Wild Tulips

by Beth Bruno

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0970843003
• ISBN13: 9780970843005
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Elizabeth Bruno
• Length: 169 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Humorous and Heartwarming Parenting Essays

Beth Bruno really knows families, and she really knows writing. Melding these two areas of her greatest expertise, she has recently published her first book, "Wild Tulips." Each chapter begins with a vividly-described vignette drawn from her life or from the experience of one of her children or other relatives, and concludes with an insight into human nature. For instance, the section "Late Bloomers" starts with the story of her now-grown son's attention difficulties in kindergarten and first grade, and ends with a reflection on teacher-student "styles" and the necessity for parents to be advocates for their children. She says, "Significant differences between student and teacher learning styles or personalities may strongly affect learning outcomes for individual students...Parents usually know their children best...Cooperation and persistence will most likely lead to effective changes." Beth Bruno's style is conversational and friendly, and she tells a good story. The details she describes, like "I rolled a sheet of 4" x 6" paper into an Underwood manual typewriter" and "Geoff and David scampered down the hill to the family garden, opened the chicken-wire gate, and began snacking on plump strawberries, lettuce, and sugar snap peas right off the vine," draw readers into the scene of the tales. At the end of each vignette is a piece of wisdom or advice-never heavy-handed-but one which readers can often apply to their own lives. The author writes with honesty about the mistakes she has made, as well as about the satisfactions and joys she derives from her family and her work. Many of her pieces are grounded in family values from a gentler, slower time: kids riding their bikes around the neighborhood instead of watching TV, extended family vacations at a cabin on the shores of Lake Michigan, mother-child talks over a sink full of dishes. Yet she is never saccharine: she acknowledges marital conflicts, strong-willed children, and the need for discipline. Her candid style does not gloss over the fact that it is difficult being a stepmother, parenting a teen, or raising an infant. Beth Bruno has spent decades as a daughter, granddaughter, wife, mother, stepmother, teacher, and counselor, and each of her roles as a student of human nature deepens the wisdom from which she draws her writing. Each brief section of "Wild Tulips" indicates that the author lives fully and thoughtfully. She is a close observer of the people around her-ranging from an employer (a former SS commander) for whose daughter she acted as nanny, to a lively four-year-old who would rather count dead flies than answer assessment questions--and she recounts her wide-ranging experiences with them in a way that makes the reader ponder, wipe a moist eye, or chuckle. Wild Tulips' unifying metaphor is that of a flower garden, the essays falling under such chapter headings as "Seedlings, " "Nutrients, " Harvest," and "Pests." Each piece is 1 ½ to 3 pages long; readers can sample s

Humorous and Heartwarming Parenting Essays

Beth Bruno really knows families, and she really knows writing. Melding these two areas of her greatest expertise, she has recently published her first book, "Wild Tulips." Each chapter of her book begins with a vividly-described vignette drawn from her life or from the experience of one of her children or other relatives. Each concludes with an insight into human nature. For instance, the section "Late Bloomers" starts with the story of her now-grown son's attention difficulties in kindergarten and first grade, and ends with a reflection on teacher-student "styles" and the necessity for parents to be advocates for their children. She says, "Significant differences between student and teacher learning styles or personalities may strongly affect learning outcomes for individual students...Parents usually know their children best...Cooperation and persistence will most likely lead to effective changes." Beth Bruno's style is conversational and friendly, and she tells a good story. The details she describes, like "I rolled a sheet of 4" x 6" paper into an Underwood manual typewriter" and "Geoff and David scampered down the hill to the family garden, opened the chicken-wire gate, and began snacking on plump strawberries, lettuce, and sugar snap peas right off the vine," draw readers into the scene of the tales. At the end of each vignette is a piece of wisdom or advice-never heavy-handed-but one which readers can often apply to their own lives. The author writes with honesty about the mistakes she has made, as well as about the satisfactions and joys she derives from her family and her work. Many of her pieces are grounded in family values from a gentler, slower time: kids riding their bikes around the neighborhood instead of watching TV, extended family vacations at a cabin on the shores of Lake Michigan, mother-child talks over a sink full of dishes. Yet she is never saccharine: she acknowledges marital conflicts, strong-willed children, and the need for discipline. Her candid style does not gloss over the fact that it is difficult being a stepmother, parenting a teen, or raising an infant. About parenthood's lifelong, fulltime commitment, she says that beginning with the birth of a baby, "Spontaneity is history." Delighted as she has been with her own years as a parent, she still cautions against unrealistic expectations: So, just remember, all you teenagers and young couples who romanticize parenthood. Think twice and be prepared. Because when you say, "Hello, baby," you simultaneously say, "Goodbye, freedom." Beth Bruno has spent decades as a daughter, granddaughter, wife, mother, stepmother, teacher, and counselor, and each of her roles as a student of human nature deepens the wisdom from which she draws her writing. Each brief section of "Wild Tulips" indicates that the author lives fully and thoughtfully. She is a close observer of the people around her-ranging from an employer (a former SS commander) for whose daughter she acted

In Beth Bruno's Garden

Beth Bruno's "Wild Tulips" takes us through the seasons in the garden of life, taking clippings from her experiences as a child, young adult, wife, parent, educator, psychologist and writer. "Wild Tulips" is sprinkled with anecdotes from her own, her family's, friends'and clients' lives that show how precious this garden is though it may be occasionally invaded by pests. It is cultivated with wit and Bruno's common-sense philosophy of life. Readers, no matter what their stage in the garden, will harvest a greater appreciation of the wonders of life.

Are Thre Wild Tulips Growing in Your Family Garden?

It is rare to find a book that tells so much about family life in such a clean, clear style. Beth Bruno's book, Wild Tulips touched me in a number of ways. As the fathter of a 12-year old girl and a 16-year old boy, I need all the advice on parenting I can find in order to maintain my sanity. While I too have been subjected to "racoons" attacking my metaphorical family garden I never knew how to properly deal with these pesky creatures. Bruno's book offers valuable insights into the dos and don'ts of getting through the rough patches that plague every family garden. Mike Covello