Little Free Library's New Mission and Baby Pygmy Hippo Cuteness

Welcome, back Substack friends to the happy place.

You can always find something to admire in this big, beautiful world.

Some good news about the once endangered gray wolf. From ZME Science:

“The last native gray wolf in California was killed in 1924. So, for almost a century, the Golden State went without this iconic species — until 2011. A male gray wolf started coming across from Oregon in 2011, becoming the first wild wolf in California in 87 years. Two more adults migrated from Oregon in 2015 and had five pups.

Slowly but surely, the wolf population in California grew to over 40, with a new pack being reported in 2024.

For conservationists, the wolf’s return is nothing short of a triumph. It represents a significant step forward in the broader effort to restore ecological balance across North America. The reintroduction of wolves has been proven to yield positive effects on ecosystems, from controlling prey populations to fostering biodiversity. California’s forests, rivers, and grasslands could all benefit from the presence of wolves.”

Have you heard of Little Free Library? “Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Our mission is to be a catalyst for building community, inspiring readers, and expanding book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Library book-exchange boxes.”

Little Free Library is taking an extra step for something awesome for books readers. From Good Good Good: “In a new partnership with the American Library Association and PEN America, this mission is clearer than ever.

Enter: Little Free Library’s new interactive book ban map.

As book banning continues to accelerate across the U.S., this map makes it easy to find data points about book bans — and encourages library boxes to function as a “vital distribution point for these restricted books,” according to a press release.

The map shows U.S. book bans on state and county levels using a color scale to show how many book restrictions are currently enacted in a given region. For instance, users can hover over the state of Florida and find 2,647 attempted book bans. 

Users can also utilize a search bar to search for specific book bans in an area.”

Uber-adorable animal news alert- Say hello to the 2 month old Moo-Deng, a pygmy hippo from Thailand. Moo-Deng means “bouncy pork”. AWWW. From Metro.co.uk:

“At just two months old, a pygmy hippo in Thailand has become a sensation online for her dramatic antics and sleepy demeanor.

Moo-Deng has been dubbed an ‘icon’ and ‘legend’ by Time Magazine, and has already amassed 2.5 million followers on her TikTok account.

She lives in Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand – and her name means ‘bouncy pork’.

The adorable hippo has siblings also named after pork – Moo Wan, which means Thai sweet pork; Pha Lor, which means pork belly stew; and Moo Tun, which means stewed pork.”

With Autumn upon us, it’s perfect for some apple-centric recipes. Over at The Kitchn, this recipe for Apple Fritter Cookies should excite:

For the cookie bars:

• Cooking spray

• 8 ounces crisp apples, such as Granny Smith (1 large or 2 small)

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 2 teaspoons milk

Your book recommendation for this week is from 2011- Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth by Mika Brzezinski.

It 's no secret that women have long been overlooked and under-compensated, and while great strides have been made in recent decades, the value placed on women versus their male counterparts is still consistently unbalanced. In "Knowing Your Value," bestselling author Mika Brzezinski takes an in-depth look at how women today achieve their deserved recognition and financial worth.

Why I’m recommending this book- Knowing Your Value gives great advice for women who are working and want to succeed. Mika is a great writer and very self-conscious about both her faults and positives in a world where women constantly have to work harder than their male counterparts.

Be bold, and passionate…

“Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.”- Jame Joyce