The Elijah Door – Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge

The Elijah Door; A Passover Tale Written by Linda Leopold Strauss; illustrated by Alexi Natchev; Holiday House, 2012.  32 pages; $16.95 (hardcover); reading level:  ages 6-10. Long ago, in a small village that was “sometimes Poland and sometimes Russia,” the Lippas and the Galinskys lived in “side-by-side houses.”  They were fast friends whose children, Rachel… [Read More]

A Late Arrival at Downton Abbey

I confess. I arrived late to the Downton Abbey party. When season one began I was intrigued, but Sunday nights didn’t work for me. Then everyone was watching it and my contrarian instincts kicked in: Who wants to watch what everybody’s watching? When season two began I told myself I didn’t want to jump in… [Read More]

Connie to Speak at St. Paul School In Guilford, Indiana on February 28th

Connie will be speaking to the students of St. Paul School in Guilford, Indiana on February 28, 2012. Contact Connie if you would like her to to speak at your school.

A Pocketful of Posies; A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes – Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge

  A Pocketful of Posies; A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes Illustrated by Salley Mavor; Houghton Mifflin, 2010. 64 pages; $21.99 (hardback); reading level: ages 2-6. The artwork for this nursery rhyme collection is stunning. Mavor has lovingly stitched a variety of materials (acorn caps, stones, driftwood, buttons) onto wool felt to create scenes which were… [Read More]

Connie Wins Award at The London Book Festival!

On January 26, 2012, Connie accepted an award at The London Book Festival for Best Biography for The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton, two days after Edith’s 150th birthday. The 2011 London Book Festival Awards dinner was held at Grosvenor House, London – formerly the estate of the Earl of Grosvenor (1732), renovated into a… [Read More]

Tales of the London Book Festival and John Ericsson Events

If you want to find characters for a novel, there’s no better place to look than a writer’s event.  Since the January 26 awards dinner for the London Book Festival was an international gathering the “characters” were even more colorful:  A former Yugoslavian who spoke very little English, a tall-tale teller from Montana, a charming… [Read More]

Win a Signed Copy of When Esther Morris Headed West!

You can win a signed copy of When Esther Morris Headed West! just by liking Connie’s Facebook page. 2012 is a big year for politics and in honor of Esther Morris, the first female judge in the United States, I’m giving away a signed copy of my book When Esther Morris Headed West: Women, Wyoming and the Right to… [Read More]

A LOOK BACK… Happy 150th Birthday, Edith Wharton!

A 150th birthday is cause for celebration – and not just for one day! The Mount will be commemorating Edith Wharton’s 150th birthday throughout 2012 and you’ll want to keep an eye on events as they’re posted. While most people are impressed with Edith Wharton’s intelligence, it’s her boundless energy that continues to stun me…. [Read More]

Where’s Walrus? – Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge

Where’s Walrus? Written and illustrated by Stephen Savage; Scholastic Press, 2011.32 pages; $16.99 (hardback); ages 2-5. The gates to the zoo are open but, alas, there are no visitors. While the zookeepersnoozes, walrus sneaks away. In wordless two-page spreads, walrus eludes thezookeeper (belatedly awake) by donning various hats and blending in with a statue ona… [Read More]

Preschool Day Hooray! – Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge

Preschool Day Hooray! Written by Linda Leopold Strauss; illustrated by Hiroe Nakata; Cartwheel Books/Scholastic, 2010.  22 pages; $8.99 (hardback); ages 2-5. A simple, rhyming text follows a little boy through a day at preschool from the rush to get there (“Tick-tock clock/Makes Mommy scoot”), to various activities (“Painty hands and/Gooey glue”), to a tumble on… [Read More]