“Isn’t It a Wonder?”

“Free Week” again here and with it having been Christmas week, this year is anything  but free for me.

Family members are spreading, and I feel the need to make Christmas happy as long as I can for all of them, and keep the family ties going.

So, with travel, I have had little time to read and less time to write. I have been going through old favorites, re-reading Christmas stories, re-watching Christmas shows and movies. Had my day not fallen AFTER Christmas, I may have analyzed some of the Christmas stories, and maybe I will next year, (God willing). What I DID take time to do this past week, as I do every week when I visit my brother in Louisville, is hit two (mainly used) bookstores.

I didn’t take a lot of time there the past two visits; we simply could not afford to squander hours and since we usually go there weekly, (and this time, less than a week since the last trip), I went straight for the children’s section and there I found a brand-new copy of The Little Golden Book, “The Wonders of Nature.”

I have probably mentioned this one before, when we discussed well-loved children’s books. The one I had as a child was lost in a move of my family’s, along with a few other beloved books, after I was married. It had only been back in print in the last few years, and I have been meaning to order a copy. I am now overjoyed!

I cannot begin to imagine how many times I had my mother read this book to me when I was very little, and how many time I read it to my nieces. My kids who are in their 30s and my grandkids who are all now teens missed out, but when the new one comes and visits I will sit him on my lap and read this to him.

I am hoping to be able to see him soon; if the boy comes earlier than he is scheduled, I just may get to, albeit briefly. Still, he won’t be ready for a while for me to read to him, (or shall I say, his mother will not be ready for me to read to him. As far as I am concerned, they are never too young to be read to!)

The book is easily appealing to both boys and girls, as both are equally represented in the beautiful pictures throughout, along with the illustrations of nature.

If you do not know this Little Golden Book, and especially if you have little ones around you, I urge you to buy a copy. Most pages start out “Isn’t it a wonder…” and that is what I call it as a little girl. It ‘talks’ easily and understandably about everything from animals in the desert who don’t drink, or those in the jungle, where some never touch the ground, to sea cucumbers, coral and anemones  under the sea being animals, birds and fish migrating, how all plants grow from seeds, (some with wings and parachutes), and other wonders, including caterpillars turning into butterflies, or fireflies and fish with lights in their bodies, all the way to the end, where “Isn’t it a wonder that a little baby who couldn’t walk or talk or feed itself  should grow up to be you?”

We could all use sitting back and taking in the wonders of nature, and I found that I love this book as much as I did when I was 3 or 4.

May I also add that this book should appeal to anyone’s belief system. The theme is ‘Nature’, yet there is no explanations given as to why these wonders occur. I feel that faith is inferred, but that may just be me. Anyone reading this to a child can add any faith into the discussion, or not. (Frankly, tried as I might to be an atheist, the teachings on evolution are contradictory and missing too many parts for me, but if anyone is so inclined, they could go with that theme and let the loose ends fall as always.)

I wish all of you a wonderful continuing holiday season and a fantastic 2020!

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