March 2024 Book Reports

The Art of Conflict Management: Achieving Solutions for Life, Work, and Beyond by Michael Dues (Great Courses audio lecture series) - When First Daughter and I met for lunch with a local lawyer to learn about law school and law careers, the lawyer recommended learning conflict management skills. I found this series of recorded lectures from the Great Books program to add to her civics course. The 24 lectures cover a wide range of strategies for understanding conflict and communicating within relationships (or as a mediator) to find win-win solutions. I personally found it helpful in my own relationships and thought it was a great addition to the civics course. (purchased audiobook)

A Severe Mercy: A Story of Faith, Tragedy, and Triumph by Sheldon Vanauken - I read this with my book club. It was my second time reading the book, and I still didn't like it. Vanauken writes of the tragic loss of his young wife to illness after their conversion to Christianity, a conversion he didn't experience fully until after her death. More than anything, I think their love was flawed from the beginning when they decided children would come between them, so they wouldn't have any (though I acknowledge that decision might have changed after they became Christians if Davy hadn't already been suffering from her long illness). I guess it seems like the book is inward focused rather than other-focused, which is odd for me for such a *Christian* book. My favorite part is the afterward in which the author reveals Davy gave a baby up for adoption before their marriage. It completely changed my perspective on Davy and made me wish to understand her better from her own point of view, rather than her husband's. Overall, I think there are better books exploring the meaning of our faith in the face of suffering. (purchased copy) 

Two in the Far North by Margaret E. Murie - Murie was the first female graduate of the University of Alaska in 1924. She married a biologist, Olaus Murie, and together they worked and traveled in the wilds of Alaska. In later years, they traveled all over the world. In this book, she writes lovingly of their adventures in Alaska and the wilderness. Sometimes she and her husband traveled and worked alone; other times with colleagues and even their children. I am not an adventurous woman, but I love to read these kinds of adventures. Murie's describes the natural world with joy and a great thankfulness to be a part of it, even when they struggled. This is a classic of the conservation movement. (an older edition from PaperBackSwap.com)

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez - This historical fantasy romance was recommended in a local book group I follow just when I was looking for a light read for between book club books, so I requested it from the library. A young woman travels to Egypt after hearing of her parents' tragic deaths and ends up attacked by those who seek to pillage Egypt of its ancient treasures. Honestly, I found the writing painful, the plot convoluted, and the characters uneven. I suffered through the book to give myself closure, only to be disappointed because the author is planning a sequel (or a series). (library book)

Transforming Your Life through the Eucharist by John A. Kane - I have recommended this a number of times since I first read it. I didn't find it quite as striking the second time through, but it's still a good solid book on the Eucharist. (purchased copy)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon, Bookshop, and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

November 2022 Book Reports

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - I had read this book a few years before we had kids, so it had been almost twenty years when I read it again with my book club. It seemed a little more trite to me this time around, though generally I think the main protagonist is a much more virtuous person than I would have been in her situation. (read free Kindle copy)

Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants by George W. Bush - link to my post (borrowed copy from my dad) 

A Mercy by Toni Morrison - I read this as I was deciding on an African American literature selection for senior year. This book presents the stories of a single 1680s household from the differing perspectives of the master, mistress, and slaves. It is often difficult to read, both because the text can be challenging and because the events are harsh and tragic. Few people of privilege, wealth, or power are portrayed positively. But it is beautifully written. I think a high school senior could read it, though some will struggle in understanding some of the voices. There are also some pointed criticisms of Catholics that, while I think they are valid, would need context for a teenage Catholic reader. That is all in addition, of course, to all the content considerations you might imagine: rape, violence, slavery, witchcraft, intimacy outside of marriage and with people of the same gender, etc. (library copy)

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis - This was my second time through this audiobook and I loved it just as much as the first time. I picked up on many more of the jokes this time through because I had recently listened to Jerome K. Jerome's original travelogue, Three Men in a Boat. Back in 2020, I wrote:

This may be my favorite audiobook of all time. I enjoyed every single minute of it, invented chores so I could listen to it, and was both delighted with the ending and sorry it was over. It's a quirky tale of time-travel, Victorian England, the Blitz, and romance, "to say nothing of the dog" (and cat). (purchased from Audible during a sale)

 I'm sure the book is good, but the audiobook is an absolute delight.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - I've never been much of a mystery reader; I can never guess the murderer! But so many people rave about Agatha Christie, I thought I'd give a few of her books a try. I enjoyed this one, though of course I didn't figure out the solution until it was revealed. (library copy)

Leona by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino - I was looking on PaperBackSwap for books by this author because I love her book My Heart Lies South. This little out of print book about a brave but often over-looked woman in Mexico's history was available. It's written at about a middle school level, though the romance means it might be more interesting to older children. I enjoyed it, but I don't know that you have to seek it out. (received from another member of PaperBackSwap.com)

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - link to my post (library copy)

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis - I read this with my book club. The story tells of the perseverance of two women left alone in the Alaskan wilderness, the revival of their skills to survive, and the flourishing of their friendship. It's also a story of the healing of family relationships. I added this book to my Geography of the Americas shelf in case any high schoolers want to select it as a free-read (Level 5 or Level 6). (purchased used)

The Yellow Fairy Book edited by Andrew Lang - I have read fairy tales aloud to all my kids regularly since the very beginning of our homeschooling journey, but we don't read one every day, or even every week, so it can take a long time to get through a book. Fairy tales seem to be enjoying something of a moment, especially in the homeschooling crowd, but nothing can teach you about the wonderful and the weird as much as reading through a collection from beginning to end. I picked something different to read aloud after this one, but I'm considering returning to the Blue Fairy Book after that because my younger kids don't remember it. (purchased used)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

Navigating Life: The Sun Is a Compass

The Sun is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds 
by Caroline Van Hemert

Caroline Van Hemert is a scientist and adventurer. As she finished her doctoral dissertation, she and her husband planned a journey through the Alaskan wilderness. As she traveled, she hoped to rediscover her love of the natural world that first lured her into science and to envision the life she and her husband would create for themselves at this time of transition.

Seeing a gray-headed chickadee is special not because its feathers shimmer with iridescence of because it has just arrived from Polynesia but because almost nothing is known about these tiny birds. If I hadn't been paying attention, if I hadn't tuned my ears to the patter of wings and the echo of silence, I would have missed it entirely. (p. 14)

Dr. Van Hemert mentioned studying writing before beginning her biology graduate work, and her words are often thrilling and enthralling. She writes of her first introduction to fieldwork in Alaska.

They flew so close to one another that, for a moment, I couldn't see the sky above me. As they came directly overhead, I ducked. When I looked up again, the palette of colors--white wings against blue sky, ray rock against green water--left me gasping for breath. (p. 26)

Though her parents had spent years sending their children outside, camping, skiing, and exploring their home state of Alaska, her field work transformed her attitude.

For the first time, I saw the natural world not through textbooks but through my own eyes. I began to understand how ecological questions I'd learned about in school were embedded in the muddy, messy realities of fieldwork, and I loved it. (p. 27)

Cue poetic knowledge, though most of us probably don't imagine tents, camp stoves, rain, snow, and lots of guano when we think of the term. A recurring theme in the book is the contrast between fieldwork and laboratory work in modern science. Time in the laboratory is the norm for scientists, but Dr. Van Hemert obviously has fallen in love with the natural world, not with the laboratory. She writes of the early naturalist and indigenous people who learned to observe the natural world, that by watching and listening, they were able to learn about the seasons, plants, animals, and birds. Today's scientist, however, uses more equipment and laboratory tests than observation to advance knowledge.

Science has gone the way of most other things in our digital world. High-tech, computer-centric, and data-hungry. As a result, we know much more than we used to. But we also spend much less time as observers. Wandering through the woods with only a backpack, a notebook, and a pair of binoculars has become a novelty, rather than a necessity, for many biologists. (pp. 125-126) 

This book reminded me of the generous gift we provide in nature study, the habit of walking through the natural world and paying attention to it. Dr. Van Hemert fell in love with birds and being outside with them. Her love of them led to advanced study in biology, because she wanted to understand and protect them, but that very study pulled her away from time immersed in their wild world. It's a tension every biologist and naturalist will recognize.

We tend to think the days of crossing the arctic on skis are over, but they're not! Few make the attempt, and it's no less difficult than in early days of exploring.

In this transition zone, where spring is nudging out winter, there is no perfect way to travel--too much snow for hiking and too little for skiing. The river flows through a narrow slot canyon choked with ice, making paddling impossible. We clamber over logs and across fields of pine needles and crispy brown ferns, skis dangling from our feet like useless appendages. Sweating and straining, we cover less than a mile in two hours.

If you're traveling by ski and boat, you run many great risks, even with air-dropped supplies. More than once, they escape real danger or barely avoid starvation. There are many times they escape death through quick action or luck. The water, the mountains, the bears, the hunger...they all present very real dangers.

As a mother with daughters, I paid close attention to Dr. Van Hemert's conversations with herself about the possibility of having children. A baby would limit their freedom to explore, but her sister and others reveal some of the great joys of children.

If parenthood inspires the sort of bond I feel with them [her parents] right now, even from a distance, maybe my sister is right. Maybe having a child matters more than battling brush and postholing through last season's snow. Maybe family trumps wilderness. Or perhaps these pieces--made of illness and love and birth and death--are inextricably linked, tangled and messy like the green stalks of alder that grow on every hillside. (p. 155)

The book itself doesn't give a final answer except in the epilogue, which describes their first backpacking trip with a ten week old son. It's different, but enchanting.

I knew a baby would change our lives. What I hadn't realized is that this doesn't mean we must let go of what we love. Only now do I see that my worries about losing myself, or us, or our desire for adventure, were misplaced...We will continue to navigate by the only means we know: one stroke, one footfall, one moment at a time. (p. 293)

If you're interested in dangerous adventures like hiking through the Arctic, this book will give you an excellent idea of what that will be like, and perhaps some tips on the planning and preparation. If you know me in real life, you know this is far more ambitious than anything I'd even consider. It doesn't sound fun or worthwhile in the least. But I love reading about adventures like this one. I'm completely content to live vicariously through Caroline Van Hemert and others who share their tales in books I can drink while sipping tea at my kitchen table.

This book is about a crazy journey through Alaskan wilderness, but it is also about finding wonder in the natural world, balancing self and others, and learning how to make a life as a family.

I will include this in our list of possible high school North American geography books. It's definitely best for a more mature reader as the author writes about traveling and living with her husband before they were married, even as the author asks herself what their future as a couple will be. She also occasionally mentions times when they are intimate. These instances are sometimes a little more descriptive than I may prefer for my teenagers, but there's nothing explicit.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I checked this book out from our library.

North American Earth Studies: The Great Quake

The Great Quake:

How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet

by Henry Fountain

I stumbled across this book in our library catalog when looking for something on plate tectonics for high school geography earth science reading. This isn't exactly what I had in mind (I was looking for a readily available history of science book), but it is definitely high on my list. It's fascinating reading that indeed covers the theory of plate tectonics underlying a modern understanding of earthquakes.

The geologist George Plafker provides a focus point for the book. His professional work in a variety of environments before and after the earthquake placed him in a unique position to synthesize information from different sources and points of view.

He was finding that his scientific education never really ended--there were always new things to see and discover.

Just the story of his scientific career provides an informative look at how science really works and the value in thinking about big ideas in a field rather than focusing on a tiny piece of a puzzle.

The descriptions of the people of Alaska, the places they lived and worked, and the ravages of the earthquake are riveting. Along the way, Mr. Fountain explains the development of the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics, and how those ideas were furthered in the course of the study of the measurable effects of the 1964 Alaskan earthquake.

I haven't decided exactly what geography will look like for First Son next year (in twelfth grade) or what it will look like for my later children (probably slightly different), but this book is a possibility for an earth sciences book in a North American course. I do have some hesitation, mainly because many of the descriptions of the earthquake's effects are disturbing. People died, some of the violently, but most of them are written of as individual people, with names and families, stories of what they were doing and why when the earthquake or their own personal tragedy struck. While these stories give a strength to the narrative, they are also sometimes difficult to read. Including this book in a course might depend on the student.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop or Amazon are affiliate links.

April 2014 Book Report

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill is a sweet story of a remote school on the Alaskan frontier in 1948. It's historical fiction of the best quality and I think First Daughter will read it during her independent reading next year in second grade. (purchased used)

First Communion Days from Neumann Press is a book of short stories about little children and their relationship to Jesus in the Eucharist. I'm a little ambivalent about this book as a couple of the children die shortly after receiving (which is always a little weird for me, though my children have never commented on such things). There is also a story in which the child talks about buying souls out of purgatory by giving the priest a stipend and asking for a mass to be said. I felt like the practice of saying mass for those in purgatory and the tradition of offering a stipend to the priest are delicate areas, not well explained or understood by little ones. After talking about it with Kansas Dad, though, we decided to let First Daughter read the book because the stories are mostly sweet and it's exactly the kind of book she loves. We're just very careful in how we speak of those practices and explain them to the children. (received as a gift)

Journey to Jo'burg: A South African Story by Beverly Naidoo is one of the books recommended by Mater Amabilis for Level 2's People and Places focus on Africa. It's set during the time of apartheid. I think it's a good book for introducing that subject, but I'm not certain that's the impression with which I want to leave First Son when he's only going to read three books set in Africa. So, while a possibility, I'm not sure we'll be using it. (library copy)

Sand: Omnibus Edition by Hugh Howey is a single edition of all the Sand stories. I really enjoyed Howey's Silo saga and thought this one not quite as good. (borrowed for free from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library)

Mamba Point by Kurtis Scaletta is the fictional tale of a boy who moves to Liberia with his family when his father joins the American embassy there. There's a bit of African lore in Linus's unusual relationship with a black mamba, but overall I thought this was a great book of friendship, growing up, and family relationships, as well as a fascinating peek at life in Liberia in the 1980s. The author was the child of a diplomat in Liberia at that time and many of his experiences and memories are reflected in the book. (library copy)

The Good Braider by Terry Farish is the tale of a young woman in Sudan (now South Sudan) who escapes war and repeated rapes to a Sudanese community in the United States and then must learn who she is in this new place. It's beautifully written. A few brief pages at the end of the book give a summary of some of the events in South Sudan in recent years, bringing the reality of this fictional tale into clearer focus. (borrowed for free from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library)

The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John started off very promisingly with a young girl orphaned by a fire moving to a South African wildlife preserve to live with her grandmother. In the end, there was an extensive amount of magical African elements which I thought overwhelmed the better parts of the story regarding her relationship to the land, new friends, and her grandmother. I read this because I was considering it for our African studies next year, for First Son to read, but I think I'll find something else. (library copy)

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park is one I requested from the library as I was looking through books on Africa even though I thought it might be too mature for First Son to read. Based loosely on the life of Salva Dut, one of Sudan's Lost Boys, it shows some of the unrest and trauma of Sudan (and South Sudan). It's written at a middle-grade level but contains much violence and tragedy, in particular a young boy presumably eaten by a lion and Salva's uncle being mercilessly shot, so you'd want to read it yourself before sharing it with a younger child. I think First Son could handle the story but haven't yet decided how much of the harsh realities of some African countries I want to include in his studies next year. One of the things I like about this book is the strategy Salva uses to survive his ordeals and how he translates that into triumph for himself and his goals to improve life in his home country. (library copy)

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green, from this wonderful list of books for boys, is one I was contemplating for First Son to read next year, in fifth grade. I wanted to read it myself first because of the relationship between Queen Guinevere and Sir Launcelot. (There's plenty of smiting through helmets and cutting off the heads of knights, too, but I wasn't too worried about that.) The language regarding the relationship is vague enough to be appropriate for pretty much any age. It's on his list for next year, but I'll probably put it at the end or ask him to read it the summer after fifth grade. This was my own first introduction to King Arthur proper and I enjoyed it tremendously. (library copy)

Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats by Steve Ettlinger gives the gritty details about all the major chemicals in processed foods. I thought it was fascinating and anyone interested in food chemistry should read this book. Even those who don't eat a lot of processed foods might be interested in reading the chapter on enriched flour. All those vitamins come from China and no one seems quite sure about which companies make them, let alone overseeing the processes themselves. On the other hand, it seems pretty clear the addition of the vitamins has made a measurable difference in the health of Americans. (library copy)

She Touched the World: Laura Bridgman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer by Sarah Hobart Alexander and Robert Alexander is a short chapter biography of a girl from Hanover, New Hampshire, who was the first to learn using the innovative techniques that taught Helen Keller. It's well illustrated with photographs and includes a chapter at the end comparing Laura's education with that of a deaf-blind student today. It's written at a middle-grade level, I think, but I was fascinated. Of course, I have a soft spot in my heart for Hanover and Boston, both of which feature in the book. This book is definitely on our list for independent reading or a family read-aloud when we study this time period in American history in a few years. (library copy)

Martha and Chip by Katharine Sohler is a fantasy book written by a young woman who was homeschooled. I was considering buying it for First Daughter but instead decided to encourage her to read it before I had to return it to inter-library loan. It's a nice little story for young readers. (inter-library loan)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a tale of magic and romance. It was wonderful. (library play-away)

Legend by Marie Lu is a young adult dystopian novel in which a wicked government is experimenting on their citizens and ruthlessly killing them to maintain control. It's not very nuanced, but an enjoyable summer read. It's the first of (of course) a trilogy. (library copy)

Books in Progress (and date started)

• Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (September 2013)
• Open Mind, Faithful Heart by Pope Francis (January 2014) 
• The Education Of Catholic Girls by Janet Erskine Stuart (February 2014)
• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (February 2014)
• The Idea of a University by John Henry Cardinal Newman (February 2014)
• A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller (April 2014)
• A Little Maid of Old Philadelphia by Alice Turner Curtis (April 2014)

American History Picture Books in 2012-2013 Post 5 of 5: Civil Rights, Hawai'i, Alaska, and Space Exploration

This is the fifth and last post in a series on the picture books we read along with our American History studies in 2012-2013 when First Son was in  third grade, First Daughter was in kindergarten, Second Daughter was four and Second Son wasn't paying attention.

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, illustrated by George Ford, is one of First Daughter's favorite books. Ruby is such a sweet and brave girl in the story.

Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper by Ann Malaspina, illustrations by Eric Velasquez, is the inspiring story of the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal (in 1948). The illustrations are wonderful and there are pictures of Alice on the last couple of pages. This is a great book to read when talking about sports, perseverance, racism, and hope.

Akiak: A Tale From the Iditarod by Robert J. Blake is the book we read to celebrate Alaska joining the United States. It's the exciting tale of a one dog who was determined to finish the grueling Iditarod, even after she was injured.

I really wanted to read a Hawai'ian history picture book to the girls to celebrate it as the fiftieth state, but I couldn't find anything appropriate at our library. I did give First Son The Last Princess: The Story of Princess Ka'iulani of Hawai'i by Fay Stanley, illustrated by Diane Stanley, to read independently before he made a notebook page of Princess Ka'iulani. The story of Hawai'i's annexation is a sad one, I think. This book is excellent, but is much more of a proper biography than a picture book, too detailed for the girls.

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the biography I chose to read to the children. It's a little gritty for young children, but my girls didn't seem to mind. After our unit, I discovered I Have a Dream, which is one of my favorite picture books. We also read We March by Shane W. Evans, which gives a powerful witness not only to the March in 1963, but to our civic responsibilities and freedoms to peacefully demonstrate.

I've just recently discovered Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue, which tells of the friendship between a white boy and a black boy in 1964, after the Civil Rights Act passed into law. For older children, this could be a good introduction to a discussion about how changing the law was in some way just the beginning, that the struggle for real change meant changing hearts and attitudes.

Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney, is one of my favorite picture books. I think it puts Rosa Parks's actions in perspective for young children. We also have the book Rosa by Nikki Giovanni. I love Bryan Collier's illustrations in this book, but I think the text doesn't do Rosa Parks justice; she was an intelligent and savvy woman who coordinated with others an effort to force Montgomery to change.

Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin with paintings by Wendell Minor is an autobiography written for young children. I thought it was a little text heavy for my girls, so I asked First Son to read it independently before creating a notebook page on Buzz Aldrin. I enjoyed reading it myself and found it inspiring, as I'm sure the author intended. The illustrations are marvelous.

One Small Step: Celebrating the First Men On the Moon by Jerry Stone is full of bits of paper that unfold like a scrapbook. It's overflowing with information on the astronauts and the space program. It would have been too overwhelming to read out loud to the girls, but I put it in our book basket for First Son to peruse at his leisure.

Posts in This Series - I'll update this list with links to all the others after they post.
#1: Slavery and the Civil War
#2: Progressive Era and Immigration
#3: World War I, Women's Suffrage, and the 1920s
#4: The Great Depression and World War II
#5: Civil Rights, Hawai'i, Alaska, and Space Exploration (this post)

You can see some of the books we read on this era when First Son was in kindergarten here. In addition, you can find links to all the picture books we read through American history in 2009-2010, when First Son was in kindergarten. 

American History Picture Books in 2012-2013 Post 3 of 5: World War I, Women's Suffrage, and the 1920s

This is the third post in a series on the picture books we read along with our American History studies in 2012-2013 when First Son was in  third grade, First Daughter was in kindergarten, Second Daughter was four and Second Son wasn't paying attention.

Gold Rush Winter by Claire Rudolf Murphy, illustrated by Richard Waldrep, is an early chapter book rather than a picture book, but it could easily be read aloud to young children. It's based on the real life of a girl who joined her father in Alaska during the Gold Rush. It's entertaining and informative and a good addition to any study of Alaska or the Gold Rush.

Emily by Michael Bedard, pictures by Barbara Cooney, is a story of Emily Dickinson, one of my favorite poets, illustrated by Barbara Cooney, one of my favorite illustrators, so I can't explain why it wasn't on my schedule for the year. It's a fictionalized account of a friendship between a neighbor child and the poet that shows how she lived and reluctantly interacted with others. It would make a wonderful complement to any study of Dickinson.

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, pictures by Melissa Sweet, is a new book (published in 2013) so we didn't read it when we studied this era, but it's a fantastic book. It's about immigration, women's rights, unions, industrialization, and tells the inspiring story of a courageous young woman. Combine this book with a discussion of continuing dangerous conditions in factories in other parts of the world and you could have quite the conversation.

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children by Jan Pinborough, illustrated by Debby Atwell, is not a book we read during our studies because I hadn't read it yet (it was published in March 2013), but it's now one of my favorite picture books. I particularly think it would fit in well with a reading through American history because it offers a more joyful glimpse of the era. Read with Brave Girl, younger readers could contrast the two books and see that while some are courageous and walk picket lines, others are courageous and build libraries. We need both.

I didn't read The Donkey of Gallipoli: A True Story of Courage in World War I by Mark Greenwood, illustrated by Frane Lessac, to the children because I really tried to focus more on what was happening in America than overseas during the wars. (This was American history; we also cover the wars in Western history.) Also, this story is probably more appropriate for older elementary students or even middle school students, but it's a marvelous true tale of bravery and the devastation of war. The illustrations are brilliant, filling every bit of every page with color.

When Esther Morris Headed West: Women, Wyoming, and the Right to Vote by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, tells the story of Esther Morris, the first woman to hold elected office in the United States. What I like best about the book is how the focus is not just on Esther Morris, but on the man who believed women should be able to vote and the lawyer who changed his mind when he saw how well Esther managed herself as a judge. The book seemed to have a touch more law and politics than I thought my girls would enjoy, so I just put it in the book basket this time around.

I Could Do That!: Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote by Linda Arms White, pictures by Nancy Carpenter, is a book on Esther Morris that was better for my young girls. Esther is brave, competent, and doesn't get discouraged even when she doesn't get her way. The phrase "I could do that!" is one children will eagerly adopt.

Mama Went to Jail for the Vote by Kathleen Karr, illustrated by Malene Laugesen, tells the story of the women's suffrage movement in the early 1900s from the point of view of the daughter of a suffragist. While a fictionalized account, it gives a good idea of what life was like for the women in the movement, including supervising the cook and dinner for their husbands. It's full of high ideals and wonderful illustrations.

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrations by Melissa Sweet, is a biography of Horace Pippen I discovered after our year was done, but it would have been a great addition to our studies. Pippen was inspiring as a person and the illustrations are evocative of his work. (Melissa Sweet has illustrated so many wonderful books!)

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue  by Anna Harwell Celenza is a fun look at music composition as Gershwin is composing Rhapsody in Blue. It focuses more on the process of the composition rather than technical terms or everything that influenced him, but it's perfect for young children as an introduction to much of the music of 1920s America. The included CD is a fantastic end to the book as children are prepared to listen by the story. The piece itself is also one most children will enjoy, of course. I love the illustrations.

Waiting for the Evening Star by Rosemary Wells, illustrated by Susan Jeffers, tells of two brothers growing up in Vermont just before World War II. Their lives shaped by the seasons and the farm, by the community in which they lived, and by their dreams. The older brother, Luke, dreams of traveling and seeing the world, and eventually joins the Navy to fight in the war. Though he doesn't actually die in the book, his brother imagines that he will never return as he watches the train carrying his brother leave. It is bittersweet, both for the brother who remains and for the kind of childhood they had that has in many ways disappeared.

The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail by Debbie S. Miller, illustrations by Jon Van Zyle, is a non-fiction book on the events behind the Iditarod, the race in 1925 to bring antitoxin serum to Nome, Alaska, where diptheria raged. There is a lot of text, so I put this in our book basket for First Son to read if he wanted, but I did not want to neglect it in this post because the illustrations are so amazing. The text is good, too, and the story is both exciting and inspiring. This is an excellent book for any child interested in Alaska, medicine, tests of endurance, or dog sledding.


Posts in This Series - I'll update this list with links to all the others after they post.
#1: Slavery and the Civil War
#2: Progressive Era and Immigration
#3: World War I, Women's Suffrage, and the 1920s (this post)
#4: The Great Depression and World War II
#5: Civil Rights, Hawai'i, Alaska, and Space Exploration

Here's a post on the books we read about World War I and the Jazz Age when First Son was in kindergarten. In addition, you can find links to all the picture books we read through American history in 2009-2010, when First Son was in kindergarten. 

Preschool Reading Around the World: Canada, Alaska, Artic, Antarctic

In the third term in this year's Reading-Around-the-World, we focused on books set in Canada, Alaska, the Arctic, and Antarctica, to correlate loosely with First Son's study of the Arctic and Antarctic.

A Cat in a Kayak by Maria Coffey, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes, is a funny tale of a cat whose home is inundated with obnoxious noisy animals until Teelo thinks he can't stand it anymore, but when he sneaks off for some peace and quiet, he realizes home is a pretty good place to be. It's set in Canada, but there are only a few pages that really give a glimpse of the country. The children enjoyed it.

Under a Prairie Sky byAnne Laurel Carter, illustrated by Alan and Lea Daniel, is a small story of a young boy who wants to be a Mountie when he grows up. His father gives him a mission: to find his brother before a storm comes. So off he rides, showing us the land and animals all around their farm before finding his young (adorable) brother and bringing him home ahead of the storm. I liked this story more than the kids did.

Disappearing Lake: Nature's Magic in Denali National Park by Debbie S. Miller, illustrations by Jon Van Zyle, is a fantastic picture book about a lake the author and her family visited regularly which, like many lakes in Alaska, forms as the spring melts the snows and gradually disappears as the water seeps into the earth. It's beautifully illustrated and gives a wonderful glimpse of nature study at its best.

Kumak's House: A Tale of the Far North by Michael Bania is essentially the same story you'll find in It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folk Tale (another wonderful book). The author and illustrator lived in the Arctic as a teacher for 17 years, and the details in the book show that. There are in-depth explanations of many features at the end of the book. And it's a funny story.

The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale retold and illustrated by Lydia Dabcovich is the tale of an Inuit woman who raises a polar bear cub. He grows to be an excellent son, loyal, loving, and helpful, despite what any of the villagers thinks or says. I really liked the illustrations in this book.

Go Home, River by James Magdanz, illustrated by Diane Widom, is one of my favorite picture books. There's a wonderful blend of family, Inupiat culture, and natural science. The illustrations, painted in octopus ink, are lovely as well.

River of Life by Debbie S. Miller, illustrated by Jon Van Zyle, is a wonderful book exploring the banks of a river in Alaska throughout the year. It gently introduces the readers to a world of wildlife. The illustrations are rich with color and movement. This should probably have a post as one of my favorite picture books.

The Frog Princess: A Tlingit Legend from Alaska retold by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger, is the tale of a princess courted by many but dismissive of them all until a mysterious man appears who leads her into the lake.

Beyond the Northern Lights by Lynn Blaikie has relatively little text and lots of beautiful illustrations. I really enjoyed this book myself.

Kumak's Fish: A Tall Tale from the Far North by Michael Bania is the ultimate fish tale (inspired by a real story) that celebrates a community working together. The illustrations are delightful as well. Kumak is a favorite with the children.

Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews, illustrated by Ian Wallace, is the story of the first time Eva Padlyat walked the bottom of the seabed in search of mussels. It's a nice story of courage and accomplishment for young children.

The Blizzard's Robe by Robert Sabuda is a legend of the gift of the northern lights and is one of my favorite picture books. The illustrations are magnificent. This is a book worthy to read even if you aren't seeking out Arctic or Antarctic books.

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers is just wonderful. My children love many of Mr. Jeffers's books (especially Second Daughter, who laughs uproariously from beginning to end of Stuck), but he's not my favorite illustrator. This book, however, is probably my favorite Jeffers book with crisp sweet illustrations. If you haven't yet seen them, Mr. Jeffers has some wonderful vidoes. I like this one myself and you can even watch him read Stuck.

The Seasons and Someone by Virginia L. Kroll, illustrated by Tatsuro Kiuchi, is a brief glimpse of the year with a young Eskimo girl. There's a little culture, a little nature study, a little beauty, and a peaceful story wonderful to share with young children.

Penguin and Little Blue by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Katherine Tillotson, is one of many books about penguins at our library, but in this one the penguins attempt to adapt to a life of traveling celebrities, starting with a stay in a Kansas hotel. Hilarity ensures.

Little Penguin: The Emperor of Antarctica by Jonathan London, illustrated by Julie Olson, is a great book for young children on the life of a newborn emperor penguin. It's probably not great literature, but it's entertaining and informative. The illustrations usually fill the two page spread.


Other Posts on Reading Around the World with picture books

2012-2013
Europe
Australia, New Zealand, and Hawai'i


2011-2012
Africa
Asia
Central and South America

Homeschool Review: 2012-2013 Family Read-Alouds in American History

This year, I decided we'd set aside a little time each day to share a read-aloud with the family focused on the time period we were studying in history, one for American History and one for World History. I found some of these in resources like Let the Authors Speak, books I already owned, or through library searches.

We would read through the American History read-aloud two or three times a week until it was done. Then I'd start a new book that matched up with our current studies. We read these when First Son was in third grade and First Daughter was in kindergarten. Second Daughter (four) and Second Son (two) were intermittent listeners.

This year in American History, we started with a study of slavery and the Civil War. Then we just moved chronologically up to the present times.

Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman by Dorothy Sterling is a biography of Harriet Tubman for children. I thought it was a nice way to learn about slavery and the struggle for freedom. (purchased copy, I think at a library sale)

Old Sam: Dakota Trotter by Don Alonzo Taylor is the story of a trotting horse with an injured leg who proves himself time and again on the frontier. It's told wonderfully from the perspective of a young boy who loves the prairie life. The kids loved this book! (purchased copy, from Bethlehem Books)

All-Of-A-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor is one of my very favorite books. Set in New York City, it chronicles the delightful daily life of a Jewish family with five young girls. All of my children loved this story. We followed it up with the next two books on audio CD from the library (All of a Kind Family Downtown and More All-of-a-Kind Family). I'll be checking the next one out of the library to read aloud as the children are all asking for more - even Second Son! (The first one we read was also a library copy.)

Blue Willow by Doris Gates is another one of my favorite books. It's such a sweet story of courage and every day life during the Great Depression. Janey's father lost his ranch in the Dust Bowl and now they follow the field work. She longs for a permanent home and a regular school. Her family is loving and supportive and she finds new and wonderful friends. (library copy)

Gentle Ben by Walt Morey is the story of a young boy and his pet bear set in the territory of Alaska. It's a wonderful addition to any story of Alaska or a nature study on northern habitats. (purchased copy, at a going-out-of-business-sale)

Every one of these books would be worthy of reading aloud regardless of any history studies. In fact, those are exactly the kind of books I seek out for our family read-alouds.

These were a number of other books I had ready and waiting but we did not have time to read them aloud together this year during our American History read-aloud time.

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink - Because it's one of my favorite books, we read it as one of our regular family read-alouds (which we read every day!), so we didn't miss out on it. (I own this book from my childhood.)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - I wanted to read this, but we didn't really have time for it and Kansas Dad thought First Son probably wouldn't be that interested. When the girls are older, we're definitely going to read it aloud! (I own this book, too.)

Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder - This is a wonderful book of post-Civil War life, forgiveness, and family, but we just didn't have time to read it. I might ask First Son to read it independently next year. (We would have used a library copy.)

Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright is a nice story of a young girl in Wisconsin, but I don't think it's quite as good as the other books. (I picked this up at a library sale.)

The Mitchells: Five for Victory by Hilda van Stockum is a lovely tale of five Mitchell children at home during World War II. It's a read-aloud appropriate for all ages about what life was like in the war years. It's predictable, but in a sweet way. I'm very tempted to ask First Son to read this independently next year or read it aloud just for fun with the girls. (I purchased this for my Kindle from Bethlehem Books, though I do not see it offered at the moment.)

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata is the story of a young girl sent to one of the Japanese internment camps in the United States during World War II. I liked this story on many levels and think it would be great for older children, especially girls, as an accompaniment to a World War II study but in the end decided against reading it with my younger children. There's nothing really inappropriate; I just think older kids would appreciate Sumiko's emotions and struggles more. (library copy)

March 2012 Book Report

Gentle Ben by Walt Morey is a delightful book about a boy and his pet...his pet bear. Set in Alaska in modern times, it is full of beautiful descriptions of the landscape and Alaskan life. I think it's a shame I never read this myself as a child and I fully intend to read it aloud next year or have First Son do so. (There are a few parts that may disturb the girls who will be 6 and 4 next year, but they are brief and not terribly upsetting.) (purchased copy)

Litany of the Long Sun:  Nightside the Long Sun and Lake of the Long Sun (Book of the Long Sun, Books 1 and 2) by Gene Wolfe. The first book was for our science fiction and theology class. It's really more of the first quarter of a single book, ending more due to lack of space than end of story, so I couldn't stop myself from reading on. And I've already requested the last two books of this particular series from the library. There's certainly a lot of religion portrayed in the novels so there was much to discuss. I'm anxious to see how Patera Silk fares in the remaining novels. (library copy)

Epiphany of the Long Sun:  Calde of the Long Sun and Exodus from the Long Sun (Book of the Long Sun, Books 3 and 4) by Gene Wolfe. I couldn't wait and had to read these two books that follow the two above. As the story moves on, it becomes more disjointed. Everything happens quickly. Immediately after reading, I felt a little dissatisfied with the story, thinking I must have missed something in the reading. After thinking about it a bit, and trying to find answers to my questions online, I realized the gaps are part of the story. Knowing what I do after the fourth book, I'd like to go back to read all of them again. I'll probably read some of Gene Wolf's other books first, though. This is certainly a series that would be appropriate and enjoyable for a mature teenager. (library copies)

Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 1) and Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles, Book 2) by Frank Herbert. I had read these nearly a decade ago, but was anxious to read them again and discuss them with Kansas Dad. (I missed the class while my parents were visiting.) I think it's interesting to consider what prescience (knowing what will happen or what might happen) changes how we would live our lives. It's not clear it would be for the better. If you are interested in science fiction and haven't read the Dune novels, make some time for them. (library copies)