Wednesdays with Words: The Noonday Friends by Mary Stolz

Our bedtime read-aloud is The Noonday Friends by Mary Stolz, a book I chose for this month’s Newbery Through the Decades Challenge.  Thanks to the influence of the Brave Writer philosophy, I’m making even more of an effort than I already did to notice things.  I do believe that consistent noticing of literary elements over years of reading aloud will accumulate into a vast storehouse of literary knowledge for my children.  These paragraphs popped out at me as I was reading them aloud to my girls, and I simply stopped and briefly commented on what a lovely description this makes.

Pepi’s cart was piled high with apples, red and yellow, with huge black grapes dappled silver, with green and orange squashes shaped like barrels, and clusters of gold bananas hanging from a pole across the top.  At the end of the cart was a round basket full of bronze and lavender chrysanthemums.  Mrs. Davis gave them one longing glance and then looked away.  Sometimes they bought flowers, but this was not to be one of the times.

Tonight, arranged in long, frail wooden cartons, were bunches of dark purple Concord grapes, those grapes that come only in autumn.  When they are eaten cold the sweet-sour globe inside the dark skin bursts against the teeth and sends juices like wine trickling down the throat.  The very sight of them made Marshall’s mouth water. ( 51)

Mine, too, Marshall.  🙂

Have you noticed anything lovely from your readings lately?

Please like & share: