shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com February 25, 2020 • Page 14 The Bookworm ... For Young Readers South Dakota Shakespeare Festival Announces 2020 Programming Children Will Get Attached To ‘Leash’ “The Invisible Leash” by Patrice Karst, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff; © 2019, Little, Brown and Company. 32 pages ——— BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER What can you see outside your window? Take a look: trees, cars, people, other buildings, things you can touch. And those things you can’t see? As in the new book, “The Invisible Leash” by Patrice Karst, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, you still know they’re out there, right? It was a Friday and school was over for the week, which made all the other kids excited but Zack was sad. He just wanted to go home, although he wasn’t sure why. Jojo wasn’t there. Jojo wouldn’t be there anymore. Jojo had been Zack’s best friend for a long time. They played games together and slept in the same room, they loved to go hiking, “and when the moon was full, they howled together as it smiled down upon them.” Life was best with Jojo, and though Mom and Dad told Zack that when the time was right, they could adopt another dog, Zack wouldn’t listen. No other dog would ever be as good as Jojo. Not. Ever. The only person who seemed to understand was Zack’s friend, Emily. She’d lost her cat, Roxie, a while ago and she told Zack how much she cried when it happened. And then she told him “the very best news ever!” It was a secret that her grandpa told her: when a pet dies, it’s still connected to you by an Invisible Leash. You can’t see it but “it’s the realest thing in the whole wide world,” Emily said. It “connects our hearts to each other. Forever.” Zack thought that was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard! How could there be a leash that connected him to who-knows-where when Jojo was gone? Jojo hated leashes, and he knew that Roxie was never, ever leashed. But Emily kept talking. The Invisible Leash, she said, connects all animals to their people, from beyond to here and back. When you miss one another, she said, you’ll feel the tug on the leash. You’ll know that your pet is with you because the tug feels “like love.” And if you’re not crying now, your soul is made of ice. That’s one of the odder things about “The Invisible Leash”: while the story here is a major comfort for children who’ve experienced the loss of a pet, it’s one powerfully emotional book for the adult who’s likewise lost the animal. Author Patrice Karst presents a concept that kids will eagerly (and easily) grasp, one that doesn’t feel one bit impossible for a child who’s used to worlds of pretend and imaginary beings. It helps that Zack and Emily are Every Kid, and that quiet delights are hidden-not-hidden inside the artwork by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff. Those things help start the healing as you read aloud. That is, if you can stop sobbing yourself. Yes, it’s that kind of book. As a companion to Karst’s “The Invisible String,” this story is perhaps best for kids ages 5-9, or for an adult who needs to read it. Find “The Invisible Leash,” but see to it that you bring tissues, too. VERMILLION — In May, the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival (SDSF) invites you to join in a week-long celebration of Shakespeare and the arts, including live performances of Shakespeare’s work; early modern music; a Shakespeare film screening; workshops for youth; and a wide array of community outreach events. These events will take place the week of May 17-24. All programs are “Free Will” donation. SDSF will offer several performances: • “Shakespeare Unplugged” is an evening of Shakespeare songs, scenes and sonnets to be performed at a local Vermillion destination. • “All for Will and Will for All” is a daytime, family-friendly performance of Shakespeare’s work, suitable for all ages. • With Shakespeare on Film, SDSF will screen a Shakespearean movie. • Finally, “Play On!” will feature live Elizabethan music by The Queen’s Pleasure. SDSF also continues its work providing educational and outreach opportunities to a wide range of populations. This will include a full day of theatre arts workshops for youth open to the public as well as outreach performances and workshops with SDSF’s collaborative partners, including SESDAC, Sanford Care Center, the Minnehaha Juvenile Detention Center and Upward Bound. SDSF will also offer some new community offerings this year, including an evening of Shakespearethemed trivia at the Dakota Brick House and Shakespeare-themed menus at local restaurants and pubs. In addition to this summer programming, SDSF will hold its eighth annual fundraiser, “Wine with Will,” on Friday, Feb. 28, at the John A. Day Gallery on the University of South Dakota campus from 7-9 p.m. “Wine with Will” is a fun way to support local art. The event includes wine tasting and hors d’oeuvre pairing, music presented by the Queen’s Pleasure, and a silent auction. This year, Wine with Will occurs in conjunction with the new exhibit “Ms.: Assembled Reformation.” Cindy Struckman-Johnson, USD Professor of Psychology, offered her collection of over 100 Ms. magazines and magazine covers from the 1970s-1980s to be created into a series of art works made by USD students, alumni and faculty. Semi-formal attire suggested. To reserve tickets or to get further information about the fundraiser, email company@sdshakespearefestival.org. To get more information about the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival’s activities for 2020, including dates, times, locations and details, be sure to visit www.sdshakespearefestival.org or check SDSF out on Facebook. the Missouri Valley Shopper In print and online! Read and Recycle www.missourivalleyshopper.com BULL SALES ONE OF THE BEST TO ONE OF THE BEST SELL IN 2020! ONE OF THE BEST TO SELL IN 2020! TO SELL IN 2020! ONE OF THE B TO SELL IN 2 ANNUAL BULL SALE | MARCH 9, ANNUAL B ANNUAL BULL SALE | MARCH 9, 2020 2020 1:00 PM CST | |STOCKMEN’S LIVESTOCK | YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA PM CST | STOCKM PM CST STOCKMEN’S LIVESTOCK | YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA 1:00 1:00 Selling Powerful Yearling Bulls Selling 40 40 Powerful Yearling Bulls Selling 40 WHY BUY FROM WHY BUY FROM NIOBRARA RED ANGUS? NIOBRARA RED ANGUS? 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