Tall Reader brought A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, edited by Maria Popova & Claudia Bedrick, to me some time ago and then after I read it, it took me some time to figure out what I wanted to say. I will say … amazing … thought-provoking … inspiring … It’s no surprise that the editors are readers, and feel that reading shaped their lives, but did it do so for others? That was the spark for this book and they reached out to (taken from the intro) “artists, writers, scientists, and cultural heroes of various stripes” and asked them. The result was this wonderful collection of letters. Each letter has a unique work of art, too. Reading is empowering!

There were women in the film industry (and later tv) much earlier than you might think. They were uncredited, of course! Learn about many of them (and some from present day, too) in Renegade Women in Film & TV, by Elizabeth Weitzman and illustrations by Austen Claire Clements.

It’s no secret that I read a goodly amount about dogs (although I can be rather picky ….) so I was not surprised when (Definitely) the Best Dogs of All Time, by Jadan Carroll and illustrated by Molly Dyson, practically jumped off the shelf and into my hands! :-) This is a nice collection of dogs from mythology, fiction, and real life and why they are among the ‘best dogs’! There’s Buddy, the first seeing eye dog (see post of February 18, 2014 for the full story of this amazing dog); and the She-Wolf of Romulus and Remus; dogs who have been elected mayor; and Oddball … the first of the dogs that protect the penguins on Middle Island.

Reading Hermit With Dog