Now that all the gifts have been unwrapped and all the guests have gone home, we finally get a chance to catch our breath and enjoy my favorite part of the post-holiday madness: sitting down with a hot cup of tea and looking at all the presents we so hurriedly tore open (and just as quickly dropped) so we could ask “what’s next?” In the flurry of activity that is Christmas Day, now I can actually take the time to see what my kids received and pore over their every detail. I must admit that the books they acquire are among my favorite gifts, both to give and to receive. I gave my mom the new Capturing Camelot book, since she is a die-hard Kennedy fan. And both of my girls were treated to series they love: The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That for the little one and the latest Dork Diaries titles for my 8-year-old. One book that didn’t make it under the tree, but landed on my desk in the days before the holiday rush is worth mentioning. How Long Can a Fly Fly? seeks to satisfy the most inquisitive observer of nature, from my bird-loving mom, to my butterfly-loving 4-year-old. Because it seems my kids are always asking me questions I don’t quite have the answer to, this handy “tell-all” offers me a little cheat sheet, so to speak, which means I wind up telling fewer fibs. (Who knew one little paperback would help me with my New Year’s resolution, too?) From how to bring more butterflies into our garden, to why my husband and younger daughter get more insect bites than my older daughter and I do, this book helps us to better understand the big, wide world in which we live. And that’s one gift that keeps on giving.
In a Nutshell: If your New Year’s resolution is to learn something new every day, this insightful book of 175 answers will help you get started.
