Favorite Children's Books Pt.2

I am continuing on with part 2 of my favorite children's fiction books and what made the cut on my new limited space shelves.  I probably should give a list of what didn't make the cut, but that would be more challenging.  Those books are in boxes.  Truly 2/3 of this collection was boxed!

Some of my children were horse lovers.  Dorothy Lyons is one of the few authors that writes horse stories for girls.  These books always include a guy friend but there is no romance.  They are hard to find as they are very collectible.  I buy them whenever I see them.  George MacDonald only made it with two of his books.  He was a 'mentor' to C.S.Lewis.  His books are OK, but his theology is a little mixed up in my opinion.  Only two of his books made the cut.  Everybody is familiar with Patricia MacLachlan because of the TV specials.  She wrote 'Sarah Plain and Tall' and several others.  I have enjoyed the books. 'The Bears of Blue River' is an old book that is recommended by Ambleside Online.  My children have enjoyed it.  'Caroline and her Kettle Named Maude' is an American classic of historical fiction. 'Snow Treasure' by MacSwigan is one of my personal all time favorites! It is the story of how some Norwegian children saved the countries gold from the Nazis during WWII by taking it down a mountain on their sleds.  I bet I have heard or read that story at least ten times!!!

On this shelf is probably my all time favorite children's author... Stephen W. Meader.  You know he is good because he is hard to find and is VERY expensive to buy!  Apparently many others found him to be a favorite.  My favorite of his books is 'Trap Lines North'.  It is the true story of two brothers in Northern Canada who have to keep their family fed by running a trap line.  The book includes photographs of the two boys and some of the critters they hunted.  This is a book that I have read several times to the children, usually during a blizzard!  His writing is in the fashion of Horatio Alger.  A young man works hard and is able to start a business and grow it.  There is always some adversity to be faced.  Many of his books are historical fiction and a few are sports or animal stories.  These books have been reprinted but still cost $35 a piece.  Keep your eyes open for these books at book sales and resale shops!

Cornelia Meigs writes historical fiction.  Several of her books made the cut.  They are not as great as some, but she does fill a few holes in my historical fiction timeline.  Ralph Moody is a great author, and probably should not be on the fiction shelf.  These books are his autobiograhy of growing up in the early 1900's with most of it spent out west.  He was a cowboy and a lot of other things.  He also has the theme that hard work and good morals pays off.  Our family has all these books on the computer and we listen to them regularly.

'On to Oregon' is another wagon train kid's literature classic.  Farley Mowat is a good author who writes about life in the north.  'Lost in the Barrens' is a story about two boys who get lost out in the middle of the Arctic and how they survive.  It is a good adventure story.  He also wrote a couple books about his rather unique childhood.  He writes about his dog and living with owls.  He also wrote a number of adult books. Some of his books are hilarious, especially the ones about his boyhood. I did read them out loud to the kids as there was one or two slightly objectionable things in them.  Thus they didn't make the cut for the kids shelves, but you shouldn't skip them.
Elizabeth Nesbit writes a lot of fantasy literature for children and is a classic author.  I never really developed a taste for fantasy reading, I am more an adventure story person, but those who do like these things find her writing excellent.

Howard Pyle writes about a lot of different topics.  He is an old time author.  He writes about the days of yore when King Arthur was still at the Round Table and  there were knights and pirates and Robin Hood and mythology.  The writing is definitely a cut above as far as vocabulary goes.  My son T-Bob is an excellent reader but found the going almost too hard as a nine year old to handle these books. He still tells me that it was a mistake to give them to him then and he likes this kind of literature.

Kate Seredy is an author that should be known by all people suggesting books for kids.  She writes historical fiction with an eastern european flavor.  She writes about the time during WWII, and how it effected family life there.  She has a very strong catholic christian belief.  These are good stories that really hold your attention.  Make sure you are aware they are sequential but can stand alone as well.  'Five Little Peppers' is another story about life in a family.  Just comfortable fun.  There is a whole series of books, but we got tired of them and didn't make them through more than the first couple.  Elizabeth loved "Lazy Tinka' when she was a four year old.  I read it out loud to her.

Of incidental note, C.S. Lewis series, 'The Chronicles of Narnia' did make the cut.  It is on Elizabeth's school shelf to read together with me this year.  Several other classics are on her shelf to be read.  Feel free to ask me questions if you think something is missing that you would have kept or you wonder why it is here.

I guess I am going to have to do a part III in order to get all my favorites in.  This is getting too long!

Various Thoughts

This winter we had the most gorgeous ice storm. I took pictures of it and posted them in an earlier blog. Tonight I am posting what it looked like a couple days later when the sun came out. I really couldn't believe how long the ice stayed on the trees. It was really beautiful. Our God is the most awesome Creator.

What have the Mangos been doing? Yes, we spend a lot of time working on speech and debate. I end up assisting and critiquing the children as they prepare. Our next tournament is April 7-8th. We are looking forward to it. Monday nights, Roger usually takes the three almost oldest children to the club meeting. The rest of us stay home and have some quiet together. What did we do tonight? Joan studied her macroeconomics as she has a CLEP test on Wednesday. T-Bob worked on dishes while he listened to 'With Wolf in Canada', a G.A Henty book that we have on CD. He loves the Henty books and is always reading or listening to them on CD. It is amazing how much history he learns this way. Elizabeth and I played games on the computer and read some books. We played Poppit and Sara's Cooking Class. We 'baked' a Chicken Pot pie and a carrot cake. She is much better and faster at working the mouse for these games than I am.

We are now into our third and final semester of school. We hope to be done before the end of May. I will write up our study plans for this semester as a separate blog post. Everybody seems to be coming along well. T-Bob is especially enjoying his reading books this semester. He enjoyed 'Little Women' so much that we have moved on to 'Little Men'. I find it harder to build up their love of reading with all the technology around. It was so much easier when the other children were young. I do sit and read with Elizabeth quite a bit which we both enjoy. She has finished 'Farmer Boy' and now we are working on "On the Banks of Plum Creek'. She also really likes 'Paddle to the Sea' by Hollings Clancy Hollings (What parent would ever name their child that, REALLY?!!). She is a big poetry fan. Her current favorite is A.A. Milne. (Of Christopher Robin and Pooh fame).

If I want them to read, I have to set them a good example. I have been reading more lately. Some just for pleasure, light stuff and some more profitable. A book I got for Christmas was 'Love and Respect' by Dr. Eggerich. It is a book that I wish I would have read 24 years ago. I am planning to give it it's own blog post. I also am reading 'Large Family Logistics'. I am almost finished with it. I will probably blog about that also. (Can you blog about a book that was really written as a series of blog posts originally?) My reading tastes are varied. I enjoyed a book called 'Dead Men Do Tell Tales'. It is a book by a forensic anthropologist. He tells about a number of different crime skeletons that he was involved in solving the cases for, Even when they attempted to destroy the body. If you are a CSI fan, you would really enjoy this book. Crime is not always pleasant, but it isn't too graphic and there are no language issues. I am currently reading a missionary biography about the Logan family in Africa. As my DH says, "This was when men were men, nothing wimpy about those missionary guys!" This is one I will probably read to the children. I have been rereading for the umpteenth time my Stephen W. Meader books. They are such great stories. Very collectible because they were the favorite books of so many of us in our youth. I especially love his historical fiction. I have read (or reread) a couple G.A Henty lately. A well written children's book is a great way to spend an evening.

I am excited because I recently bought a new memory card for my camera. I am hoping to be able to do a bit more videotaping of the children's speeches as well as taking more photos without having to stop and download them to my computer.

My parents are in the Philippines and my Dad promptly got bronchitis which turned into pneumonia after he arrived. He also had a bad fall in the San Francisco airport. A little old Asian lady was dragging her suitcase behind her and then quickly cut across right in front of him. He took a tumble and ended up with bruised wrists, hip and very sore ribs. Nothing broken, but when you have very sore ribs, pneumonia and coughing is just that much worse. He went and had blood work and chest x-rays in Manila. The total bill was under $20. Of course you had to pay at the time of service. Please pray for my parents, that they would recover and be able to enjoy their remaining four weeks there.

~Mom

Some 'New' Books

I recently stopped into a Mennonite resale shop. I checked out their picture books and found some keepers for $.50 each. They were all hardbacks. Here's what I found....

' The Wentletrap Trap' by Jean Craighead George. This one is a nice story about a family and a boy trying to catch a Wentletrap. I have written about Jean Craighead George before.

'Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?' by Jean Fritz. Jean Fritz has a whole series of books with questions in their titles. They are about different American founders and American history. They are written for 2-3 graders.

'Walter Raleigh' by Ronald Syme. Ronald Syme is an author who writes about explorers. I have never seen any other topic addressed by him. His books are also written for 2-3 graders as read-alones. They are early chapter books.

'Swimming' by Leo Lionni. This is a picture book about a bunch of little fish working together so they appear to be a big fish. This would be a good read aloud to a child as young as 2 and a four year old would still like it. I never ran across this author/illustrator before.

'Chipmunks on the Doorstep' by Edwin Tunis. This is a great 'twaddle free' book about chipmunks. It would be nice to use with any kind of nature study. I think a 2-3 grader could read this book independently. Edwin Tunis is the author/illustrator. He has written a number of books about different types of vehicles, weapons, and American history. The other books are written for 4+ graders. If you ever see a book by Edwin Tunis, pick it up. They are very well illustrated with detailed pencil drawings. He gives a lot of good information in story form. My boys really like his books.
~Mom

A Cultural Paradigm Shift and How It Effects Children's Literature

Don't let the fancy title stop you from reading this article, especially if you have children who like to read.

We have a large collection of children's books in our home, about 4,000. I try and collect books written before 1960. Why? Let me tell you...

People who were born prior to 1945 ( the WWII generation and before) were taught, by their parents and society, that the most important thing about a person was what he did. To do right in the face of danger showed that you were a brave and good person, the kind of person we looked up to and respected. These ideals were written about and demonstrated in children's literature. We were taught that hard work paid off and that a good man honored and cared for the women in his life. Horatio Alger books all talk about the unfortunate young man who, through hard work and diligence, is able to become successful. My favorite author growing up was Stephen W. Meader. All his books show young men doing right for their country and family, even when enemies tried to dissuade them. Consider Jules Verne and his book, 'Micheal Strogoff' as another example of the person that does right even when it is very hard. There are many others. In fact, most books held to these values.

The 1950's happened, and rock n' roll, peaceniks, drugs and the whole counter cultural movement suddenly hit the scene and took over. It totally changed how society thought and what it valued. There are some clear examples from the political front. Ronald Reagan had a biographer who was given total access to him. He had the run of the White House and could talk to him almost any time and observe. When his book was published and the author was being interviewed, he was asked how well he had gotten to know Ronald Reagan. To the surprise of all present, he told them he didn't feel like he got to know him very well. When quizzed as to why he believed that, he replied, "He never told me how he felt about things." George Bush published his 'Memoir and Letters' after he left the White House. The press came to him and asked him why he hadn't expressed his feelings on these different things before. They said they might have been more sympathetic if they had known. George Bush looked at them and told them that 'it didn't matter what I felt, it was what I did that was important.' He was our last president of that World War II generation. I miss those manly MEN. Our next president was the infamous Bill Clinton. We all remember his frequent statements expressing his feelings. He would say, "It's not important what I do, but how I feel about it that matters." That is the huge cultural paradigm shift that effects almost every area of our life, even children's books.

Today, the authors of children's books focus on the character's feelings rather than their doing the right thing. Bad behavior is excused if the person intends it for some good purpose. Most characters are egocentric and care too much for their physical appearance, rather than on the needs of those around them. These are the values that are communicated to children as they read these books. 'I am the most important thing in the universe and there are no absolutes.' This is possible, because we no longer have any knowledge of biblical values, history, and the hero tales. Today's authors have not read the classics and this is reflected in their writings. The books are shallow and poorly written. The vocabulary is simplistic and the plot is obvious. At best they are cotton candy for the mind; Slightly entertaining, but poisonous to the health in any large quantity. I hate to say this, but even most Christian authors today are just as contaminated in their mindset as their secular counterparts, others are just pure pap. Parents, read any 'Christian' book before you put it in the hand of your children! I am afraid that many of the ones I have read have ended up in the trash, before the children get their hands on them. (Yep, I am a book 'banner'; you should be too!)

[One christian author that writes well and tells a great story is Douglas Bond. (No relation to James :-) ). He has written the Mr. Pipes stories about the Hymns and the Crown and Covenant Series. We have really enjoyed reading them aloud as a family, as well as individually.]

On a related but totally different topic.... Beware, these ideas have infiltrated the church and you will hear them from christian people. I even had one guy tell me, that he was trying to help his girlfriend escape a bad family situation when he got her pregnant! Somehow, the fact that he was trying to help her, made it OK. It is ALWAYS right to do right and wrong to do wrong, no matter what you are trying to accomplish. They are the 10 commandments, not the 10 suggestions!

What we and our children read DOES impact our thoughts, so make sure and put in truth!

I will now crawl off one of my favorite hobby horses and close this post.
~Mom

Cereal Killer - A Giveaway!

I was raised in a home where the pun was the highest form of humor, so the title of this book made me laugh and intrigued me. 'Cereal Killer' by Alan Watson is a well written and entertaining book about the dangers of a low fat diet and what you should be eating to be healthy. Did you know that heart attacks were virtually non-existent prior to the 1920's and the advent of corn oil, vegetable oils and margarine? How can this be, when your medical doctor is telling you that low fat is necessary for heart health? It is time to look at the facts. Mr. Watson goes through a lot of very well written and documented books ('Good Calories, Bad Calories' by Gary Taub; 'Know Your Fats' by Mary Enig, 'Nutrition and Physical Degeneration' by Weston A. Price, and others) and simplifies them and makes the information in them understandable. He has one of the best simple explanations of cholesterol that I have seen. It is nice that at the end of each chapter he tells you which book he was basing it on. He gives you information on another book on the same topic if you want to do further reading. If you are confused about the role of fats in your diet you will find this to be a very helpful book. I am handing them out to patients right and left. My children have found this book interesting and I find them reading through some of the chapters often and I haven't assigned it.

If you would like to win a free copy of this book leave a comment and I will mail one to the winner (We will select a winner randomly) . I will close the opportunity on Friday May 14th at 5 PM EST.

If you don't win, and would still like a copy I will be happy to mail one to you (continental USA only) for $10 shipping and handling included.

~Mom

Norms and Nobility Ch 1 Pt IV

Scattered Thoughts

"Could the activity of thinking as such, the habit it examining whatever happens to come to pass or to attract attention, regardless of the results and specific content, could this activity be among the conditions that make men abstain from evil-doing or even actually 'condition' them against it?" Hannah Arendt (1978)

Platoists would answer this question with a yes.

This section of Norms and Nobility gives one insights into a weakness of Classical education based on one of its foundational underpinnings. There is no way to educate so that one's religious philosophies don't influence the goals of the school and education. The ancients realized the need for virtue, but they didn't have an understanding of God and His plan. Their major philosophical argument was whether virtue was contained in man at birth and contaminated by society (philosophers) or if man had to be taught to be virtuous (rhetoricians). The Bible says that Man is made in the image of God and God pronounced His creation good (Gen 1-2), then the Fall happened and man had an immediately well developed 'sin nature'. Is there still good in man apart from God? Can virtue be taught?

The ancient philosophers believed that if you want man to be virtuous you have to teach him to think correctly, appreciate beauty, and be logical. Plato emphatically states that "'no man knowingly chooses evil'." He felt that a logical man would realize that "evil behavior will sooner or later bring pain and destruction." I have enough personal experience (from reading and from my own sin nature and my children's ) with evil behavior to realize that this is not so. Cain killed Abel in anger and jealousy of God's acceptance of his sacrifice. Many times the logical part of our brain decides that any pain or destruction to ourselves is worth the satisfaction of seeing somebody else get what we think they deserve. We think we are too smart to get caught. ( Yes, I am a big and experienced sinner-behaving non-virtuously). The fear of bad consequences is not enough to hold us back from evil. Apart from Christ I can do no good thing. Even all my righteousness is as filthy rags (Is 64:6). The only thing that restrains my behavior is my love of God and my desire to serve Him. There is nothing in my thinking skills that stops me from cheating on my taxes or lying to stay out of trouble, it is the indwelling Holy Spirit and my knowledge of the Word of God (Psalm 119:11)that constrains me - usually.

Even Aristotle realized that men "fancy they are philosophers, and that this will make them good. But they are really just like people who listen attentively to what their doctor has to say and do not obey one of his prescriptions. There is about as much chance of those who study philosophy in this way gaining health of soul as of such people getting well and strong of body."

I do applaud the ancients for appreciating the value of virtue. This is something that is often totally lost in our society and schools. It certainly is no longer a centerpiece of education because we no longer have a consensus of whose virtues and values should be taught. We have replaced the arguments of the rhetoricians and philosophers with the god of science. Until we place the God of the Universe in His rightful place we will never be able to educate our children to be truly virtuous.

This leads me to more educational questions in my mind. I think that logic is a gift from God and needs to be taught, as well as history, literature, and science. We need to raise up children that know how to think Biblically. The exact system or method is only useful as far as it allows for Biblical thoughts and conversations.

Read Further

Brandy at http://www.thoughtsaftergod.blogspot.com/ also has some excellent comments on this section in Norms and Nobility.

Children's Biography Series

I have already written at length about our favorite children's biographies - Landmark Books. But there are others out there as well. Here is a sampling. (Of course, I will end up comparing everything to the Landmark Series.)

Discovery Book Biographies are a HUGE set. They have biographies for many, many people. They are simple and well done. I would say they are written for the child who is just starting with chapter books. Basically, late first, second, or third grade. They are not too long to be read-alouds to kindergartners.

The spine looks like this and the company that publishes them is Gerrard. One does frequently find them with dust jackets still, however my children are hard on the jackets so mine disappear. Thomas and T-Bob loved this series and went through our biography shelves and pulled them and read them all. They gained a really good grasp of history from this and of the many characters in it.

These books have pictures on almost every set of pages. They are more than picture books, but do have enough pictures to really draw in the younger reader. You used to be able to find this series all the time at used book sales, but they are definitely becoming rarer. Grab them if you see them and still have younger readers.

This is the classic look of the series about the Childhoods of Famous Americans. This is very collectible in the orange cover, however it has been reprinted in paperback. The paperbacks can be bought new or found at used book sales. They are dark blue with red and white writing on the covers.

The old ones have the silhouette illustrations. I would classify these as biographical fiction. They are good stories, but they are not as historically accurate as Landmark or even the Discovery series. They are good reads though. I can still remember reading them as a child.

The Signature Series was written to compete with Landmark Books - they don't. They do have some very good authors, but they are fictionalized 'biographies'. They are written as stories with characters that interact with the title character.

They are also written on a slightly lower reading level. My DH likes to pick up Landmarks and read them to learn, he would have no interest in these. These are good stories. They have quite a few more pictures than Landmark. There is also a companion series to the Signature Biographies and those are the 'You Were There' Series. This is a fictionalized account of different events in history. The ones I like are the ones about the major battles of WWII. They give a good sense of the location, history and characters of those battles. T-Bob has really enjoyed those.

They do have some different biographies from Landmark. If it is a person I don't have too many biographies of and the author writes well, I don't mind having them on my shelf. They have reprinted a couple of these titles in a Weekly Reader style binding.

Ronald Syme is an author who writes about the different explorers. His writing level is just a shade above the Discovery Series. Sometimes it is hard to find biographies of these men, and it is nice to find a good author that the children enjoy reading.

I must confess something here. I am a bibliophile. It is almost an addiction. There is no 12 step program for this 'disease' - mostly because we don't want one. I have a 3,500+ volume children's library. Yes, I have read almost every book we own. Believe it or not, I am selective about what we have on our shelves. I will post another time about the paradigm shift in the writing of children's books that occurred in the last 40-50 years. Maybe someday I will give a pictorial post of the beautiful library that my DH built for our family. However, we are once again doing a serious amount of double shelving. So many books, So little space.

Let me know if you are looking for a specific book on a particular topic. I may have a title to suggest to you. If you know me locally, I may have one to loan you.

~Mom

(Did I mention that my maiden name was 'Reader'? That's the truth!)

Landmark Books- Judging a Book by It's Cover

Landmark Books are a series of books that were published in the nineteen fifties and sixties. People would subscribe to them and they would arrive in the mail monthly, kind of like a magazine. They would be about either a historical event or biography. The thing that set this series apart from others that were produced at the same time was the fact that they got first-rate authors to either simplify their adult books for them or the best children's authors of that time. They are very well written! This series was intended for elementary readers, about 3-6 graders. My DH says he has learned more history reading through the Landmark books, than he ever did in school.

These books are currently out of print, for the most part. There are a few that have been reprinted in paperback. Sonlight and a few other curriculums use them. There are still a number of them available at used book sales. This post is to show you what they look like so you can find them at a sale. A hardback lasts longer and is so much nicer to read than a paperback and will cost about the same. At a used book store they go for $5-6 dollars. At a library sale, which is where I bought most of mine, I paid 25 cents to $1.

Here is what they look at from the back as you see the spines. There are two basic styles, the ones that went to the home subscribers and the library editions.

The library editions are white and have a photo or a painting on the cover and will also have the volume number clearly visible on the front.

The home edition has a plain cover in various colors. They were originally mailed out with dust jackets, but most of these are gone or torn up. I have a few with dust jackets, but they seem to fall apart quickly when the children read them. They are just fragile with age.

Here is another library edition. There are two different Landmark series. The first was the regular series which is American history. There are over 130 volumes in that set. Later they published the World Landmark Series which covers world history and figures, I think there are about 100 books in that set. The Korean War book above is part of the World Series. The WWII book is part of the Landmark Series.

Here is a close up of the emblems on the spine. The light green one is a home edition of the regular Landmark Series, The middle one is a library regular series, and the tan one is the home World Landmark Series.

Occasionally, libraries will have rebound the books. If you know the general look and feel of a Landmark, you will recognize them even though there is no evidence of Landmark on the cover.

When you open the cover to the tile page you will see that the Landmark emblem is there. The rebound ones are not of any interest to collectors, however as a home school mom I find the rebound bindings are often sturdier and last 'forever'. They are often cheaper at a used book store also.

Now you know what they look like. Go find them and get them in your children's hands. You will be amazed at what they learn and how painlessly it happens. You might even find yourself learning a few things as you peruse them.

Find them before they are gone!

~Mom

Some More Authors and Books to Look For

'Mr. Popper's Penguins' was one if the first books we read aloud as a family. The oldest child was in first grade. It was a delightful experience and really sold me on the importance of reading aloud to the children. This is a fun book with lots of giggles and grins as we see how poor Mr Popper and his family try to take care of all the penguins. He is a house painter with some absent minded scientist thrown in. It is not a real educational book, but it created in us a thirst to learn more about Antarctica and the explorers. It was a good stepping stone book that whetted our appetites to learn more. I guess that makes it a good and worthwhile book.

Elizabeth George Speare is a Newbery Award winning author. This book 'The Bronze Bow' is set in the time of Christ and is a good read, especially at Easter. This book would be for the Older Elementary and Junior High and up. I enjoy reading it still. She has written several other children's books that are worthwhile as well.

Armstrong Sperry creates a wonderful story and many of his books introduce other cultures or are historical fiction (old west and sailing novels) . Some of the books are for elementary readers, and others are for junior high, more because of the length of the books and vocabulary than because of any other reason. Many of his novels are on tape, and we have enjoyed getting them at the local library; they are great for car trips.

'Misty of Chincoteague' is Marguerite Henry's best known book. A movie was made of it back in the fifties. There are several sequels to it as well. Marguerite Henry is famous for her horse stories. Most of the books are illustrated by Wesley Dennis. She is an excellent author who is historically accurate in her writings and does an excellent job creating her characters. I have enjoyed reading many of her books to the children.

Mrs. Henry does write about a number of other animals. 'Brighty of the Grand Canyon' is a story about a mule out in the Grand Canyon who works with an old miner. After you have read the story, you can watch the movie. Marguerite Henry also wrote and illustrated a book about birds. She has even done a few picture books. One I have is 'Five O'clock Charlie'. The books are written for a middle elementary reader. A little bit beyond chapter books. As with all well written children's books, they are enjoyable by all ages.

If you haven't read these, they are good ones to add to your library list.

~Mom

Spring and Summer Nature Picture Books

There are a number of fun picture books for spring and summer. I thought I would share some that I like that teach children and their parents more about nature in a 'twaddle-free' way.

Jim Arnosky is a great author and illustrator. He does all nature books. His pictures are detailed and accurate. He is also the author of the 'Crinklefoot' books. 'Raccoons and Ripe Corn' is written very simply and a very young child, 12-24 months, would enjoy listening to it. It is very short. Most of his books are available in paperback, although if you see a hardback library edition, snag it. The Crinklefoot books are written for elementary students.

Robert McCloskey wrote a number of classic children's picture books. Probably his best known one is 'Make Way for Ducklings'. He likes to write about children living on the Maine coast. These are great stories for 3-4 year olds.

'Linnea in Monet's Garden' is a combination of nature and art books. The story is by Christina Bjork and Lena Anderson and tells of a girl who visits Monet's Garden and learns about the garden and Monet as well.

These same artists wrote a practical book on window sill gardening. It is well illustrated and gives very simple yet practical advice of things to try in gardening indoors.

If you want some simple nature things to do with your children during the cold weather or you just want some good advice on taking care of houseplants you will appreciate this book.

~Mom

Language Lessons by Sandi Queen

Our family has started using this series of books recently. Sandi Queen has written these books for her family in the Charlotte Mason tradition. We had used something similar in an old English book and really enjoyed it. Sandi has started this series for preschoolers and works all the way up to high schoolers. It includes picture studies, narratives, copywork, and grammar. The nice thing about it is that the lessons are short (take 2-15 minutes)and relatively painless. It goes to show that children can learn these topics well without a huge amount of drill work. Our children don't mind doing these.
I really like the full color paintings used in the picture studies. She also uses a lot of familiar poetry and character sketches. They are designed to be consumed, however I have all my older students (4th grade +) writing in a notebook rather than in the book itself.

To get more information, see the Queen's website at www.queenhomeschool.com . She has information about which book to place your child in. She also has pdf files containing about 6 pages from each book which are also helpful in deciding. The titles of the books are a little misleading as to what levels are being taught, but don't let that bother you. If you want to follow a Charlotte Mason approach or maybe you just have a boy (or girl) who hates busy work, these are for you.


This review was done just because I wanted to share what I have appreciated, nobody asked me to do it and I got nothing for it.
~Mom

The Beauty of Modesty

I received The Beauty of Modesty for Christmas this year. It is an excellent book, but a slow read because of the wealth of material. It took me until the middle of February to complete it. It is worthy of being read again. This book is written for an older teen or adult.

The Beauty of Modesty (Cultivating Virtue in the Face of a Vulgar Culture) is written by David and Diane Vaughan, a husband and wife. They spent over a year researching, studying, and preparing the material. This book can be purchased from Vision Forum or Amazon.

The Beauty of Modesty is divided into three sections-1 The Need for Modesty, 2 The Nature of Modesty, and 3 The Nurture of Modesty. Mr. & Mrs. Vaughan start off the book by defining what modesty is not and give a working definition which is developed throughout the book. A key point is that modesty is more than the outward appearance, it is a matter of the heart. They quote lengthy passages of Scripture throughout the book to support their arguments. Quotations from different authors precede each chapter as well as being sprinkled throughout.


In the first section, the Vaughans lay a biblical framework to their discussion and reply to some common objections. They show how the current worldview has affected modesty significantly, even turning the lack of it into a money making industry. Lastly, they discuss how the church has fallen prey to the world's thinking.


The middle section begins with the most basic fact that the body is created by God. The Vaughans build from there with what the Bible says. I found it interesting how Mr. & Mrs. V. connect the very act of immodesty with adultery. (Immodesty leads to lust which leads to adultery. Matthew 5:27,28) They also say that the sixth and the seventh commandments are related. Why? If adultery is being committed, then the family, as God intended it, is destroyed; and, if families aren't thriving, violation of the sixth commandment increases. Do's and don'ts on what to wear are not given, but rather guidelines for what modesty isn't (ostentation, androgyny, sensuality, and association). From here to the end of the book, the Vaughans mainly deal with the modesty of the heart.

The final section starts with a solid definition of marriage and family. Modesty needs to be nurtured in the home as well as in the church. In the church God is to be worshiped and exalted. If we dress or behave in an immodest way we are drawing the attention away from God. Who would want to be guilty of that? One reason they give for this, is an improper view of God. Mr. and Mrs. Vaughan also deal briefly with how the liberty we have in Christ should not cause others to stumble. Finally, the question is given, "How is one to do this?" Total commitment to Christ and His word is their answer, with which I agree. Should we not live that way anyway? Denying ourselves daily, taking up our crosses, and following Christ is HARD. It is war. Modesty is a battle every person needs to fight, win, and maintain, but not in their own strength.


These are the two final sentences in the last chapter. "Yield to Him and He will renew your mind, transform your soul, and sanctify your affections. Then, and only then, will you know the meaning of beauty and gain the virtue of modesty."


After reading this book I was again reminded of the need for modesty. I was also reminded that the Christian life is all connected in Christ. He is the one that holds all things together, has reconciled us to Himself, and makes us complete in Him. If we are being rooted and grounded in Him (Colossians 2:6-7), modesty, and everything else He desires from us, will follow.

~JoAn


P.S. It is not wisdom to wait a month to write a book review after completing the book. :)

Winter and Snow Books

Here are some book reviews of some of my favorite children's books about snow and winter. I am reviewing them in order of complexity and books for younger to older readers.

'Bear Snores On' is a board book that is written in a rhyming style that tells the simple story of a bear in his lair sleeping for the winter. Many of his friends come in and have a party there while he hibernates away. See what happens when he awakens. This is one that the little ones like to hear repeatedly. It is a short read and good for even very little listeners.

'The Snowy Day' is a simple story about a little boy exploring the natural world of snow. It is a simple book, and shows what winter is like in the city.

This story shows a big snow hitting a town and how they dig out. It is a story that 3 or 4 year olds will enjoy.

'Newf' is the story of a big Newfoundland dog that swims ashore an island up north during the winter. There is a little white kitten there that is starving and freezing. Newf and the kitten build a relationship and become friends. These animals are not personified. This is more of a nature story picture book.

'The Log Cabin Quilt' is about a pioneer family that live in a cabin. When winter happens they are freezing and the wind blows through the cracks of their walls. The father must go hunting to feed them. Find out how they come up with a unique way to keep warm. This is a good story in picture book format.

This is a read alone for a child who is comfortable with chapter books. This is a sequel to Robert Lawson's 'Rabbit Hill'. This is the story of how the animals play and thrive in the winter. There is animal personification. This is a fun story. (128 pgs larger print and many illustrations).

'Lost in the Barrows' is about some Eskimo boys who get lost in the Arctic and their struggle to survive and return to their people. If you like adventure stories, this is a good one. This book is written for about a 4th grader. There is about 150 pages and fewer illustrations than 'The Tough Winter'. This would be a good read aloud for younger children.

Lois Lenski is an excellent author. I have enjoyed and reread many of her stories even as an adult. 'Prairie School' tells the story of children growing up on the western prairies. The story tells about a year in their life, but one of the most exciting stories is about when the children are stuck in the school during a blizzard. The whole book is excellent, but a few chapters read on a snow day is also a lot of fun. This book is out of print and more difficult to get a hold of. Do not pass by an opportunity to read or buy a Lois Lenski Book.

I have read this book to my children several times during snowstorms. It is short (about 80 pages) but is not a chapter book. It is the 'true' story of a group of school children who are coming home on the school bus over the western plains and they get caught in the middle of no where in a blizzard. The teacher who is driving the bus has ~9 children of various ages. The oldest is a 16 year old boy and the youngest is a kindergartner. She has to take care of them and survive despite frostbite and illness and almost no food. It is a great story and everything ends well.

Stephen W. Meader is my favorite children's author. He writes 'boy' stories for readers fourth grade and up, and is a wonderful author. My favorite story of his is 'Trap-lines North'. It is the true story of two teenage boys who have to take on adult responsibilities when their dad is injured. They each run their own trap line in Northern Canada. They have many adventures and have to survive frigid temperatures and storms alone with only what they have in their backpack. The book does contain pictures of these stalwart young men. I have read this book at least 8 times. This is a keeper if you can get a hold of it. Stephen W. Meader books are out of print, but a company is reprinting them, unfortunately at a premium price. :-( If you can find any of his books at a reasonable price (less than $20), BUY THEM! You'll be glad you did.

I hope you found these reviews useful. I know this is not an exhaustive list, but I thought I'd share some I have enjoyed. What are your favorite winter stories?
~Mom