Mary fell in love with London in the early morning. She had always enjoy walking and her shawl kept out the chill. The city spread around her like a magic carpet of discoveries. She pitied Annie, still fast asleep, willfully missing it all.…
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Life
She was terrified - of the city, the new life, the new work and all those strangers. But fear was part of what made Mary cling to life so tightly. And life was ice-cold today, and bitter, and strong as the iron rail. It was sharp on her tongue…
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Star-sailor and Space-sailor
An astronaut is a "star-sailor". "Astronaut" comes from the Greek words "astron" meaning "star" and "nautes" meaning "sailor". The Americans invented the name. The Russians had "cosmonauts", not "astronauts". "Kosmos" is ancient Greek for the universe…
"Maria" for Seas
Does the moon have a face? It looks as if it does. There are dark patches on the moon called "maria". "Mare" is Latin for sea, "maria" for seas. But there's no water on the moon. And so there are no real seas either. The "maria" are flat areas…
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Chinese Dragon and European Dragon
Look around in a Chinese restaurant. You'll see dragons everywhere. They bring light and good luck. A Chinese dragon has magical pearl in its beard, which the dragon protects. The dragon also protects people from harm.
European dragons are ugly…
Terrible Lizards
Some people used to think that the fossilized bones of dinosaurs really belonged to giants. In China these fossils were thought to be the bones of dragons. People believed the bones had the power to heal.
Not until the 19th century did scientist…
Saturday, May 13, 2017
The Crow's Nest
Seafarers need to be able to see a long distance. Otherwise they won't spot an approaching ship until too late. Or they'll accidentally sail past an island.
The higher you are, the further you can see. The highest place on a ship is the top…
Pirates and the Buried Treasures
Pirates are sea robbers, bandits with boats. They raid other ships and steal the cargo. Or sometimes the whole ship.
Pirating is old, as old as seafaring itself. But its heyday began in the 16th century. Ships laden with goods sailed between…
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Being Knighted
It takes a long time to become a knight. You start when you're about seven. Then you become a page. You no longer live with your parents but instead with another noble family in a castle. You help the knights and wait on the ladies. And you have…
Everyone Wanted to Become A Knight
Knights lived in the Middle Ages, around one thousands years ago. A knight fought in the service of a lord. His job was to fight. A knight was more than a soldier. He was a warrior on horseback. His charger, or war-horse, was strong and courageous.…
Forced to Work
The word "robot" comes from "robota", which is Czech for "forced to work". Robots make our life easier by doing difficult or heavy jobs. A robot's work is very precise.
What Dog Knows, P46
Sylvia Vanden Heede, illustrated by Marije Tolman
ISBN…
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)