“If you want kids to be smart, read them picture books. If you want kids to be very smart, read more picture books.”
Grandmas peace and quiet is contagious to everything around her and everyone who visits. I spent summers as a child on my grandparents farm in South Dakota. The quiet during my visits are what I remember most.
Cridge Mumbly spreads all the plants and weeds seeds to the entire world - except Johnnies apple seeds. The world is much more than apples. Text from page 3 "His name is Cridge Mumsibrosispa. But, he mumbles when he talks so they call him Cridge Mumbly. He plants everything by thump-throwing seeds into the wind."
Grandpas tall tales give Bapi great ideas as they walk to his first day of school. "How old are you today Grandpa?" "You won't believe me Bapi. I'm the very first grandpa and I saw the first of everything. I'll tell you all about them on the way to school."
Animal helper Bapi is not ready to go to school until her mom gets her a new backpack and lets her pack-up her whole room.
The prospect of meeting new kids, learning new rules and the transition of leaving home for the whole day is scary. Bapi's mom helps her grow-up like she helps the baby animals.
An entire town goes on a train ride - stores, homes and even the town tree. The trip cures their boredom and fills their tummies. Text from page 5 'Good Mayor Dufrain had a thought in his brain. As he thought it he wrote, then he spoke from his note. "We need to travel" he said as he read. "I know. I know, a word we all dread. What most of us do, is we sit and we stare. No one comes here so we must go there!"
