... To Grandmother's House We Go

Wherever you look this time of year, the world is full of images of family gatherings and special moments. Whether it's a television ad or a favorite photo, we are often transported back to a special place or time of holidays long ago. As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving and then (quickly) move toward selecting those "just perfect" holiday gifts, it seemed like the perfect time to offer you the perfect gift idea.

This morning, I opened an auction for Janet Mary Sinke's picture book collection, My Grandma and Me. The winner will receive a complete set of the books (four in all), personally autographed.

The auction runs from 21 November 2005 until 9 December 2005. Some of you may recall that we tried an auction earlier this fall, and between technical difficulties and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our effort was for naught. That's okay, because all things happen for a reason ... and the reason is that the Spirit was waiting for me to finish crafting Nonna's Voice.

This project first came to me this spring, as I was trying to find a fitting way to give tribute to my Grandmother--an incredible woman passionate about reading--through The Reading Tub(tm). Through the summer and early fall, life kept me from moving forward with it. Now, finally, on the anniversary of celebrating her passing, the framework is finished and a plan is in place. Launching Nonna's Voice will be our principle project for 2006. The auction proceeds will be the seed money to jump-start this initiative.

For those of you who don't know her, Janet Mary Sinke is a grandmother who, shortly after being diagnosed with Parkinsons, started writing stories about grandparent-child experiences. Her books, called the My Grandma and Me series, are just exquisite. They are picture books, they are poetry, they are art ... they are incredible. I spoke with Janet to see if she was interested in partnering for this project, and she was immediately on board. I also learned in that conversation that her grandchildren also call her Nonna (Italian pronunciation, just as we do).

Here are two links from our site that will introduce you to Janet and her work.

http://www.thereadingtub.com/files/interviews/author_janet_mary_sinke.html
http://www.thereadingtub.com/grandmas_treasure_chest.html

To learn more about Nonna's Voice and be part of the auction, go to these links:

http://www.thereadingtub.com/grandma_and_me_auction.html
http://www.thereadingtub.com/nonnas_voice.doc

The auction runs until 4 o'clock (Eastern Standard Time) on Friday, 9 December 2005. This will ensure that you receive your personalized books before Christmas.

Happy Holidays, The Reading Tub(tm) Crew

... To Grandmother's House We Go

http://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2005/11/to-grandmothers-house-we-go.html