From Author Rebecca Grabill

This Joyful Mess

A Secret Worth Sharing: The Secret Garden
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A Secret Worth Sharing: The Secret Garden

A book ahead of its times! The ending is so oddly in tune with contemporary thought on happiness and depression, Burnett could have written Burns’ classic self-help tome, Feeling Good. That aside, the timeless story is one of survival and friendship -- two little wretches who grow into healthy, strong, loving young people. Interesting isn’t it that research shows...

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Silly Old Bear! Winnie The Pooh by AA Milne
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Silly Old Bear! Winnie The Pooh by AA Milne

Bump, bump, bump on the back of his head. Winnie Ther Pooh. Haycornes and Heffalumps.

How many times have I read these charming stories to my own kids, skipping whole pages so bedtime doesn’t stretch on until 10pm?

The tone is gentle, paternal (without being didactic). And there’s a lesson to writers...

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One Bizarre Book: The BFG by Roald Dahl
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One Bizarre Book: The BFG by Roald Dahl

My first thought: wow! Dahl is on LSD! Which makes sense for an early 80s book (child of the 60s/70s). But no, not psychotropic drugs, just a little Freud and Jung with a dash of Platonic forms. Ok, on to at least one real thought: BFG’s fabulous voice of made-up words, rhythm and bizarre syntax that never muddles meaning. It is so vivid and real, and so surprisingly...

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Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very bad Day
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Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very bad Day

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1972.

Viorst respects the child’s world; her protagonist wakes up grumpy, gum in his hair, and as the day continues everything else seems to go so wrong...

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Bread and Jam, Peanut Butter and Pepperoni, Whatever
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Bread and Jam, Peanut Butter and Pepperoni, Whatever

Engaging the child within everyday family life. The lyrical text is sweet and gentle, reminding me of Rosemary Wells, and with it, Russell uncovers everyday details to engage the world of a child. The sorts of details that may drive a parent batty, but get at how closely children observe aspects of the world that appeal to or interest them. There is a deep understanding of...

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Purple Plastic Purses and Other Uses of Alliteration
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Purple Plastic Purses and Other Uses of Alliteration

Super-fast summary: Little mouse Lily has a crush on her teacher. She so wants to impress him with her new purse, but ends up disrupting class and being scolded. Her crush quickly turns to anger and she draws a cruel picture, but later repents and all is well.

The bigness of Lily's angst, like Ramona’s in the Ramona Quimby books, shows...

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Hi, I’m Rebecca. I write books and I write here at This Joyful Mess to inspire everyone to find JOY in the everyday messes of life. Here you’ll find inspiration, educational resources, and so much more. Please explore and connect. I’d love to hear from you!