What They Are Reading

Every year in January, I like to share a snapshot look at what my children are currently reading. {Curious about the past years? Check here: 2012, 2013, and 2014} Without further adieu, this year's first books of the new year are...

I'm not really sure why I always present their books in age order starting with the oldest, but alas, so it is again this year. Our oldest, now in 10th grade (sigh audibly with me as I know too well how fast they grow!) is reading Buried Alive, by Jack Cuozzo for Biblical archaeology. For his literature class, he is tackling Don Quixote. {Want a fabulous picture book version for your younger student? Look here. We loved that version.}

For history studies, he just read the biography of Martin Luther called Here I Stand, by Roland Bainton. Aside from these required titles, he also is perusing The Shaping of Middle-Earth. Though he has a keen interest in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, I can't help wondering if he is brushing up on his trivia for his sister's soon to happen Lord of the Rings/Hobbit themed birthday party. That's right. The gal who had me tracking down Shakespeare two years ago, decided to go Tolkien this year. I'm currently trying to figure out how to make our living room a Hobbit home and our dining room a pub.

My Shakespeare/Tolkien lovin' 8th grade daughter is currently turning the pages of Beorn the Proud, by Madeleine Polland for history. For Biblical studies, she read The Jesus I Never Knew, by Philip Yancey and for literature, she will immerse herself in a little Chaucer with The Canterbury Tales.

In some spare time, she wanted to read the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series because her cousin recommended it. I've already read them (so has our oldest). It was fun to discuss the books all three of us.

Our youngest daughter, who is in 6th grade, is currently reading Catherine Called Birdy for a supplement to her history lessons. For literature, she'll start the new year with Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne.

For fun, she has started reading Nancy Drew books. She's been reading them in order. This one is her current read. It is no. 10.

Our youngest son is reading aloud to me regularly from McGuffey readers. He is in the Eclectic Second Reader. For variety, he will begin reading from The Beginner's Bible.

Leisure reading has become a new past time for our youngest as he has grown quite proficient at reading. His latest library finds are Star Wars: Complete Vehicles and DK Eyewitness: Sharks. Both of these titles are from DK. Each one is filled with wonderful pictures and lots of text about two subjects he loves. Both books have captured his attention. He will sit for a long portion of time perusing one or both books.

 

As I am almost always reading aloud at least one book to our children, I thought I would include our current read alouds as well. The Magna Charta has been surprisingly clever and fun to read. I thought it would be drudgery, but am grateful to be proven wrong. I typically read two to three sections per day to our children. Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess is just as much fun the second time through as it was the first. This title I am reading to our youngest, who is in second grade, as part of his history lessons. We cover about a month's worth of time in Tobias' journal each day. 

 

 

 

 

New To Us {and Our Library} Books

 

 

Our library is always getting new books which we tend to devour. The children's librarian keeps a round table filled with all the new-to-our-library books. Conveniently placed at the front of the children's room, all patrons of the library can see it easily.

 

Each library visit results in several new-to-us books being checked out. This past visit was no exception. What may have been the exception is the diversity of the books I chose and how close this listing looks like a day of school, especially when combined with the grammar and word books I found earlier...hmmm. Seems like I snuck some school into that summer break, eh?

 

 

Science and Technology - For starters, we found a few science and technology books. Pictured above are It's Raining! by Gail Gibbons and Light Is All Around Us, by Wendy Pfeffer. These two were best read aloud with my soon to be second grader. Though he could have read them on his own, I prefer to extrapolate on several of the ideas presented and interact more with the text than just passively reading the books.

 

It's Raining! differentiates between various rain clouds and types of rain. It was fascinating to read and the text does a great job of simplifying the information, not dumbing it down.

 

Light Is All Around Us is a summary of a unit study on light. There are pages about different kinds of light, including natural and artificial light, how light travels compared to other forms of energy, and how our eyes see with the aid of light. Several hands-on learning activities are included in the back of the book.

 

I picked up How Does Cloud Computing Work? by Leon Gray for my oldest son. He read it in one sitting and said it was interesting. Since it is summertime and the book was really just for leisure reading I didn't require him to tell me anymore. I am considering that his recommendation for the book.

 

 

Geography - My husband and I lived in Massachusetts when we were first married. So anytime I see a book about New England or Massachusetts in particular, I am curious. Did they get it right? Did they capture the spirit of the people or reflect the area accurately? Celebrating Massachusetts is a child's book about places to visit in Massachusetts. As I read this with my youngest son, I was happy to discover the book not only 'gets it right,' but includes a wide variety of sites and interesting facts about the small state.

 

History - All Different Now is a lyrical book filled with lovely illustrations about the day a group of slaves discovered they were free. The minimal text is filled with emotion and gratitude. In order for my son to appreciate the depth of the text, I did have to explain a bit of the background to him.

 

Math - The book Have You Seen My Dragon, by Steve Light is a delightful story detailing a boy's search for his dragon. As he seeks his dragon through the city streets, he encounters many different areas and people. On each set of pages, readers can count various objects. These objects are highlighted by a specific color on an otherwise black and white illustration. The dragon appears on each set of pages as well. Sometimes he is in an awkward or silly position.

 

Nature Study - The cover of this book looked interesting. So, I picked it up. Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World is filled with numerous animal eye facts. Some facts are creepy, but overall my youngster loved the book. I did have to alter some of the writing as it teaches evolution as fact in the introduction. I simply scanned the text and inserted our beliefs and time line. For the bulk of the text, evolution is mentioned a few more times. These I altered to reflect our faith.

Plant a Pocket of Prairie is a sweet book about prairie plants and animals. Detailed illustrations and text reveal the variety of grass and wildflowers which grew in the prairie. Each plant is paired with an animal which eats, houses, or uses that specific plant. It certainly displayed the interdependence of the habitat.

Just for Fun - Sometimes a book is just read for fun! Such was the case with The Tree House that Jack Built. The rhythm of the text and the brightly colored illustrations had my son and I enthralled with this imaginative book.

 

 

 

 



Igniting a Love for Written Words

My kids are perfect.
Yeah, I know, every mother says that.
But really.
I have four perfect kids.

Perfect they are. at. being. kids.

They love to play. In fact, currently, it is their life aim.

They do what they love 100%. And, what they don't love, like work, well, that they do at a minimum, with just enough effort to get by.

When my children, who sometimes have the perception that school is work, start a day with the single goal of getting this done so they can go play, it doesn't end well.

I get frustrated.
They get frustrated when I make them redo sloppy, rushed work riddled with mistakes.

It is certainly not a blissful homeschool moment.

School is not, can not, always be fun and games.

There is work involved.
Hard work.

Quite frankly, I want my children to learn to do hard work, to put forth 100% effort when work is involved. They need to have determination and grit. I want them to succeed and not just with an "I made it, got that done" attitude. No, I want them to flourish.

So, when one of my daughters, who happens to struggle with motivation to read books, latched onto audio books, I was thrilled. We sought titles we both liked, and visited the library frequently to restock our supply. In this way, she 'read' and 'reread' many good books. Her comprehension skills and vocabulary increased.

During lessons, she still was required to read words from actual books. She needed to continue progressing in actual reading and decoding. However, the audio books offered us common ground for recreational reading.

After a few years of audio books, my husband and I knew we needed to increase her time reading actual words, rather than relying heavily on audio books.

We began by introducing her to a few new-to-her series of books. For reluctant page turners, book series offer a safe and enjoyable way to keep them coming back to books. Finding a series with vocab and sentence structure which did not challenger her, lent itself to greater success. After all, we weren't using these books to improve her reading skills, we were trying to ignite a love of reading, not just a love for a great story, though that is important, as well. {Our favorite for her is Imagination Station, a series from Adventures in Odyssey.}

Another motivator we utilized was picture books. Asking her to read picture books to her younger brother offered her a valid purpose, and did not in any way make her feel babyish for still reading picture books.

However, the greatest incentive arrived this past Christmas in the form of a Kindle. After downloading many books {mostly free versions!} she has been hooked.

Last night at dinner, after using the Kindle for just one day, she informed me she had read the first chapter of Little Women, the first chapter of James, and the first chapter in a Boxcar children book. Then, she asked me to find a Shakespeare play for her. Her sister's love of the Bard is wearing off on her, I think. {This is the one I downloaded for her as she is quite familiar with the storyline and characters.}

After I commented on her progress, she casually remarked, "Just put it on my Kindle, I'll read it."

{Music to my ears!} So, I did and will.



I should note, we still support and encourage her to listen to audio books. For Christmas, we got her The Cat of Bubastes, read by Jim Weiss.

What They Are Reading Now

Seems like this has become an annual tradition. At the start of a new calendar year, I share what the children are reading for their lessons. {The past two years of reading lists are found here: 2012 and 2013.}

Without further ado, here are the books our children have started reading this new year.

Our ninth grader has started The Pearl, by John Steinbeck and The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis, accompanied by this Progeny Press Literature Guide.

Our daughters will be using literature guides as well. For our seventh grader, she has begun Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury with this Veritas Press Comprehension Guide. The Cricket in Times Square is a family favorite. Our fifth grader will read through it while using an accompanying Progeny Press Study Guide.

Our youngest, who is in first grade, is reading through the Big Book of Farmyard Tales, one story at a time. Since I read Peter Pan to our older children years ago, I decided to read it with my youngest, just he and I.

Including Christmas in Our Homeschool

Every year, we look for ways to easily incorporate the festive season into our homeschool days. From poetry, to books, and even field trips, we always seem to find some wonderful, new-to-us resources to use. 

Picture Books:
A Cobtown Christmas, by Julia Van Nutt is my favorite this year! Based on actual 1845 diaries of Lucky Hart, the book retells the tales in diary entry fashion.

A Carol for Christmas, by Ann Tompert uses the perspective of a mouse to tell a story of how Silent Night was inspired. This cute story is fictional, of course. For a more accurate history of the song, we recommend Silent Night: The Song and Its Story, by Margaret Hodges. {If you are looking for more books about Christmas carols, a few more of our recommendations are found here.}

A Cowboy Christmas: The Miracle at Lone Pine Ridge, by Audrey Wood is about a cowboy, a boy, and the boy's mother. Set in the West of the 1800's, the heartwarming story opens with a cowboy failing to reach the ranch by Christmas Eve. Tired and ill, he falls from his horse. The boy and his mom, who were expecting him, begin a search. The story ends happily.

Feliz Nochebuena, Feliz Navidad: Christmas Feasts of the Hispanic Caribbean, by Maricel E. Presilla explores holiday traditions and festivities. Presilla offers a remembrance of her own childhood memories and then expands to include many cultural traditions. She also includes recipes.

{Looking for more recommendations? In years past, we enjoyed Good King Wenceslas and The Gift of the Magi. A few more posts with some possibilities are found here, here, and here. Can you tell we like snuggling up with a good book around our Christmas tree?}

Documentary:
The Christmas Truce is a documentary from The History Channel depicting a truce both sides enjoyed during December 1914 {WWI} over the Christmas holiday.

Audio Book:
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, performed by Frank Muller is a fun way to enjoy this classic while driving or making cookies.

Read Alouds:
The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson is a book we read years ago and are revisiting this year. Set in Paris over Christmas, this story is heartwarming. Armand, a homeless man, befriends a newly homeless family. The friendship proves to be life changing for both parties.

A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time, by Mary Pope Osborne is one of the Magic Tree House books. We plan to read it next week.


All of the resources listed, except for The Family Under the Bridge, were found at our local library - love that place! Links provided for reference purposes only.

Ox-Cart Man Extension Activity

Our youngest is enjoying a wide variety of picture books each week of his first grade year. Most of these books we have had for years. A good portion of them are widely recommended. The Ox-Cart Man is one. A sweet poem valuing hard work and economizing by Donald Hall set to the folk art illustrations of Barbara Cooney make for a lovely book to share with any youngster.

The book itself can easily stand on its own as a story. You don't really need to add anything to it. In fact, I wasn't going to. I was simply going to have my child orally narrate or answer a few comprehension questions after the reading. Then, we would move on. However, this day, we moved onto a lesson in grammar. This lesson happened to be on the months of the year. Having been through this grammar book several (OK, three) times before, I knew we would eventually be covering the seasons as well. This all led to an inspiration and impromptu creation. Well, first I combed the internet for what I wanted. Why re-invent the wheel, eh?

After a brief search, I couldn't find just what I wanted. {I did find this great resource for teaching the book, though.} I ended up creating a simple worksheet. The worksheet is a chart with four rows, one for each season. The months are listed under each season. {Technically, some months overlap two season, but for simplicity, I included those months in the season in which the majority of the days occur.}

The idea was for my child to use the book which clearly states the families' activities throughout the year during various months and seasons and chart these on the worksheet. To make it easier for my first grader, I included free clip art depicting many of the activities. He completed the chart on his own.

It turned out to be a great cross-curricula activity!

Living Math Books

We may not be full fledged Charlotte Mason method-users, but I do like some of her ideas and try to incorporate them whenever possible. Living books is one of these ideas that is easy to incorporate into our eclectic, leaning toward classical method of homeschooling.

According to Charlotte Mason: "Children have a right to the best we possess; therefore their lesson books should be, as far as possible, our best books."

This is easy for history. There is a plethora of biographies, time period works, and the like. Science is another subject filled with living books. Over the years we have found a multitude of living science books.

There is, however, one subject which alludes us for the most part: Math. Though we have had some success over the years, {You can read about those books here and here.} I do struggle to find living books for math.

How do you find living math books to use as supplements?

The other day, at our local library, we found two such books: Growing Patterns, by Sarah C. Campbell and The Boy Who Loved Math, by Deborah Heiligman.

The first I was drawn to solely for the cover picture. I had no clue what the contents could be. I was simply fascinated with the up close photograph of a sunflower. Upon closer inspection, I discovered Growing Patterns contained not only magnificent photographs of natural items, but it also included information and an explanation about Fibonacci Numbers.

As was the case with the first book, I deemed the second selection worthy of a second glance when I saw the adorable cover illustration. I admit, at first, I did think the boy was grasping an apple, running through a town. Instead, the boy is running and reaching for numbers. Those numbers are dispersed throughout the cover illustration in a clever fashion. Once I recovered from my disappointment, I realized it was a children's picture book about a mathematician named Paul Erdos.  The Boy Who Loved Math reads well. It is engaging and informative. Paul Erdos is one mathematician our family will remember in the days to come.

During another library visit, we found two more: Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem Solving, by Greg Tang and Socrates and the Three Little Pigs, by Tuyosi Morie.

Both books combine math with something else. Math-terpieces combines famous pieces of art with addition. Using one element from each painting, the text prompts readers to figure out multiple ways to add numbers to reach a particular sum. Socrates and the Three Little Pigs combines a bit of philosophy, history, math, and characters of a well-loved fable. The wolf, Socrates, wants to eat a pig. He is trying to minimize the work of finding a pig at home and goes through a lengthy discussion with his friend, Pythagoras as the two work out various combinations and figure the probability of finding one pig in a particular home.


Internet Articles and Helps for Living Books in General:

• Becoming a Charlotte Mason Teacher: Paradigm Shift Required at ChildLight USA
• Using Living Books Effectively at Simply Charlotte Mason
• Choosing Books Like a Connoisseur at Simply Charlotte Mason
• Charlotte Mason: Living Books - a Pinterest board from Dollie at Teachers of Good Things

Internet Articles and Helps for Living Books for Math:

• Living Math Books - Reading for Math at Mama Jenn
• Living Math Book List - a site filled with listings of books {simply click on 'Search Categories' tab and select your topic} 
• Math with Living Books at Lifestyle Homeschool

Seven Ways to Find Good Deals on Used Curriculum

Tis the season - Buying Used Books Season, that is.

The school year is ending. With it comes a great chance to find used books for great prices.
If you know what you want to use next year, why not take a few moments this spring to find a good deal? Depending on your curriculum choices, it could save you hundreds of dollars.

So just where are all those good deals?

Here are a few tried and true ways...

7 Ways to Find Good Deals on Used Curriculum

1. Online Markets - ebay, craigslist, Amazon, Half Price Books
2. Curriculum Stores - Rainbow Resource sometimes has seconds and used copies are available
3. Scour Your Community for One Day/Annual Book Sales - Library book sales, used books sales, homeschool book sales may only be a short drive away. Don't forget to check flea markets and yard sales.
4. Watch Your Feeds - Our local support group allows members to post available used curriculum.
5. Check Used Book Stores - Both online (like AbeBooks) and in person (like 2nd and Charles), used book stores may have what you need.
6. Ask Your Friends - Close friends might just lend you the curriculum for next year. Local and online acquaintances might be willing to sell you their used books.
7. Consider Bartering, Trading, or Co-Owning Books - Buying books doesn't always have to mean exchanging money. Perhaps there is someone who you can swap curriculum or trade a few books. Co-owning is another option too. Sharing books with another family works great if one family needs it one year and the other family needs it the next.

Of course, the best deal is free! However, if you must buy some curriculum, it certainly helps to get a lower price.

How to Get Your Child to Read Good Books

Just last week, I shared my children's favorite books in two summer reading lists. {You can read the girl's list here and the boy's list here.} On one, Meredith asked the following question:

Meredith  April 23, 2013

Do you let your kids pick their own summer reading list? I have one that doesn't enjoy reading and will almost always pick comics to read. I have let him pick in the past, but didn't feel that went well. Any suggestions?

Her question inspired me to answer with this post. Technically, I answered her question with a shorter answer, but was inspired to write out several general ideas which appear below.

 

Do you ever feel like your child will only read one type of book?
or one series of books?

Personally, our children like the familiar. On their own, they tend to gravitate toward known authors or series. Needless to say, our children are not always adventurous with book selections. However, over the years, I have devised, and tried, several ways to expand their choices. Here are several techniques I employ at leisure:

1. Select a few interesting books and set them out in your home. Each library visit, I check out a number of books my children overlook. Typically, I choose classics or nonfiction books. Then, I set these in a basket. The children are free, but not pressured, to explore these titles on their own. {For our reluctant reader, I find books on audio.}

2. Read different authors, subjects, and genres as read alouds. A quick and easy way to introduce your child to a new author or book is with a read aloud. Don't have time to read aloud? Borrow an audio version of the book to listen to during lunch time.

3. Bring one book on vacation. Sometimes, on our family vacations space is tight and the children are limited on how many toys/books they can bring. One time they were only able to bring one book (we were traveling with a babe/toddler and had all the gear). My oldest son, who was around 8 or 9 at the time, decided to take the thickest book we had on the children's book shelf - Robinson Crusoe. He actually read it cover to cover as we traveled. It has been one of his favorite books since. {By the way, before that vacation, he would adamantly decline any and all opportunities to read it. He grudgingly took it on vacation because it was the only thick book he thought would last him all week.}

4. Use an abridged version book or comic book to generate interest in the characters and familiarity with the plot of classics. The classics are available in many abridged or picture book versions. There is even a comic form. {Classic Illustrated Graphic Novels is one series which is classics in comic version.} In our house, I used this very tactic to introduce my oldest son to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Once he read the shorter version, he proceeded onto the unabridged version. Now, when he reads Verne, he selects the unabridged versions first. {Incidentally, this is how my youngest stumbled onto Moby Dick.}

5. Find good books with great art work. For our boys, we searched and found N.C. Wyeth illustrated books like Treasure Island and Last of the Mohicans. For the record, we also took them to an art museum and used the exhibit on illustrated literature to heighten interest in reading the books. I realize not everyone has this option available, but the internet does offer a view of some illustrations. A link to the cover illustration of Last of the Mohican can be found here. Additionally, Howard Pyle wrote and illustrated a version of The Story of King Arthur and His Knights.

6. Ask other moms and children what they are reading. This helps me find more titles and, frankly, offers me an honest way to say "your friend, ----, really liked this book or author." Generally, my child will give the book a try solely because their friend recommended it.

7. Watch the movie first. I'll admit it, I think a book is better for telling a story. Movies have to condense and change major parts of a story to fit a certain time frame or visual depiction. Despite this, I am not above using a movie to strike interest in a book. That is exactly how our son got into the Sugar Creek Gang. Of course, for The Hobbit we used this idea in reverse by requiring our children to read the book before seeing the movie.

8. Expound on their interests. When our children express a particular interest, I search the library shelves for books related to that topic. When my daughter read Little House on the Prairie, I found some biographies on Laura Ingalls Wilder. For awhile, she read many books about Laura Ingalls Wilder, pioneer life, and the prairie.



How do you help inspire your children read good books?

Summer Reading List for Boys

Yesterday, I shared a Summer Reading List for Girls. Today, the boys take a turn at sharing their favorites. However, in case you haven't read the other list, I'd like to share again what I said at the beginning of it:

Summer reading is full of fun and fascination.

At times, it seems like summer reading is less important.

Aside from reporting titles or time to optional summer reading programs, children typically don't have to do anything with the books they read. We require little to no narration, book reports, or literature guides. In fact, our children are free to enjoy the books just for the sake of enjoyment! Perhaps this is the most important kind of reading then. {Reading to enjoy books, novel idea, eh?}

Which leads me to believe that maybe...
Summer reading is more important.

 

----------------------------------------

My boys, who are in the early elementary and middle school years, enjoy books, which makes this book-lovin' momma happy. The following listing is a variety of books within a wide range of reading levels. Since my youngest is not quite reading extensively on his own yet, my oldest son's favorites dominate the listing. However, he is a veracious reader with many books to share.

All of the books have been found on our bookshelves, our friends' bookshelves, or the local library.


Classics & Good Books

• King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, by Roger Lancelyn Green
• The Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann Wyss
• Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne
• Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne
• Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe
• Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham
• The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper
• Swift Rivers, by Cornelia Meigs
• The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells

Biographies

• David Livingstone: Africa's Trailblazer, by Janet Benge
• George Washington Carver: Man's Slave Becomes God's Scientist, by David Collins

Book Series

• Sugar Creek Gang series, by Paul Hutchens
• The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
• Lord of the Rings trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Hardy Boys, by Franklin W. Dixon {Our sons read the older versions, not the newer.}
• Viking Quest series, by Lois Walfrid Johnson
• Concord Cunningham: The Scripture Sleuth, by Mat Halverson 

Picture Books

• Miss Nelson Is Missing, by Harry G. Allard, Jr.
• Doctor Desoto, by William Steig
• Do Like a Duck Does, by Judy Hindley
• The Biggest Bear, by Lynd Ward
• Ellison the Elephant, by Eric Drachman
• Caps for Sale, by Esphyr Slobodkina

Personal Favorites:
Though they recommend all the books on this listing, these are the current favorites in our household.

• Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne
• Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne
• Sugar Creek Gang series, by Paul Hutchens

*Links provided for further investigation, not affiliate links.
*Parents should provide guidance in children's reading choices. What is acceptable to one family, may not be to another.

Summer Reading List for Girls

Summer reading is full of fun and fascination.

At times, it seems like summer reading is less important.

Aside from reporting titles or time to optional summer reading programs, children typically don't have to do anything with the books they read. We require little to no narration, book reports, or literature guides. In fact, our children are free to enjoy the books just for the sake of enjoyment! Perhaps this is the most important kind of reading then. {Reading to enjoy books, novel idea, eh?}

Which leads me to believe that maybe...
Summer reading is more important.

Today, I'd like to share some of the books my girls, who are in the upper elementary and middle school years, enjoy. There is a variety of books listed with a wide range of reading levels.

All of the books have been found on our bookshelves, our friends' bookshelves, or the local library.



Classics & Good Books:

• A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery
• Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
• Heidi, by Johanna Spyri
• Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Brink
• Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
• Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan
• Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell

Biographies:

• These Are My People: A Biography of Gladys Aylward, by Mildred T. Howard
• Annie Oakley: A Photographic Story of a Life, by Chuck Wills
• The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank

Book Series:

• Little House series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Betsy and Tacy series books 1-4, by Maud Hart Lovelace {Betsy is very boy-crazy in the books set in high school years, which begin in book number 5.}
• Nancy Drew, by Carolyn Keene {Our girls read the older versions, not the newer contemporary books.}
• American Girls: Addy, by Connie Porter
• The Chronicles of Narnia series, by C.S. Lewis
• Left Behind: The Kids, series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye 
• Childhood of Famous Americans
• Magic Tree House books, by Mary Pope Osborne
• Box Car Children, created by Gertrude Chandler Warner
• The Lighthouse Family series, by Cynthia Rylant

My Daughters' Ultimate Favorites as of Spring 2013:
Though they recommend all the books on this listing, these are the current favorites in our household.

• The Silver Chair, C.S. Lewis
• Left Behind: The Kids, series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye 
• The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
• Box Car Children, created by Gertrude Chandler Warner

*Links provided for further investigation, not affiliate links.
*Parents should provide guidance in children's reading choices. What is acceptable to one family, may not be to another.


Coming Soon: Summer Reading List for Boys

New Books for a New Year

When the new books arrive, they go fast at our library. One day, I happened to be there right after the new books were set out. Oh, what fun! I easily found half a dozen interesting books to bring home. {Honestly, I started off with more, but decided wiping out the entire section of new books was not a good example to my children as I try to teach them to share.}

The half dozen new library books we brought home:

Jack and the Baked Beanstalk, by Colin Stimpson - In this contemporary twist of a fun fairy tale, Jack and his mom live and work in a busy city at a cafe. The city builds a super highway right over the cafe. This, of course, decreases business as the cars now just zoom by the cafe and never stop. Jack is sent out for coffee beans with the family's last coins. He comes home with a can of magic baked beans. His mom is distraught. The can is tossed and the story unfolds in a twisted series of events similar enough to the original story to be familiar, but with unique complexities and outcomes that make the story fresh for all.

I picked up The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visual Companion, by Jude Fisher strictly because I knew our two older children would enjoy seeing the characters before they went to the movie. It is truly a visual companion with amazing photographs and descriptions of the characters. Both children lingered over the book for many hours in anticipation of the movie. Of course, I must add, both made a point to show me "Dori" which I commented was better than the forgetful blue fish of several years ago.

With a title like The Story of Silk: From Worm Spit to Woven Scarves, readers know what they are getting long before they crack open this book by Richard Sobol. It really is a perfect description of this nonfiction description of silk from Thailand. The book details the entire process with captivating words and pictures. Even if your children aren't interested in silk, they will find this book fascinating. {Or, at least mine did.}

Another nonfiction book we brought home was Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington, by Jabari Asim. This picture book biography is a fabulous introduction to the life of Booker T. Washington. We are recently studied through this time period in history, and the book is a great complement to our history readings.

Combining poetry and photographs, National Geographic's Book of Animal Poetry is a gem. The poems are divided into categories like big ones, little ones, strange ones, and quiet ones. My youngest and I devoured the book one afternoon. Though we didn't read all the poems (there are 200!) we read quite a bit and looked at all the amazing photographs.

Finally, on a more whimsical note, the book The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, by William Joyce was quite the find. After one reading, children will be convinced books really can take you anywhere.

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Moby Dick Lesson Ideas and Resources

It wasn't long until my six year old started picking out books about Moby Dick. To be completely truthful he picked up the first book because he thought it was about Jonah. He was quite disappointed to find out it wasn't, but gave the book a try anyway. After his first time through with his older sister reading, he was hooked. It didn't hurt that his brother had read Moby Dick last year.

Since he is interested, I thought I'd start looking for some lesson ideas and resources. What I have found is listed below.


Books

• Moby Dick: Chasing the Great White Whale, by Eric A. Kimmel (picture book)
• Moby Dick: Based on the Novel by Herman Melville, retold by Lew Sayre Schwartz (comic books style)
• Moby Dick, by Henry Melville (junior classic version, less than 200 pages)
• Moby Dick, Henry Melville  (actual 700+ page book)
• Moby Dick, by Henry Melville (read it online at The Literature Network)

Whale Activities for Younger Kids

• Make a stuffed paper bag whale following these instructions.
• Or, try making this whale from a white tube sock.
• Rather make a whale from paper? Instructions on an origami whale are found here.
• Color one of these whale picture pages.
• Try this free game called Whale Word Match by Learning Games for Kids.

On Line Free Lesson Plans for Older Kids

• The Great Book Foundation offers a synopsis of the novel and discussion questions here.
• Discovery Education offers two free lesson plans for high schoolers reading Moby Dick. The first is a literature guide with journaling activities. It is found here. The second centers on whether Captain Ahab was a tragic hero or not. The free lesson plan includes vocabulary and suggestions for debate. You can find it here. 

Related Post
Ships, Navigation, and Whaling

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First Books of 2013

The year has just begun, and with it, we've cracked open a few new to us titles and a few old favorites. On the children's current reading lists are:

The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells - Our eighth grader is reading this book for the first time! He'll narrate and discuss theme and impact of this novel with me as he reads it.

Little Women, by Lousia May Alcott - A Comprehension Guide will be completed as our sixth grader reads this classic.

Helen Keller: Courage in the Dark, by Johanna Hurwitz was read by our fourth grader. She is currently working on summarizing story lines and writing book reports. This is the third in a grouping of four books I have assigned her. She reads a short book each week and summarizes it in a book report by Friday. She completed two other books in this manner before our Christmas break.

Our Kindergartner is still learning to read. With the new calendar year, he started I Can Read It: Book 2, by John Holzmann.

For our family's current read aloud, we are journeying west with Conn from Ireland to America. Set in the late 1800's, The Great Wheel, by Robert Lawson captures the industrial time period well.

Curious what books they started 2012 with? click here

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Three New-to-Us Christmas Resources

Each year, we read our favorite Christmas books, watch our favorite Christmas movies, make a few Christmas gifts, and try to incorporate Christmas into our homeschool by memorizing Christmas poetry and singing Christmas carols. Beyond all that, we are always on the look out for new resources to read or watch. This year, we found three new-to-us resources.

The Star of Bethlehem & Mystery of the Three Kings is a DVD with a scientific slant. Apparently, The Star of Bethlehem has had fabulous reviews. With many recommending this video, we were excited to find our library had a copy. In the next few days we'll sit down and watch it as a family.

Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, by Ace Collins includes thirty-one well known Christmas songs. Each chapter presents the history and 'story behind' one song. I have only read a few chapters, including the ones on "Good King Wenceslas" and "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Over the next week, I plan to select a few chapters to read aloud with the children.

A Christmas Odyssey: Adventures in Odyssey sounds like a wonderful resource. I would love to tell you some specifics, but my children have taken the set and are listening to it nonstop during free time. The few portions I have overheard are typical Adventures in Odyssey, filled with wit and wisdom.

Christmas Books

It's that time again! Time to pull out our favorite Christmas books, grab a few cookies and hot cocoa, and share wonderful stories of the season. Do you have your favorite Christmas books? I know we do.

However, every year, we try to find a few new books to read. Three new to us books this year follow. Have you read them? If not, we liked them so much, we recommend you search your library shelves for a copy to borrow.

The Family Christmas Tree Book, by Tomie De Paola
A great informative book on the history of the Christmas tree as told by parents and a grandma while a family selects a tree, takes it home, and decorates it.  Includes these wonderful little tid bits: German customs of Christbaum trees (a tree decorated with apples for Adam and Eve, roses for Virgin Mary, and wafers for the Christ Child); Pyramid (a wooden structure in pyramid shape decorated with evergreen branches and candles); and Lichstock (a flat triangular shaped candle stick rack). There is also a mention of the year President Teddy Roosevelt did not want a tree and his son hid one in his closet.

The Trees of the Dancing Goats, by Patricia Polacco
This is another endearing book by Polacco. A little girl and her family prepare for Hanukkah festivities.  Candles are made by her Babushka (grandma), her Grampa makes wooden animals for the children's gifts, and the little girl polishes the menorah. Latkes and roasted chickens are made, anticipating a joyful celebration. However, an epidemic strikes the farming community. It is scarlet fever. Most of the nearby families are sick. The Jewish family decides to help their ill Christian neighbors celebrate Christmas. They cuts small Christmas trees and decorates each one with a goat (made by Grampa) and some paper garlands. Then, they make more chickens and latkes. A beeswax candle is included in each basket of food. All their neighbors are blessed by their selfless actions. It is a heartwarming story.

One Hundred Shining Candles, by Janet Lunn
Taking place in the backwoods of upper Canada sometime in the 1800's, Lucy and her family have no presents this Christmas. Despite their extreme poverty, Lucy and Dan, her younger brother set about to surprise their mother with candles for Christmas. It is an idea born from their teacher's description of holiday decorations in the big cities. It is a beautiful story of children trying to bless their parents.




Related Posts:
Christmas Past - Historical Read Alouds
Christmas Joy - Read Alouds
Christmas Carols in Books
Good King Wenceslas