Shhhh, I Have a Plan

This week I took off on a top secret vacation.  I needed to get some sun, some reading time, and some rest.  I took a giant selfish leap by not telling friends I was going to be near them.  (I guess maybe they will know now?)  Have you ever done this?  Man, it was worth it.  Sometimes people talk about being selfish as a bad thing but I really think that you do yourself a favor by being selfish every once in awhile.  This past week I was ridiculously selfish and I feel renewed.

Shhh, I had a plan to catch the sun.
Mission accomplished. 

Basil Pineapple Slushy.  Heaven. 

Who knew, there are still
places where flowers bloom?
Our garden bouquet.

Boston, as you all know, has been clobbered with snow. Before I left,  I reveled in the ridiculousness of it all and read some amazing books on the snow days.  Now my job is to catch up and tell you all about it.

The perfect book to start with is Chris Haughton's Shh!  We Have a Plan.  I picked it up before my secret vacation and about an hour after I got it from the library it was announced that it won a Cybil Award!  Talk about timing!

Haughton lets us in on a group of youngsters (siblings? friends?) who are walking through the woods with nets ready to catch something.  When they see a bird, the smallest kiddo says, "hello birdie."  "shh"  "SHH!"  "we have a plan." the others respond.  As they sneak up on the bird, they flub it up and the bird gets away.  After many failed plans, and many "shhhhs," it is the youngest who has a real plan.

The story is sweet.  It sits right on top of your heart as these companions try to work together and fail, making you chuckle.  I freakin' love the mostly shades of blue in the art work.  The only not-blue is the beautiful birds.  It is a beauty to look at and fun to read.  I can imagine using this in the classroom to come up with your own fan fiction...what would your kiddos have a secret plan to do?