Who doesn’t love a story set to music? And when you combine that with a 2000-year old amphitheater within the ancient city of Romeo and Juliet, you get an immersive adventure you can never replace.

It’s opera season at the Verona Arena in Verona, Italy, home to the world’s oldest and largest International Opera Festival. This past weekend, Sam and I sweated through La Boheme and remain giddy from the experience. It was hot. It was sultry. And I’m not just talking about the storyline.

Summer in Verona is no joke, but the beauty and soulfulness of the city, the food, and of course, the opera, make the Verona International Opera Festival one of a kind.

If you are thinking of going or wondering about logistics for attending an opera at the Verona Arena, I’ve written up a short guide full of tips and insights that I hope proves helpful.

Here’s the link, which goes to my old travel site, Tonga Time:

https://tongatime.com/attending-veronas-international-opera-festival-2026-personal-insights-and-tips

Pea Festival? Yes! In Italy, sweet peas are a huge deal. These little legumes mark the arrival of Spring, and are the co-star of a famous Venetian dish: Risi e Bisi (rice and peas). And Lumignano, a quaint little village a mere bike ride from Vicenza, Italy where I live in the Veneto region, just may have the best peas in all of Italia.

But the best part? This weekend, Lumignano holds a Pea Festival, an annual event which serves as a major inspiration behind my current read-aloud picture book (co-authored by Dr. Sam), EscapePeas! The idea of our space peas making their way to the festival in order to find the Queen and King of Peas served loosely to parallel Dorothy (and Toto!), the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion’s journey to Oz in order to find the Great Wizard. But like Dorothy’s crew, the peas just might discover that the answer to their problem was within them all along.

But back to Lumignano and its peas: This little village is so renowned for its peas that the Doges of Venice used to demand nothing much Lumignano peas for the Risi e Bisi dished served during the Feast of Saint Mark’s in late April. I found a recipe for Risi e Bisi, the link of which is posted below. Happy Pea Festival!

Risi e Bisi recipe: Risi e bisi: the recipe for the Doge’s first course | Visitvenezia.eu

Finding read-aloud, rhyming picture books that are just right for the kiddos in your life can be a tricky process, but professionally established tools such as Lexile® and F&P (Fountas and Pinnell Literacy) help take out the guesswork.

Penelope Pipp Publishing submitted the two picture books I’ve co-authored with Dr. Sam to get their reading levels analyzed, and the results are below!

Before I list them, it may be worth mentioning that reading levels and the intended age range for read-aloud books are not really the same thing. Why? Because books like EscapePeas and Theodore, The Sloth Who Wants to Race are designed to be read out loud by an older audience (adults) to a young audience (five years and up). It’s part of the intent behind the rhymes, somewhat advanced vocabulary and some “Easter Eggs” within illustrations–we want to adults to chuckle along with the kids!

But what if a child wants to take up a book to read on their own? Or if a teacher or librarian wonders what books might fit with certain age and classroom ranges? That’s where Lexile® and the F&P Text Level Gradient™ come in! Both companies analyze the text within books using different methods, and both produce reading level scores that are used by schools and libraries.

So without further ado, I present the newly-minted reading scores for EscapePeas and Theodore, The Sloth Who Wants to Race!

EscapePeas Reading Levels:

Lexile^® text measure 550L

F&P Text Level Gradient™ Reading Level M*

*(Also commonly referred to as “Guided Reading Level M”)

Where to find EscapePeas on Lexile’s Find A Book Database:

Paperback- https://hub.lexile.com/find-a-book/details/9798991058940/

Hardcover- https://hub.lexile.com/find-a-book/details/9798991058933/

Theodore, The Sloth Who Wants to Race Reading Levels:

Lexile^® text measure 660L

F&P Text Level Gradient™ Reading Level M*

*(Also commonly referred to as “Guided Reading Level M”)

Where to find Theodore on Lexile’s Find A Book Database:

Paperback- https://hub.lexile.com/find-a-book/details/9780988236974/

Hardcover- https://hub.lexile.com/find-a-book/details/9780988236981/

So What Do These Reading Scores Mean?

Lexile and F&P are both industry standards for measuring text reading levels, and the links below provide more detail on how they are analyzed and used. But the short answer is that BOTH Lexile^® scores (i.e. EscapePeas and Theodore) indicate a general reading range for primary school readers between 2nd and 3rd grade. Same for the Guiding Reading Level M!

So while our picture books are still meant to be read aloud to the young ones, it’s nice to know that the text complexity is also appropriate for educational content focused on primary school readers between second and third grades (ages 7 to 9).

Both books are now listed both with Lexile and F&P!

LEXILE®, the LEXILE® logo, and POWERV® are trademarks of MetaMetrics, Inc., and are registered in the United States and abroad. Copyright © 2026 MetaMetrics, Inc. All rights reserved.

Here’s a helpful link to Lexile’s Reading Level Information: Resource Center – LEXILE HUB

These titles have been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level Gradient™ Leveling System.

Here’s a helpful link to F&P resources: Fountas and Pinnell Information and Teacher Community

Library Talks: Jesse McCreed – H-FARM International School

1) Your stories follow teenagers who discover their strength while navigating extraordinary worlds. What inspired you to write about this moment of life, when everything feels possible and uncertain at the same time?

I think I have been drawn to writing about the preteen and teen years because that is when life takes a big shift. At least when I was young, everyone was keen to tell you how your hormones and your body would change, but for me, that wasn’t the biggest shift. The biggest shift was in my mind. It was how the simplicity of childhood and the (very often) one-dimensional explanations one receives for various aspects of life no longer fit.

It happens at different times for each of us, but I remember being around ten years of age, and feeling completely bewildered by the actions of others, and the incongruity between espoused values and actions. This observation opened a door for me, so to speak, where I grew increasingly curious about what was actually real, what matters, what is honest. And also, how does one face challenges and remain kind and strong and intelligent without becoming trampled or, alternatively, a bully?

As teen years went on, these questions grew increasingly important to me. I didn’t really realize it at the time, but it was through reading that my quest for these answers was not just permitted, but encouraged. In stories, you understand the unique plight of the characters, of the challenges they face, and of the repercussions that follow from their choices. At least in my experience, I never really had that kind of honest clarity when speaking to human beings in real time. Only in books do you gain that kind of insight. Books provide this magic key, not just to other worlds, but to the moral and psychological permutations in those worlds.

For the entire interview, click the button below!

I spent a morning inside Gelateria Artigiano Palladiano (dal 1994) watching Chanti and Michela turn crates of Italian fruit and local milk into silky scoops—no additives, just craft. From the 10-minute mix/churn rhythm to flavor classics like fresh Sicilian strawberry … or to complete originals like gorgonzola with honey and walnuts, it’s a masterclass in patience, pace, and joy (the same ingredients I chase in my stories). If you love behind-the-scenes process pieces—or just need an excuse to book a ticket—this one’s for you.

Prego!

Link to the full article on my travel journal on TongaTime: https://tongatime.com/discovering-the-bottega-storica-dal-toso-vicenzas-historic-copper-shop-and-artisanal-legacy/

But these stories remain hidden without people to share them.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor to visit Vicenza’s historic, artisanal copper shop: The Bottega Storica Dal Toso. Here, the Dal Toso family has been making hand-made copperware since 1886. They are one of the few remaining artisanal copper-smiths in all of Italy, and their unassuming bottega would hardly suggest the impact they have made on this beautiful City of Vicenza.

The tail of Saint Mark’s lion within Piazza dei Signori would agree. And thanks to Igino Alessandro Dal Toso and his father Luigi, I have that story to share.

Find the full article here, on TongaTime.com.

The Tre Cime di Lavaredo is an iconic symbol of the Dolomites: three craggy mountains rising above the plateau. The loop hike circumnavigating around these giants is beautiful and at six miles, doable for those who, like me, are more of a walker than a hiker.

But more importantly, it reminded me how essential it is to get out in nature and just move. No music to push you along. No crowds of people to interact with. Some intermittent conversation between you and your partner, but also the comfortable silence shared. Because it is in those moments of quiet contemplation that your mind flies free.

Ideas drop in so casually you may not even notice at first. That open air invites thoughts from every direction, but the peace of your surroundings provides a natural filter, deciding which ones should get through. Snuggle in. Germinate.

That’s what walking does for me. And apparently, I’m not alone. I found a few great quotes that I’m including below. So for all of those stuck in a story, try getting out for a stroll.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir

“Never trust a thought that didn’t come by walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

“The moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” Henry David Thoreau

Want an Itinerary for the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Loop Hike?

For anyone who is interested in a non-mountaineer’s experience doing the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Loop, including the itinerary and logistics for getting there, just visit my travel site at TongaTime for the full story!

Tre Cime Hike: A Dolomites Loop Trail with Easy Access and Epic Inspiration – Tonga Time

I finally got around to sharing a short video Sam took when we brought Liberty Frye to the feet of the Grimm Brothers. I thought I’d share it here as well, and in honor of the occasion, we’re running a free promo of the kindle version from December 25-27, 2024.

Here’s the Kindle link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0075SRW2E

Merry Christmas!