IN MY LIFE. By Thomas Dresser. Red Lead Press. Spring 2009. $17, softcover.

Young love in the sixties. These five words summarize In My Life, the brief, quirky and charming novel by local author Thomas Dresser. Set against the backdrop of the turmoil of the bygone decade, In My Life tells the story of Rusty and Jodie, two teenagers in central Massachusetts whose blossoming love is colored by the sexual revolution, rock and roll, and the draft board.

Renny Smith is a beautiful child. His golden ringlets, dark eyes and vivacious demeanor elicit smiles from anyone who meets him. Just shy of two, he is a healthy, spirited toddler bubbling with energy. For his parents, Richard and Melissa Smith, his vigor is a precious gift, a testament to the dedicated staff at Children’s Hospital in Boston and the Island community that supported the Smith family through Renny’s perilous first year.

Animal Planet takes viewers on wildlife adventures around the world, from the Himalayas to the jungles of Borneo. Tomorrow — Nov. 29 — the cable channel’s popular Dogs 101 program will take them to Oak Bluffs. At the center of the segment are Paul Buckley and Russell Shapiro, two sixth graders at the Oak Bluffs School who will share the screen with a show of adorable Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers.

Gardening is a combination of art, science and love. Jennifer Slossberg, founder of Garden Angels, has blended the three into an organic landscaping company that turns gardens into aesthetic marvels with a delicate ecological footprint.

In her one woman show The Big Boot, writer Jenny Allen takes a candid look at the cancer diagnosis that turned her life upside down and sent her on a soul-searching journey through complex internal landscapes. Rather than wallow in maudlin bathos, the play combines wit, humor and insight to frame the illness in a humane context audiences can relate to.