My Favorite Picture Books: The Girl and the Bicycle

The Girl and the Bicycle illustrated by Mark Pett

This adorable wordless picture book shows a young girl who works steadily to earn enough money for a new bicycle, in the process developing a relationship with a neighbor. It's a book of perseverance, success, disappointment, generosity, friendship, and family. All of my children have spent time engrossed with the illustrations and "reading" it over and over again.

This book is a kind of sequel to The Boy and the Airplane, but I like it even better than the first one.

The Amazon links above are affiliate links. I checked this book out of the library. This review is my honest opinion.

July 2013 Book Reports

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is a novel written from the perspective of a fifteen year old autistic boy. I don't know how accurate it is in depicting an autistic person, but there is a paragraph early in the book that sounded exactly like a young autistic I know. It is an interesting and different narrative form for a novel. This is a quick read and I enjoyed it, but I always find myself saddened by "regular" people in novels who do horrible things, as if that's just how life is now. (started at a friend's house, finished with a library copy)

The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy is the sequel to The Hero's Gide to Saving Your Kingdom, which I read last month. It's just as enjoyable and in some ways has a little more depth. More books are in store and I intend to read them all! First Son enjoyed the first one, laughing out loud sometimes as he was reading it. He'll read this one, too. (library copy)

Destination: Bethlehem by Sharon R. Altman follows two cousins who independently develop relationships with the Holy Family in the months leading up to the Nativity. The 24 chapters are meant to be read on the 24 days in December before Christmas as an Advent activity. I found the story to be adequate despite my higher hopes for it, though there is some usefulness is providing the historical information for children. I'm not sure if we'll read this book during Advent. I may ask First Son (who will be in fourth grade) to read it independently. I don't think it would be bad to read; I'm just not sure it would be better than other books I've already planned. (received as a gift)

The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke is a science fiction story based in the far future, when Earth has sent seed ships to the far reaches of the galaxy to avoid the elimination of mankind when the destruction of Earth was assured. A spaceship from Earth arrives at a thriving colony. It was fun to read and interesting to ponder, though it's probably not surprising that Clarke and I differ on many opinions. (Kindle edition borrowed from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library)

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene (PaperBackSwap.com)

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is so enjoyable! I can't believe I had never read it. At first I was going to ask First Son to read it independently, but I think instead I'll read it aloud to the whole family next year. (Kindle edition, though we received a real copy as a gift)

Theras and His Town by Caroline Dale Snedeker (purchased copy from Sacred Heart Books and Gifts)

Impressionism: 50 Paintings You Should Know by Ines Janet Engelmann gives a summary of Impressionism and then presents fifty paintings in chronological order with brief descriptions of the painting or the painter for each one. At the top is a timeline that extends throughout the book. I enjoyed this book and felt like it gave a nice overview of the subject and some important paintings, helping me to prepare for our picture study in the upcoming year; we'll be studying Renoir, Degas, and Monet. (library copy)

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate was a pre-read for First Son. It's the tale of Ivan, a gorilla living in a small cage at a mall zoo until a tiny new inmate prompts him to change. It seems to be written at a pretty easy level with lots of very short chapters that will be inviting to weak readers, but the character growth and topics (animal cruelty and zoos) are appropriate for older readers. First Son may be a little young for a few of those lessons (at nine), but there's nothing here he can't read. It's a great tale of compassion, bravery, hope, and understanding. (library copy)

Prayer (a review for The Catholic Company)

Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home by Elizabeth Foss (received as a gift)

Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark and Caleb's Story by Patricia Maclachlan is the trilogy of the beginning of a family, when Anna's father puts an ad in a newspaper for a wife, answered by Sarah. Shockingly, I had never read these books. The first is my favorite, with beautiful and halting descriptions of Anna's hopes and fears. The last is a good story of forgiveness and a reminder to parents of the ways our children watch our actions. These are on my list as possibilities for First Daughter to read in first grade. (purchased used on Cathswap)

The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill was written in the 1970s, telling of a white girl befriended by a black boy who go on together to build a successful toothpaste company. First Son will be reading it next year in his financial literacy studies and I think he'll enjoy it. It's a good book of entrepreneurship, friendship, math in real life, self-sufficiency, good corporate citizenship, and racial issues. It is surprisingly not too preachy but honestly fun. Definitely recommended. (library copy)

Something Beautiful for God: The Classic Account of Mother Teresa's Journey into Compassion by Malcom Muggeridge (purchased copy)

Deadweather and Sunrise: The Chronicles of Egg #1 by Geoff Rodkey is full of adventure and unexpected twists. I liked the main character, though I did not like how his family treated him. I think it's an intriguing beginning to a new trilogy for young readers and am excited for the next two. First Son could read this book, but now he's interested in the Redwall series so it's not clear I'll need to provide any leisure time reading for a while. There is one disturbing episode in which some pirates attempt to force themselves on a young woman which I worried would bother First Son, but Kansas Dad thinks he wouldn't really understand it and would just move on. I'm going to put this on our list for next summer (when he'll be ten), just in case I need to make some suggestions. (library copy)

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury is as beautifully written as any Bradbury. And very creepy. (library copy)


Books in Progress (and date started)

• The Mass and the Saints (April 2013)
• Lorna Doone by Richard Blackmore (May 2013)
• The Catholic Mother's Helper in Training Her Children by Sister Mary, I.H.M, Sister Mary Roberta, O.P., Sister Mary Rosary, O.P. (June 2013)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (July 2013)
• St. Dominic and the Rosary by Catherine Beebe (July 2013)

March 2013 Book Reports

Ice Age by Brian Freemantle is a science fiction book about a virus released from the melting ice caps. There are too many problems with this book to mention. Please don't read it. (purchased for the Kindle when it was a Kindle Daily Deal)

"B" Is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood is a sweet little story of young Betsy in her first year of school. If you have a young reader eager for chapter books, it would be a good choice. Personally, I don't think it's as good as Happy Little Family, but it may be easier to find. (library copy)

Love in the Little Things: Tales of Family Life by Mike Aquilina is a collection of essays on Catholic family life. The short essays are a good length for harried parents of young children and do a nice job of connecting what we do as we move through our days with spiritual growth and the life of the Church. (inter-library loan)

Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa by Francis Kalnay is more the story of the gaucho Juan than the wild pony, but it's a quiet story of the pampa of Argentina. It's recommended by Mater Amabilis for Level 2 when reading about the Americas. I thought it was amusing at times and a nice little book (probably a bit easier reading than First Son will need in fourth grade). I'm happy with this book as one of the three he'll read, but I'm open to other ideas for South American books. (Secret of the Andes is an option as well, but I'm not sure how much he'd enjoy it.) (library copy)

The Behavior Gap: Simple Ways to Stop Doing Dumb Things with Money by Carl Richards is mostly a book on investing. Kansas Dad and I don't do a lot of that. (We have some retirement accounts, but nothing we spend any time on.) I found this book fascinating, though, because it really encourages people to think about their own goals and dreams, then pick a financial strategy. It's inspired me (and therefore Kansas Dad) to take a little time this year to review our financial goals and how we plan to reach them. Last year, we focused on our physical health. I'm not at the end of that journey yet, but I think I'm ready to tackle something else in the same way. (library copy)

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh is a rather awful book. Harriet is mean and spiteful. She experiences no personal growth. The adults are all complicit or vacuous. Seriously, skip it. (library copy)

The Cay by Theodore Taylor is recommended as a book on the Americas for Mater Amabilis Level 2. Set during World War II, Philip finds himself alone on a raft with an old black man after his ship is torpedoed. A head injury causes him to go blind before they reach an island. The novel follows his growth from a completely dependent and frightened boy while telling quite a bit about the geography of the Caribbean. I think it'll be a good addition to our studies in fourth grade. (library copy)

Blood Will Tell: A Medical Explanation for the Tyranny of Henry VIII by Kyra Cornelius Kramer is a fascinating argument that King Henry VIII carried a rare blood antigen that led to multiple miscarriages and infant deaths for his wives and an even rarer condition as he aged in his forties that accounted for the dramatic personality changes and paranoia that contributed to his attacks on family, friends, and the Church. There's no way to tell if her argument is true, but it certainly seems plausible. This was a great book for me to read as the children and I were covering this period in English history. (borrowed for free from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library)

Third Shift - Pact (Part 8 of the Silo Series) by Hugh Howey carries the story begun in Wool and the first two shift books a bit farther. It brings all the story lines together in preparation for the final installment. I really enjoy all of these books. (purchased for the Kindle)

Holy Crocodile by Caroline Cory (a review for The Catholic Company)

Tippy Lemmey by Patricia C. McKissack is the story of a young girl and her friends terrorized by a neighborhood dog. The problem-solving is pretty good. The story is fun and exciting without being too scary. I'd recommend speaking frankly about race while reading this early chapter book with a child because the children are black and (based on what I can tell in the pictures), the dog owners are white. Race isn't an issue in the story, which is nice, but I think it's best to talk to children about race rather than just assume they won't think a person's color makes any difference. It takes place during the Korean War (the dog belongs to a soldier) but the war itself doesn't figure prominently. This is on my list as a possibility for First Daughter to read aloud to me. (library copy)

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie on Julie Sternberg is a sweet tale of a girl whose babysitter must move away. Her parents are supportive. Her new babysitter is understanding. She makes new friends and grows up a little. This is on the list for First Daughter to read aloud to me in first grade. (library copy)

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr is a classic I had never read. Sadako, of course, becomes ills with cancer years after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. I think it could be a nice complement to a study of World War II or modern Japanese history for an older child (perhaps twelve). The reading level is not difficult, but the topic is complicated and distressing. (library copy)

Books in Progress (and date started)

• The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey (October 2012) 
• Destination: Bethlehem (December 2012)
• The Cloister Walk (January 2013)
• The Jack Tales (March 2013)
• Treasure Island (March 2013)
• Legends of the Saints (March 2013)

September 2012 Book Reports

Alfred of Wessex by Frank Morriss is a hero tale of Alfred the Great. It's not perhaps perfectly historically accurate, but it gives a good idea of life in his time and the fear of the Danes in England. The battle is portrayed as more of a fight of Christians (Catholic, of course) against pagans. I should have started our year with this one as a read-aloud in our world history, as we were reviewing the Vikings, but instead it will be our second read-aloud. I think the children will enjoy it. (purchased from Bethlehem Books as the free ebook of the month earlier this year)

Heroes of God's Church by Father P. Henry Malimore, S.J.D.

The Wright Brothers (Landmark Books) by Quentin Reynolds is a great little biography of Orville and Wilbur Wright. It's enjoyable and includes a great amount of information on the physics of flight as a natural part of the story. I think First Son can read this on his own. I intend to assign it as independent reading during our flight studies this year in physics. (library copy)

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Short reads like a newspaper account of the implosion of the subprime mortgage market and the subsequent collapse of so many financial corporations. Reading it made me angry over and over again at the absurdity and immorality of those who held the financial fates of so many Americans in their hands, but the author's style is remarkably enjoyable for all that. I can't say how much of his analysis of the situation is true, not being much interested in financial markets, but it seemed intelligent to me. (Kindle version, borrowed for free from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library)

Lumber Camp Library by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock is the story of a young girl who must quit school to care for her ten siblings after her father dies. After reading it, I decided against giving it to First Son for independent reading. The girl sacrifices much for her family and does treat their next-door neighbor with kindness, but she also steals and lies in the story and it's not clear she's entirely repentant. Also, the appearance of a bird that may be the soul of her father is integral to the story. It's probably not a big deal but was enough with the other things for me to set this book aside. (library copy)


Books in Progress (and date started)

• Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series Volume 6 - Towards A Philosophy of Education (June summer 2011)
• Word Myths:Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends (January 2012)
• The Schoolhouse at Prairie View (June 2012)
• Can You Forgive Her? (July 2012)
• Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling (August 2012)
• Saint Who? (September 2012)
• Born On A Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant (September 2012)

My Favorite Picture Books: Hana in the Time of the Tulips

Hana in the Time of the Tulips by Deborah Noyes, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Set during the time of the tulipomania in seventeenth century Holland, this book shows the collapse of the tulip market through the eyes of a young child, one who dearly loves her father. Throughout the book, she seeks answers from everyone, including the artist Rembrandt, on how to console her father. In the end, she herself shows him how much he still has in the love of his family and daughter. A note at the end gives a little more information on the rise and fall of the tulip market.

The book is illustrated beautifully in the style of the Dutch masters. My favorite illustration shows a delighted Hana displaying a daisy chain she made for her father. I also love the one that shows Hana gazing raptly at the light of a firefly wonderfully cupped in her nurse's hands.

I decided to read this book to the children as part of our Reading Around the World for Europe. I was a little afraid the girls' attention would wander as some of the pages of text are a little long, but they were enthralled for the entire book. Even First Son (my third grader) sat and listened to the whole story.

Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

My Favorite Picture Books: My Rows and Piles of Coins

My Rows and Piles of Coins by Tololwa M. Mollel, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

I'm pretty sure this book was recommended in Raising Financially Fit Kids. (See my review here.) We read it as part of our Financial Literacy course this year for Basic Money Skill #1: How to Save.

Saruni is a young Tanzanian boy who decides to save his coins for a bicycle which he can then use to help his mother take more produce to market and to run errands for her. Each week, he saves the coins she shares with him and practices faithfully on his father's bicycle. It's a marvelous book of dreams, perseverance, patience, and generosity. It is set in the 1960s, but a note from the author at the end (which also includes useful pronunciation guides and definitions) says much of rural Tanzania remains as it is depicted.

The illustrations are just as wonderful as the text. They're a realistic glimpse at a beautiful African family. I particularly love the ones showing Saruni with his parents. They seem so proud and loving.

My Favorite Picture Books: Uncle Jed's Barbershop

Uncle Jed's Barbershop by Margaree King Mitchell, illustrated by James Ransome

I discovered this book a few years ago, when we read through American history in picture books for First Son's kindergarten year. I checked it out again as I was planning our financial history course for next year as it's a wonderful example of working and saving toward a business goal.

Uncle Jed is a traveling barber, serving the black community at a time of sharecropping and segregation. He is always saving his earnings to invest in a barbershop of his own. He sacrifices savings for his family. He suffers a total loss in the Great Depression. Yet he perseveres. It's a beautiful story, lovingly illustrated.

As with all great picture books, it introduces us to a range of issues like race relations, discrimination, family, sacrifice, dedication and perseverance, all seemingly without effort. They are simply part of the story. As a real tale based on the life of the author's great-uncle, it appeals especially to my kids who love to hear about real people.

My Favorite Picture Books: Chicken Sunday

Chicken Sunday, written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco

I have to admit, Patricia Polacco is not one of my favorite illustrators, but that does not keep me from reading aloud many of her wonderful books to my children. Chicken Sunday is my favorite of her picture books.

There is so much to admire and love in this story, it seems difficult to believe: inter-racial friendships and understanding, love for neighbor, love for family, perseverance and dedication to meet a goal in service of another, financial responsibility and reacting to injustice with compassion and forgiveness. And it's a true story.

This book deserves a place of honor in every library.

Financial Literacy in Third Grade

I've been spending some time recently planning our financial literacy course for next year. It's based on the book Raising Financially Fit Kids. I reviewed it on the blog here. There are probably a number of curricula offerings for financial literacy in the homeschooling world, but after glancing through the book again I was confident I could put something together that fit the Charlotte Mason philosophy (not that I'm an expert), fit our family's needs, and could be extended through not just this coming school year but every year.

We've never done anything regularly on financial literacy before. I decided to start with the first set of Basic Money Skills for 5-8 year olds. Joline Godfrey outlines activities and books for each skill as well as good books for parents or teachers to read so we can understand them ourselves. I simply went through the recommendations and chose a book and an activity or two for each skill. We're going to go through all ten skills reading a book for each one (generally one book per week), then go through all ten skills again with activities pertinent to our family and First Son. I love this plan because we'll be reading lots of books (hooray!) and because it allows us to cycle through the skills at least twice in the coming year. Rather than go through them a third time, we're going to read through a book on money - the history of money, how it's made, what it looks like in different countries, and so forth.

Our library had many of the recommended books and I had a couple myself, but there were a few I  couldn't request. It turned out to be difficult to search for children's books on particular money skills. (Shocking, I know.) I found a list from the Ohio credit unions with suggestions that helped a lot in filling in the gaps. I'm still looking for a good book, a living book and preferably a picture book, on borrowing money or using a credit card. Let me know if you have any ideas!

We'll be spending 10-15 minutes a week on financial literacy. It's not a lot of time, but it will be dedicated and directed.

February 2012 Book Report

The Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke is a wonderful little book, imagining a fourth wise man who seeks the Christ child his entire life, from Bethlehem to Egypt to Jerusalem. It's not always accurate in a Scriptural sense, but it is true to the heart of Jesus' teachings. I'm not entirely sure my children would be ready to appreciate it, but I'm going to consider it as a family read-aloud next year during Advent. (library copy, but it's free for the Kindle)

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury is another book for the science fiction and theology class I'm auditing. I love reading Ray Bradbury and am not sure why I haven't read more of his books. His descriptions are wonderful, though his anti-war and environmentalist themes can be a little overwhelming. Overall, recommended. (desk copy)

Raising Financially Fit Kids by Joline Godfrey (library copy)

The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century: A Comprehensive World History by Robert Royal, though I really only read one chapter - on Edith Stein. I found the chapter gave a good biography of her, including her life leading up to her conversion to Catholicism. The whole book looks pretty interesting, though I think I'd have to read it a chapter a month or something to avoid becoming depressed. We read a lot of saints here, but not all of them are martyrs for the faith. This book in particular could become difficult to read because these are all recent martyrs, reminding us that Christians are not as safe in the world as we feel here in America. (library copy)

The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald is one I found in the Sonlight catalog but I found it horrible. The book is narrated by a young boy whose brother is The Great Brain. He uses every person, event and action to his own financial advantage. I was really horrified to read some of the things he does to his brother and was displeased by the description of how he helped a young Greek immigrant fit in for his own profit, but the worst part of the book was the casual portrayal of how a young amputee wanted to commit suicide with the aid of the narrator. He doesn't succeed, but it was just awful. I would certainly not read this book to my children. I might not even allow them to read it if they found it on their own. It's that bad. (library copy)

Dawn (Xenogenesis, Book 1) by Octavia E. Butler was another book for the science fiction and theology class I'm attending. It's a rather dark portrayal of humans in a world in which aliens have "rescued" humans from an earth destroyed by war. Earth is being remade, but the aliens want to interbreed with humans. Unlike Star Trek, these aliens are different in every way. There's a lot of uncomfortable scenes and this book is certainly only for teens and older readers. I will reserve final judgment until I finish the trilogy, though I probably won't have time for those other two books until the class is over. (library copy)

Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford (purchased copy)

52 Days by Camel: My Sahara Adventure by Lawrie Raskin with Debora Pearson is a delightful account of the author-photographer's travels in the desert on a journey to Timbuktu and beyond. Full of information about salt, caravans, people, customs and Islam, this will be a perfect book for our study of deserts in third grade as recommended by Mater Amabilis. This book is one of those we'll use in our move to First Son reading more of his studies independently. He may read this aloud to me, but he will read it himself. (library copy)

The Child who Never Grew by Pearl S. Buck (inter-library loan)

A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night: An Autobiography in Art and The Children of China: An Artist's Journey by Song Nan Zhang, both recommended by Mater Amabilis for third grade. The first book tells of the author's life in China during the revolution and Communism including the dramatic events in Tiananmen Square in 1989 (when the author was in Canada but his son was involved in the protest). The second shows children in the far reaches of China, painted during and after the author traveled around the country. These books show a harsh life. In addition to the general fears under Communism, the text in the first book tells of a man who commits suicide. I think these will be appropriate for a third grader, though we may not read all of them aloud when his younger sisters are listening. The second one offers some good opportunities to talk about the geography of China naturally flowing from the book. The study would probably be fine with either of the books, but since our library has both of them we'll read them both in the course of one term along with map work for China. (library copies)

Sovietrek: A Journey by Bicycle Across Russia by Dan Buettner shows the journey he made with three others across Russia in 1990 by bicycle. The book begins by telling of the inspiration for the trek, the challenges to get funded and approved and the journey from Minnesota to eastern Europe. The trip through Russia is shown in wonderful detail and in photographs. It's astounding to read how the Russian people lived even just 25 years ago. The bikers endured harsh conditions and challenges along the way but were always welcomed and assisted by the Russians they encountered. This will be a wonderful addition to our studies next year. (library copy)

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie was a fun relaxing book to read. I didn't guess the murderer, but I never do on those rare occasions when I read a mystery because I rarely bother to think much about it. It seems Poirot functioned mainly on stereotypes, but I guess you can't argue with results. (library copy)

Book Review: Raising Financially Fit Kids

Raising Financially Fit Kids by Joline Godfrey

This informative and helpful book provides nearly all you would need as a curriculum of Personal Finance for your children and could be extremely useful. The author gives ten basic money skills (like "how to save" and "how to handle credit"). A child's "financial internship" is then divided into stages: ages 5-8, 9-12, 13-15 and 16-18. For each stage, the author provides specific ideas, books, movies and progressively more difficult tasks focused on each of the skills. She encourages parents to pick and choose activities appropriate to the family and the child, but to provide an opportunity for each child to become proficient in each money skill.

The book clearly states that money is a tool, not an end in itself. It is good only insofar as we use it to provide for our needs, some of our wants and to contribute to alleviating the sufferings or needs of others. I thought the author's attitude was sensible and generous.

Ms. Godfrey's book can help a family determine their own financial goals and then devise a plan to teach their children the skills to meet those goals, to make the family's financial plans transparent as children grow. I love the number of ideas. I love the number of books and movies sited to provide not only information, but opportunities for discussions. I think homeschooling families can take the ideas in this book and create a complete financial education plan, including activities that could be incorporated into a coop.

The ideas in the book are nearly always appropriate for families of little means as well as those of great wealth (though one chapter is entirely focused on children in wealthy families). One of her ideas is to gather a team of adults to help teach your children. I can see how this could be useful for us as there is not a single entrepreneurial bone in my body. I have no desire to start a business or encourage my children to do so, but I do recognize the value in knowing such things.

We've already made a change in our money management training. First Son received a small increase in his allowance. He now received $4 each week: $2 to spend (which he saves very well for large purchases), $1 to save, $0.50 to tithe at church and $0.50 for another charity. He's now responsible for putting his church tithe in an envelope and carrying it to church (or giving it to Kansas Dad, which is what I do with our tithe and First Daughter's tithe). Because it's now going from my hands to his hands to the envelope, it should be more clear to him that he's giving his own money at Mass each week. When he has about $20 saved in his charity jar, we'll help him research some charities and choose one for a donation. We're not sure what's going to happen with the save jar. Perhaps we'll open a savings account for him, or let him put it in the one his Papa opened for him, or perhaps we'll let him invest that money in some life stock of his own. The other big change is that all money he receives (for gifts, for extra chores around the house or at a grandparent's house) will be divided up between the jars. (Previously, any non-allowance money went right to spending.)

I'm also going to include financial literacy as one of our subjects each year. We'll probably do only a little, perhaps one or two lessons each term, but it will be in our plans and that will make it a priority.

My only complaint about this book is the design. I don't love the cover, though the pictures of children and young adults inside seem well done. Most difficult are the pages. The pages are thick, so they'll hold up well, but very reflective. I often found it difficult to read the words.

I can't say whether this is the best book to guide parents through teaching financial literacy to children, because I have only read a couple, but I believe it must be one of the best. It's certainly worth a bit of your time. It would be appropriate for parents, grandparents and any other adults who have children in their lives.