I walked the kiddo to school this morning and, my goodness, it was humid out. I'm happy today is a WFH day because I didn't have to walk another mile to get to the office. I would have been dripping with sweat. Instead, I came home and stood in front of my air conditioner for a few moments. 

Here's what else made me happy:

• Kiddo complementing my dress
• Hazelnut flavored coffee
• Chatting with my University's Admissions team about how they can "sell" the library to prospective students
• Kiddo celebrated her summer birthday at school and came home with a huge poster of compliments from her classmates 
• We (finally!) had a successful Tea Around Town trip
• Watched a few documentaries we could chat about
• Passing on some of our kiddo's things to a neighbor
• Kiddo adored sitting in the "big" part of the grocery cart and decide to do math in her new journal
• Neighborhood events

I read a lot of books with my kiddo. Kid Reads is a biweekly look at what we've enjoyed recently. ​

Unicornia: Learning to Fly and Unicornia: A Magical Birthday
​Ana Punset (author), Diana Vicedo  (illustrator)

Kiddo read the first two books in this series that we randomly discovered at the library. I was walking down an aisle and the title of the second book jumped out at me. (Kiddo loves unicorn themed books.) When we flipped through the book it was a mix of written chapters and playful illustrations. Kiddo is loving using these kinds of books to transition away from full-on picture books. Plus, the stories are really cute. Our library only has two titles in the series so I may splurge and buy what's available online.

Did you know after care is closing early the last day of school? Did you hear about the end of year party? Are you signed up for summer camp? Did you donate to this? Did you enroll for next year yet? Now? How about now?

Enough already!

Our school has been blasting the same messages across multiple platforms over and over and over again. I'm developing a tic from all the notifications. I'm also genuinely worried that something actually urgent is going to get lost in all the reminders.

Then again... the number of questions that get asked in the school WhatsApp group because people didn't read the emails....

Our general education team selected Lost in the City as the common read for 2026-2027. Every year, I read the book so I can make a reference guide. Knowing the text also makes it easier to help students when they come to the library with projects related to the book. Unlike some previous titles, I'm enjoying this one. It makes this part of my job a lot easier to do.

Here's what else was good this week:

• A beautiful few days of weather
• Big bushes of hydrangeas
• Went to the theater! For a date night!
• Getting my hands dirty repotting a plant
• Kiddo giving away some headbands she decorated to her friends
• Skipped a meeting I didn't need to be in
• Kiddo left a note for her dad so he wouldn't forget to bring her a treat
• Knocking several nagging small projects off my to-do list

Valley
Stacey McEwan

I should finish this tonight or tomorrow. I was bummed that the beginning was so repetitive. It was chapter after chapter of characters complaining while walking. At least that was broken up with some flashbacks. We finally made it past that point a few chapters ago.  That has made the story so much better. Also, this book is suffering from the romantasy trope of “the heroine is everything."  That said, I’m enjoying my read. I very much like that some bit players are getting a lot more depth in this conclusion to the series.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

Another round of titles I found whilst perusing a bookstore.

Kaetrena Davis Kendrick is a regular keynote speaker at library-related conferences and events. She’s all about wholistically improving the profession of librarianship.

One thing she often talks about is “glimmer gathering.” This is the idea of saving, in some way, the moments of goodness in your life. It’s a mindfulness practice that helps you notice, appreciate, and share positive experiences. The goal is to build a deep well of emotional well-being you can draw from.

I love this idea, but I’ve waffled about saving my glimmers. I’ve started - and deleted - folders on my phone more times than I can count. Same thing on my desktop. I even started (and deleted) a folder on Google Drive. Small things make me happy, and I want to save them - BUT - I’m also very much someone who doesn’t like keeping things forever. I hate clutter, even digital clutter. These two sides of my personality are constantly at war.

I keep coming back to this question: if I’m not going to revisit these items, what’s the point? The whole purpose of glimmer gathering is to remember those moments.

Then, this week, something obvious hit me: a Pinterest board. (*forehead smack*)

I review all my Pinterest boards monthly. I scroll through every pin, board by board, organizing material and deleting anything I’ve finished with or that no longer serves me. This review is a habit I’ve already built into my calendar.

So this week, I started a Glimmers board. It only has a few items on it so far, but I’m excited to watch it grow - now that I know I’ll actually be coming back to it.

Just now, I randomly decided to make some visual changes to my Content Prompt newsletter. It shouldn't be too much work moving forward and I think it will bring some visual interest to my page. 

Here's what else made me happy this week:

• Giving the kiddo a "new" hairstyle for school
• Dinner with the girls
• Finally getting back to the pickle bar!
• Enjoyed a lavender latte
• Saw squirrels, a chipmunk, a bunny, and a kitty on a walk
• Knocking out more needle projects than planned
• Beautiful blue skies after many days of rain
• Kiddo being thrilled to buy a toy with her tooth fairy money

Yesterday, a reference question landed in my inbox. One of our faculty members is working with an educational program this summer and was looking for free children's books to hand out to families in attendance.

Every kid should have access to books at home. Studies have shown that simply having books within reach improves literacy rates. (Here's a recent open access article about just that!) When kids have access to books, something shifts. This book is mine. These words are mine. This story is mine.

I am all about getting more books into kids' hands. Here are some places you — or your organization — could reach out to:

• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: If your city participates, any family can sign up. We did this and our kiddo received one book a month from birth until she turned five. Some titles are available in bilingual Spanish-English editions.
• Little Free Libraries: Many little free libraries (particularly those near schools) have a few kids or young adult books.
• Parent List-Servs and Groups: Most cities have a few of these. Just ask for books. Most parents are happy to pass along titles their family has outgrown, especially if you're willing to pick them up.
• Library Sales: Most book donations don't end up on library shelves — they go toward sales that raise funds for the library. Children's books are always well-represented, and grab bags of titles are often marked way down.
• Goodwill or other resale stores: You can grab a lot of titles for a little price.
• Garage Sales: When people are downsizing, books of all types come out. You may find a single title or entire libraries.
• Curb Alerts: Neighborhood groups and list-servs will often post curb alerts for free items. Kids' books show up more than you'd think.
• No Buy or Swap Groups: Platforms like the Buy Nothing Project let people post items they're giving away for free.
• First Book: One of my favorite nonprofits. They provide new books and resources to educators and organizations serving kids in need. 

If you have other resources or ideas, please share!

I read a lot of books with my kiddo. Kid Reads is a biweekly look at what we've enjoyed recently.