator and their flag is a model of brilliant simplicity.  See what I mean? 


Quirky Sob Story Category, Grand Prize Winner:  Awww, Nauru.  In the 1980’s, this country experienced a huge economic boom when they were able to sell  phosphate (used in fertilizers) (from scrapings of BIRD POOP).  Alas, they did such a good job of scraping the rocks of the guano, that there was no more phosphate to sell. Economy collapse. Heart breaker.  At least they still have that well designed flag.

A summer school cooking class story problem from the local diner – Chef Hank’s theme this year:  “It is all about the POTATO”.   The agenda:

Monday – twice baked potatoes
Tuesday – the secret of hash browned taters
Wednesday – Vichyssoise, co-hosted by the high school French teacher, Miss Suzette
Thursday – home-made potato chips and dips
Friday – cottage fries and the diner’s famous bar-b-que sauce

Well, who doesn’t want to improve their potato skills?  The diner kitchen has room for 15 students (and there is already a waiting list with 10 names on it).  This is a most popular class.

1)  If the class runs from 10 am until noon, how many hours will the students be in the diner’s school during the week?
2)  If the chef needs an hour of preparation before each class, for how many hours will the chef be paid at the conclusion of the week?  
3)  If the chef earns $20 an hour, how much will the chef earn for his potato week efforts?
4)  If students pay $40 tuition for the week long cooking class, will that be enough to pay the chef?
5)  If the supplies for the week run $100, will that be covered with the tuition income?
6)  If Miss Suzette is to be paid $20 an hour for 3 hours of work on the Wednesday, will that be covered by tuition? (answers at bottom of post)

Music to conclude the evening:  Impression from India

Ravi Shankar’s “Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra”, movement 3 (composed in 1971), performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andre Previn.  The first minute and a half of this piece is calmly exotic, then we are abruptly treated to the energetic, frenetic sound of the sitar.  What a thrill ride!  What a way to introduce my son to the sound of this complicated looking instrument!

The Beatles, “Norwegian Wood” (1965), the first piece of western pop music to use the sitar. George Harrison studied with Ravi Shankar and the unique sound of the instrument was woven into this piece in a decidedly tame (but decidedly lovely) manner.

Léo Delibes, “The Flower Duet” from his opera of 1883, Lakmé, which takes place in 19th century India.  No sitar in this at all, but oh, the harmonies in this simply dazzling duet.  I can find no evidence that Delibes ever traveled to India, so this might be a case of “write what you don’t really know”.  It is still stunning.

Welcome to the best part of my day!
 – Jane BH
(story problem answers:  1)  10 hours     2)  15 hours     3)  $300     4), 5), and 6) yes)

But I digress…

When my sister and I were kidlets, Saturday nights would find us accompanying our parents to a neighboring home, where the adults would play bridge for hours.  Well, this family’s house was a salute to the bland tones of beige (yawn) and sort of a tannish color (double, NAY! TRIPLE YAWN).  And other than a rather large set of ornately carved wooden salad servers – hung on the wall as an art piece – there was NOTHING interesting going on in this house.  Anyway, courtesy of these long nights in Neutralville, here is what beige means for me:  NO CREATIVITY HERE.  NO INDEPENDENT THINKING HERE.  LET’S PLEASE MOVE ON.

But I digress.  Our current book basket is filled with the work of wildly independent, creative thinkers.  Not a beige tone in the lot.

No Beige Here:  “The Adventures of Miss Petitfour” (book 1), written by ridiculously gifted Anne Michaels, charming illustrations by Emma Block.  This is a collection of short stories concerning Miss Petitfour and her 16 cats, but for us, this book is about the glorification of words.  Words we know but forget to use. (Example:  Miss Petitfour and team enter a FESTOONING competition, not a mere “decorating” competition.)  And the cats names!  Our favorite is Purrsia.  PURRSIA.  This might be the first book we have ever read spurred on solely by the author’s mastery of fanciful vocabulary.  I was thinking feline adventures might hold little appeal for my son, but when I asked him if he thought we should order book number 2, he immediately scribbled “YES”.

No Beige Here:  “The Boy Whose Head was Filled with Stars (A Life of Edwin Hubble)”, written by Isabelle Marinov, illustrated by Deborah Marcero.  Lately, my son and I have been comparing photos sent from the Hubble Space Telescope (launched 1990) and the JWST (launched 2021).  So, a BIG YES to a book about Edwin Hubble (1889 – 1953).  INSIDER SCOOP:  Hubble’s father did not want him to study astronomy.  WHOA.  REALLY?  INTERESTING.  Was he concerned that astronomy would not provide a steady income?  Was it for religious reasons?  Hmmm.  Anyway, Hubble acquiesced and taught high school, coaching a basketball team until his father died, then Hubble scrambled back to astronomy. 

And we learned that he “only” managed this: TWO NOTEWORTHY DISCOVERIES:
1) the universe is so much bigger than we thought (even during his studies, the brightest scholars thought the universe was “limited” to the Milky Way).
2) The universe is getting bigger all the time. 

The book concludes with a focused reflection from the author:  
“It is this cosmic perspective that I’ve tried to convey through Edwin’s story, a perspective that is lost on so many of our world’s leaders.  Planet Earth is nothing more than an infinitesimal fraction of a mote of dust in the vast cosmic tapestry.  Maybe one day, this realization will help us overcome our narrowness of perspective, which lies at the root of so many of our earthly problems?”

No Beige Here:  “Old School”, by Gordon Korman.  Oh, we do love Korman’s books (I think we have read “Schooled” 5 times).  In this book, middle schoolers experience becoming united for a cause, find surprising connections with senior citizens, and among other things, they learn about WWII code breakers/shuffleboard/the pleasures of a restorative cup of tea.  This was a thought provoking story that we looked forward to reading every night.   And my son learned the double meaning of the term, “old school”.

No Beige Here:  Reporting in on our around the world tour – 

We are still LOVING this unit, brought to us by the Lonely Planet Kids, “The Travel Book”  .  Since last post, we have journeyed around the Arabian peninsula,  (took a Wikipedia detour to learn where vast supplies of oil actually come from – not dinosaurs as we were thinking, but ancient fossilized mini marine life)(as loads of people know, just not us), have studied the STANS:  Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (we learned that “stan” means “land of”).  We are now heading toward Australia and Oceania.

Favorite new things we’ve learned:

Pakistan:  Jingle Trucks  (definitely NO BEIGE here!)

Jordan:   Royal Desert Forces (police) ride camels

Nepal:  We love this country’s flag (the 2 triangles symbolize the Himalayan mountains, and the 2 major religions – Hinduism and Buddhism)

Qatar:   Best in the good will category:  Qatar created the largest flag in 2013, then had it recycled into 200,000 book bags for school children distributed around 60 countries

Easy story problem from the Local Diner!  There’s a new Saturday night special at the Local Diner!  Date night calls for a bit of sophistication, so the diner is now serving table-side tossed salads!  Oh, the glamour!  What prompted this was that the diner’s chef’s cousin’s brother-in-law,  Mr. Hank, has gotten into whittling and has carved up a dozen pairs of wooden salad servers, which he is selling for $20 per set.  They are just gorgeous.  The diner bought them all,  6 to use for the table-side service and 6 to sell on a trial basis.  If they sell well, the diner will order more.

  • How much did the diner pay for 12 sets of salad servers?
    A)  $120     B)  $144     C)  $200     D)  $240
  • If the diner sells the sets of the remaining salad servers for $30 each, how many more sets of salad servers can they order from the profit?
    A)  3 sets     B)  9 sets     C)  12 sets     D)  1,000 sets
    (answers at bottom of post)

No Beige Here:  Orchestral Offerings – Three rambunctious, bold, imaginative pieces:

Bamboula, composed by New Orleans native, Louis Moreau Gottschalk in 1848.  First of all, the name:  a bamboula is a type of rum barrel drum as well as being a word one would want to say over and over.  This is a longish piano piece, but as we are getting used to it, we love it.  This is the exact recording we listen to – 

Cantina Band, composed by John Williams in 1977 for Star Wars IV.  Inventive, toe tapping, the ultimate quirky background music for the ultimate quirky bar scene –

The Wild Bears, composed in 1907  by Sir Edward Elgar as part of his “The Wand of Youth” suite.  This enchanting short piece transports us into the middle of a children’s raucous hide-and-seek activity.  The chaotic conclusion is perfection.  No beige here –

Welcome to the best part of my day!
– Jane BH
(story problem answers:  D)  $240 and A)  3 sets)

Stat Chat

The Statistics:  How many books did we read in 2024?

Number of books started:  53
Number finished:  46
46 might seem commendable, but my friend Shannon made it a goal to read 1,000 books to her toddler grandson in 2024.  On December 24th they shared book number 1,000.  Whoa.  Shannon!  You are making us look like slackers!
Number abandoned:  5
We do not believe that we would be better people if we continued to read books that did not entice. 
Number still being read:  2
Number of fiction books:  19
Number of non-fiction books:  34

Books to be re-read because they rank high on the awesome scale:
The Labors of Hercules Beal, Gary D. Schmidt
Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums, Bob Eckstein
The Mona Lisa Vanishes, Nicholas Day
While Mrs. Coverlet was Away, Mary Nash
Mrs. Coverlet’s Magicians, Mary Nash
Schooled, Gordon Korman
Home of the Brave, Katherine Applegate

Our very very favorite reads of 2024:
Fiction:  The Labors of Hercules Beal, Gary D. Schmidt
Non-fiction:  The Mona Lisa Vanishes, Nicholas Day

Currently reading:

– Marine One, by Colonel Ray “Frenchy” L’Heureux.  Compellingly written.  We are learning what it takes to be in charge of the US presidential helicopter (always referred to as “Marine One”, as presidential helicopter transport falls under the management of the US Marines).   These helicopters are so well maintained and the pilots are so well trained that since its first commission (1947) there have been NO accidents or mishaps.  New concepts for my son:  Marine boot camp – hovering – a squadron – a lift package. 

– The Travel Book, a Journey through Every Country in the World, a Lonely Planet Kids book.  So, first question:  as of January 1, 2025, how many countries are there in the world?  Sorry, trick question:  an internet search has totals ranging form 195 to 257.  (sigh)  In The Travel Book, 204 countries are showcased  (each gets a single page of facts and quirky points of interest), so we are going with 204.  We are learning about one country a night and finding its location on our globe.  We should be reporting back in a little less than 7 months.

Reading Comprehension:  Since last report, my son is still smiling over our Clem and Clyde stories.  Latest antics involve:

sports fans – treasure hunting – whittling – Halloween socks – Thanksgiving napkins   
orchestra membership – creating a dazzling Christmas tree

The Poetry Project:  memorization is coming along for the three poems we began with (“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, “Keep a Goin’”, and “The Swing”).  Newest addition to the unit is “Sea Fever” by John Masefield.

New new new!  We are starting to do VERY EASY crossword puzzles!  Santa brought a book that looks youngster-ish, but I am guessing that whomever put it together had some sort of teaching background.  It advances from the simplistic to mid-level difficulty crossword puzzles at a thoughtful pace.  My son is experiencing success and likes delving into this book.

A Long and Complicated Farmer Brown Story Problem:  

Weather is chilly in January on the ranch, so Farmer Brown decided to purchase 4 pair of thick wool socks for each of his 5 farm hands.  The socks cost $30 per pair, but the “Sock Hop Sock Shop” was having a special deal for the month of January:  2 pair of socks for $50!  
– So, Farmer Brown purchased how many pair of socks?
a)  4 pair     b)  5 pair     c)  20 pair     d)  30 pair
– And how much did Farmer Brown pay (not including tax) for his farm hands’ socks?
a)  $120     b)  $150     c)  $200     d)  $500
– And how much more would he have paid if he had bought the socks in February?
a)  $100     b)  $50     c)  $30     d)  $20

But here is the thing:  Farmer Brown was so busy chatting with his old friend Hank (you know, of Hank’s Harmonica Orchestra), that instead of buying MEN’S sized socks, he purchased WOMEN’S sized socks and there was a “no return” policy on the “special deal” merchandise.  So Farmer Brown decided to donate the socks to the town’s silent auction fundraiser (to repair the roof on the town’s bingo parlor) and had to return to the “Sock Hop Sock Shop” and buy the right sized socks for his farm hands.
– How many pair of socks did Farmer Brown purchase when all was said and done?
a)  8 pair     b)  20 pair     c)  30 pair     d)  40 pair
– How much did Farmer Brown spend (not including tax) buying all the socks (good thing it was January!)?
a)  $1,200     b)  $1,000    c)  $350     d)  $80  
(answers at bottom of post)

Classical Music to Welcome 2025 – 

La Réjouissance, movement IV, from Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks”, composed in 1749.  This is a robust fanfare worthy of welcoming 2025.  Should the occasion arise where we require a fanfare, this piece would be the one –

Pines of the Appian Way, movement IV, from Ottorino Respighi’s “Pines of Rome”, composed in 1924.  We join the composer trudging through discord, sorrow, darkness in the first half of this movement, but the back half of the movement – OH!  An overwhelming and lengthy crescendo gives reason for turning from sadness and welcoming the glories a new year can bring –

Sunrise, movement I, from Ferde Grofé’s “Grand Canyon Suite”, composed in 1930. This  music reminds us of the sheer privilege of welcoming a new day (and why not a new year?).  Bird song at the beginning of the piece is the first hint that all is going as it should be going – and it is NONE of OUR doing.  Sunrise in the hands of a higher power.  We have added “Sunrise” onto our Sunday night classical music list –

Welcome to the best part of my day.
– Jane BH
(story problem answers:  c)  20 pair, d)  $500,  a)  $100, d)  40 pair,  b)  $100.  Inspiration for this story problem:  my husband gifted me with 4 pair of MEN’S SIZED wool socks for Christmas.  Ooops.)

P.S.  My biggest news!  I was part of a BBC Radio 4 program that was broadcast on New Year’s Day!  The program series (“Soul Music”) presents superbly constructed half-hour episodes that focus on a single piece of music.  “Sailing By”, composed by Ronald Binge in 1963, was chosen for the New Year’s Day show.  It is a composition that is well recognized by British citizens as it is played every night before the late shipping report broadcast.  I have written short thoughts about this sweet slumberous waltz in 3 different blog posts.  Anyway, if you have a spare half hour, here is the link.  My raspy/twangy voice is positioned about 2/3rds into the program.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0026999

and here is the entire piece –