Hello dear children! This is your Canadian friend Kim! You must be super excited that Grandma Shelley is visiting again. I know that Grandma Shelley is excited for her visit and I am sure Helmy cannot wait to meet all of you. All of your friends here in Canada are looking forward to hearing about Grandma Shelley and Helmy’s visit! I hope we will get to see lots of pictures or videos of you!
I helped Grandma Shelley pack some of the suitcases for you and I have seen the clothes and wonderful books that she is bringing for “Julia’s Library of Love”. There are many special books in the library and I hope you will love them! I sure had fun looking at the books when I helped with packing them!
I have a secret to share with you. I LOVE books. I have an even bigger secret and maybe you will think that this is strange but I am 57 years old and I still LOVE children’s books. I don’t think you are ever too old to read a children’s book! I cannot wait to hear what you all think about your new library. I hope Grandma Shelley and Helmy will share lots of pictures of you and your new library with us!
Here is another secret! I am in a Book Club with 5 other ladies. All of the ladies in my Book Club love to read. We get together every month for a couple of hours, we eat some snacks, and we talk about the books we are reading. We talk about the characters in our books and the parts we liked about the books. Sometimes we share new information that we learn from our books too. It is so great to talk about books with friends! If you enjoy one of the books in “Julia’s Library of Love”, talk about the book with some of your friends. Share with your friends if you think that they would like that book too.
Did you know there is more than one way to read a book? Most grown-ups think that you just have to read the words in a book but there is another way to read! (Yes, this is ANOTHER secret!) Besides reading the words, you can also read the pictures! Pictures in books tell a story too—they show us what's happening and how characters are feeling. Sometimes, even without reading the words, you can understand the whole story just by looking at the pictures. So, next time you grab a book, try looking at the pictures first. It's like a treasure hunt for clues about the story! Reading both the pictures and the words helps us enjoy books in a whole new way. Maybe you and a friend can choose a book and read all of the pictures together!
Tesfa says that reading is freedom and I agree with Tesfa! Reading lets you travel to new lands, meet fun creatures without leaving Harar! Reading gives you the freedom to explore new ideas, learn about different people around the world, and dream big dreams. Reading is like having a superpower! I hope that reading books from Julia’s Library of Love will be like a superpower for all of you!
It is summer here in Canada and in the past few weeks, I have been planting some new plants in my yard. While I was outside planting one morning, I thought of all of you! I thought about your questions about strategies that help when you feel anxious about something and I realized that I needed to share something with you! Working with plants really helps me to feel calm! Plants have a magical way of calming me down when I’m feeling upset or worried. Have you ever noticed that it feels peaceful to sit near a plant, a garden or a tree? Plants give us fresh air and make our surroundings look beautiful and green. Taking care of plants, like watering them and giving them sunlight and watching them grow, can be like taking care of a special friend. Some plants that we grow in Canada even have gentle smells that make us feel relaxed. Have you ever heard of plants like mint or lavender. Mint and lavender smell so good. I actually just planted a tiny lavender plant beside my house. Do you have any plants that have a nice smell in Ethiopia?
Please enjoy your time and have lots of fun with Grandma Shelley and Helmy! I know that they will be giving you big hugs. Remember that the hugs from Grandma Shelley and Helmy come from all of us in Canada. We think you are wonderful!
Love from Your Friends Ink Friend,
Kim