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We collect Lucie books, though the name is always spelled with the English “y” instead of the French “ie.” (She’s named after her French great-great-great grandmother Lucie and I’m named after my French grandmother, Anne-Marie, thus the “e” after Ann.) So when I spotted Lucy’s Secret at the library, I had to get it for our summer reading program time. In keeping with the Lucie theme, we also checked out two of Rosemary Well’s McDuff books, McDuff Moves In and McDuff Goes to School. (Lucy is the name of McDuff’s owner.)

The kids enjoyed the books, but it’s going to be challenging to find 30 minutes each day to read to them. I don’t think mid-afternoon is a good time since the kids were bored after 15 minutes. Yesterday, I read to them at 5 p.m. just before making dinner. There’s always bed time, of course, but I may try breakfast time, too.

With some planning, all three books would go along with some fun family activities. Lucy’s Secret is about planting seeds and waiting for flowers to grow. This book would go great with a little gardening or a visit to the local botanical gardens.

Both the McDuff books mention food. Vanilla rice pudding plays an important part in McDuff Moves In. And in McDuff Goes to School, Lucy brings a peach cobbler over to new neighbor, Celeste. McDuff Goes to School also features a lesson on how to say get down, sit, heel, lie down, jump, stay and come to your dog in French.

So let’s join McDuff and his owners Lucy and Fred in the kitchen. Here’s a quickly made - and enjoyed - vanilla rice pudding recipe from Kraft Foods.

15-Minute Vanilla Rice Pudding Recipe
Prep Time: 5 min
Total Time: 15 min
Makes: 6 servings, about 1/2 cup each

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups milk, divided
2. 1 cup MINUTE White Rice, uncooked
3. 1/3 cup raisins (optional)
4. 1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie

Filling:

1. Bring 1 cup of the milk to boil in medium saucepan.
2. Stir in rice and raisins; cover.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Let stand 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare pudding as directed on package with remaining 2 cups milk.
6. Add rice mixture to prepared pudding; stir.
7. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap; cool 5 minutes. Stir.
8. Serve warm or chilled.

Here’s an easy, no-pastry peach cobbler recipe from Texas Cooking Online.

Grandma’s Peach Cobbler
Makes 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2. 1 cup flour
3. 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1 cup sugar
6. 1 cup milk
7. 3 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches, with their juices

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Put the butter in a 9×13-inch Pyrex baking dish and put the dish in the preheating oven.
3. While the butter is melting, mix up the batter by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and milk.
4. When the butter is completely melted, remove the pan and pour the batter into the melted butter. Then, carefully spoon the peaches and juice evenly over the batter.
5. Return dish to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
6. As the cobbler cooks, the batter will rise up and around the peaches. (How cool is that?)

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