Special Places

We’ve all got them—“Special Places” that feed us, where wonder abounds and love surrounds. There isn’t a “one size fits all” for these spots, each is as unique as each of us are. Maybe wading in a creek with water rippling over your feet enlivens you; or riding a bike on a country trail, the wind in your hair; or cuddling up with your pup and a book on a blanket in the shade of a leafy tree, no schedules pressing in.

This month, Clover’s in a space she appreciates, and is happy to suggest August books that focus on favorite locales and the experiences they provide—fun-fed creativity, a sense of adventure and the comfort of belonging.

The Community Literacy Foundation, in partnership with Neighborhood Reads, and with support from its sponsors, provides these books at no cost to 38 schools in Washington, Union, Pacific, St. Clair and surrounding communities and to the Washington Public Library. Learn more at CommunityLiteracyFoundation.org.

Youngest Read

You can build or find one anywhere, inside or out. Author Katie Venit offers insight into the joys found in conventional forts and introduces readers to the wonders of forts found in nature. Her debut picture book “Forts” is a charming story that paints pictures with words, gloriously illustrated by Kenard Pak.

“The world is filled with forts. Tiny worlds within this world, safe as coat pockets,” the book begins, launching us into the forest to contemplate forts found there. A little brunette is our guide, walking us to a wondrous fort found behind a waterfall and to trees with “ancient hollows (that) glimmer with magic” providing hiding places for “gnomes or nymphs or fairies.”

Then it’s off to the backyard, where the girl enjoys the view from a fort in the trees, every kid’s dream come true, decorated inside with rocks and Crayola masterpieces.

Never fear if a day is gloomy with rain, forts can be inside too, “… under beds, behind curtains. The dusty space beneath the stairs,” all will suffice, or better yet, stack and arrange bunches of cushions to “create a castle.”

Though “Forts” is earmarked for children, the story is sure to awaken memories for adults as they reminisce about the good times they had as little ones, the pleasure and comfort found in spaces that felt cozy and wholly their own.

Buy the book at Neighborhood Reads

Middle Read

The heartwarming treasure of a book, “Home,” by award-winning writer, Matt de La Peńa, has the feel of a beautifully written poem as the author highlights the blessings of home, and the people within who mean so much to us.

“Home is a tired lullaby and a late-night traffic that mumbles in through a crack in your curtains.”

It’s our families who allow us the freedom to make and do, who encourage, support and guide us, points extolled in words and powerful, emotional-laden illustrations by Loren Long. The artist presents meaningful paintings of families being and doing in good times and families struggling in homes threatened by dire circumstances, highlighting the steadfastness that homes provide, no matter what.

“Home is not a house you leave behind you but the people who walk beside you.”

In this glorious book, by two masters of words and art, home isn’t so much a place as a feeling of safety, love and care, one for another, a gift we take along inside us, no matter where we go, as the days of our lives evolve.

Love is the cement that makes a house a home is the theme that runs through this heartfelt new book by the talented creators of the previous bestseller “Love.” Clover gives both books a perfect 10!

Buy the book at Neighborhood Reads

Oldest Read

The glories of nature thrill, comfort, and remind us to be still, to listen and observe. Quiet things awaken and push through the earth in a forgotten plot of land in “The Secret Garden.”

This classic, written 50 years ago by Frances Hodgson Burnett, delights again in an updated edition illustrated by Kate Lewis. Using spot art and full-page paintings, Lewis depicts the beloved characters, placing them in scenes that bring the garden, manor house and Yorkshire moors to life, embellishing them in rich shades of blooming color.

At the onset we meet Mary Lennox, raised in India, who at age 9 loses both of her parents to cholera. Mary’s parents, selfishly consumed with their own lives, left Mary in the care of servants. This affected the child, made her difficult and unhappy. Upon her parents’ death, Mary is sent to live with her guardian, Archibald Craven, an uncle in Yorkshire, England, whose family has inhabited the stately Misselthwaite Manor for more than 600 years.

When she meets her uncle, no joy is expressed. Archibald still grieves the death of his young wife 10 years before and spends little time at Misselthwaite. Mary, already difficult, finds herself on a huge estate with little to do, and no friends.

That gradually changes when Mary discovers a locked garden with a door covered over with ivy. It was a favorite spot for her uncle’s deceased wife. With the help of a common boy named Dickon, who has a special gift for growing things and befriending wild forest animals, the pair transform the neglected garden—restoration that offers a new start for Mary and a mystery character hidden away in the manor house.

Beauty abounds in this gorgeous read.

Buy the book at Neighborhood Reads

Written by Chris Stuckenschneider.

Copyright 2025, Community Literacy Foundation.