She won the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction at 28. She died last week at 81. Ten years ago, Sam Anderson gave a compelling description of Annie Dillard’s prize-winning book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, in The New York Times Magazine: “’Pilgrim’” unleashed upon the world Dillard’s radical style: prose right on the border of poetry, dense… Read more »
For Writers
A Shell Is Cozy by Dianna Hutts Aston
A Shell Is Cozy Today on “Take Five,” I’m recommending a nonfiction book for grades K – 4 called A Shell is Cozy, written by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long, published by Chronicle Books, 2023. Growing up, I enjoyed many summer vacations on Carolina beaches. I spent hours strolling the shore, toes in… Read more »
Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien
I recently discovered a gorgeous picture-book biography written and illustrated by Katie Wray Schon, published by Waxwing Books in 2025. Painting Wonder lifts us into the world of Pauline Baynes, the artist who illustrated C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and drew the Middle-earth map for J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Moving… Read more »
Adam Smith Knew We’d Love Jane Austen
Are you a fan of Jane Austen? Ever wondered why her stories remain popular with generations of readers and movie-goers? Adam Smith, the economist and philosopher, helped me see Austen’s genius in a new light. My daughter led me to this. She’d been studying Adam Smith in college. She told me about his insights into… Read more »
“Take Five” with Before We Stood Tall
Today on “Take Five” I’m recommending Before We Stood Tall: From Small Seed to Mighty Tree. This picture book was written by Jessica Kulekjian and illustrated by Madeline Kloepper (Kids Can Press, 2021). From the front flap: “Discover the extraordinary life cycle of trees—in reverse! From mature tree to young tree to sapling to sprout… Read more »
Tea of the Week
Cha Preto Pekoe Black Tea by Gorreana
My son and his fiancée brought me a box of this organic Portuguese tea from the Azores. It’s a lovely, smooth, refreshing breakfast tea!