I stand outside waving at the car pulling slowly out of our driveway. I force a smile, hoping it will cover up my tearing eyes, but I know it's not working. I run into the house, slam the door behind me, and begin crying. It's just occurred to me that I can't see my elder sister, Monsura, in the next four months.

    I ask myself why it is that I'm crying when I know she's doing something good for herself. I feel selfish for thinking about it but I'd be lying if I said I was happy for her choosing to study in a university in Boston. When my brother, Shafat, left for college, it was different. I still had one sibling at home to call me the stupidest person on a daily basis.

    I am reminded of the things we did together as kids. In our old two-bed-room apartment, our parents gave in to our constant begging and traded rooms with us for one night. It was like being part of the amusement park, using our parents' big bed as a trampoline (蹦床).It was during the first night that I witnessed a full moon. My sister and I believed my brother. He said that the moon was yellow because it was made from cheese. We made plans to visit the moon so we could melt a part of it and make cheese dip. But now I laugh at myself for being so innocent.

    Sitting in front of my computer, I listen to songs that remind me of my two best friends. I come to terms with the fact that there's no longer anyone here to laugh uncontrollably with me or to turn to at night when I have a nightmare.

    I'm shaken into reality by the sound of my cell phone ringing. Shafat is calling. I pick up and he immediately says “Thank you for such a great childhood.'' Those few words mean the world to me. We three-way call Monsura and spend the next hour reliving memory after memory, and by the end, I forget that I'm alone at home.

    An artist in Oakland, California is using his skills to help the homeless. Greg Kloehn builds very small shelters that make life on the streets a little more comfortable. The structures offer the homeless some safety and protection from bad weather. Each little house also has wheels on the bottom so it can go wherever its owner goes.

    Greg Kloehn has given away at least 20 tiny houses. Several are on the roadside near an active railroad. On a recent day, Mr. Kloehn stops at one to visit Oscar Young. The two men hug. Inside his little shelter Mr. Young gets relief from cold nights on the streets. Mr. Kloehn also visits Sweet-Pea, another friend who also lives in one of the little homes the artist built. She says it keeps her safe and protects her belongings.

    In the mornings, Mr. Kloehn searches the streets for building materials. He gathers what he can and takes it to his studio. There, he puts the houses together. Empty coffee bags become roof material. A washing machine door and refrigerator part become windows. Nails, screws and the sticky glue hold all the pieces together. The artist also attaches a small electrical device to the house. The device is powered by the sun.

    Some of the people living on the streets once had normal houses of their own. But some of the people say they have learned to live with less and they are thankful to that man.

    Mr. Kloehn says his work is not a social project. He says he is just someone using his skills to help his homeless neighbors.

    We asked more than 200 teachers,children's authors,and children's literature experts to name the best picture books ever.We made a list based on their advice.Here are some of the books in the list.

    If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff,illustrated by Felicia Bond

    Who it's for: Grades PreK-2

    What it's about: Oh,that hungry mouse.Once you give him the cookie,he will ask for a glass of milk,and then a straw（吸管）and then...The action is unstoppable!In the end,the mouse and the boy that gives him the cookie (and perhaps the reader) are extremely exhausted!With terrific pictures and a wonderful lead character,this book shouldn't be missed by little kids.

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson,illustrated by E.B.Lewis

    Who it's for: Grades 1-4

    What it's about: This is a story about a fence（篱笆）that divides a white neighborhood from a black one and two little girls whose need for play and friendship allow them to cross it.It has a very deep theme.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen,illustrated by John Schoenherr

    Who it's for: Grades 1-5

    What it's about: A classic example of child's expanding a simple walk into a glorious adventure.As a girl and her father hike through the moonlit night,the creatures they come across become exciting companions（同伴）for their owl hunt.

    The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

    The only wordless story on our list.

    Who it's for: Grades PreK-2

    What it's about:A great book to lead a child into reading.A fanciful story of a boy who makes and then befriends a snowman who both enters his world and takes him out for fun.

    When I was a little girl, I remember that when my dad was repairing something, he would ask me to hold the hammer, so we would have time for a conversation with each other. I never saw my dad drinking or taking a night out. All he did after work was taking care of his family.

    I grew up and left home for college and since then, my dad had been calling me every Sunday morning. And when I bought a house several years later, my dad painted it by himself in the fierce summer heat. All he asked was to talk to him, but I was too busy in those days.

    Four years ago, my dad visited me. He spent many hours putting together a swing for my daughter. He asked me to have a talk with him, but I had to prepare for a trip that weekend.

    One Sunday morning we had a telephone talk as usual. I noticed that my dad had forgotten some things that we discussed lately. I was in a hurry, so our conversation was short. Several hours later that day I received a call. My father was in the hospital. Immediately I bought a plane ticket and on my way I was thinking about all the occasions I missed to have a talk with my dad. By the time I arrived at the hospital, my father had passed away. Now it was he who did not have time for a conversation with me. I realized how little I knew about my dad, his deepest thoughts and his dreams.

    After his death I learned much more about him and even more about myself. All he ever wanted was my time. And now he has all my attention every single day.

    A food chain is a simple way of explaining how each living thing gets its food. For example, a simple African food chain might consist of three parts: first, trees and bushes; second, giraffes; and third, lions. Each link in a food chain is food for the next link. Food chains always start with plants and end with animals.

    Plants are at the bottom of the food chain. Scientists call them producers, because they use light energy from the sun to produce food from carbon dioxide and water through photosynthesis（光合作用）. Animals, unlike plants, can't produce their own food. Instead, they must eat plants or other animals. This is why scientists call them consumers.

    Consumer animals fall into three categories. Herbivores（食草动物）eat only plants. Carnivores（食肉动物） eat only other animals. Omnivores eat both plants and animals. In addition to producers and consumers, there are also decomposers(分解者).These organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, feed on decaying(腐烂) matter. They help the food chain by speeding up the decaying process that releases minerals back into the soil to be absorbed by plants as nutrients.

    Most food chains have only four or five links in them. As you go up a food chain, the amount of energy at each level diminishes, because some of the energy is lost in the form of waste or is used up by the organism at the level. That is why it takes many plants, for example, to feed a few giraffes who in turn feed one lion.

    Most animals are part of many different food chains, because they must eat more than one type of food to satisfy their energy needs. All of these interconnected food chains form a more complex structure called a food web. Humans, for example, are at the center of a very complex food web, because we tend to eat many different types of plants and animals.

    Attractions in Wisconsin

    Wisconsin Historical Museum

    30 N. Carroll Street on Madison's Capitol Square

    Discover Wisconsin's history and culture on four floors of exhibits. Open for public program. Admission is free.

    Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 am -- 4:00 pm.

    (608) 264-6555 www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum

    Swiss historical village

    612 Seventh Ave., New Glarus

    The Swiss Historical Village offers a delightful look at pioneer life in America's heartland. 14 buildings in the village give a full picture of everyday life in the nineteenth-century Midwest.

    Tue.—Fri., May 1^st —October 31^st , 10:00 am—4:00 pm. Admission is $20.

    (608) 527-2317 www.swisshistoricalvillage.com

    Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café

    6858 Paoli Rd., Paoli, WI

    One of the largest collections of fine arts and crafts (手工艺品) in Wisconsin. Over 5000 sp. ft. of exhibition space in a historic creamery. While visiting, enjoy a wonderfully prepared lunch at our café overlooking the Sugar River. Just minutes from Madison!

    Gallery open Tue. —Sun., 10:00 am—5:00 pm.

    Café open Wed. —Sat., 11:00 am —3:00 pm.

    Sun. brunch with wine, 10:00—3:00 pm.

    (608) 845-6600 www.artisangal.com

    Christopher Columbus Museum

    239 Whitney St., Columbus

    World-class exhibit–2000 quality souvenirs (纪念品) marking Chicago's 1893 World Columbian Exhibition. Tour buses are always welcome.

    Open daily, 8:15 am – 4:00 pm.

    (920) 623-1992 www.columbusantiquemall.com