My daughter loves the Frances books. You remember Frances, right? The little badger who wanted only bread and jam?

Tootie’s favorite Frances book is Best Friends for Frances.

She’s most intrigued by this passage:

“Let’s play baseball,” said Frances.

“I can’t,” said Albert. “Today is my wandering day.”

“Where do you wander?” said Frances.

“I just go around until I get hungry,” said Albert. “Then I eat  my lunch.”

Turns out Albert’s wandering expeditions involve “snake and frog work,” throwing stones at fences and looking for crow feathers.

When we finished the book Friday night, Tootie wanted to talk about wandering, or, as she put it, “wondering.”

I was about to correct her when I realized that Albert’s wandering is based on wonder, that wonderful childhood perception that all things are new and marvelous. A funny-shaped leaf, a puddle loaded with tadpoles, a robin’s newly hatched babies — all instill a sense of wonder in children.

“Let’s go wondering this weekend,” Tootie suggested.

And so we did.

Pinnacle Mountain walking path

My little explorer

Tadpoles!

And onward...

I love hiking. But I often miss things along the way because I’m so set on getting to  the destination — the waterfall, the top of the mountain, etc…

Children don’t let you rush by all there is to see. They make you stop. Look. And wonder.